Monday, February 23, 2015

Otherworldly Glow

As we all know, blogging is bad for the wallet. Case in point: casually reading Liz's latest post, seeing the beauteous Guerlain Météorites Compact Light-Revealing Powder (it was love at first sight), purchasing said compact the moment I saw it at David Jones. It was a wild impulse buy by my standards, considering it was $78 (gulp), I didn't know of the existence of the product until 3 weeks ago, and the original spherical Météorites never particularly appealed to me. But something about the elegant silver packaging, pastel mosaic pattern and promise of skin-perfecting glow was an irresistible combination.









In natural daylight (note, I've packed it on for swatch purposes)

Under lamp light

Under fluorescent light

The Guerlain Météorites Compact Light-Revealing Powder is basically the pressed version of their original powder pearls. Guerlain did have an existing compact version called the Météorites Voyage, but it was prohibitively expensive at $191. It looks like the Météorites Compact is essentially an updated version of the Météorites Voyage at a lower price point. The new compact isn't as weighty or fancy (the silver is actually plastic), but judging from Temptalia's reviews, the product inside is more or less the same.

I tested the three available shades in the store and immediately dismissed Clair (02) as too white. The darkest shade, Dore (04), seemed entirely different to Clair and Medium (03), in that it had a distinct pinkish cast. I settled for Medium (03) as it seemed to be a safe bet. There's 10g of product which seems standard for a powder. When you open up the compact, there is a moderately strong sweet floral fragrance, but it doesn't linger when the powder is applied to the skin.

My main gripe about powders is that the surface ALWAYS seals. This happens to almost every single powder I own, blush and bronzer included. You can see in the pictures it's already started to occur. I'm guessing this happens because when I use the powder over foundation that's not completely set (and really, when does a foundation completely set so that subsequent contact with the skin results in zero transfer), I dampen the surface of the compact as I dip my brush into it. Those areas then harden, which 'seals' the powder and makes it difficult to pick up product later on. It also destroys the aesthetic of the mosaic pattern (which let's face it, was a primary motivation to purchase), given patches of brown are polluting the surface. At the moment, the problem's not so bad that I'm unable to pick up sufficient product with my brush, but it is an issue that I find nearly impossible to avoid entirely.

Onto the powder itself. This is a finishing powder, so it's not designed to set your foundation. It can be used after a separate setting powder, directly after foundation, or on bare skin. I prefer to use it over foundation all over the face, occasionally after a dusting of Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder. The luminescence the Météorites Compact provides is a kind of ethereal pearly white. Under certain lighting conditions, scrutinising my face up close, it's straight up glittery. By "glittery", I mean I can clearly detect tiny white sparkles and ultra-fine shimmer on a translucent base. This is most noticeable under bright department store lights. The sparkles appear mainly white, but once again, depending on the light, they can also appear gold or peachy. On the skin however, the illumination remains white in character. Staying power is very good considering I can still detect the powder on my skin at the end of the day, though whether it's still providing any radiance at that point is questionable.

I'm still in the process of experimenting with the best brushes to use this with, and so far the Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone Finishing Brush is winning. It's basically a super soft stippling brush that diffuses and blends product to an airbrushed finish. I tried the Charlotte Tilbury Powder & Sculpt but found it on the small and stiff side, applying the product in too concentrated a manner. The Real Techniques Blush Brush was on the opposite end of the spectrum — a bit too large and floppy. My SUQQU Cheek Brush fared well, but it seemed such a waste to limit my use of it to a single finishing powder. I prefer to use it for blushes and highlighter, but I can't have remnant blush pigments in the brush tainting the surface of the Météorites Compact or subtly changing the nature of the powder. Beauty obsessive problems.

Overall, I suspect the Météorites Compact is comparable in purpose and effect to other luminosity-adding powders I've been eyeing: NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light. Both are less expensive (the NARS is quite a bit cheaper at $46, while the Hourglass is $59), though the Guerlain wins in the packaging stakes. I'm slightly on the fence about the white tint and the shimmer/sparkle factor (though it could just be my heavy-handedness), but the effect from a distance is noticeably illuminating and diffuses the appearance of imperfections.

41 comments:

  1. Ah this is such a pretty product!

    alice x | beautybyalicee

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  2. Pretty as it looks, I personally wouldn't fork out $78 for this powder as my student budget wouldn't allow it haha

    Wendy x
    letsrunawayx.blogspot.com

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  3. I am yet to try something like this, look pretty and i'm all for adding some radiance onto my skin! <3

    zaras-bowsandpearls.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. It might be worth considering if you're into more whitening powders!

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  5. The pricetag is putting me off but the packaging (shame that it's plastic) and the powder are gorgeous!

    P.S.: I've learned to never leave my computer unlocked at work - sorry for the previous comment that I deleted :D x

    beauty visions

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    1. Haha, that's okay! :)

      The price tag is certainly steep :\ The packaging is nicely done but it could've been more impressive if the compact was weightier. I guess that would've made it even more expensive though!

