Face with Guerlain Liu Palette

The Guerlain Liu Eye & Lip Calligraphy Palette is rich and sumptuous, like the opera it is named after. With this, you can create an elegant, dramatic look for any party.

Guerlain Liu comes in a sleek palette within a velvet pouch. Lenallure has dreamy shots and swatches. Clearly, this palette would make a wonderful gift for the holidays.

I followed the "Calligraphy" look laid out in the enclosed little booklet. (Only now do I realize that I missed the "beauty mark" at the end of the cat-eye tip.) The top shade is so light that it barely showed up as a brow bone highlighter. The second shade is my favorite, with its rich gold-orange effects. The third shade is a subtle shimmery gray-taupe, while the black shade works as a smooth eyeliner. I used my own brushes to apply the shades, and added the first shade as a highlighter to the inner corners of my eyes. Le Metier de Beaute Dualistic Eye Pencil in Noir was used to line my inner rim, and a couple of swipes of Dior DiorShow Mascara in Mitzah filled out my lashes with sparkling brown. 

 

The final look was surprisingly understated. The colors are luxurious, but semi-sheer. You look like you're going to the opera, and not performing in one! What I love about the "Calligraphy" look is that you are at your most stunning whenever you blink, and the people around you will appreciate the unexpected flash of beauty.

 

The palette contains two creamy reds for a bold lip, one leaning cool pink and the other leaning warm orange. I chose the latter, of course. The enclosed lip brush is serviceable and allows you to apply with precision. On the lips, the warm red turns out to have quite a bit of pink which makes it very wearable. It wears well into the night, too, with a moisturizing formula that fades evenly.

I applied Rouge Bunny Rouge Cheeks in Bloom Blush Wand in Rubens along my cheekbones for a baroque sangria-tinged flush, and this completed the look.

The Guerlain Liu Palette is a beautiful, tightly curated collection of colors that gives you a classic party look with an Asian flair. Get this one before it's too late.

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Guerlain Shine Automatique in Lou-Ling 760

Perfect timing. Just as I was complaining that the season would no longer allow me to wear my summer color, Chanel Rouge Allure Belgravia, along comes the winter version of this shade in the form of Guerlain Lou-Ling (760) Shine Automatique.

Lou-Ling is a stunning fuchsia-raspberry with sparkles. I defy you not to smile when you see this shade on your lips.

This is definitely a holiday party shade: the sparkles are chunky and highly visible. Since this is Guerlain, however, you look elegant rather than a teenybopper.

Lou-Ling appears much darker in the tube than it does on the lips. I was expecting a vampish color, and discovered instead a semi-sheer wash that requires more than a few passes to build up. The result is so alluring, however, that I must forgive Lou-Ling's false advertising.

Unique and beautiful, Guerlain Lou-Ling is the perfect unexpected antidote to the winter blues.

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Face, featuring Le Metier de Beaute On the Coast Kaleidoscope

Le Metier de Beaute On the Coast Kaleidoscope, a limited edition made exclusively for Saks, has been the object of a great deal of drama, but at the end of the day it creates a lovely look for the eyes.

Applying the shades, I followed Perilously Pale's recommendation: first shade on lid, brow bone, and inner corner; second shade on lid only; third shade in crease; and fourth shade on lashline, blended upward, and extended into a V at the outer corner (the final move, I didn't quite pull off). Before all of that, I lined my eyes and inner rim with Le Metier de Beaute Dualistic Eye Pencil in Champagne, as well as smudging it on the lid as a base. I also lined the outer bottom half of my eyes with the first two shades, then with the blue shade. I restricted the third, rust-colored shade to the crease because using the "couches de couleur" method would have resulted in a violet color (swatches). As beautiful as this would have been, I wanted to see how I would look in a straight-up blue eye. It turns out that I've been avoiding blue eyeshadow for nothing.

This is the artistry and genius of Le Metier de Beaute. Their colors look good on anyone, anywhere, anytime. The look I did resulted in a elegant yet vibrant mix of cool blue and warm wheat.

For the rest of my face, I decided to create some contrast by going with coral. After all, blue and orange are opposite one another on the color wheel, are they not? Guerlain Terracotta Blush Sun Shimmer in Spicy Coral warmed up my cheeks beautifully. Contrary to appearances, this shade is not too orange for the fair-skinned. In fact, Guerlain specifically designated Spicy Coral for brunettes, while the Sunny Pink shade is meant for blondes (the latter can be seen in my look for the Devotion Kaleidoscope).

My lips gained a pop of color from NARS Sheer Lipstick in Beautiful Liar, an amazing deep shimmery red-coral. It is hardly sheer, however, and I had to blot the color down before applying Le Metier de Beaute Sheer Brilliance Lipgloss in Orange Juiced.

