Monday, June 14, 2010
Meteorites On My Face!
I've been following a ton of beauty/make-up blogs recently in a new-found addiction to all things shiny, powdery and glittery!
After reading some reviews and lots of pretty pictures on My Women Stuff about the Guerlain Meteorites Powder aka Guerlain Meteorite Perles [link], and finding out about StrawberryNet and it's awesome free shipping worldwide policy, I caved!
StrawberryNet.com is a website that sells loads of branded cosmetics, skincare, fragrances and more. There's a lot of stuff available, but not the full range of products a brand has to offer. It's pretty easy to find some limited edition stuff that might be sold out elsewhere, and they give pretty good discounts too!
There are brands like Benefit (so so much cheaper), Stila, Anna Sui, Chanel, Laura Mercier, La Mer, Estee Lauder and more. Most of the things are much cheaper than what we can find in retail in KL malls, so if you're a loyal Benefit fan, I'd recommend heading to StrawberryNet first to see if you can find what you need.
The best part? Shipping is free worldwide!! Yes, Malaysia included!! One of the main deterrents from international online shopping are the killer shipping fees! Most times, the shipping fee turns out to be more expensive than the product itself!
Note that for perfumes and fragrances, there is a small charge.
Anyways, StrawberryNet looks like its based in Hong Kong, so shipping took less than a week to reach me from when I placed my order.
StrawberryNet packages come in a white box with a purple ribbon tied around it, so it'll be a familiar and comforting sight for frequent buyers.
I was sweating buckets for the few days after I made my order because this was the first time I'd ordered something internationally on my own (I normally do my buying through local sprees online). There werent any customs charge for my package thankfully. Not sure if customs poked around the package though.
With the purple ribbon wrapped around the box, it's kinda like opening a birthday present :D
Inside, my order is wrapped in psychadelic glittery purple paper, happily nestled in a bed of foam popcorn! I think they may have changed the foam popcorn to some other material since, so don't be too surprised to find something else in your package.
Drumroll please!!
I bought.. The Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures Collection!
What a beauty!
I was having a really tough time deciding between buying the full sized Guerlain Meteorites Powder (33g), but there were 3 colours available and it would suck to not be able to try them all. Then I found out about the Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures Collection which had 3 mini-sized (8g) Guerlain Meteorites Powders in all 3 colours, and it was a no-brainer!
These 3 mini's were roughly the price of 1 full-sized one. I will strive to maintain my quantity > quality policy.
Anyway as seen in the above picture, I received a free Vincent Longo blush with my first order. Oh, the great thing about StrawberryNet is the more frequent you buy, the more discounts you get. It's not much (ranging from 1% to 10%), but when the stuff are all already discounted anyway, an extra discount never hurts. Plus, free shipping!!
Matching peach bedsheets not included.
Guerlain is a pretty old luxury brand that has been around for awhile, so while most of the more atas folk might complain that the packaging of the Miniatures Collection looks kinda cheap, it's alright by me.
Once I'd gotten over the excitement of owning my first Guerlain product, I dived right in! Inside the box are three 8g Guerlain Meteorites in Mythic, Pink Fresh and Beige Chic. As an added bonus, it also comes with a pink (unfortunately) Guerlain powder brush.
I havent really had the chance to use the brush yet as I have my own powder brushes to use at the moment, but it feels pretty decent. If I can get over the fact that it looks like some kid's cough medicine, I might get round to using it soon.
The Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures look almost exactly like the full-sized ones, with a similar gold box with floral pattern on top and around it. It looks pretty classy and kinda vintage. I was surprised to find out that both the full-size and miniature Guerlain Meteorites powder boxes are made of cardboard and plastic! But mostly cardboard. I'd expect metal or something, but even the more expensive full-sized ones are made of cardboard, so it's kind of a waste.
Apparently, the latest Meteorites packaging has been "upgraded" to a metal tin, so good for them! It looks way prettier too. Oh god, I feel like buying it.
Something important to note is that the Guerlain Meteorites Powders are quite heavily scented. There's a heavy (damp?) rose or lavender or violet (I'm not sure) scent to it, that could remind you of old ladies and rainy days, but I think that it's Guerlain's signature scent and they wont be changing it anytime soon.
But once the powder's on your face, you wont smell a thing and pass out in the middle of the day. The smell just hits you when you open it up. I'm not fussy. I dont stick my whole nose in to take a big whiff before I use it anyway.
Each miniature comes with a sponge sort of thing covering the pearls. IMO, the only purpose it serves is to keep the pearls in place when you're opening it, because the sponge is definitely not suitable for patting the pearl powder on your face. Its rubbery at the back, with a very porous and cheap-looking sponge on the other side.
