Guerlain - 2/17 - Café Makeup

Guerlain Meteorites Perles du Paradis Review

Feb 122013

Guerlain Spring Meteorites1

Lacking time to do a thorough swatch comparison, I thought it worth doing a short post to provide my thoughts about the Spring 2013 Guerlain Perles de Paradis Meteorites Powder ($70) (available at Nordstrom, Sephora and elsewhere). As you likely know, this container is larger than the standard sized Meteorites powder. In other words, Sephora’s site shows that the standard Meteorties contain just over 1.05 oz. of powder. The Spring Guerlain Perles de Paradis are rated at 2.08 ozs, so nearly double in weight for another $12 in price.

Because of the weight increase, the price difference from $58 to $70 for the Spring 2013 version isn’t troubling to me.

The container is slightly larger than the standard Guerlain Meteorites containers. Of course, the new Spring Guerlain Perles de Paradis comes with a kitten-soft puff with a bow, sure to draw sighs at its prettiness. Inexplicably, the Spring container is cardboard, while most others are a nice moisture-resistant metal.

Guerlain Spring Meteorites4a

I love the soft barely-there pastel veil that these give my skin. Although I had heard that this season’s Meteorites were glittery, I had to try them myself. It is true that these have silver-metal colored balls in the mix, which might have caused me some concern.

Guerlain Spring Meteorites3

After applying these over the course of several days, I asked the ever-patient members of my family to do a glitter-inspection under some hanging light fixtures. Overall, the verdict was quite positive. We detected a fleck or two, but never more than that. The light-diffusing effect of these Meteorites gave me a beautiful finish, even over a heavy-duty sunscreen-based foundation that I’ve been testing.

Overall, I love these. Yes, they are lovely for Spring but they are also beautiful any time of the year.

Available at Nordstrom, Sephora and elsewhere.

This post contains affiliate links (for more information, see About Cafe Makeup).

Cafe Makeup’s Top Ten Products of 2012

Blush, Chanel, Concealer, Dior, Guerlain, Le Metier de Beaute, Lipstick, Nail Polish, NARS, Perricone MD, Tom Ford 26 Responses »

Dec 312012

It’s been quite a year here at Cafe Makeup! We’ve had a huge year–we passed our 3rd blog birthday and we’re very thankful for our amazing readers.

As you might now, we’ve both had a very busy year off the blog as well. Between Amy’s travel schedule (she was on the road almost continuously from June through November), and Liz’s busy work schedule, we’re so pleased that we’ve been able to keep our love of beauty alive on the blog now that we’re reached December 31st. We’ve had a lot of help along the way. Cafe Makeup would like to do a special “thank you” to Sabrina at The Beauty Look Book (her Best of 2012 is here). She’s been so wonderful and and encouraging throughout the entire year. I’d also like to thank all of the lovely readers and other beauty bloggers who’ve kept us alive by linking, retweeting and continuing our beauty conversations. You might also wish to explore The Non Blonde’s Top Products of 2012–I really respect her taste.

To celebrate the year’s end, we’d like to raise a glass of champagne to our readers! As we sip, we’re going to go through our Top Ten Products of 2012. As you know, we’ve seen many things throughout the year. Here’s a feature which tells you which ones won our hearts, which ones we still depend on, and are truly the very Top Shelf Products of the Year 2012.

1. Tom Ford Blushes: Although released in 2011, I’ve come to love the high quality, beautiful glow of these blushes. As an aside, the brush is incredible as well. The original review is here.

Tom Ford Blush02

2. Giorgio Armani Maestro Concealer: I can’t believed that a concealer made my top 10 list, but there it is. This is truly an androgynous product–appropriate regardless of gender. I originally bought this on a whim. Over time, I’ve become dependent on the extremely high quality, great coverage, incredibly natural look, and skin care benefits (it contains ingredients to breaks up sun damage and dark spots). The application is incredibly natural–sometimes I cover few spots and under eyes, and skip foundation entirely. This makes this a truly travel-friendly product, as you can leave your liquid foundation at home. The original review is here, I’ve since switched to buying shade #3.

