Guerlain

Today Felt Like a Guerlain Spring 2014 Kind of Day

January 28th, 2014 by Karen 30 Comments

When I passed him in the kitchen this morning wearing this look with pieces from Guerlain’s new spring collection, the first thing El Hub said was, “You smell good!”

But I wasn’t wearing any perfume, unless you count the cloud of Eau de Tabby Cat that permeates my clothes…

I’m pretty sure he was picking up the scent of my makeup, despite that fact that he has the worst sense of smell (his nose was broken several times in his martial arts days), because Guerlain’s spring stuff smells amaze-balls! — like plumeria and jasmine. Even their brow powder smells really good.

Having slept well and feeling good, I was in the mood to wear something a little colorful today, so I did this green and taupe eye with pink cheeks and fuchsia lips.

Guerlain Ecrin 4 Eyeshadows in Les Tendres, $63 (limited edition)

Guerlain Meteorites Blush in Cherry, $42 (also limited edition)

Guerlain Météorites Pearls in 03 Medium — Guerlain Météorites Pearls in 02 Clair, $60 (permanent)

Guerlain Meterorites Brush — Meterorites Brush, $42 (permanent)

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Makeup-Loving Astronauts Aboard the International Space Station Report That Guerlain’s New Météorites Blossom Spring 2014 Collection Has Entered Earth Orbit

January 3rd, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

Guerlain spring 2014, girlfriend!

All I have to say is “SWOON.” They reformulated their Meteorites Pearls highlighters — you know, the multicolored makeup marbles that look like hard candies? — and they designed the entire 14-piece Météorites Blossom spring 2014 collection around them.

The new pearls, which you’re supposed to swirl together with your brush and then apply, use something called “stardust technology.”

How very sci-fi-ish of the marketing department. 🙂

The new formulation is supposed to be even more luminous than before, and better at brightening and disguise…

Hello! — I am so totally down with both those things. Right now I look and feel like I could use 10 years of sleep, which is what I get for staying up too late watching Breaking Bad (watch it!).

Back to the pearls…

There are three new permanent line shades, with each one made for a specific task. The first, 02 Clair, which is shown here, corrects redness with green pearls while champagne and white pearls illuminate.

The second one is 03 Medium, a neutral combo of beige, champagne and peach pearls designed to make skin glow.

And the third new one, 04 Dore, has chocolate-colored, fuchsia and beige pearls for smoldering radiance.

Review coming soon…

Each pack of pearls is $60, and they’re available now with the rest of the 14-piece Meteorites Blossom spring collection (other than the pearls, there are shadows, a brow kit, blushes, a mascara, two lipsticks, one lipgloss, a nail polish and a brush) at Guerlain counters and online.

Provocative Pinks and Purples Play Atop Lips and Tips in Guerlain’s Crazy Paris Holiday Collection

October 2nd, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Guerlain Crazy 68 Rouge G de Guerlain in 863 Provocative — Crazy for Guerlain’s Crazy 68 Rouge G de Guerlain in 863 Provocative ($49.50)

The “crazy” in Guerlain’s latest limited edition expedition, Crazy Paris, really seems to come through in the lipsticks and nail polishes, and to that I say, HAWT DAMN, PEOPLE! Bring on the crazy!

Crazy 68 Rouge G de Guerlain in 863 Provocative ($49.50)

With its crazy long name, Crazy 68 Rouge G de Guerlain in 863 Provocative is 50 cents shy of 50 bucks, and that hurts, but if you’ve fallen in love with the idea of this creamy opaque hot pink but aren’t ready to throw down $49.50 for it, perhaps MAC Impassioned could (at least temporarily) quell that urge.

Buuuuut if you are ready to trade in that Camry for a BMW, Guerlain’s Rouge Gs are like the luxury cars of the lipstick world…and if that makes any sense at all (it doesn’t), 863 is the model that makes your boy toy jealous. We’re talking moonroof, heated leather seats and satellite navigation.

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Guerlain Goes Pink, Peach and Glitter To Commune With the New Crazy Paris Holiday Collection

October 2nd, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments

Wearing the new Guerlain Crazy Paris Collection’s Crazy Champs Ã‰lysÃ©es MÃ©tÃ©orites Pearls and Crazy 68 Terracotta Bronzer

Normally, I’d worry about this much glitter, peach and pink turning completely loco (together, in quantities this large, they could easily go the children’s playtime makeup territory route, ya know?!), but with Guerlain, I feel like I’m in good hands.

