Style

I Swatched Every Shade Of Lancome's Le Metallique Collection

by Wendy Rose Gould

Hold on to your parachute pants, people, because we're heading straight back to the '90s with Lancome's newest lip lacquer collection, which launched in early 2017 as a Sephora exclusive. Lancome's Le Metallique is a 13-piece set of thick, glossy lip color that's been pumped full of sheen and a dash or two of glitter.

Each tube will run you $22, and there's quite a range of colors to choose from. However, as you'll soon find out from my images, not every color will work for everyone. The formulation for each is reminiscent of MAC's Lip Glass — a bit stick and tacky, which creates a really cool effect but isn't ideal for windy days or convertible rides. It can also lead to application problems: While many of the colors are easy to apply and provide enough coverage with one coat, others are a bit more finicky. For example, the blue requires consistent re-application and it's difficult to apply evenly — but more on that later.

The bottom line is that what works for some doesn't work for others, and veryone has different needs and wants from their lip products. In order to take out some of the guesswork for you, I've got swatches of each of these new glosses. Join me on this magical color journey, won't you?

Wendy Rose Gould

From left to right above we have Mirrored Nude, Iron Nude, Magnetic Mauve, Lavender Patina, Polished Rose, Brushed Gold, Orange Ore, Curve Casting, Rouge Magma, Molten Magenta, Purple Onyx, Meteoric Violet, and Crystallized Cobalt.

Pretty, right? Here's how they look on.

Mirrored Nude

This is a pink-leaning nude with a ton of champagne sheen. It's actually a shade or two lighter than my lips. I think it'd be really pretty over another lipstick — perhaps on the center of the bottom and top lips — for just a hint of metallic sheen and dimension.

Iron Nude

Iron Nude is a bronze-y orange hue that I found to be pretty neutral. It added just enough color for a natural look, but enough sheen to amp things up.

Magnetic Mauve

This is one of my favorites in this metallic bouquet. It's a dusty rose, MLBB color, making it an ideal one to keep on hand in my handbag. I'll definitely be wearing this one a lot.

Lavender Patina

This pearly purple lip color would have been the perfect color for Britney back in the early '00s, don't you think? I find it surprisingly nice on my super pale complexion, but it's one of those colors that I probably wouldn't reach for unless I'm specifically trying for a retro nod.

Polished Rose

Speaking of retro, this baby pink gloss with flecks of gold has Cher Horowitz written all over it. I love this color because it's unlike anything else I already have in my (admittedly too vast) collection, and it's just a fun one to run around in. BRB going to buy matching white platforms.

Brushed Gold

This is a straight up liquid gold lipgloss, and it is straight up not ideal on my pale face. I think this color would look really good on medium to super dark complexions — go forth and slay.

Orange Ore

I'm always hesitant to apply orange lipstick, and I'm always surprised at how good it looks on me. This one is juicy tangerine hue that leads more yellow than red.

Curve Casting

Curve Casting is a gorgeous and uncommon color. It ones of the trickier lip glosses to apply, though, and I found it difficult to get an even consistency. That said, once I was able to do so, I loved how it looked against my skin.

Rouge Magma

I own way too many red lip colors, but this ruby baby is a fine addition to my collection. It makes my green/blue eyes pop, ad almost looks like it's glowing (both in the tube and on my lips).

Molten Magenta

Here's another red, but this one leans more wine than it does true-blue red. Like some of the other lip glosses in the Le Metallique collection, I found it a little finicky to apply, but nevertheless it's one of my favorites in the bunch.

Purple Onyx

It was really difficult to showcase just how pretty this color is. It photographs as almost a muddy cabernet, when in reality is a rich blackberry with tons of depth. Unfortunately, this is another one of those colors that requires extra care when applying, as the dark color makes it prone to a streak-y and uneven finish. If you love dark colors though, I recommend heading to the store and swatching it. You'll probably discover that it's unlike any other color you've tried before.

Meteoric Violet

Here's another one of my favorites! I'm a sucker for a pretty purple, and this liquid orchid hue is definitely a winner. Look at how green it makes my eyes!

Crystallized Cobalt

The finished result isn't my favorite, I also found this color to be the most difficult of all to apply, but I image that any blue gloss out there will be similarly tricky to perfect. You'll need several coats and consistent application throughout the day or night, but if you're going for a glossy, metallic blue, this one is worth a try.

So there's the whole shebang. Each one of the shades is gorgeous in its way, and hopefully seeing them up-close-and-personal on my lips help you make your decision on which one (or two, or three) to nab. My personal favorites are Magnetic Mauve, Orange Ore, Rouge Magma, and Meteoric VioletI hope you find some favorites of your own from the collection.