Guerlain · Holiday 2018 Collection

Guerlain’s annual holiday offering is one that is highly anticipated each year, and this year’s iteration is not only gorgeous to look at & perfectly wearable, but also honours a beauty milestone as the brand celebrates its 190th Birthday. With a collection comprising of just a few pieces, they all nevertheless manage to pack quite an impact … done in true Guerlain elegant style, of course.

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Electric Look Palette 190 Years Limited Edition (CAN $95.00) | Housed in an elegant black compact that has a super slim profile, this palette consists of 2 highlighter hues and 8 eyeshadow shades. It also comes with a full sized mirror on the inner lid as well as 3 small brushes that work well enough in a pinch, but I still prefer using my own brushes. The eyeshadows range in texture from matte, satin and shimmery, while the two highlighters can suit a broad range of complexions and can even be mixed together to create an entirely new shade. All are beautifully pigmented and display a wonderful application, blending easily and smoothly along the skin. Staying power is excellent as well, when worn over foundation/primer.

Highlighter 1 (top) – pale rose gold
Highlighter 2 (bottom) – soft molten gold

Eyeshadows top row (left to right):

icy white, metallic
bone, matte
camel, matte
bronze, metallic

Eyeshadows bottom row (left to right):

cranberry, metallic
forest green, shimmer
deep aubergine, complex shimmer
antique gold, metallic

Météorites Electric Pearl 190 Years Limited Edition (CAN $81.00) | Housed in a collectible golden tin, Guerlain’s iconic face powder pearls have been given a warmer tone for this collection. There are four hues (pearly white, reddish bronze, soft gold, and nude gold) which when combined, create a subtle sunny glow along the skin. Bearing the brand’s trademarked violet fragrance, it does dissipate quickly upon application. Trying to explain the effect on the skin is pretty much impossible (and photographing it is even harder), but let’s just say that they provide the most incredible finishing touch, one that lays invisibly along the skin (so no worries about seeing anything sitting at surface level), and help makeup stay put — although not necessarily for those with oilier complexions.

Note that in the swatch below, everything is shown applied with a heavy hand so that it could be visible enough to photograph.

N° 093 Metallic Pumpkin Rouge G Lipstick 190 Years Limited Edition (CAN $36.00) | Also available in 2 more shades (not shown: 91 Metallic Red & 92 Metallic Nude), this is an absolutely unique caramel/soft orange shade that is filled with ultra fine and non-gritty golden shimmer. The Rouge G formula is outstanding; highly colour saturated, ridiculously creamy in application and with a buttery lip feel. Staying power is good as well, although as this is a lighter hue and there is some slip to the texture, reapplication will be needed — but who cares, when a lipstick looks this good?

Electric Gold Rouge G Customizable Lipstick Case (CAN $20.00) | Earlier in the year, Guerlain launched a new feature where you can now customize your lipstick case according to your mood, taste, wardrobe, etc. (reviewed here) and the version created for this Holiday Collection just begs to be pulled out in public. Seriously: give me all the sequins. The best part is that you can cap off your fave Rouge G shade with this case and tote this little beauty around all year!

Mon Guerlain Eau de Parfum (CAN $119.00/50 ml) | Created by master perfumer (and my friend!) Thierry Wasser, this fragrance was inspired by muse Angelina Jolie. Described as a “fresh oriental”, some of the key ingredients are Carla Lavender from Provence, Sambac Jasmine from India, Album Sandalwood from Australia, and Vanilla Tahitensis from Papua New Guinea. The “Quadrilobe” bottle was originally created in 1908 and owes its name to the stopper which is crafted from one piece resembling four lobes. Personally, this has been one of my favourite scents since it launched (it now also comes in Eau de Perfume Florale or Eau de Toilette) and I thought it would make a perfect inclusion in this post, as a final finishing scent touch.

In a nutshell, this is a lovely little collection and perfectly tied into the holiday season. As always, every detail has been carefully attended to, from the visual aesthetic (stunning), the quality (superb), and the performance of each pieces (stellar) — not that I expected anything less from this luxury brand. One thing you should note, however, is that these pieces usually sell out lightning fast; it’s not unusual for counters to have a wait list for the Météorites, so if you’ve seen something you like, I’d definitely act fast. Oh, and what a wonderful gift any (or all) of these pieces would make?

Available at Sephora, online & select retailers