Guerlain’s Holiday 2017 Collection has hit counters and trust me, you’ll definitely want to indulge. With their signature luxe packaging and even more luxurious formulations, this brand knows exactly how to hit all the right buttons and proves yet again, why these collections are so highly anticipated. But one caveat: everything is limited edition so you may want to act fast. Perhaps even faster than that.
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Palette Gold Multi-Use Palette (CAN $95.00) | Touted as a multi-use palette for face, eyes, and even eyebrows, the shades come housed in a well-balanced hefty black lacquered casing that’s silkscreened with a sophisticated yet festive gold pattern on the lid, and includes a large mirror on the inside along with a small dual-ended brush (which isn’t exactly necessary, but will do in a pinch). There are 2 blush shades — one deeper and the other lighter hue which can work either layered on top or alone as a very subtle highlighter (emphasis on the subtle) and 6 eyeshadows — 2 matte and 4 with varying degrees of shimmer, with the darkest eyeshadow colour presumably doubling for eyebrows as well. The colour breakdown (eyeshadows first, followed by blushes):
- chocolate brown, matte
- bone, matte
- gold, metallic with smooth glitter
- champagne, shimmer
- toffee, metallic shimmer
- burnished bronze, metallic
- coral rose with pearly shimmer
- palest pink, satin finish
Each shade is large enough in the pan that it makes it easy to pick up the colour you want without fear of contaminating the one next to it — major bonus points scored for that. The eyeshadows can also be applied with a dampened brush for even more depth of tone and impact, however I’d recommend sticking to one part of the pan for that purpose in order to maintain the integrity of the rest. Regarding application, all 6 shades are truly stellar and offer amazing colour payoff — even the metallic ones, with a staying power (when worn over primer) that lasts true without fading until removed. Of the two blushes, the deeper hue is OUTSTANDING, both in terms of pigmentation and how it lays down along the skin but note that it is quite colour-saturated, so start with a small amount and build up if needed. The lighter shade will be perfect for those with the fairest of complexions, but does not appear all that much against my light-medium skin tone; that said, it’s also great to layer over the deeper hue to ‘tone things down’, as it were.
Gold Light Topcoat Mascara (CAN $30.00) | Designed for use on eyelashes, eyebrows, or even hair, this is exactly as stated: a golden topcoat in mascara form. The gold flakes are incredibly fine and disperse easily from the brush without laying down in clumps, and I don’t notice any fall-down either. Meant to serve more as an accent than glitter bomb, the effect is subtle but when caught at the right angle and/or lighting, the impact is definitely present. Imagine scintillating snowflakes caught along your lashes that shimmer imperceptibly (a “now-you-see-them-now-you-don’t” action), and you get the idea. TIP: when applying to upper lashes, coat both sides to maximize the sparkle.
In the swatch below, Gold Light Topcoat Mascara is applied over La Petite Robe Noire Lashdress Mascara.
Terracotta Gold Light Gold Bronzing Powder (CAN $69.00) | This holiday version of the brand’s iconic bronzer has been given a festive kick via its golden payoff, as opposed to being a more traditional bronzing hue. Housed in an elegant tin that comes printed with the same design as that of the palette, the pattern is also repeated on the surface of the powder. The formula contains incredibly fine-ground mother of pearl and golden hints to impart that trademark Guerlain glow, while moisturizing ingredients in the base give a lit-from-within radiance and continuous comfortable wear, without ever oxidizing along skin. Definitely more for accent than all over face use, this is NOT a bronzer, so don’t go in treating it as one. That said, I’ve been using it both as ‘natural’ highlighter (not that there’s anything natural about a golden glow, but it’s a lot more natural looking along skin than anything silver-based would look), as well as lightly dusted all over for that coveted unicorn-luminosity (you know what I mean).
Rouge G N°822 Glamorous Cherry (CAN $61.00) | This, my beauties, is luxury lipstick done oh-so-incredibly RIGHT. Designed by one of Paris’ most talented Place Vendôme jewellers, Lorenz Baümer, this is a hefty (trust me, it’s heavy) casing that comes with its own integrated pop-up mirror, with this holiday version bearing a black backing and cap to compliment the gold. If you’ve never tried Guerlain’s Rouge G formula, then you are in for a mega treat; the ruby-powder formula of this lipstick has intense saturation, full colour-payoff from the first swipe, a strong & rich shine, and leaves lips feeling completely moisturized throughout the wearing. As if that weren’t enough, this lush cherry hue also lasts beautifully without feathering or bleeding into surrounding lip lines, and can even stick it out through eating and/or drinking with minor wear, finally fading to a nice deep rose stain.
Météorites Gold Pearl (CAN $72.00) | And finally, the pièce-de-résistance: les Météorites. Housed in a ribbed golden orb (that reminds me of both a luxe snowball AND a beehive, the latter which is also emblematic of the House — well done, Guerlain), this a finishing powder that’s meant to set your makeup while while imparting that iconic and ethereal Guerlain je-ne-sais-quois to the skin. The golden theme is carried through here via gold pearls to help to warm up the skin and counter dullness, while the champagne and white pearls help to reflect light. The Stardust technology in the formula features ‘diamond powder encapsulated in microspheres to create a soft-focus perfecting halo while extra-soft powder smooths the complexion and minimizes imperfections’. I don’t know about any halo, but I will say this: this powder absolutely needs to be tried along the skin in order to be truly understood. And I don’t mean swatching a bit on your hand at the counter; that gives you zero. I suggest applying a light layer along your face and wearing it for a bit — then sit back and be amazed at how good your skin looks. Seriously; it’s pretty much impossible to describe how an invisible powder can actually make skin look so wonderful, and yet that’s exactly what this does … but with an incredibly subtle golden glow taking things up a notch.
If you’ve come down to this point, then I’m sure you’ve figured out how I feel about this collection; every single piece is a winner. Expensive? You bet, but we knew that going in so no surprises there. That said, I still find that the Palette Gold is well priced considering all that you get with it — well worth the splurge, as these have to be some of the best eyeshadows (& that coral blush) from Guerlain that I’ve tried. Then there are the Météorites; apart from being collectible (seriously: there are people out there who scoop these up the second they’re available) it’s how stunning they make skin look that truly sells them. And yes, shades of red lipstick may not be exactly ground-breaking, but the Rouge G formula might very well be. Plus, you know you just want to whip that case out in public, am I right? So to sum up: everything is unbelievable AND limited edition, and with Christmas less than a month away (WHAT?), feel free to make a loved one — or yourself — very, very happy.
Available at Sephora, The Bay & Guerlain Boutiques
Kindly provided by Guerlain for my unbiased consideration
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