For Fall 2016 Guerlain is going nude as well as back to the drawing board, set to relaunch their Lingerie de Peau Foundation by not only re-tooling the original cult-fave formula but improving on it, adding several more shades to the range as well and thus reaching a wider audience. Next on the list and designed as a perfect compliment with the foundation is a new kitten-soft Foundation Brush, its dense & velvety bristles helping to provide a melt-into-the-skin finish. Lastly, the Multi-Perfecting Concealer is the perfect finishing touch, made with a revolutionary new hybrid formula that will both correct dark circles and detract from imperfections. Flawless skin, I’m so ready for you.

Guerlain | Lingerie de Peau Foundation, The Foundation Brush & Multi-Perfecting Concealer

02N Light Lingerie de Peau Foundation (CAN $69.00) | Drawing inspiration from fine textiles, this new formula brings together natural silk and linen fibres to literally weave an imperceptible veil upon the skin’s surface, leaving behind a totally weightless yet flawless look. Also included is a Natural Perfection Skin-Fusion Texture, basically stretch fibres that will adhere to your face’s contours, ensuring a comfortable and natural hold that won’t move or crack, while the corrective pigments and powders within this Bio-fusion micro-mesh aim to give your complexion a unified appearance. As if all of the above weren’t enough, there’s also a Silk-Fusion Complex thrown into the mix, further adding to that bare-skin feel and increasing the foundation’s longevity.

Housed in a glass bottle with simple clean-cut lines (I wasn’t a fan of the original coffin-shaped bottle, truth to tell), there are 14 new shades to choose from, categorized by level of intensity and undertone: cool, neutral, warm and optimized for a broad range of complexions from fair to deep. The texture is of a medium density — neither too watery nor thick — and a little seems to go a long way, spreading easily along the skin. Delicately scented, the fragrance is actually quite pleasant and not overpowering, seeming to dissipate fairly quickly after application. Once fully blended in, the finish is phenomenal: exceptionally flawless and so lightweight, making it extremely comfortable to wear all day long. Staying power is excellent as well easily going 9+ hours without noticeably fading, merging well with my skin’s natural oils as it warms up (BONUS: I experience no settling in areas such as around the nose or between brows. Yay!). The finish is not exactly dewy nor is it matte, but close to ‘naturally radiant’ (best way I can think of describing it), and without primer underneath, I do get some shine around the 5-hour mark, but not enough to be a deal-breaker. Geared more for normal-to-combination skin types (like me), I feel that the velvety texture of this foundation should also be workable on those with drier complexions as well.

When the original Lingerie de Peau launched, the hype was pretty intense as this was one of the first ‘second-skin‘ types of foundations to be released, and so I splurged on a bottle (shade 03 Beige Natural). With an undeniably ground-breaking new finish, I remember also wishing there had been a wider colour selection.  For the re-launched version, I was sent shade 02N Light (full size) and 03C Natural Cool (large sample size) to test out, neither of which is a perfect match on my still-tanned skin now when applied individually, although when combined both shades look absolutely flawless on me. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the rest of the range, in particular 03N which I suspect will be my go-to colour.

Guerlain | Lingerie de Peau Foundation

Guerlain | Lingerie de Peau Foundation swatches

The Foundation Brush (CAN $53.00) | Made with ultra-soft synthetic fibres, this is a dense compact-headed brush created to help foundation apply effortlessly and seamlessly into the skin. The bristles are rounded from all angles which means you won’t get streaks or any harsh demarcation lines, being supple enough (and totally not floppy), to adjust to all facial contours from every angle. Housed in a protective & washable sleeve to help prevent bacteria and/or bristle damage, it’s also conveniently sized for travel.

I’ll admit that I haven’t been impressed with Guerlain brushes in the past, having found their texture usually too rough for my liking. If this Foundation Brush is the beginning of new developments with the brand, then I’d say they’re on to a good thing. Even though I usually prefer applying foundation with my fingers to start with, using this brush made the job effortless (and definitely less messy), and once everything had been thoroughly blended along, I used what was left on the brush to lightly buff everything in. The result was a smooth and even finish, as flawless as I can get my skin to appear without coming off as fake.

Guerlain | The Foundation Brush

Guerlain | The Foundation Brush

Guerlain | Multi-Perfecting Concealer

Multi-Perfecting Concealer (CAN $42.00/each)| Available in 6 shades, these concealers come in a portable tube with a unique new made-to-measure delivery system; thanks to a ‘cannula‘ (a small tube inserted at the tip), the product exits from the tube smoothly, thereby reducing product excess. The formula is also a first for the brand, combining a hybrid technology that will both help to conceal dark circles AND create an immediate soft-focus ‘blurring effect’, providing long-lasting coverage along with skincare benefits.

• 02 Light Cool – rosy undertones, good for fair – light complexions
• 03 Medium Warm – golden undertone, good for light-medium complexions

For the record, I rarely wear concealer; I have never had dark circles to contend with and now that I’ve gotten older, I find that concealer usually has the opposite effect on me by actually emphasizing all my ‘life/laugh’ lines, as opposed to hiding them. I do like the thought of adding a product there that will brighten the undereye area, and I may have just found a good match with this concealer formula. The texture is very interesting as well: creamy and just this side of thick, but with a surprisingly easy spread and once applied, seems to almost skim the surface of the skin thus filling in aforementioned lines and leaving behind a smooth finish (hallelujah) . Unscented, it also displays excellent hold without any visible caking or creasing for a solid 8+ hours, and going the extra mile by merging beautifully with foundation throughout the wearing.

Guerlain | Multi-Perfecting Concealer swatches

What Guerlain has done with bronzers, the brand now aims to do in the world of foundation and concealers: be at the top of their game. I’m not a fan of heavy coverage but I do still want a seamless & flawless finish to my foundation coupled with an imperceptible feel along my the skin (tall order, I know ∗shrugs∗), Lingerie de Peau delivers on all counts. The Foundation Brush is beautiful: it provides a wonderful application plus it’s peachy/pink …enough said. Concealers and I rarely get along, but the Multi-Perfecting version actually agrees with me (I do like smart makeup), with the 03 Medium Warm shade suiting me perfectly. I have a hunch that Guerlain has just tapped into something pretty awesome, not to mention flawless.

Pre-launch August 26 (Sephora), available October at Guerlain counters nationwide

Kindly provided by the Guerlain team for review consideration/As always, all opinions are my own