The elegant way they handle the finishes and textures of their face and body products always just werks, and this year, with their new limited edition Crazy Paris holiday collection, they even manage to make body glitter luxurious (yup, body glitter).

Buckle up, babe, ’cause we’re headed to Crazy Paris… 🙂

Crazy Champs Ã‰lysÃ©es MÃ©tÃ©orites Pearls ($58)

Guerlain Crazy Champs Ã‰lysÃ©es MÃ©tÃ©orites Pearls

These colorful, shimmery highlighting powdered pearls look like little candies (note: but they’re not). To use ’em, just take your brush (I usually use a skunk or blush brush), poke it in the jar, and swirl (like highlighter jambalaya), picking up a mixture of the colors.

Guerlain usually releases a different limited edition version of these pearls with their seasonal collections, tweaking them slightly to suite each release.

This time around the pearls come in a combination of beige, purplish white, gold, light pink and hot pink that when mixed together create a pinkish golden sheen with flecks of silver glitter.

Pretty! The color plays well with the lip and eye colors in the Crazy Paris collection.

You may love these if you like highlighters that don’t shout from the rooftops, because the overall effect is very sheer. I’d say it’s more like a subtle brightening effect — one that casual passers by may not even notice — than a five-alarm fire.

A makeup artist/enthusiast pal, however, would surely catch the flecks of glitter shining on the high points of your cheeks, and how the soft sheen looks like powder puff lighting.

It’s a gentle, luminous effect that should look absolutely lovely on light and medium skin tones.

Might get a little lost on darker divas, though…

MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

Crazy 68 Terracotta Bronzer ($69)

Guerlain Crazy 68 Terracotta Bronzer packaging — Guerlain Crazy 68 Terracotta Bronzer

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The New Guerlain Crazy Paris Eye Palette: It’s Easy To Go Cuckoo for Crazy Paris and Its Wearable Pink

October 1st, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

That pink shadow trying to steal the spotlight in Guerlain’s new Crazy Paris Eye Palette? — yep, I’m a believer. It’s surprisingly wearable.

That’s one of the things I think Guerlain does really well — make eye-catching colors wearable. They can take kinda kooky, crazy eye colors and transform them into colors I actually feel comfortable wearing around town.

It’s a rare form of makeup magic.

The re-opening of Guerlain’s flagship boutique at 68 Champs-Ã‰lysÃ©es in the dazzling City of Lights inspired the $86 Crazy Paris Eye Palette and the rest of the 10-piece Crazy Paris Holiday collection.

I won’t claim to understand how they do it (because it’s obviously magic), but in the case of the pink shadow here, one of four shimmery shadows in the palette, they dialed down the opacity a bit, leaving just enough pigment to maintain its power, but not so much that it overwhelms.

And then there’s the bodacious, buttery blending. I barely have to flick my wrist, and the pink practically melts into the other eyeshadows — a shimmery copper, shimmery golden beige, and shimmery white gold.

One word: wow.

Be sure to tap off your brush first, though, as I’ve observed some minor fallout (a little annoying, considering the price)…

Guerlain Crazy Paris Eye Palette swatch — Swatches from the left: copper eyeshadow, golden beige eyeshadow, white gold eyeshadow, pink eyeshadow, black powder eyeliner, grayish taupe powder eyeliner

In addition to the shadows, the kit contains two wet/dry powder eyeliners in matte black and matte grayish taupe and, yup, they’re just as buttery.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Guerlain Chamade (164) Rouge Automatique Lipstick

August 18th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

Guerlain Chamade (164) Rouge Automatique Lipstick ($35)

About the Author
The following guest post was written by Terive Swerts of BellaChique.com. You can also find Terive on Twitter and Facebook.

Allow me to introduce you to one of my all-time favourite lipsticks — Guerlain Chamade (164) Rouge Automatique Lipstick ($35). I truly love the Rouge Automatiques in general. They’re simply one of my favourite lipstick formulas. Guerlain is definitely a high-end brand, but the Rouge Automatique lipsticks are a great alternative if you don’t want to splurge on the more expensive Rouge G’s. They’re more affordable with arguably better packaging, because let’s be real here, the Rouge G’s are pretty heavy to carry around just like that, especially if you like to carry five of them like I do.

