SHEET MASK | Guerlain Abeille Royale Honey Cataplasm Mask

 

Purchased by me

Merry Christmas everyone! Had I planned wisely, I would have a Christmas-themed sheet mask for today, but instead I will provide so holiday sparkle with my most expensive mask in my current collection! While most of my sheet masks are in the more reasonable price range of $5-$15, occasionally I like to dabble in the "exquisite" and one of the masks that has been on my wishlist for years has been the Guerlain Abeille Royale Honey Cataplasm Mask. With its $159 price tag for a box of four masks, you can see what I have been holding off on this purchase! I finally decided to take the plunge during this Fall's Sephora VIB Rouge event and grab a box! 

MAKEUP LOOK | Guerlain Spring Happy Rosy Glow and La Petite Robe Noire 2017 Collection

Spring is now officially here though I know in most parts of Canada, that could not be further from the truth with snowstorms and arctic weather still raging. Here in Vancouver, we have gone back to our roots of rain, but I have hope that we will see Spring soon as I am also tired of wearing rain boots with all of my work outfits. I think a lot of us have decidedly moved into Spring makeup looks and nothing says "Hai Spring!" like some Guerlain Spring goodness! 

MAKEUP | Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Fluide Foundation (New Formula) with Before and After

I find shopping for foundation just as complicated as shopping for jeans. You've got to try a few on before making a decision because like jeans are a staple for most outfits, foundation is just that for the face. I started wearing foundation in 2011 which is incredibly late in life, but it was only because I was scared to go shopping. Now that I know roughly where my skin sits on the colour shade scale, I'm not quite as fearful of trying something new. Fast forward to now and I literally have 30+ foundations and rotate around 5-6 on any given month, but one quality that is a must-have for me is weightlessness. I do not want to FEEL foundation on my skin. I mean, who does?

I wish I had discovered luxury makeup brands years ago because I love being on board for a brand's journey. Guerlain is one of those "old house" brands that have so much history that I often feel like I am completely out of my element when it comes to talking about their products, but I need to start somewhere right? I think I now understand why ANYTHING Meteorites gets people excited so it's time to tackle Lingerie de Peau ($69.00 CDN). This is a light and skin-like foundation whose formula was recently revamped last year. Unfortunately, I have no means of comparison as I have never tried the old formulation, but this new one is just DREAMY! 

MAKEUP | Guerlain Shalimar Holiday Collection with Swatches and Makeup Look

Now, that Christmas is over we look towards 2017 and looks for those New Year's Eve parties! I'm old now, so those days of trying to celebrate NYE at a club are long gone, but I do usually spend the night with close friends catching up on what has been happening during the year. I couldn't let 2016 go without a little tribute to one of the prettier and luxurious collections of the holidays - the Guerlain Shalimar Holiday Collection! 

Sunday Essentials Edition #1 | My 5 Favourite Foundations

Ever since I stopped doing monthly favourites, I haven't really had the opportunity to share products that I have been using religiously. Looking at my routine, I actually have A LOT things that I have been loving to bits, but haven't actually written about!

Over the past two years, I have developed an unhealthy/healthy addiction to foundation. Never in my lifetime would I have thought I would love foundation so much, but it ties in to my utter love of skincare. Good skin is the perfect foundation for well, foundation! When I started this blog in 2011, I didn't even wear real foundation! I stuck to BB creams and mineral powder because I was convinced that foundation was only for people with "problem skin". I didn't realize that foundation comes in varying levels of coverage and can be used to enhance, cover and even out skin tone. Some can even be relatively hydrating if need be! Though I have a number of foundation favourites, these five are the ones that I have been reaching for on a daily basis for most of the year! 

MAKEUP | Guerlain Parure Gold Powder Foundation Rejuvenating Effect SPF 15 PA++ Review

Although I haven't really discussed it all that much on the blog, I have recently become OBSESSED with foundations. It's like I have had some sort of awakening and I now I need to try ALL of the foundations! Last month, I raved about the revamped Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate and now we need to talk about Guerlain's revamped Parure Gold Radiance Powder Foundation which promises to rejuvenate the skin with dual-faceted pigments combined with a collagen-boosting ingredient (I really can't tell from the ingredients list what this is, but I'd rather rely on my skincare than my foundation for this type of thing!).

