Guerlain

The Day in Beauty, Vol. 2: Smiles, Guerlain Spring Glow Blush, a Banila Co Moisturizing Lace Mask, and Pea Soup

January 27th, 2016 by Karen 41 Comments

And here’s Karen with your public service announcement of the day: “Smile, and your Guerlain Spring Glow Blush smiles with you.” 🙂

This tantalizing two-tone head-turner is part of Guerlain’s Spring Glow 2016 collection, and how could you not smile while looking at it?

SO FREAKIN’ CUTE.

There’s a reddish pink on one side and a lighter baby pink on the other. Plus, a funky 8-bit font, which is kinda unexpectedly cool, I think.

And, hello! — because it’s Guerlain, it’s expensive (well, duh, Karen!). I believe it’s $62.

Yeah…62 big ones for a Guerlain blush, but I do have to say that when it comes to the overall user experience, for fancy-schmancy makeup, Guerlain’s got that sh*t on lock. Everything from the packaging (amaze!) to the formulas are almost always top notch, and I love the luxe touches like the smile imprint on the pan and, although this depends on your personal point of view, the scented powders.

“Ah…” she sighed, as she practically stuck her nose in the pan.

Their stuff smells so darned good to me! This one, like a lot of Guerlain powders, smells like freesia, and if you can, please try to be that weirdo who rolls up to a Guerlain counter, sticks her nose into all of the compacts and takes a deep breath.

And I’m not just saying that because I haven’t had my nap yet. 🙂 I really do think you owe it to yourself to smell Guerlain’s makeup. I really mean that!

Speaking of naps and tired people, gosh, I sure am getting tired (there I go again!) of saying that: “I’m tired!” Seriously, how many times am I going to say “tired” in this sentence?

Nevertheless, I woke up at the witching hour last night — right at 3 a.m. — which always freaks me out. If, instead, I get up at 4 or 2, I’m fine, because I guess I know I’ll be able to fall back to sleep eventually without worrying about being an unwilling star in a scary movie. (“Slowly, as if gently pushed from behind, the door opened a crack…”)

But yeah, there’s something about waking up at exactly 3 a.m. that scares the living crap outta me…

Anyways, I had a really hard time going back to sleep. I did eventually, but it took a while… I just lay there listening to Red Queen on my phone until I nodded off.

So if I say anything a little cuckoo-crazy in this post, that’s why (the witching hour).

Oh! — one of the things I want to do this afternoon is try this $5 It Radiant Lace Hydrogel Mask.

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Guerlain Holiday 2015 Winter Fairy Tale Collection Highlights

October 7th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

“SNOW DAY!”

Two words I have never spoken in my life, although I’ve always wanted to, but growing up here in this part of California, the only snow we get is on TV, except for the fake kind they use at the mall by the scary Santa…

No offense to any mall Santas out there, but the ones I remember were terrifying! They were just so big and loud and red and sweaty…

Wait — what were we talking about?

Oh, yeah! Guerlain…

guerlain holiday 2015 eye blush palette — The eyeshadows from the Guerlain Holiday 2015 Eye & Blush Palette (it’s a compact with two tiers)

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With the Guerlain Terracotta Joli Teint Powder Duo Bronzers, Subtlety Plays a Big Part

May 29th, 2015 by Karen 9 Comments

If there’s one thing Guerlain “gets” better than most brands it’s bronzers. They do toasty, tanned glows so well.

The latest additions to their brood of bad-@ss bronzers, the $53 Terracotta Joli Teint Natural Healthy Glow Powder Duos, are available now in four shades — 00 Light Blondes, 02 Natural Blondes, 01 Clair Brunettes and 03 Naturel Brunettes — and even though their names correspond to different hair colors, I don’t think you have to necessarily stick to your matching shade. Myself, I bounce back and forth between 02 Naturel Blondes and 01 Clair Brunettes.

These face powder duos pair a bronzing shade for warmth with a brighter pop of color for radiance in every pan, and breaking with their own tradition when it comes to bronzers, Guerlain made these less pigmented this time around. These are more like light golden tan browns than the rich bronzed browns I’m more accustomed to seeing from the brand.

