30 Lipsticks in 30 Days! Day Six: Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Shalimar

4:30 PM, August 10 2011

By Jessica Matlin

It's probably terribly un-PC to admit this (who knows what's right anymore), but in the '80s, I was obsessed with Barbie. Not "obsessed" in that fashion-y throwaway sense (have you noticed everyone's suddenly "ob-sessed" with everything?), but in a way that should have tipped off a guidance counselor.

From the moment our car pulled into the Child World parking lot, my heart would race. I was panicked. Letting go of my Dad's hand, I would practically trip over myself—leaving him in the dust—to get to Aisle Three: The Barbie Aisle. Stacked like pink bricks, those Mattel boxes had an irresistible, magnetic glow about them. And there was no getting through to me once I was in. At points I thought I couldn't breathe. Step into the light, Carol Anne.

To this day, I still get a rush when I see anything that Barbie-box-pink, be it Miu Miu shoes, Charlotte Free's hair or—most recently—Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Shalimar. The color is rich without being opaque (that’s due to the “Cristal Pigment,” I’m told), luminous but not at all sparkly, and surprisingly light on the lips. Plus, it stays on for a decent amount of time, then dries evenly to a pretty fuchsia stain.