My lashes received Dior Diorshow Mascara in Mitzah, and I kept my face base light by simply layering Rodin Olio Lusso under Tarte Smooth Operator SPF 20 Tinted Moisturizer in 04 Agent. I think the final look would be perfect for a warm summer evening. (Ignore my wool sweater, we had a frost advisory last weekend.)

I did not take photos, but I found that I really liked wearing On the Coast with glasses. The eyeshadows reflect so much light that they grab attention even from behind dark frames. This is a versatile palette that can go all the way from barely-there nude to a deep gleaming smoky look. Drama aside, On the Coast is a wonderful all-around kaleidoscope.

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Guerlain by Pucci Terra Azzurra Summer 2012 Now Available on Sephora Online

The beauty community has been in a positive froth over the upcoming Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Terra Azzurra Summer 2012 Collection. Esteemed authorities are predicting one-day sell-outs at counters, and wait lists are a mile long; everyone is hotly anticipating the day the collection hits stores.

Imagine my surprise yesterday afternoon when, browsing Sephora's website, I came across several pieces from the collection already up and ready to be shipped at a moment's notice. Only beauty insiders can currently order them, but I believe in order to become one you merely have to sign up for Sephora e-mails.

The pieces up on the site now are: the Meteorites, the powder brush, the Capri eyeshadow quad, and the blue Kohl Kajal as well as the mascara in blue. (Plus one more very exciting piece . . . )

Of course, the real star of the collection is the glamorous bronzing powder & blush compact. Yesterday afternoon, it was not in stock yet. When I checked back past midnight, it had become available for ordering.

On their way to me now are the Meteorites, the powder brush, the Capri eyeshadow quad, and of course the bronzer & blush. The package should arrive on Wednesday. Summer, here I come.

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Face, with Le Metier de Beaute Devotion Kaleidoscope

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Hate me because I have gotten my hands on a legendary-rare Le Metier de Beaute Devotion Kaleidoscope.

Released for Summer 2010, when the brand still was establishing itself, this kaleidoscope mostly passed under the radar. Now, it's at the top of many collectors' wish lists. How I got one (and at retail!) is a bit of a long story, which I'll save for the end.

What you really want now is to see the kaleidoscope in action. Cafe Makeup has wonderful swatches of the individual colors. I jumped right into experimenting with them on my eyes.

My initial impression of the colors in the pan was that they were too dark for a summer palette. Once I began to apply them, though, I saw how brilliantly pigmented each shade was, and how they all worked together in harmony to create dramatic yet warm looks. The third (orange) shade was especially amazing: a ray of brilliant, molten sunset. The fourth shade also was extraordinary, maintaining its midnight blue purity in gorgeous contrast to the orange. I found that I could tone down the blue simply by layering more orange on top, and vice versa.

For this eye, I lined my upper lash line and inner rim with Le Metier de Beaute Dualistic Eye Pencil in Champagne; I also ran the pencil along the outer half of my lower lash line. I then simply layered on my eyelid the first three shades on top of one another. I avoided the inner corners of my eyes. The first shade, a beautiful shimmering dark wheat, also was swept along the outer half of my lower lash line. Lastly, I took the midnight blue shade and lined my upper lash line, then smudged it upward. For my upper lashes, I used Dior Diorshow Mascara in Mitzah, a shimmering tawny brown that went very well with the summer theme.

 

The orange shade dominates this look. My intent was to keep things light for a daytime look by keeping the brow bone bare and not playing up the crease; the excess color simply gathered in the outer corners. I really liked how leaving the inner corners bare made it look like the eyeshadow had naturally grown out along my lash line, like a pair of butterfly wings.

The rest of my face required some thought. For my cheeks, I chose Guerlain Terracotta Blush Sun Shimmer Highlighter in Sunny Pink. The beautiful intense coral-pink shimmer with gold and orange flecks made the perfect accompaniment to Devotion. For my lips, I layered Kevyn Aucoin Liquid Cyber Lip Gloss in Datura (Gold) over Dior Rouge Lip Color in Versailles. I had received the Liquid Cyber Lip Gloss as a Barneys beauty bag GWP, and I was delighted by its flawless performance. Warmer than Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipgloss in Citron Kiss, Liquid Cyber Lip in Datura added a juicy orange sheen that made my lips look fuller.

These are my real nails!

Gorgeous, but I wasn't ready to stop playing with Devotion. I decided to see if I could shift my daytime look to one for the evening. I added more of the midnight blue shade, and blended the crease upward to the eyebrows.

Voila: a smoky eye for summer.

Gazing into the mirror, I was entranced by how the streak of rich burnished sunset-orange melted into the midnight blue depths. Now that you have seen the full glory of the Le Metier de Beaute Devotion Kaleidoscope, don't you really hate me?