Which clown lost his powder box??
My pearls got knocked around abit during transit and delivery, so it was kinda powdery when I first opened the boxes. But a little bit of dusting and impatient experimenting on my face solved that.
On to the colours! I didnt really bother taking Guerlain Meteorites swatches though because the colours that these pearl powders give are so subtle, it wouldnt really show on my hand. But it does make a difference to your face, really.
Oh, since the box sizes are so small, it's kinda hard to fit a full size powder brush in it, so I make do with a smaller powder brush or blush brush. Maybe I should start using the brush they actually provided. I just swirl the brush around (hold the box still, stick the brush in and turn the brush around like I'm twisting a bottle cap) and it gives me just the right amount of powder.
Guerlain Meteorites Powder in Mythic.
The Mythic pearls are a mix of pale pink, lilac, mint green, gold and white. Mythic is more of an all-over face illuminator of some sort. It's not as strong and glittery/shiny as a highlight powder, but it makes a great finishing powder at the end of your make-up routine.
I think the reason it works is because of the lightly coloured powders that help mask slight imperfections. E.g. lilac brightens up dull skin, green evens out redness, gold adds a glow, etc.
If you sweep this all over your face and expect miracles, you're gonna be disappointed. It just gives a nice healthy glow to the face, without being too powdery. My face looks brighter and more natural after a few sweeps of Mythic all over.
Dont worry, you wont end up with patches of purple and green all over. The colours are really sheer when I swirled my brush in them.
Guerlain Meteorites Powder in Pink Fresh.
Poor Pink Fresh looks like it's in a sad state, but that's only because it's my favourite of the whole lot!! I love it! Pink Fresh has pearl powders in various shades of light pink, mauve and peach. It's also got white pearls in it. The pearls have a slight gold sheen to them, but it's nothing too distracting.
Oh Pink Fresh, how I love you so! Whenever I'm having a pink-based make-up day (i.e. pink blush and rose/pink lip), Pink Fresh is the best icing on the cake. I dust it over my blush to help it last longer and it helps intensify the colour so I get a great rosy cheek.
Then I lightly dust it all over my face for a nice pink glow worthy of the saying "In the pink of health"! I've had friends comment on how my face looks really healthy and glowy when I have Pink Fresh on, so it must be doing something right.
It definitely can't be used as a blush alone for me though since I'm quite tan (I tried), but I think fairer girls could pull it off that way. It just helps bring out the colour of the blush I have on. And the shimmer on my cheeks is always just right.
Guerlain Meteorites Powder in Beige Chic.
Can you already tell how worth it the Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures Collection is? It covers the basic 3 shades I need/want and I couldnt ask for more! Beige Chic is the brownie of the bunch with gold, bronze, peach and light brown pearl powder shades. Just like Pink Fresh, this of course has a gold sheen to it.
Little golden pearls of awesomeness!
Well, Beige Chic comes out of hiding on days where I decide to go more bronze-ish with my make up. When dusted all over, it gives a warm glow to my face with slight shimmer. As usual, I'm too tan to use this as a bronzer alone, but it's a great highlighter on my cheeks.
My precious..
I really don't know when I'll be able to finish using these 3 Guerlain Meteorites Powders since all I do is just swirl my brush in it and it doesnt seem to make a dent. They'll probably last me forever!
Overall, these pearl powders are great as a finishing touch to my make-up. I just brush either one of them all over my face or on my cheeks, and I've got a great glow with slight shimmer that lasts. Depending on how much you use, it could be a highlight, but I wouldnt bet on it.
Plus, I'm still really happy that I managed to try out all 3 shades instead of having to choose just 1.
Guerlain Meteorites Powders are available at Guerlain counters at Parkson (KLCC & Pavilion), Sogo, Isetan @ The Gardens Mall and Tangs Pavilion (details from here). I think the full size one retails for around RM180+ with 3 shades to choose from. It's also on StrawberryNet for around RM150+, so if you're willing to wait a week, get it there (old cardboard box packaging though). There's also a pressed-powder version which would be great for travelling.
The Guerlain Meteorites Miniatures Collection however, seems like it's only available at the duty free make-up counters in airports. And last I checked, it's not available on StrawberryNet anymore.
And so ends my mega Guerlain Meteorites Powder review. You've been a great crowd.
P.S. Beatrice of "Beetrice Reviews" is having a mega giveaway on her blog to celebrate 3 years of spreading all things pretty and beautiful on the interwebz!
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