Swatches: Givenchy Le Rouge 308 Rouge D’Exception & 204 Rose Budoir

Not all that long ago I did a review for my Givenchy Le Rouge collection, which embarrassingly enough includes most of the permanent shades. If you thought I was going to stop there, well, nope. Since then I’ve picked up a couple others – and this time they seem even more fancy-pants, because one shade is limited edition and the other isn’t available in the US.

Hiding inside these leather-wrapped tubes are the shades 308 Rouge D’Exception and 204 Rose Budoir.

Left: Rouge D’Exception
Right: Rose Budoir

Rouge D’Exception is a limited edition color for fall, and it’s available in the US. It’s a warm, muted red – I wasn’t sure about the color when I first got it (I ordered it sight-unseen because my Sephora didn’t have their testers out yet), but it actually is very lovely.

Rose Budoir is exclusive to… somewhere else. I’m not sure if it’s UK-exclusive/Europe-exclusive or what, but the point is Sephora doesn’t have it. Luckily a kind friend in the UK was nice enough to pick it up for me. She even sent along a fancy little bag that they come with – but you only get it if you buy from a counter in the UK or Paris! She got 105 Brun Vintage (another non-US color) for herself while she was at it – you can see the review on her blog, Pigmented Lips. That one is now on my lust list too, but I digress. Rose Budoir is a neutral, bright-but-not-overwhelming pink and may very well become one of my favorites. Its closest siblings in the Le Rouge lineup are #203 Rose Dentelle and #205 Fuchsia Irresistible, which I’ve swatched with it below. It’s brighter and cooler than Rose Dentelle, and warmer/more toned down than Fuchsia Irresistible.

Left to right: 204 Rose Budoir, 203 Rose Dentelle, 205 Fuchsia Irresistible

Just for the convenience factor, here are the swatches from my original review for comparison purposes:

Left to right: Beige Plume, Brun Createur, Rose Taffetas, Rose Dressing, Rose Dentelle, Fuchsia Irresistible, Magnolia Organza, Grenat Initie

Now that I’ve discovered even more shades that exist, I’ve got quite a Le Rouge wishlist going. Brun Vintage and Corail Decollete (both available in the UK) and Hibiscus Exclusif, which is a Germany exclusive, are all on it, plus Rose D’Exception (the other fall LE shade).

Rouge D’Exception is available at sephora.com and Sephora stores, and Rose Budoir is available at debenhams.com (but you’ll need a friend or forwarding service to get it here).