MAKEUP | Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate Makeup Base Review

I will admit that ever since I saw "Austin Powers in Goldmember", I secretly say "I love gooold!" whenever I use any products containing actual gold. When it comes to luxury, there are select brands that stand out because of their packaging, ingredients and in this case, use of actual 24 karat gold flakes! The Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate* (30mL/$81.00 CDN) has been around for awhile and though I am relatively new to Guerlain this is one of their most well-known makeup primers. Earlier this year, Guerlain revamped and repackaged both the L'Or and Parure Gold Foundation (review coming!) and though I have not used the previous versions of either of these products, hopefully I can shed some light on what they are like now!

MAKEUP LOOK | Fall Freshness with Guerlain KissKiss RoseLip and Rose Aux Joues Tendre Blush Review & Swatches

I absolutely love the inspiration behind this season's Guerlain Bloom of Rose Collection as it revolves around a 19th century discovery of a liquid tint that was gently dabbed onto the lips and cheeks. In 1918, Guerlain launched Roselip, which was the first solid lip colour to be sold in a jar and now the story continues with a collection that embodies natural shades to maintain a beautiful healthy glow - just like a rose. To pull away from all of the smoky Fall eyes I've been doing, I decided to channel the fresh faced makeup looks from Korea using the new KissKiss RoseLip Hydrating & Plumping Tinted Lip Balm* ($41.00 CDN) and Rose Aux Joues Tender Blush* ($57.00 CDN).

SKINCARE | Guerlain Blanc de Perle Essence in Lotion Review

Oh my has it been that long since my last skincare review? I had wanted to do week by week reviews of the Guerlain Blanc de Perle line, but work is still kicking my ass when it comes to fatigue so I haven’t been able to write all that much. If anyone has tips to gain energy (other than caffeine) please enlighten me!

I need to admit that I didn’t quite read the instructions when it came to this skincare line. I assumed that I was skincare savvy enough to figure out what all of the pieces meant, but for the first week I was using the White P.E.A.R.L. Essence in Lotion*(200mL/$78.00 CDN) almost like a moisturizer if you can believe it! It does say “Brightening Lotion” on the bottle so I figured lotion = hydration. Then when I looked at the side of the box, I saw the phrase “facial toner” which after experiencing the consistency of the product, made MUCH more sense as a HYDRATING toner. Although it actually did work as a moisturizer too when applied after serum!

SKINCARE | *Cleanser Wednesdays* with the Guerlain Blanc de Perle White Pearl Cleanser Cleansing Foam Review

In a galaxy far, far away, I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to try out the latest in skin brightening from Guerlain in the form of the Blanc de Perle collection. With the high Asian population in Vancouver, brightening has always been a hot topic with the ideal Asian skin being porcelain white and blemish free. Terms like “whitening” tend to conjure up thoughts of harsh bleaching treatments, but the Blanc de Perle is far from that. The Blanc de Perle routine consists of three basic steps: Clarify, Treat and Hydrate. Within each step are 2-3 products essentially creating a 7 step skincare routine. I will showcase each product separately as I feel like most people will not often feel comfortable purchasing a whole new routine in full as it can be quite an investment. Oftentimes, we purchase bits at a time starting with a product that speaks to our current skincare concerns ESPECIALLY when it comes to a luxury price point such as Guerlain.

When it comes to skincare, people are often hesitant to change things too drastically and when using a new line, a cleanser or toner is usually the easiest product to incorporate into a current routine in terms of skin adjustment and price. Guerlain’s White Pearl Cleanser*($65.00 CDN) is the first step to brightening in that skin is cleansed with gentle micro-pearls and a luxurious creamy texture to reveal freshly radiant skin.

