Earlier this summer, we were invited to Guerlain’s first IRL event for aeons, to meet their Creative Director of Make-Up, Violette (Serrat). Have to say, the appointment of Violette is a stroke of genius for Guerlain: women don’t come any cooler than this Parisian self-taught make-up pro, and she brings a truly fresh aesthetic and inventiveness to the range – as this collection, which is her first major contribution to the line-up, underlines.

So, this isn’t something that often happens at Beauty Bible Towers, but she is so cool, and so chic in that entirely insouciant Parisienne way, and never smiles in pictures… we were actually rather nervous at the prospect of meeting Violette, imagining some kind of diva. Instead, what’s she like? All smiley, friendly, girly, chatty – and pregnant, with it. Cool, yes – but so warm, with it! 

It actually felt very special to have this new Autumn collection introduced by its creatrice and learn about the inspiration behind it – butterflies (hence the iridescence). But we’ll do our best to do Violette’s innovations justice…

Guerlain Ombres G/£62 (see above). Shimmer, glimmer, flutter, flatter… Turns out there’s almost nothing that Violette likes to do more than play with pigments; here, she’s mixed mattes with some truly dazzling, light-capturing shades. Normally we’d run a mile from some of these shimmery shades, but Violette showed us how they can also be used as liners (see below), to gorgeous effect. (360 Mystic Peacock is the shade she’s wearing, below.) 

Guerlain The Eye Pencil/£24. Talking of liner… she’s created a new one for the range, a budge-proof pencil in five shades (as per above). Violette demo-ed Jungle Green (below), which is a really interesting khaki (great with brown eyes), but here’s a tip for anyone with blue eyes: deep plum eyeliner – 04 Plum Peony, in this case – is immensely flattering, and somehow turbo-charges the blue.

Guerlain Rouge G (new shades, new cases). Predictable, perhaps, that a Parisienne would come up with some ravishing reds – Paris is a city inextricably linked with red lipstick, in our minds. But the new shades are divine, with soft, glimmering metallic glints, including vibrant No214 Exotic Red (as seen on Natalia Vodianova, at the bottom of this page), incandescent No829 Imperial Plum, and No888 Noble Burgundy, which we can’t wait to get our hands on as a replacement for a long-lost and very similar Guerlain shade of yore.

Guerlain Ombres G/£62 – buy here 

Guerlain The Eye Pencil/£24 – buy here

Guerlain Rouge G/£30 – buy here

Guerlain Rouge G ‘Butterfly’ Cases/£32 – buy here

Prize Draws