Best & Worst of Guerlain Rouge G de Guerlain Matte Lip Colors

Guerlain Rouge G de Guerlain Matte Lip Color ($33.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a new take on the Rouge G format with a “semi-matte” finish that has “intense pigments” and is “hydrating” and has “blurring powders.” I’ve been a fan of the Rouge G formula for many years, and the re-release of the Rouge G range was a huge relief that the formula didn’t disappear (or change, though the shade range is less up my alley presently).

I was looking forward to the new finish, but it largely a let-down as several shades weren’t flattering on; they added texture, emphasized lip lines, or felt drying. Of all the things I expected, it definitely wasn’t that the lipsticks would look unflattering. I have felt that my lips do not seem to do well with this more powder-like type of formula, so I’ll be curious to hear from readers if the formula works better for them.

The coverage was semi-opaque to opaque, somewhat buildable, but there was enough slip that it was better to keep it two layers or else I experienced the color clumping up on itself and becoming more uneven in overall application. The texture was velvety and thin, I get that “blurring powder” feel that some of the recent matte formulas have had in them–a little “dry” and more prone to clinging on my lips. They wore between three and six hours but fade evenly and more red-based shades left faint stains behind. I didn’t find any of them hydrating, and some of them felt drying to me. They had the typical violet scent but no taste.

For me, Rouge G was all about making my lips look better: smoother, plumper, and delivered good wear with a hydrating formula, but the Mattes left me wanting, as they weren’t hydrating, didn’t smooth out my lip lines for the most part, and felt a bit tight to wear after a few hours. One of the tell-tale signs of a drying formula is during the swatch-a-thon; given that there were only 11 shades to swatch, it should have been easy, but my lips felt a little raw afterward, which is typical of swatching more drying formulas for me.