Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush ($67.00 for 0.28 oz.) is described as “raspberry, pale pink, beige, and coral” that are supposed to be used together to “illuminate and highlight” with a “velvety finish.” It contains shades of light-medium, slightly cool-toned pink with a soft, frosted sheen; barely-there pale pink (I couldn’t get this one to show up well individually at all); pink-coral with a matte finish; and an orange-coral with a subtle gold pearl. Swirled together, it creates a medium-dark pink-coral with subtle warm undertones and a barely-there satin finish–not totally matte but low shimmer. theBalm Argyle is lighter, cooler-toned. Edward Bess Bed of Roses is slightly cooler-toned. theBalm Frat Boy is warmer. MAC Divine Desire is more frosted, cooler-toned. Dior Pink Happiness is slightly warmer. Chanel Rose Initiale is similar. Benefit Bella Bamba is similar in color but very shimmery. See comparison swatches.

The texture is soft, finely-milled, and blendable on the skin, and I experienced the best texture, feel, and color payoff when everything was swirled together and applied. Individually, the shades were less impressive with some being decent and one being particularly sheer and a little dry. The description of the blush is somewhat contradictory, because it is called a blush, but then it’s for illuminating and highlighting, which would usually mean sheerer color, so it seems like it’s maybe a combination of both.  Updated: The big thing I noticed is that the color payoff is much better after the raised circles get brushed down–I think it’s really the pattern that makes the payoff initially disappointing, because when your blush brush gets in there and in-between all the crevices, it’s not an issue applying it to the skin. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense the way it looks individually and then comes together with so much more color payoff.

The individual shades are not very large, so they don’t lend themselves well to individual application (and it is designed to be used together). I would say you’re be better off trying to use it as two halves, and then swirling and mixing as you please. If you want a cooler coloring, stay on the lower bottom shades; if you want something warmer, focus on the upper right of the palette. It lasted eight hours well on my skin when I wore it yesterday (you better believe I ripped open my order as soon as it was dropped off, ha!), and it had some faint signs of fading after nine hours. Because of the mostly matte finish, it did not emphasize pores, and as the texture was soft but not powdery, it sat quite nicely on the skin.

It comes in a glossy black, rectangular compact that opens with a full-size mirror underneath the lid, and then the blush compartment lifts up to reveal a pink-bristled, rounded brush. The whole thing comes with a “suedette pouch.” The powder is violet-scented, and it’s noticeable when I open the compact, but I didn’t notice it when applied. This palette definitely brings back memories of Blush G Serie Noire, and while there are some similarities (both are a blend of pink an coral), the finish is very, very different, as Blush G was a high-shimmer, high-frost product with a strong, golden sheen and a lighter pink base. Blush G was also more versatile and could easily be darkened or lightened, depending on which sections you applied from. The texture was also softer and more buttery–though this one is certainly soft and not at all stiff, it’s just a bit drier in a way. I like Blush G more, because I think it is more versatile, but I can see the more matte finish of Madame Rougit  appealing to many.  It’s disappointing, given Guerlain’s past face powders (many of which have become holy grails for people) and the price point.

P.S. — I’m going to keep playing with this one over the weekend, because I’m not having some of the issues that several of you have had. I’m concerned, as obviously that points to signs of inconsistent quality during production, and the last thing I’d want to do is recommend a product (well, I don’t recommend this!) that might be an outlier. I might even order a second one and see if that is better/worse. As always, thank you for sharing your experiences

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush

Guerlain Madame Rougit 4-Colours Blush (with Guerlain Madame Flirte Lipstick)