Spring is really stepping on our toes now. Or heels? Or just tiptoes through our streets ready to step in and get in full power once winter is gone for the year. What can get us in spring mood better than all those pretty spring makeup collections we’re seeing show up on the counters? Nothing. At least, for me it’s a big deal. Helps me get in the right frame of mind like nothing else.
The first and only collection I’ve taken a very close look at this year is Givenchy La Révélation Originelle spring 2016. And I can’t say that this first one was as exciting as I expected. Although there were some good things there. Well, here’s the second one. Guerlain Spring Glow.
I have to tell you, I like this name – Spring Glow. I want both. Spring and Glow. Don’t you? When I look at the collection though, I have some questions. Let’s not rush things here and take it step by step, or else product by product. So, here goes… there aren’t that many.
For starters, there’s a re-edition of Meteorites Base and Meteorites Voyage compact powder. I just can’t help thinking here – nice, but what’s new? 🙂 Still…
We all know what Meteorites Base is. It’s a base, an important thing to know. It’s not enough, probably, for a full face makeup. Unless your skin is flawless. Absolutely perfect. And then the question becomes – if it is, why do you even need a makeup base? 🙂 So, Meteorites were and still are nowhere near full coverage. Let’s keep it in mind.
Next. Meteorites provide the glow we’ve heard of in the name of this collection. It’s a very glowy base. So, if you shun shine in makeup products or in face makeup, steer clear of Meteorites.
Moving on. Meteorites come in a bunch of small little pearly sphere things in liquid transparent shine in a bottle. These pearly things are loaded with pearl and shine. And they smell like violets like Guerlain face products mostly do. Well, if we don’t take into account here summery Terracotta that has a super tropical scent to it.
Everything I’ve described above applies to both the old one and this new version of Meteorites Base by Guerlain. To tell you the truth, I don’t see much difference here.
The same pump to get the product out of the bottle. It’s good enough, so that the base comes out in small portions, and you can get and apply as much exactly as you need, as opposed to having to deal with the mess created by too much base showing up on your fingers once you touch the bottle.
Oh, and Meteorites are still the same pearly white with a rosy shade to it stuff.
Speaking about it, if you don’t need a glowy base, you can always use Meteorites as a highlighter. Have you ever thought about it?
So, I’d say, Meteorites these are.
They are still here. If you love them, you’ll be happy. But… it’s not new stuff. Not really spring collection, to my mind. It hasn’t started yet. Still waiting.
Next. Meteorites Voyage compact powder. Once again, it’s nothing new. So, just to recap a little.
Meteorites by Guerlain usually present a bunch of bigger pearls in a cute box that gives you some shine and some tone evening. Then there are Meteorites compacts proper that are pretty much powders consisting of several shades mixed and matched in patches in a compact. And then we have Meteorites Voyage that used to be the same stuff, only the patches were smaller.
Well now… in this re-edition they got to be really small. Really. Very small. Not like patches anymore. More like dots. Still they are of different shades. And they still smell like violets too.
I mean, I don’t know, seems to work just as good as when the patches were bigger. Almost no colour to it, not much, anyway, more like blurring kind of effect. If you need full coverage, this is not going to work for you.
I like the packaging design – this white pearl studded lid of the compact. It’s nice. Elegant and pretty.
As little colour as there is there, it might be too light for darker skin tones or tan.
Meteorites Voyage are refillable, so you can skip buying the packaging with powder all the time and go right to an extra block to stick in your good old powder box you’re comfortable with and love.
My conclusion here is the same as it was with Meteorites Base.
All good, but where’s something new? Where’s spring collection proper?
Here it is 🙂
Guerlain Rose aux Joues Blush Duo
The shade is called 17 Smile. Nice. Very spring like.
Finally, limited edition packaging. And it’s awesome. Shiny red. Gorgeous, really. I’m happy.
The blush is a duo.
Oh, look, the brush is coral. How cute is that?
And now I understand why the shade is called smile. It’s nice.
The shades we have here are warm bright coral pink
and light cool pink.
The mix of the two gives us rather a subtler warm pink shade than a bright coral. Good one.
The blush is high quality, as all Guerlain face products generally are. Love this. Very limited edition like.
I just hope the rest of the collection is as good. Before we move on though, let’s look at all face products we got in this collection. Here, left to right: Meteorites Base, Meteorites Compact, bright coral blush shade, light pink blush shade and the mix.