MAKEUP | Guerlain Les Tendres Meteorites Perles de Blush Angelic Radiance Review & Swatches

I feel like Spring disappears so quickly in the world of beauty as collections are planned so far in advance that even I start thinking one season ahead. II briefly touched on a few items in Guerlain’s Les Tendres Spring Collection in a post from February (here) and thought I’d feature a few products that caught my attention or were review requests from readers. From the moment you open the box, you can instantly smell that characteristic floral Guerlain scent radiating from the Meteorites Perles de Blush Angelic Radiance*($58.00 CDN/0.45oz). As you can see from the cherubic angel on the packaging, this blush is all about giving you irresistibly angelic-looking cheeks.

MAKEUP LOOK | “Strawberry Chocolate”-Inspired with Guerlain Écrin 1 Couleur Long Lasting Eyeshadow Silky Powder in Pink Pong Review & Swatches

When it comes to playing with makeup, I love going with “wild” colours because they are so much more fun to look at in photos and on camera. Sometimes when I have a neutral colour, I think that I will just bore you all with my “mundane, everyday look”, but the other day I realized that I ALWAYS wear neutrals when I’m working or out for lunch with girls (unless everyone is a beauty blogger, then you can bring out whatever colours you’re “testing” for the week and everyone will understand).

Just released a few days ago, Guerlain Écrin 1 Couleur Long Lasting Eyeshadow Silky Powder ($36.00 CDN) is best described as a “soft and sensorial” powder that glides easily over the eyelid for a beautifully even film of colour. I received a lab sample of the colour Pink Pong* and didn’t think I could make this shade work since metallic finishes never seem to work for me, but I started thinking about dessert, then fruit which led to this…

MAKEUP REVIEW | Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow SPF 25 PA++ Swatches in #2 Light and #3 Medium

I am brand new to the concept of Guerlain’s Meteorites. I have never had the long illustrious love affair that many beauty lovers have had with it and I am currently surrounded by much literature about what it all means, but from what I gather, it all started in 1987 when Guerlain came up with a loose powder in the form of multi-coloured pearls that made skin appear luminous without looking overdone. This concept gave rise to primers, powders, blushes and now a sheer foundation infused with the same “meteorific” glow. Meteorites Baby Glow* ($60.00 CDN/30mL) is a “light-revealing sheer makeup anti-fatigue effect glow” that acts as a luminous veil on the skin while evening out and unifying the skin’s complexion. I love that there is SPF ready to go in this formulation and I am grateful that my skin isn’t one to react to SPF as I know a number of friends who are quite sensitive to it.

MAKEUP LOOK | Getting Ready for Spring with Guerlain’s Les Tendres Spring 2015 Collection Review

I feel like I only seem to keep track of the seasons not by solstice, but by makeup collection. In December, I was blessed (yes, I use that term on purpose because it almost felt heaven-sent) with a good Samaritan who received my Guerlain package in error and took the trouble to look up my blog and email me to let me know she had it. It was probably the best Christmas present I had ever gotten!

When it comes to luxury colour cosmetics, Guerlain is like Mecca for me. I’ll make the journey to splurge once a year and worship from afar for the other 364 days. Released last month, Guerlain’s Spring Les Tendres 2015 Collection is all about radiance and having that naturally glowing complexion. There are some definite star products that I cannot help but highlight in the coming posts, but here is a somewhat first impression post of the products I used to create this glowing Spring look!

LIPS | The Perfect Holiday Red with Guerlain’s Gloss D’Enfer in #920 Rouge Parade

A good lookin’ red never goes out of style whether it’d be a dress, nail polish or lipstick. Looking back, I rarely review lip products on their own because I love being able to put them to the test and show you how they really look on an entire face. There are so many colours I have loved in isolation, but I generally like seeing both a swatch and how it looks on someone overall. With the case of my Guerlain Holiday Look (here), I was so impressed with the Gloss D’Enfer in #920 Rouge Parade* ($33 CDN) that I felt it needed a bit of a spotlight for this holiday season.