GA concealer

3. Perricone MD Skin Care: I’ve been working on my skin with intensity since February. Last week, I got a few random compliments from strangers–”your skin looks beautiful–what are you using?” As a beauty blogger, I’ve been using several different things, but I’ve added a healthy dose of Perricone MD. My favorites so far are the Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester 15, the Blue Plasma Peel and the Formula 15 serum. Although I haven’t reviewed it yet, the Perricone Face Finishing Moisturizer appears to have some magical ingredients in it as well.

Perricone

4. 2012 was the year of the BB Cream: Over the past several months, the term “BB Cream” has entered the beauty vernacular with a vengeance. Although originating overseas with formulas that combine anti-aging, skincare benefits, and sunscreen, in the U.S. some formulas are said to be nothing more than glorified tinted moisturizers. However, there are some that stand above the crowd. Cafe Makeup’s former favorite was Dior DiorSnow BB Cream, a remarkably stable version with serious sun protection(SPF 50) and all-day tenacity (even in the Florida summer humidity).

omorovicza bb cream

The Dior would still be my favorite, except that I was recently sent the Omorovicza Complexion Perfector BB Cream (SPF 20) by the company. I’ll be doing a review soon, but this creamy, light foundation is absolutely perfect is so many ways.

The most startling effect is that my skin looks improved after I remove it at the end of the day. To my eye, it’s noticeable. In 2013, we can expect to see “CC Creams,” which are next-generation products (including one from Chanel). A few have started to land at drugstores, according to Nouveau Cheap. Those new products will have some very stiff competition from Omorovicza’s Complexion Perfector.

5. Tom Ford Enchanted Eye Quad. This one makes me hear angels sing. The original review is here.

Tom Ford Enchanted Quad03

6. Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lipsticks. Why should the MAC lovers have all the fun? These are intensely pigmented lipsticks that provide gorgeous coverage with a very thin layer of product. The colors are outstanding–complex, intense, original, sophisticated, and very beautiful. I’ve purchased several, and am eyeing several colors from the Spring 2013 collection (I’ve caved on one already). Swatches of all colors are here (except for the Spring 2013, which were just released).

Chanel Lipsticks new1a

7. Nars Andy Warhol Collection. This highly original collection melded fine art and beauty. This included an incredibly rich and thoughtful array of choices, with something for everyone. I certainly found some favorites among them, including the Flowers palettes with the incredible taupe. At the same time, the collection helped us relive just a touch of the 1960′s makeup era just as Marc Jacobs made it fashionable for clothing. I’ve read that Francois Nars plans to do another artists collaboration next year, and I’m certainly hopeful that he will. Regardless of whether you purchased anything from the collection, this one warrants serious recognition for its attention to detail and creativity, as well as its sweeping scope.

Warhol Portrait 1

8. Le Metier de Beaute CHEM60 Pro-Peel and GLOW10ai Mask Set. Applause for giving busy women truly ingenious results at home. I love this set. The original post is here.

Le Metier Peel 10

9. Dior Nail Polish. There is something about Dior that has been excelling in the nail polish realm lately. Yes, I loved OPI’s Skyfall collection–the colors are fast, fun, and highly affordable. I got a 4-5 of them, and still wear them. Can you think of a Fall on-trend color that wasn’t part of Skyfall? I sure can’t.

Skyfall

Still, Dior’s formula spreads like butter, levels off beautifully, and has a helpful, manageable brush. Unlike OPI’s Skyfall, Dior has been truly cutting edge in its color development this year. Rather than capturing trends, Dior is setting them. I have to love an imaginative industry leader.

