Enchant with Guerlain’s Winter Fairy Tale Look this Holiday 2015

Happy Friday!!  I started composing this blog post last Monday with the intention of publishing it as a mid-week anxiety-chaser on Wednesday, but work sucked up all my time, and I am only now managing to complete it.  Nonetheless, I hope you find this useful, and a nice way to welcome in the weekend!

Guerlain surprised me this year… I’ve grown so accustomed to their glamorous Holiday collections over the last few years that I was expecting more drama. Instead, Guerlain gave us a softer, more sensual look this year with their Neiges et Merveilles Winter Fairy Tale Collection. It ties in very nicely with Guerlain’s aesthetics this entire year, which has been focusing on the complexion, bringing out that pearlescent glow and inner beauty. And a very nice counterpoint to all the bigger and bolder collections out there this time of the year. So come on, cuddle up, and explore with me the enchanting world of Guerlain Holiday 2015!

The key piece from the collection that has got fans all excited this year is the Meteorites Perles des Neiges. Shaped round like a snow globe, with white frosted acrylic exterior and golden snowflakes printed on the top, this is a true collector’s item. What is even more exceptional is that for the very first time, Guerlain has not only given us the classic round pearls within the tin, but perfectly-sculpted white stars lying amidst ivory and pale golden pearls! The press people actually call these snowflakes which is a stretch of imagination; but I must give credit to the fact that each of these are painstakingly hand-scooped by only 3 people in the entire world, and their success in traversing the oceans to arrive in my arms in pristine condition make these Meteorites Perles des Neiges all the more precious.

Guerlain’s meteorites powders are designed to provide minor color correction, float over textural imperfections, and breathe life back after all the layers of coverage. Every season, Guerlain produces a new edition with subtle differences from the rests. And this season’s meteorites is intended to produce that wintry perfection. It is perhaps slightly less shimmery than past holiday editions, but it also renders a fair-er finish. I have to be careful to make the distinction here that it does not necessarily translate into paler or whiter, but on my post-Italy roughly NC20 skin, Meteorites Perles des Neiges does make me look slightly fairer though not unnaturally so. The powder floats over my skin, and effectively blurs lines, pores and other minor bumps, to give a porcelain-looking finish befitting of a Winter Fairy Tale Princess!

The piece that had me sitting on the fence for a long time was the Ors et Merveilles Eyes and Blush Palette. From the golden outer casing to the dual-layer design, the configuration of 5-colour eyeshadow palette on top and 4-colour blush palette below, Ors et Merveilles is strongly reminiscent of last year’s Petrouchka Palette. However, having used this palette heavily over the past week, I have to say Ors et Merveilles is much more wearable in my day-to-day office life, and in actual fact quite pretty!

The eyeshadow shades from top to bottom are:

• Dark cool-toned brown with a pearl finish
• Dark taupe-brown with a purple-tint with some violet micro-shimmers
• Pale gold with a frosted finish
• Light-medium yellow gold that was slightly sheer
• Light pink with a matte finish.  This makes a nice base though it is almost impossible to wear on its own as it is very close to my skin tone.

The texture of the eyeshadows are all buttery soft and easy to blend.  However, I personally found the shadows tended to fall into my eye folds and crease, and faded after about 6-8 hours of wear.  So a good eye shadow base is a must for me.

And the bottom blush palette is as follows:

• Top left – Light cool-toned baby pink with a matte finish
• Top right – Medium warm-toned salmon pink with a matte finish
• Bottom left – Medium cool-toned raspberry pink with slight shimmers
• Bottom right – Medium warm-toned coral with golden shimmers

I was a little disappointed with this blush tier because in comparison with last year’s Petrouchka Palette and the recent Rose aux Joues Tender Blushes [reviewed here], these blushes felt noticeably drier and lacked pigmentation.  It is almost like a return of Guerlain’s older blush formula, which is a great pity.  I found it impossible to pick out individual shades here for the cheeks, so the easiest way to wear them was simply to swirl a brush over 2 or more of the shades to apply.  Thereafter, I would take a smaller highlighter brush and pop 1 of the shimmer shades over the apples of my cheeks for a slight flush.

To complete the look, I picked up the Guerlain Rouge G 867 Merveilleux Rose.  I’m a big fan of these Rouge Gs because of their creamy lip-loving formula and long-lasting wear.  Of course, the snowflake print on the cover is irresistible too!  The color is perhaps best described as a soft neutral pink with a soft satin finish.  Though it is not sheer, on my pigmented lips I needed a couple of passes to build up the color.  It is probably not my top pick for a party or dinner event, but for Christmas Day lunch or daily wear to the office, this is definitely a lovely choice.

And to put everything into context, here is my complete makeup look using the Ors et Merveilles Eyes and Blush Palette, Rouge G in Merveilleux Rose, and Meteorites Perles des Neiges.

And a close-up on the eye makeup:

Overall, this is a much softer interpretation of the Holiday makeup look than I have been expecting, but a very pretty look nonetheless and I can imagine plenty of people falling for this Guerlain Neiges et Merveilles Winter Fairy Tale collection.  However, as a long-time Guerlain fan, I must say I felt somewhat let down as this collection feels more Spring-appropriate than Holiday.  I am missing the shimmer spray that has been a Guerlain annual tradition for as long as I can remember, and I wish they would bring more pizzazz back into their makeup.

Do you prefer holiday makeup to be bolder or more everyday wearable?