Women can express their inner James Bonds with Chanel’s new lipstick, Rouge Allure. The gadgetry is the black rectangular case, which slips over the entirety of the lipstick and can’t just be pulled or twisted off. Rather, the “open sesame” is a click on the button located on one end of the case. Rouge Allure officially goes on sale May 1, but the lipstick is already on the counter at New York City locations of Barneys New York, Bloomingdale’s, and Sephora.

Chanel’s Paris-based director of makeup creation, Dominique Moncourtois, spent more than two years developing the product. Why so long? A lot of time was spent on getting the sound of the click just right. “We wanted it to be like the swoosh of a Rolls-Royce car door versus the tinny slam of a Toyota,” Mr. Moncourtois said. Holding the lipstick to his ear and listening to it click, he pronounced, “It’s soft, quiet. It’s the sound of luxury.” And about that case, which is made of black anodized metal: “Nothing will scratch this, it’s invincible,” Mr. Moncourtois said, rubbing a key against it to prove his point. Another detail meant to wow is the engraving of “Chanel” on the lipstick itself. The total package weighs a 1/2 ounce more than the other Chanel lipsticks, but the amount of lipstick is comparable, the company said.

Chanel is certainly proud of its new product. But what do New York women – a hard-to-impress group – think about the new tube? “Is it a trick?” Athena Marmaras, who was hawking comedy club tickets on 42nd Street, asked when handed the Rouge Allure lipstick and invited to open it. Her reaction after figuring it out, which took about five seconds: “This is really, really, really cool.”

Most women grasped at the middle of the case on their first attempt to open it. Only when that didn’t work did they go for the ends. Accessories designer Pat Welch figured out the click in just a second, but wasn’t a fan. “I prefer less gimmicky packing. It’s ridiculous,” she said.

Several women smiled at the sight of the engraved letters on the tube. But most immediately thought about what it added to the price. “That’s $10 right there,” an advertising sales manager, Madelaine Haberman, said.

Interior designer Celerie Kemble compared the click to that of a pen, and several women holding the lipstick while a reporter interviewed them repeatedly clicked the lid off and on in quick succession. The gesture also reminded Ms. Kemble of other “new idiosyncratic designs,” such as the Motorola Pebl. “What’s funny, though, is that it’s like a tampon,” she said.

The durability of the case drew the most comments. “It might be difficult for children to open,” the manager of the children swear store Leeper Kids, Fay Leeper, observed.

At $30, this isn’t the lipstick you want turned into a crayon.