Chamade is a medium pink with a delightful glossy finish. It’s neutral with a slightly warm tone, and on my lips it looks even a bit coral at times. It really is a true pink with a bit of red in it, and that’s the beauty of Chamade. It’s the perfect medium-toned lipstick. When you wear it, you can go either way with your makeup. Go very light on your eyes, and you get a fresh-faced look with a touch of fresh pink on the lips. Or, you can go a bit darker on your eyes and use Chamade applied with your fingers for a lighter touch. You can also build it up to a nice strong pink with some red, or wear it lightly with gloss. Don’t be scared when you see a tube of Chamade looking darker than it really is!

The long-running Makeup and Beauty Blog Unsung Heroes series features much-loved permanent collection products from a variety of bodacious beauty brands.

Chamade is a shade unbound by seasons. You can wear it whenever you want! All year round. It has that timeless factor that I really love. The formula is another great trait of the Rouge Automatiques. They’re moisturising and creamy without being heavy. The finish is like a nice sophisticated shine, not overly glossy. And let’s talk about the wear time! It’s the main reason I favour these over so many other lipsticks. They last pretty long for a formula like this. I usually reapply once a day, but that’s it.

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Guerlain’s New Rouge G de Guerlain Lipstick in Madame Batifole, and Fun With the Letter “G”

August 8th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Guerlain Madame Batifole Rouge G — That’s Guerlain’s new Rouge G de Guerlain Lipstick in Madame Batifole ($49.50) on my lips, one of three new limited edition Rouge G’s available now in the fall 2013 Voilette de Madame collection

“G” is for…

Giggle, as in “with delight,” which is what you’ll probably do the first time you see Guerlain’s new Rouge G de Guerlain Lipstick in vibrant fuchsia Batifole on your lips.

Gasp! — which you’re also liable to do when you hold the limited edition packaging in yo’ paws (and realize that it costs $49.50, holy crap!).

Generous, which is what Guerlain was with the amount of pigment they squeezed into this tube. One swipe of the super smooth formula covers my lips completely — like crazy opaque.

Glamorous, which is how you’ll feel whenever you take a peek at your reflection in Rouge G’s mirrored cap, or when you catch a whiff of its classic rosy lipstick scent (has the same flavor, too).

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With the New Guerlain Ecrin 2 Couleurs Eyeshadow Duo in Two Stylish, Mermaid Magic Is a Mere Two Pans Away

August 8th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

Wearing the new Guerlain Two Stylish Ecrin 2 Couleurs Eyeshadow Duo on my eyes

Awards I Have a Legitimate Chance of Actually Winning Someday…

Craziest Cat Lady in Northern Marin County (in the 30-40 age division)
Most Likely to Drop a Makeup or Beauty Product on Her Foot (Happens at least once a day. This morning I dropped my giant pan of Guerlain Terra Nerolia on my left foot. The pan was fine, but my foot is still throbbing.)
Least Likely to Say “No” When Offered Ice Cream for Dessert (seriously)

I think I’d also have a shot at the “Best Dressed Landlocked Mermaid Award,” but only if I were wearing the new Guerlain Ecrin 2 Couleurs Eyeshadow Duo in 02 Two Stylish ($44).

All I have to say is “mermaid eyes!” This duo (one of eight new permanent collection duos bobbing up on Guerlain counters this month) sings a sea siren’s song with a silky semi-matte deep blue, and a softly shimmering metallic gray.

It’s glowy, gorgeous and guaranteed to make you weak in the knees (or your tail fin area) if you bold blue eye looks.

Just like the brown shade in the Two Spicy palette, both of these shadows are Dolce & Gabbana/Armani-caliber creamy; they practically melt on lids like butter on hot bread.

And gosh, that blue!

You know how some blues can be really hard to blend? Two Stylish buffs out so smoothly that it’s as if it yearns to blend. Gradients couldn’t be a whole lot easier to create, and there’s barely any fallout at all.

Guerlain Two Stylish Swatches: Matte blue on the left and shimmery silver on the right — Matte blue on the left and shimmery silver on the right

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