The backstory: the Aurora Lip Kaleidoscope had sold out everywhere, even online, and I was frantic at missing out. Then I remembered a post on Messy Wands where a LMdB representative in Las Vegas named Alyxandra Joy had shared her services as procurer of kaleidoscopes. I texted her, and she got back to me saying yes she could get Aurora for me, and was there anything else I would like? Purely as a casual offhand hail mary, I told her Penelope and Devotion. She found both. She said I must be lucky, as she had tried and failed before to find Devotion. Well! I may not have won Mega Millions, but I got something as good: the Devotion Kaleidoscope.

Thank you so much for reading my feature (and making it this far). It was my pleasure to show you this beautiful kaleidoscope.

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Face: Guerlain for (Eye)Glasses

This is rapidly becoming a series, isn't it? First Le Metier de Beaute, then Chanel, and now Guerlain. Yesterday I ducked into the Saks Mazza to close out the Care for Kids charity event and to see just how much damage I could do with a 20% off everything card.

The gorgeous Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Les Bois de Roses had been on my want list for a while, so I approached the Guerlain counter. The bubbly sales associate declared she liked my eyeglasses (Giorgio Armani). Somehow it went from a simple transaction to trying on one of the decadent Rouge Gs to finally receiving a full-on facial and makeover. It was an hour well spent.

The sales associate took me through the full Guerlain skincare routine, which left my face feeling incredibly soft and hydrated. My concerns that the heavily perfumed products would irritate my sensitive skin turned out to be unfounded. For my sluggish and dehydrated skin, I was prescribed Secret de Purete Polishing Exfoliator and Super Aqua-Serum. Then on went Lingerie de Peau Foundation SPF 20 in Beige Clair 02; it applied smoothly and felt very comfortable. Blush 4 Eclats in Rose Plein Vent 5 was used sparingly. Meteorites in Teint Beige 2 gave my face a subtle glow. My skin looked and felt smooth and healthy.

What made this makeover special, though, was that the sales associate decided to build a look around my glasses. Usually makeup artists forget about my glasses as soon as I take them off and sometimes the outcome is a disjunction between the makeup and my glasses. She recommended Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Les Perles. I was a bit nonplussed, recalling the dramatic swatch on Cafe Makeup, but gave her free rein. Since I didn't have a mirror next to me throughout the process, I can't state with certainty the order and location of colors used. Guerlain likes to make colors that blend together so well, one has a hard time telling their individual origins. (The Non-Blonde has individual swatches.)

The result was lovely. The pearly and shimmery colors are both elegant and vibrant. Since three of the shades contain purple, my green eyes really popped, even behind the frames of my glasses. Below are photos I took in cooler lighting, which brings out the purple and shimmer more. No contest: I bought Les Perles in addition to Les Bois de Roses.

To finish off my eyes, the sales associate lined them with Kohl Me Eye Pencil in Black 1 and curled the hell out of my top lashes with Le 2 de Guerlain Mascara in Noir 10. She kept complaining my eyelashes were too long, and I told her I thought it was a good problem to have.

For my lips, we had chosen Rouge G in Gala 21, a beautiful shimmering ruby. Temptalia's description of it is spot on, though it pulls more pink on me than it does on her. (Compared to Chanel Rouge Allure Famous, Gala has more fuchsia in it.) The sales associate then lined my lips and filled in the center using Precision Lip Liner in Rouge Dahlia 24. It has a soft tip and doesn't need sharpening; the liner felt so easy and juicy that I immediately bought it. The final touch was a layer of KissKiss Gloss in Fraise a Croquer 821 in the center.

I also bought Rouge G in Gala. At 20% off, I couldn't resist. The color is surprisingly easy to wear and will cheer me up in the depths of winter. The fabulous mirrored case also is worth owning for the sake of owning, though it's so heavy I'm not sure if I can carry it around in my bag as an everyday essential.

Nails: Deborah Lippmann in Hit Me With Your Best Shot.

This concludes the third installment of my makeover series. I think next time I'll change it up and ask for a nude lip.

By the way, yes, I am wearing the same sweater in the Guerlain shots as I was in the Chanel ones. Why not? An angora-blend by Joseph via Net-a-Porter, it's a no-brainer weekend sweater for when you want to be comfortable and still look put together. Yesterday it was snowing in DC and miserably cold. I bundled up in this sweater, a camel-colored wool coat, heavy motorcycle jeans, and gray rabbit fur earmuffs; Belstaff boots allowed me to keep my footing on the sidewalks. I met a friend for brunch, then spent the afternoon shopping around Chevy Chase, balancing bags under an umbrella. I had a marvelous time.

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