As I’ve already said, I hope the rest of the collection is going to be as good as this blush. And this is what we have here. A mono eyeshadow.
Ecrin 1 couleur Long-Lasting Eyeshadow Silky Powder
The shade is called 13 Enjoy
Here we have shiny orange packaging. It’s great too.
And matches the blush well.
And there is it. The word ‘enjoy’. This Spring Glow is very optimistic and bright, obviously.
The brush is the eyeshadow usual.
Two sides – two spongy tips. Wider and flared and thin and pointed.
The shade looks promising. Pale yellow. I like pale yellow, although it’s rather exotic, rare, and it’s not like it’s an obvious choice for many people out there.
Unfortunately, this pale yellow proves to be matt. That won’t play. Matt pale yellow never looks good, in my experience. Nope, it doesn’t look good.
Oh, it’s such a disappointment. I can’t believe this yellow proved to be dead on matt. Pity.
More for the eyes in this collection.
Guerlain The Eye Pencil
C’mon now, this isn’t new either. This is a range of eye pencil shades that’s going to be permanent. ‘Where’s my spring collection?’ – she asks all sulky.
Well, I’m trying it out anyway though. The shade I pick is a khaki shade. Khaki green.
05 khaki driver
Eye sharpener. Good. I like it, when each eye pencil of mine has its own sharpener. Less of a thinker.
The pencil proves to be very soft and nice to the touch, really good quality.
The shade is khaki green, kind of sparkly in a nice understated way.
Very appealing shade. Brown, hazel, green eyes, grey eyes – any of those – this will work so beautifully with them. And if your eyes are blue, this shade will be a very artsy and sophisticated kind of statement.
All in all, five eye pencil shades were released this spring. All are classic.
01 black
02 brown
03 purple
04 blue
05 khaki green, the one we’ve seen in detail already.
I’d say, all good about the eye pencil, but… it’s not spring collection. It’s going to be permanent. Oh…
Here are the two eye shades I’ve swatched in my post. Might be an interesting combination, actually.
I’ll tell you what, Guerlain, you’re almost running out of time here to really kick in with a stunning spring collection. Especially as…
The only product left to discuss is KissKiss Creamy Shaping Lip Colour. This spring it comes in two shades.
Before we talk about the shades though, let’s remember what the current reincarnation of KissKiss lipstick is.
It’s one of those shaping lip colour products that were ever so hot in makeup market not too long ago. Meaning, it’s not just lip colour, it’s also supposed to perfect and shape your lips. I’d say, it kind of does it, not quite though. There’s something there, but… I can’t say it’s the best in its niche. At least, to me it’s not.
I like the black shiny three level packaging though.
And now off we go to the most interesting part of it all. To the shades.
First there’s 371 Darling Baby
The name is spring like and romantic.
The shade is a warmer medium pink, very warm and shiny with fine sparkle that you can’t see much, that’s there to create the right balance in this shade. Pearly.
Not the kind of bright pink you’d try to stay away from. An elegant pink. Or romantic pink in a way. Will look good on most people.
This pink is a must in any lip colour collection. Womanly. One of those rare classics we tend to forget about, so I love this sort of reminder by Guerlain.
And if Darling Baby is way too understated, subdued and too much of a classic for you, here’s what you’ll probably like.
372 All About Pink
It’s not a good girl kind of pink that Darling Baby is. It’s an explosion of pink.
Bright. A cool pink, ever so sparkly, loaded with silvery sparkle, actually. Pretty. Nice. Young. Spring like. A bolder statement than Darling Baby. And if cool pink is your thing, you’ll probably like it.
What I like about it is that it stays in the cool pink territory and doesn’t slide right into fuchsia territory, which happens so often to the shades of the kind. You know 🙂
What’s great about these shades is that the two pinks are totally different.
So, you wanna have them both and alternate and play.
And these just two pinks might cover most of your moods and mindsets for spring.
I think the shades are just so well done, so well chosen, so well balanced…
It almost makes me feel better, because, all in all, I’m not impressed with this collection. Or else, I’d even say – where is the collection? It’s a couple of products thrown together plus a bunch of new launches. How sad. I was hoping to get something better from Guerlain. Well, better luck next time. Hopefully. In summer, that is 🙂