Let's face it (no pun intended, I swear): face powder is not the sexiest makeup item in our arsenal. It suffers from a grandmotherly image that isn't doing any justice to the product or to its user, who simply knows better than to let a good makeup application disintegrate without the appropriate finishing product. Still, buying or applying it is much less fun than choosing a new red lipstick.
The people of Guerlain are doing their best to bring back some glamor to this elementary item, even if they claim the creation of Meteorites and the packaging was inspired by Marie Antoinette. Personally, the tragic queen makes me think about the guillotine and Kirsten Dunst, two decidedly unglamorous objects, but maybe that's just me. In any case, the colorful cardboard box (better than plastic, for sure) that holds the little pearls of powder is very cute.
Meteorites is closer to loose powder than to a pressed compact. The pearls are moving freely in their box and creating a bit too much violet-scented dust when applied, no matter if you use the accompanying puffy sponge (don't. It goes on uneven and tends to cake) or a powder brush (they recommend Guerlain's own scratchy Meteorites brush, the one with the disturbingly pink head, but you probably already own a suitable brush or two, so don't hesitate to use them). You'll want to protect your black cashmere sweater while putting it on, and probably also keep the cats away, though the scent is nice on them.
I chose Meteroites in Beige Chic (03), which is just right- not too pink and not too white. It doesn't add color, just melds nicely with what I've already put on. A few of the pearls have a little shimmer, but it doesn't transfer to the face. The final result is luminous, not pearly and it gives that flawless finish that is the whole point.
In term of staying power and keeping blush and foundation in place, Meteorites is certainly far above average. Performance of face products is often contingent upon skin's level of moisture/oiliness, the weather and any other product you've layered underneath. On my personal scale, Meteroites rates better than Lancome pressed powder but maybe not as good as Chanel.
The greatest disadvantage of this product is for travel. The pearls are too fragile and the box too big to carry in most makeup bags. But it looks nice on the dresser, as long as the cats don't get to it first (mine are more interested in brushes).
Guerlain Meteorites Powder ($53) is available from most department stores and from Sephora, which is where I bought mine.
The people of Guerlain are doing their best to bring back some glamor to this elementary item, even if they claim the creation of Meteorites and the packaging was inspired by Marie Antoinette. Personally, the tragic queen makes me think about the guillotine and Kirsten Dunst, two decidedly unglamorous objects, but maybe that's just me. In any case, the colorful cardboard box (better than plastic, for sure) that holds the little pearls of powder is very cute.
Meteorites is closer to loose powder than to a pressed compact. The pearls are moving freely in their box and creating a bit too much violet-scented dust when applied, no matter if you use the accompanying puffy sponge (don't. It goes on uneven and tends to cake) or a powder brush (they recommend Guerlain's own scratchy Meteorites brush, the one with the disturbingly pink head, but you probably already own a suitable brush or two, so don't hesitate to use them). You'll want to protect your black cashmere sweater while putting it on, and probably also keep the cats away, though the scent is nice on them.
I chose Meteroites in Beige Chic (03), which is just right- not too pink and not too white. It doesn't add color, just melds nicely with what I've already put on. A few of the pearls have a little shimmer, but it doesn't transfer to the face. The final result is luminous, not pearly and it gives that flawless finish that is the whole point.
In term of staying power and keeping blush and foundation in place, Meteorites is certainly far above average. Performance of face products is often contingent upon skin's level of moisture/oiliness, the weather and any other product you've layered underneath. On my personal scale, Meteroites rates better than Lancome pressed powder but maybe not as good as Chanel.
The greatest disadvantage of this product is for travel. The pearls are too fragile and the box too big to carry in most makeup bags. But it looks nice on the dresser, as long as the cats don't get to it first (mine are more interested in brushes).
Guerlain Meteorites Powder ($53) is available from most department stores and from Sephora, which is where I bought mine.
This is probably going to sound totally uninformed but I never use anything over my foundation and now I'm wondering, would something like the Meteorites finish my daily make-up perfectly or would it just make me look as if I'm wearing a lot of make-up (that's why I don't use anything of the sort, I'm scared it would look too artificial).
ReplyDeleteI remember little balls of bronzer, many moons ago...can't remember the brand, but I had them and a big powder brush and the contents lasted a loooooong time, and worked quite well. Haven't been interested in bronzing this decade...am adopting a Judy Davis stance...but I wonder if the Meteorites pill approach to face powder would be equally long lasting.
ReplyDeleteInes, I am quietly chuckling, because on my skin with rosy cheek undertones, it is *foundation* that looks fake on me. A light powdering is almost all I ever do when I am trying to even things out...but I am by no means a make-up whiz.
Ines, I highly recommend finding a good powder that would work for you. The right one would make the foundation look better and more natural. I think the common mistake is going with a supposedly translucent powder that results in a kabuki face. I wear ones that have just a touch of yellow and just meld with my skin.
ReplyDeleteScentScelf, obviously, I'm not an expert on products for the very pale, but Guerlain have a pressed bronzer in their Terracotta Light line (the one that looks like a mosaic) that might work for you (the one called blonde). The Brunette which is the one I wear is very subtle, and it uses the same idea of patches in different coordinated shades that you blend together.
ReplyDeleteGaia,
ReplyDeleteYou make my pale fair self blush with pleasure...you recognize me as the "very pale." :) Things took a turn for the more challenging in late adolescence, when my hair turned from blond to most emphatically brunette. Ah, well, I have always like to confound stereotype...
Funny, the bronzer beads I had were mixed colors, too. There were days when I experimented to see if I could adjust the hue by controlling how many of which bead was on top. I think I was...YOUNG...then... ;)
On a side note, I keep a container of Ye Olde Basic Coty powder, mostly so I can take the occasional nostalgic whiff. A cheap thrill at drugstore sale prices.
Thank you - I'll try and find something that might work for me, although sometimes it seems so futile - every SA I encounter only wants to sell a particular brand and not help with useful advice. Highly annoying.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, when I was younger I though my mother's powder was THE most glamorous thing ever. I think I watched too many old movies even then, but I used to use it when she left it on the bathroom counter. I don't even remember the brand now, but it came with a big floofy puff that I loved. Now I have become a tinted moisturizer girl, but I still think of face powder as a very glamorous item.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I am just weird.
~Amanda