Guerlain – Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder (LE) Holiday 2013

For a [self-professed] makeup aficionado, I realize almost daily how much I still have to learn; take for example finishing powders. Once considered totally unnecessary in my beauty routine, I have come to understand how beautifully they complete my look. The House of Guerlain, renown for their sublime bronzers (read my review here) and highlighters (read my review here), has attained a cult-status following for their Météorites range of luminizing powder balls (read my review here) where several shades are part of the permanent lineup, with seasonal limited edition versions throughout the year.

As part of the limited edition Crazy Paris Holiday 2013 Collection, the brand changed things up by releasing not only a pearls version, but also its counterpart in compact form (reviewed here) – something they’ve never done before. Paying homage to the exuberance and illumination that the City of Lights is known for, along with a celebration of the reopening of 68 Champs Elysée, the legendary Guerlain flagship boutique, this collection of vivid pieces beautifully manages to capture the colour and essence that is Paris.

Guerlain Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder

Guerlain Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder – love the hot pink blanket stitching on the velour pouch …

… and the embossed logo!

Guerlain Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder – stunning compact exterior

Guerlain Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder

Guerlain Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder label

Guerlain Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder

Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder (CAN $82.00) – The resin compact was full of surprises: in some angles, the tortoiseshell finish reveals the number 68, almost 3D-like. This ultra-finely milled and multi-hued finishing powder is designed to add subtle illumination (the white & nude shades), help correct any uneven tones (the green and purple shades), plus add an overall youthful brightness (the pink shade) to your face, while providing a flawless finish. The soft violet scent synonymous with this brand, is more apparent upon initial application, but which doesn’t linger too long upon wearing. As is the case with most translucent-type powders, staying power is more often than not determined by layering this product over your existing makeup (foundation), and photographing it solo can be tricky, at best. Note that the cool pink colour seen on my arm swatches (below) translates quite differently on the face, where it actually appears to meld more with my skin tone, becoming almost invisible. At the moment, my preferred brush to use with this powder is the #1 CHANEL Powder Brush which has a medium-large head, with rather dense and slightly tapering bristles.

Incredibly, I experience no powdery kick-back when I swirl my brush in the pan, and while the hot pink colour initially gave me pause, I’ve come to realize that it’s possibly the reason why this product looks just so amazing on; my skin looks fresh and healthy, with a very subtle luminosity – not enough to “glow”, but neither is it in the background. It’s as though you appear brighter somehow, in the “did-you-have-something-done?” kind of way. My husband, who is my true mirror, notices when I’m wearing this powder, because he always tells me how nice my makeup looks. I’ll take it. Applied over foundation, I would have to say that this powder goes easily past the 9 hour mark, with no oxidation or apparent oiliness. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that my skin seemed to produce less oil whenever I’ve worn this powder, although the brand makes no mention of that as being one of its perks.

Guerlain Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder

Guerlain Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder, raised logo

left: natural light, right: with flash

I’ve learned that setting one’s makeup with powder (whether it’s bronzer, highlighter, or finishing), goes a long way in not only giving you a flawless finish, but helps to set everything in place and more importantly, keep it there, that much longer than going without. The beauty of this Guerlain Crazy Météorites Radiance Powder, is that it does exactly that: provide a gorgeous radiance along your skin, without appearing obvious. I even stopped caring about the CRAZY price tag once I saw the effect with my own eyes, but it definitely falls on steep end of the scale, which is pretty much what to expect from the higher-end brands.

Still available at some counters – but definitely not for much longer as the Spring Collections have started trickling in, this is a powder that’s worth investing in. Just look the other way when paying.