Bâton Rouge: the eco-friendly, made-to-measure lipstick lab-boutique in Paris

Regular make-up wearers have been there, done that: adorning yourself every day with that favorite lipstick you've been wearing for years, until the brand decides to stop producing the color you love so much. Another frustrating scenario: having a precise idea of what you're looking for in terms of color and texture, and tirelessly scouring beauty stores and addresses in the hope that a brand will offer exactly that cosmetic that until then has only existed in your imagination.

In Paris, there's a cosmetics lab-boutique where you'd be hard-pressed not to find what you're looking for. And with good reason: it offers you the chance to make your own customized lipstick, while offering a product that's 100% eco-responsible, right down to the packaging! It's all happening in the trendy Marais district. At 50 rue des Franc-Bourgeois, Bâton Rouge is waiting to make your wish come true.

The concept is simple: a make-up artist accompanies you as you create your lipstick. You can benefit from his or her advice throughout the creative process. It all starts with the color. Here, anything is possible: let the make-up artist guide you, reproduce the color of your old lipstick, take inspiration from an accessory, recreate the fruit of your imagination... and try, again and again, until you finally achieve your favorite color.

The spot welcomes us in a cosy atmosphere, and the friendly staff quickly make us feel at home. We settle down at one of the two counters to spend some one-on-one time with our dedicated make-up artist. If you have a clear idea of what you want, we strongly recommend that you prepare a few photos of your desired shade to help you formulate your idea.

For our part, we tried a first, rather nebulous brief: a golden brown without supporting photos. But this didn't stop the make-up artist from getting very close to the desired color very quickly: with disconcerting speed, here she is, mixing a few pigments and blending them with a spatula in an expert, satisfying gesture. It all happens in a flash with the force of habit: a few corrections are made, a little less pink, a little more brown, to achieve the desired result. Then, with the help of a brush, we proceed to the first test, because yes, the color won't necessarily render in the same way once applied to our lips.

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Here again, we can see the attention to detail that has gone into the experiment: the result can be admired on a magnifying mirror, as well as on a second, standard mirror, so that the result can be contemplated from both near and far. The lighting is close to natural light, so you can properly appreciate the shade of this customized lipstick. In just four tries, you'll have the exact color you want.

For our second lipstick, our mischievousness led us to give the make-up artist carte blanche, and opt for a red shade. After asking a few questions about our style and what we like to wear in general, she was able to suggest a suitable shade that we'd fallen in love with!

As lipstick is not just about color, there's also a choice of texture: matte, satin, natural, glossy or liquid matte, everything is provided so you can create the lipstick that suits you, right down to the choice of fragrance from a range of natural scents. Then it's on to the glass-enclosed lab, where you can follow the final stages of production before you get your make-up.

For our golden-brown, we opted for a matte liquid for immediate application, while for the second, we opted for a satin-textured stick, which is proving a great success. In addition to the pleasing results, the natural composition of these cosmetics includes castor oil, which also moisturizes our lips. Please note that the stick cannot be used immediately; you'll need to wait 48 hours for it to set before you can apply it. To design your customized lipstick, you'll need to spend €50. Then, once the formula has been established, you can order it again at a cost of 40€ for liquid lipsticks and 35€ for a stick, part of the latter's packaging being reusable.

This way, you can create your own signature smile that will be hard to imitate... unless you share your crea!