Makeup Look | Get Holiday Glam with Guerlain’s New Petrouchka Palette!

This holiday season, spoil yourself just a little with Guerlain’s Petrouchka Eye and Blush Palette ($95 CDN)* or put it right at the top of your Christmas list at least! Sure this palette screams “holiday” with it’s gold and red packaging, but the eyeshadows and blushes inside are perfectly paired for anytime of the year.

Guerlain Skincare | Abeille Royale Repairing Honey Gel Mask

I like seeing results right away. Who doesn’t? This is exactly my story with the Guerlain Abeille Royale (“Royal Bee”) Repairing Honey Gel Mask ($167 CDN). I guarantee that it will be love at first application especially for dry or dehydrated skin in need of repair. Using royal jelly and a gel-like texture, this honey mask promises to “help skin recover density and plumpness week after week”. Among many other benefits, royal jelly has been shown to increase collagen production leading to skin with an increase in firmness! Again, who doesn’t want that?!

Shoppers Drug Mart | February “Spend Your Points Event”!

This past weekend was another Shoppers Drug Mart event where redeeming 80000 points got you $200 dollars of product ($64 more than what you would normally get!) just in the beauty department which is a WONDERFUL dollar amount to work with ;-) It’s really quite the haul!

Urban Decay | Naked 3, Naked Lip Gloss in Rule 34 and Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin

What better time than to complete my Naked collection with Naked 3 as well as a lipgloss from their Naked line! I love the colour Sin from Naked 1 so when I saw that there was primer potion in this exact colour that I could use alone or in conjunction with another colour I grabbed it right away! I am SUPER excited about all three of these items!  

Guerlain | Eye Liner in Bleu Outremer

This is a navy blue liquid liner with one of the thinnest little brushes I have seen. The packaging reminds me of a quill and inkwell and yes, it was $42 for 5mL…but that’s what redemption time is all about! You’ve already spent the money to get the points so why not splurge?

Maybelline | Color Elixirs in Nude Illusion, Blush Essence and Dashing Orchid

Buying these also gave bonus points which was an added bonus, but these are my first color Elixirs and so far they feel and look pretty nice. I chose two lighter colours which aren’t quite as pigmented as the darker ones out there so I might grab one more in a really bright red later on.

Maybelline | Color Show Street Art Collection in Wild at Heart

I don’t have a matte black and red glitter. That was my only reasoning.

SensatioNAIL | Gel Color in Rock my Emerald and Scarlet Red

I managed to find two more colours in the clearance section for $0.99 each! These are normally around $17 each at Shoppers so getting them at this price is a fantastic deal!

L’Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray in Strong Hold

I have heard way too many good things from so many bloggers/vloggers about this hairspray so into my basket it went!

This should be MORE than enough to hold me over for awhile as I am starting to struggle with where to put everything! I foresee another MUJI order in my future…

Swatch It Up | Guerlain Rouge D'Enfer 121

Sometimes it’s nice to go back to the classics to a classic womanly red polish. Nothing says “woman” to me like this red polish from Guerlain. The photos show this polish as leaning more on the orange, but you will see in the photo taken with flash that it is actually more of a berry red in real life. I was tempted to do some nail art right away, but I think a polish as nice as this deserved its day in the sun!

The polish brush was fairly wide and had a rounded end to make the cuticle edges a little bit more clean. This polish had a beautiful formula that was smooth, self-levelling and the perfect consistency. I would expect nothing less from a $28 polish!

Shoppers Drug Mart | Birthday Goodies

I don’t know if I’m just crazy, but I chose to get a bulk of birthday goodies from none other than Shoppers Drug Mart. There was a redemption and bonus points event the weekend of my birthday so I definitely used it as an excuse to say “Happy Birthday to Me”! I hope that the points system doesn’t change with the new Loblaws ownership…points are the main reason I shop at Shoppers because their prices aren’t exactly the lowest for many of the products they carry. Fingers crossed things don’t change too much!