Dior Mango Pasteque Lime2

10. Guerlain This traditional French company has done so many things right this year. From its beautiful summer Terracotta Pucci collection, the new Petit Robe Noir perfume, and the development of new formulas of lipsticks. Liz and I both love the new Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait Lip Color (the review for Paresse is here). I’d love to include more Guerlain in this list, if I could.

Thank you for another wonderful year in beauty, Gorgeous! And cheers!

What were your favorite products for 2012? We’d love to know!

Guerlain Rose Aux Joues Blush Duo in Golden High

Blush, Guerlain 13 Responses »

Aug 152012

Guerlain has just released a new blush series, Rose Aux Joues ($50), which has a duo format of lights and darks (Messywands has counter-swatched them all). These come in the now-familiar Guerlain gold format palette, which includes the full mirror. It is relatively sleek for packing, yet has enough impact to retain elegance.

I chose Golden High ($50/ #05) as my first test into this new line. This is one of the more unique combinations, yet extremely versatile for frequent wear.

Golden High’s top color is an apricot-brown with a soft shimmer, and the small bottom shade is a matte soft peach that is a more pigmented version of Nars Sex Appeal. Swatches:

The duo is a nice combination for a subtle “nude with a splash of color” look. It’s sophisticated, will work well with nearly all fall colors (reds, burgundy, greys, khaki greens, and navy), whether worn with these colors as eyeshadows, accessories or clothing.

I found that the glowy shimmer in the top shade did not translate very strongly to my cheek. Although your effect may vary, the found that the shimmer was very slight once applied. The effect of the lighter peach shade (in the bottom small pan) was very subtle.

The Guerlain Rose Aux Joues blush pans are relatively small–to apply the color separately, I first tried a MAC 168, which has a small, dense head. Because the top shade is so pigmented, I found this was unsuccessful. It concentrated the color too strongly in my application areas (I prefer a more subtle, glowing look). I had far better results with the Nars Yachiyo brush (reviewed here at The Non Blonde). The small bristles at the top of the Yachiyo, in combination with the steep cut of the bristle head, allowed me to get softer color with edges that blended naturally into my skin.

Overall, I liked Guerlain Golden High. It doesn’t have a gasp-worthy effect of a Chanel Joues Contraste, but the effect is beautifully natural. The powder is very finely milled–it does melt into the skin. Golden High also fits well into the rest of Guerlain’s gray-toned eyeshadow palettes (there are a few in the line). Looking in my car’s rear-view mirror driving around town, I really liked the subtle and flattering effect. Those who find some blushes too “powdery” or obvious will love the very natural effect that these give.

It will be easy to pass these by if you look at the pans on a counter. The texture is a bit hard, and the colors do not jump out at you. At the same time, if you try these on during a makeover, I think you’ll be persuaded that these add a really nice, natural and sophisticated effect. I prefer this duo blush duo range to Guerlain’s 4-color blush line. Except for Red Hot, I’m not tempted to get too deeply into the rest of this range. The colors are subtle and lovely, but some may find that they already have similar colors from other lines.

Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait Lip Color Paresse

Guerlain, Lipgloss, Lipstick 23 Responses »

Aug 132012

Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait Lip Color Paresse ($48 /M65) is a pigmented, liquid, matte medium pink lipstick. Packaged in a longer variation of the Guerlain Rouge G line, this is an intricately packaged formula.

Readers familiar with the Rouge G lipsticks will recognize the iconic packaging, which is based on the design of Lorenz Bäumer (both are affiliated with LMVH, and so the collaboration likely derives from this relation). The mirrored surface, although flawlessly executed, does show fingerprints.

The design is a bit high-maintence–one must first pull the small end out, then twist. It’s not rocket science, but it’s not necessarily intuitive either. Directions are included.

After the first pull, the mirrored top opens like a butterfly, just like Guerlain’s Rouge G lipsticks.

I must admit it is nice to have a mirror when I’m applying a highly pigmented formula–and these are highly pigmented in just the right way. Although these are bulky for a lipstick, they are certainly less bulky than carrying and opening a separate compact to apply. For craftsmanship, the packaging is beautifully done.

