Guerlain Madame Rougit Blush Fall 2013 Voilette de Madame Collection

When the promo pictures of Guerlain Fall 2013 Voilette de Madame collection first emerged a few months ago, it was clear that the pièce de résistance would be the four color blush, Madame Rougit. From the packaging (even the inside of the box is printed with the tulle pattern) to the embossed surface: it's all gorgeous. Guerlain named this collection after one of their legendary perfumes, Voilette de Madame, from 1901. The fragrance is long gone-- discontinued years ago only to emerge here and there in ultra limited releases. I smelled it once in 2008 during a visit to Guerlain flagship store in Paris. It came in the escargot bottle, just like the Mouchoir de Monsieur bellow and was already out of production again. The animalic floral sandalwood was heavenly, in case you wondered. .

The most common mistake about Voilette de Madame, both the perfume and the new makeup collection, is by scrambling its name: it's Voilette= a little veil and not Violette. This should explain the imagery of the fall 2013 campaign. In any case, like with most Guerlain fall collection, someone put a lot of work making it look utterly irresistible.

But what about the product itself?

Guerlain Madame Rougit is a pretty blush. The compact includes for stripes of color from light pink to nude peach. In theory you may want to use them separately, but the thin stripes aren't very practical. what you can do is adjust the cool pink to warm peach ratio you pick with the brush; but mostly, swirling the brush over all four stripes is the way to go. You can then build the color with emphasis on the shade you prefer.

The blush comes with a white frosty overspray of the dotted tulle pattern. I dislike overspray, but at least in this case I was able to remove it in one clean swipe and get rid of the silver powder completely. The embossed pattern remains on the surface, which is a nice touch. The one issue I have is that the texture of Guerlain Madame Rougit is hard and far less luxurious than you'd expect from such a product. While it loosen up a little with continuous use, it remains very firmly packed and requires a dense brush to get an adequate level of pigment. My swatch shows one swipe of the product with a Chanel blush brush. I recommend using something like Hakuhodo 210 instead, especially if your skin tone leans olive and you need a considerable amount of color on your cheeks.

The finish of Guerlain Madame Rougit is beautiful. It gives a very fine glow that enhances the skin, making the blush a good option for everyday use. This is where the luxury is: you can reach for a beautiful product ever morning and enjoy a moment of glamour. Is it enough? I'm not sure.

Bottom Line: mostly for Guerlain addicts.

Guerlain Madame Rougit Blush ($67) from Fall 2013 Voilette de Madame Collection is a limited edition item. available at the counters and online.