The goal was to glow without looking garish, so subtlety plays a big part — more subtlety than usual for bronzers by Guerlain.

And that’s also a caveat. When I wear these, I don’t really see a major wow factor on my medium-toned skin. The effect may be a little too subtle for some makeup lovers, especially darker divas, and especially considering the $53 price.

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Guerlain Summer 2015: Bronzed Skin, With Accents of Blue, Hot Pink and Yellowy Gold

April 15th, 2015 by Karen 24 Comments

Hand on my heart, toes in the sand and face to the summer sun, Guerlain’s Summer 2015 Collection threw me for a loop.

Mind you…it was a colorful, lovely loop, but still — a loop, nevertheless.

I’m more accustomed to seeing them summon golden goddesses for summertime, with baked bronzes, toasty tans and luscious corals, all of which, you know, I absolutely LOVE, but they took a different path to the sun this time down a boulevard of bronzed skin (of course), with accents of blue, hot pink and yellowy gold.

It’s more color than I’m used to seeing from them this time of year, but I’m cool with that. I love wearing color, especially when it’s handled elegantly like this.

The collection includes two bronzers, two lipsticks, two waterproof cream eye shadows (a first for the brand!) and a nail polish. All of them are limited edition and coming to Guerlain counters and online this May.

This being Guerlain, and with us talking about summer, it only seems right to start with a Terracotta bronzer. This year, the two My Terracotta Bronzing Powders in the release ($55 each) are wearing special outfits! The pans come with a — I’m not sure how to describe it — scuba suit?

A very fancy scuba suit…

Basically, the cover slips on and off the compacts like a rubbery, silicone sleeve. The sleeve for 02 Natural Blondes is turquoise, while the sleeve for 03 Natural Brunettes is coral.

The first thing I did when I opened 02 Natural Blondes was sniff the pan. LOL! You have to do it, man. Like Guerlain’s other bronzers, these have their trademark tiare flower scent (which I love!).

Tiny flecks of shimmer wink at me when I see the pan sitting in the sun, but the shimmer doesn’t really register on my skin. I’m fine with that, though, since my pores and I usually prefer matte bronzers to shimmers.

Even though the bronzer shown here in this post is 02 Natural Blondes, you don’t have to be fair-haired to wear it. This deep, warm and toasty orange-bronze should suit a wide range of skin tones, depending on how it’s worked. It’s easy to blend and very pigmented, so the bronzed effect is noticeable immediately. You don’t have to use much at all, and if you do, things will go orangey.

As for eyes, the new Summer Waterproof Cream Eye Shadows ($32 each, available in two shades — a shimmery beige called White Sand and a shimmery turquoise called Blue Ocean) are a first for the brand. Cream shadows with a fluffy mousse-like texture, you apply them directly to bare lids with the included doe-foot applicator. Wear them alone or as bases for powder shadows.

Guerlain Summer 2015 Collection: Pictures

guerlain blue ocean nail — Guerlain Le Vernis Nail Lacquer in 700 Blue Ocean, $26

guerlain blue ocean eye — Guerlain Summer Waterproof Cream Eye Shadow in Blue Ocean, $32

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Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Rosy Silk Floats Like a Shimmery Pink and Gold Kiss on the Wind

February 26th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

If I were wearing Guerlain’s KissKiss Lipstick in Rosy Silk ($37) and blew a kiss across a room to a handsome stranger (let’s call him Nick Jonas), that kiss would drift off my lips and float like a shimmery pink and gold apparition.

The featherweight formula is eminently forgettable…in that I forget sometimes when I’m wearing it because it’s so comfortable.

But the color is anything but forgettable. The slightly see-through pink with golden shimmer alights on my skin like sunshine filtering through the petals of a blooming cherry blossom tree, tender and romantic, ah…

I think one layer works best, which I apply directly from the tube, and then pat down with a finger. When I add more layers, they don’t help, and the formula starts to seek out flakes and settle into my lip lines.