The Spring Glow 2016 Collection from Guerlain has arrived at counters, bringing with it uplifting messages and touches of joy. Upon opening the limited edition Rose aux Joues Blush Duo, it’ll be hard to not ‘Smile‘, while the Long-Lasting Eyeshadow with its sunny disposition reminds you to kick back and just ‘Enjoy‘. Olivier Echaudemaison, Creative Director for Guerlain Beauty, believes that makeup has the power to induce happiness and with the release of this collection, I’d say he’s definitely got that right.
N°17 Smile Blush Duo, Limited Edition (CAN $73.00) | Two complimentary shades of blush with an included [dual-coloured] brush, housed in a red metallic compact that comes safely nestled in a velour sleeve. The darker red-toned hue has the word ‘smile’ embossed on the surface, that also acts as a reminder of how to apply the blush (literally, just smile and swoosh along the apples of the cheeks), while the lighter side is a soft pink hue with the Guerlain logo embossed on its surface. Both lean more to the warm than cool side and when combined, create a beautiful shade of coral-rose (which reminds me of NARS’ iconic Orgasm blush, but not as peach-tinted or shimmery).
Each portion is large enough that you can grab either shade with your brush easily enough, although the real magic happens when you combine them together. The texture of the powder is finely-milled (no surprise there; this is Guerlain after all) and bears the brand’s signature violet-freesia fragrance, and while noticeable, seems to dissipate relatively quickly after application. The shimmer in this blush is of the fine variety and melds beautifully along the skin, serving to add a gorgeous overall luminosity. Staying power is impressive, lasting without fading or creasing and seeming to become even more beautiful as it fuses with your skin’s warmth and natural oils.
TIP: swirl the two shades together to create a beautiful fusion of colour along the cheeks then go in with the lighter hue and apply to the tops of cheekbones for a subtle highlighting touch.
Guerlain | N°17 Smile Blush Duo swatches
Guerlain | N°17 Smile Blush Duo swatches (alternate light)
N°13 Enjoy Long-Lasting Eyeshadow, Limited Edition (CAN $39.00) | A buttercup yellow eyeshadow shade that is meant to provide a brightening effect to eyes, housed in a coppery/champagne metallic compact. The finely milled texture helps it glide smoothly along lids, while its subtle intensity means it can be worn alone as a wash of colour (which is the easiest way to wear this shade, topped with mascara for that perfect ‘wide-awake’ look), or applied as a base to help provide depth of tone to other shades worn on top.
Upon first viewing this shade, I confess to being a little thrown by the colour; with the golden undertones in my skin, I was sure it would come across as too sallow for me to successfully pull off, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The soft yellow tone of Enjoy coupled with its slight transparency, is excellent for injecting some [much-needed] sunshine to your look.
Guerlain | N°13 Enjoy Long-Lasting Eyeshadow swatch
Guerlain | N°13 Enjoy Long-Lasting Eyeshadow swatch (alternate light)
Knowing that spring is around the corner makes me want to break out of my ‘nude comfort zone’ and indulge in colour … but in well-curated small doses, of course. Both Smile and Enjoy, while each unique in its own right, also prove that even a venerable luxury beauty brand such as Guerlain is not above taking itself too seriously, but is instead embracing the pure joy of playing with makeup. For blush aficionados, I’d have to say that Smile is a must-have and well worth the steep price tag; one way to look at it, is that you’re basically getting two shades in one compact. Sounds so reasonable when put that way, no?
The Guerlain Spring Glow Collection is available now through The Bay, The Guerlain Boutique & Institute and select counters across Canada
Press samples kindly provided by the Guerlain team for my unbiased consideration
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