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  6. The packaging looks gorgeous, even the box is beautiful! It sounds good but not a must have - maybe I can stick to my Nars powder after all ;) xx
    Gyudy's Notes Of Beauty

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    1. I've heard great things about the NARS. You can't really go wrong with that brand :)

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  7. this is such a pretty product :) xx

    xolucy.blogspot.com

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  8. This looks amazing!! But I don't think I can justify the price tag. x

    FARFROMPERFECTIONXO

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  9. This is so pretty and that packaging is gorgeous. The product sounds amazing too.

    Jackie | fashionxfairytale | bloglovin' |

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  10. Dang girl I agree with the aesthetics and shiz but dropping $70 for a Nars dupe. But hey, I do like the packaging :)

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    1. Well I've never tried the NARS so I can't verify firsthand whether it's a dupe. But yeah, it definitely was a major splurge for me!

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  11. the packaging is gorgeous *-* but sadly this product isn't for me :/
    even as a highlighter I would probably skip it :x

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    1. I don't think this would work all that well as a highlighter but for a face brightening/perfecting finishing powder it's pretty good.

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  12. I so agree about blogging (or my case as of recent, youtubing) being bad for the wallet lol! I just ordered a YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in #17 because I saw someone wearing it in a video & could not leave it alone. I've always wanted to try the Guerlain météorites but I don't know if I could stomach shelling out the cash for it. Definitely keep us updated on what brush works best for it! =)

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    1. The YSL Rouge Volupte Shines are gorgeous! I think it was Lisa Eldridge that first drew my attention to one of them ... the fuchsia one. So I definitely know what you mean by YouTuber influence :)

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  13. Wow, this product looks so lovely but the price is putting me off a little, as a poor student! The packaging is amazing, which I am such a sucker for!

    http://shebearacharmedlife.blogspot.co.uk/

    Love Lucy x

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    1. The price is certainly not something I'm willing to shell out frequently by any means! But yes, the packaging sucked me right in :p

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  14. Ohh this is stunning, but then I wouldn't expect any less from Guerlain!

    Annabel ♥
    Mascara & Maltesers

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    1. I don't actually have many products from Guerlain at all. This might be the first one actually, apart from Shalimar perfume!

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  15. I think Guerlain nailed not only the packaging but the product too! I've been raving about this as a fantastic alternative to the Hourglass Powder in Dim Light (Which I found to be a let down!) Though it was insanely pricey, the fact that it WORKS so much better than the HG one justifies it!

    Thanks for letting me know about the "sealing" - I'll remember to use a dry/clean brush on the powder to avoid it!

    Stephanie | theFantasia.com

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    1. I really disliked Dim Light - as a product it didn't work for me at all! It gave my skin this darkened pinkish/beige cast which was the opposite effect to what I was after (illuminating, skin perfecting). I also felt it was so drying on the skin, in that it made my skin feel drier when I applied it?

      The sealing is a tricky issue with powders - I personally haven't found a way to get around it, but there are folks out there who seemingly have powders in terrific condition showing no sign of sealing! I wonder how they do it...

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  16. The packaging just screams LUXE! But it looks so beautiful and shimmery.

    Sheri | Behind The Frames

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    1. The packaging definitely drew me right in. Under certain light it is noticeably shimmery, but from further away the effect is mainly just an ethereal white glow.

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  17. This is certainly a stunning looking product, I've never tried anything by Guerlain but have actually read a few very positive reviews about the Meteorites. The compact version is a great idea too. I do hate when powders seal, very annoying! I imagine this would be a lovely product to give your skin extra glow for a special occasion or a night out.

    Emma x

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    1. I have heard good things about the original Meteorites balls, though they never much tempted me. I guess I didn't quite believe they could be as transformative on the skin as some reviews might suggest. The expensive compact version seems universally loved judging from the few blog reviews I've read though!

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  18. Such a strange product, right? I noticed the hardening of the surface as well. Tomorrow I'm going to take a letter opener and scrape off that top layer. After playing around with it, I think it's fine in winter/spring for me but probably useless in summer. It has a magical pull though. I regret nothing!

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    1. Ahhhh, be careful! I wish you a steady hand with that operation :p How come it'd be useless in summer as opposed to winter/spring?

      It definitely was a major splurge for me but I'm justifying it because a) prettiness b) I don't really have anything comparable in terms of an illuminating finishing powder c) the effect is nice, if you don't overly concern yourself with the up-close glitteriness and shimmer.

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    2. I turn into a greaseball in the summer plus this shade will be too pale then.

      And d) satisfy that curiosity about the Guerlain ballz mystique.

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  19. Oh my, this looks so pretty!! I've always dismissed meteorites because I thought they would be too shimmery for my taste, but the compact version surely tempts me!

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