It’s a glamorous fête with Guerlain this Holiday 2017!

Guerlain seems to have taken a different direction with its makeup collection this year; and I am pleased to see the brand return to its grown-up, fully luxurious and elegant aesthetic for Holiday 2017.  Inspired by the festive spirit of the twenties when American Bohemians settled in Paris, the likes of Ernest Hemmingway and the exuberance as described in his posthumous memoir titled “A Moveable Feast”.  Guerlain’s Holiday 2017 collection is a tightly curated 6-piece offering dressed in black and gold, every one as decadent as we deserve.

The piece de resistance for me is the Guerlain Gold Palette, an 8-shade eye and cheek palette filled with glorious shimmering hues.  I first fell in love with Guerlain over its Holiday 2012 collection [specifically the infamous Liu palette], and this year’s Gold Palette has managed to reignite my love for the brand.  There is something quite fresh about this one, the sleek, modernistic lines on of the palette and the scalloped overspray design on the cheek shades all speak to me.  More importantly, I’m very partial to a good dose of shine and glow, especially on the eyes.

Guerlain Gold Palette is designed to be a multi-use palette.  The 2 matte shades on the top row are meant to be suitable for filling in the brows as well as the eyes.  The rest of the shades may be used on the eyes, or as highlighters on the cheeks as you deem fit.  Of course, the 2 larger squares on the right of the palette are best suited for the cheeks, but they may also be used on the eyes.. why not?!

The swatches from left to right, are:

• Top left of palette – medium-dark neutral-toned taupe with a matte finish.  There is enough grey undertone to this shade that makes it suitable for my Asian brows, and yet it is nicely pigmented to be used as a defining shade on the eyes.
• Top row, 2nd from the left – pale grey/beige with a matte finish.  This one does not translate well when swatched, but it works well for blending out the darker tones in my crease.
• Top row, 3rd from the left – medium gold shimmer with a warm undertone and has a slightly sheer base.  Best used as a topper over the other eyeshadows, and Guerlain also recommends lightly sweeping it over the brows or lashes (with a base to hold in place!) for a captivating touch!
• Bottom left – light pink shimmer with a slightly sheer base.  Another eyeshadow topper, or I like to use it in my inner corner for a pop!
• Bottom row, 2nd from left – dark burgundy with a metallic finish and filled with warm golden micro-shimmers.  This shade is incredibly pigmented, and stays on all day without fallout/fading/creasing!
• Bottom row, 3rd from left – dark metallic bronze filled with golden micro-shimmers.  Another stunner with full opacity with a single sweep, all-day wear!
• Bottom right of palette – matte pale pink with a neutral undertone.  Can also be used on the apples of the cheeks to brighten and sculpt the cheek bones, or also on the lids.
• Top right of palette – bright coral pink with a neutral undertone.  This has a matte finish but has some shimmers in it to brighten the cheeks.

I started by smudging the matte taupe from my lash line up towards the middle of my lid, then I blending it out with the paler matte greige shade.  Next, I patted the metallic burgundy in the center, and added a pop of pale pink shimmer on the inner corner.  Finished by lining the bottom lash line with the dark matte taupe.

I’m like a magpie drawn to shimmery things, and this season’s Guerlain Terracotta Gold Light* is so beautiful I can’t even!  It comes in a metallic tin that can be reused when (or if) you finish using the product within.  There’s also a generous-sized mirror on the inside of the lid that is really handy.  The Terracotta is a very fine shimmery golden highlighter that gives a sun-kissed touch to the complexion and can be dusted on the décolletage and shoulders.  I suppose this replaces Guerlain’s famed shimmer sprays, but I miss those and collect them every year!

Of course, no seasonal collection can be complete without a new limited edition jar of meteorites!  The Guerlain Gold Pearl Meteorites for Holiday 2017* is the first time we are seeing those pretty golden pearls this year, but not as warm as the one from Holiday 2014 [see here].  Of course, it is the rounded grooved jar makes this all the more collectible, but be warned, the contents are even lesser than usual.  The smaller opening also makes it hard for my big powder brush to pick up the powders, and perhaps because of that, I found this season’s Gold Pearl Meteorites to have less of a pore-blurring, air-brushing effect than usual.

It is always futile to try to swatch meteorites, because sheer translucency is the whole point of those powders.  In contrast, you can see the lovely golden shimmer of the terracotta, applied with multiple swipes of my highlighter brush.

I went a little bit crazy trying to collect these Rouge G lipsticks because Guerlain has not released a new one since last Holiday 2016, and I missed it during all my travels!  Guerlain Rouge Gs are the ultimate standard for rich, creamy and pigmented lip colors, and their packaging is unparalleled.  This season’s pair is dressed in a golden case with a black lacquered tube.  As fans know, the lipstick slips out of the hefty case, which then snaps open to reveal a good-sized mirror.

There are 2 stunning reds:

• 822 Glamorous Cherry* is a cool-toned red with a strong blue undertone and sprinkled with pale pink micro-shimmers
• 823 Flaming Red is a warmer- to neutral-toned red with a sparser sprinkling of pink micro-shimmers

There is also a Gold Light Top Coat in the collection which I did not pick up.  That is a clear mascara with flecks of golden shimmers to add a touch of fun to the tips of the lashes or corner of the eye.

Here is a full makeup look featuring Guerlain Gold Palette on brows, eyes and cheeks; Terracotta Gold Light* on the cheek bones; Rouge G in 822 Glamorous Cherry* on the lips; and Gold Pearl Meteorites* all over the face.  For this eye makeup, I used the metallic bronze on the inner half of my lid, followed by the matte taupe on the outer corner to define and pale pink shimmer on the inner corner to highlight.

Have you picked up anything from Guerlain’s Holiday 2017 collection yet?

_{This post featured some products (marked with *) that were generously provided for my consideration.  Regardless, all opinions expressed here are my own honest, unbiased views.}