Unlike the lipsticks, Guerlain has added a color chip on one side so you can quickly tell which color tube you’ve grabbed. However, the color dot for Paresse is a vamp red but the color applies as a medium pink. Some mental translation will be in order.

The formula, which is applied with a doe foot applicator, has a light scent. It feels very moisturizing when applied, and dries down to an almost-entirely-matte finish.

Unlike many mattes, Guerlain’s Rouge G L’Extrait never feels drying. It doesn’t feel quite as moisturizing as the Chanel Velvets, but it is so much better than many others which seem to pull the moisture out of one’s lips entirely. It takes a few minutes to “dry down” and go matte. It doesn’t feel completely dry–there’s a little movement to the formula even after a while. Like anything else, you can top with a gloss if you like.

The wear time is quite good–nothing lasts on me, but the Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait did give me a few hours of color (even with my chronic water-drinking).

Guerlain Rouge G L’Exrait in Paresse (a medium/deep pink) on Liz:

I liked Guerlain Paresse so much better than Yves Saint Laurent’s Rouge Pur Couture (which I returned rather than doing a review). I found the YSL a little thinner in texture and I didn’t like the stain format (or the scent). The Rouge G L’Extrait is more of a pigmented, long-wearing liquid that wears as a matte. On Liz:

Because the color is so pigmented, this is about how it looks on my deeper toned lips as well.

Overall, I love Guerlain Paresse. At some point, I will probably pick up one of the deeper reds. I know that some want to pick up all of the line, but I will refrain. The packaging, although intricate and beautiful, does seem to be a major component of the price.

I wouldn’t hesitate to pull this out in a restaurant or the like, although others might find the gesture a bit de trop. The formula is lovely, but I believe that not all of the colors will work for me (for example, I tried on a deep mauve that seemed a little draining).

Some swatches next to some other medium range pinks–the very sheer Burberry Tea Rose Gloss, Chanel’s now-discontinued Rouge Allure Laque in Empire and Chanel Glossimer in Courtisane. This picture really shows the difference in texture–of course, no one makes a matte liquid lipstick so exact comparisons would be hard to find.

No stickiness (particularly important for passing the “kiss test”). Long-wearing. No feathering. Lovely texture. I completely trust Guerlain for excellent lip product formula. Liz and I both wanted (and now own) Paresse. It’s a beautiful easy-to-wear color. Love.

Guerlain Les Fauves Eyeshadow Palette

Eyeshadow, Guerlain 9 Responses »

Aug 122012

Guerlain Fall 2012 introduces the Les Fauves eyeshadow palette ($59/ Ecris 4 Couleurs Les Fauves #14). This is a warm, pearly autumnal palette that gives a perfect Fall eye. The colors include a warm shimmery coral, a pearly mocha, a semi-shimmery warm brown, and a deep shimmery pearly deep brown. The overall impression is quite warm.

The tones should work beautifully with blue or green eyes, although those with deeper eye colors might still enjoy the pearly contour effects that the palette allows. Swatches:

I found that the ease and texture of Guerlain Les Fauves made this one a must-have. This has the soft, buttery texture that I adore. I found that using the Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush made this extraordinarily easy to use. Below, Liz used the shimmery mocha color from the palette’s right side all over her lid. She used the bottom coral in her inner corner, and the top brown in the crease. The deep color on the left side is a good liner, although it can be used for a crease color as well. There is no highlighter in the palette, although most of us have multiple choices in our stash.

Another with the same lighting, the evening sun skating across the lids:

Here is a full face, with Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait Lip Color in Paresse (review to follow). When the light is not shining directly on lids, the effect gives a subtle contour. In shade, no flash:

One more:

Guerlain’s pearly neutral palette was a must-have for each of us. A great palette for Fall (and the end of Summer).

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