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Guerlain Parure Gold Fluid Foundation Review, Photos


Wearing Guerlain Parure Gold Liquid Foundation

Guerlain Parure Gold Fluid Foundation ($78.00 for 1 oz.) is a recently released liquid foundation by Guerlain that’s designed to add a bit of a glow to skin with medium coverage. The product itself is also supposed to have a bit of skincare in it, as Guerlain says it should, restor[e] luster and revitaliz[e] skin in the long term, thanks to the exclusive double-sided Gold Radiance Pigment” along with “the regenerating properties of Myrrh Oil, and the lifting and smoothing properties of Peptides, long-term results include the diminishment of fine lines and smoother, softer skin.”

First, as I feel it’s necessary to do in any reviews relating to a product with anti-aging properties, I’m 23. I’m still in my so-called youth, so I don’t have too many signs of aging yet (thankfully), and I think it’s important to note that. It’s a lot harder to see a measurable change when there are few areas that might even get changed. I have some fine lines around my eyes, but these tend to be exacerbated if I don’t drink enough water or get enough sleep. Personally, I don’t seek out anti-aging products in my skincare regimen at this time. I feel the best regimen is preventative care vs. reversal care, for me, and at this stage in my life.

I’m just not going to be able to give you much insight on whether this product actually diminishes your fine lines with much substance. I will say my skin has never looked better since using it, and I do feel like my skin has a healthier look when it’s au natural. I used to be a little more self conscious about going out nekkid faced, but after using this pretty consistently (I did/do alternate with tinted moisturizer), I like the way my skin looks. With most things, it’s easy to create causal links that may not really be there–skin is so faceted, so it could be a change in hormones, better diet, getting sick (seriously, my skin never looked better!), etc.

What’s more important to me is how well it acts as a foundation, and it that area, I can definitely tell you, from my experience, that it excels. It’s a great lightweight, medium-coverage liquid foundation that makes skin look smoother, softer, and very, very natural. It’s not heavy, never gets cakey, and is so easy to smooth onto skin. I don’t normally like foundations that purport to give you a “glow,” because it tends to translate to oiliness for me. I’m normal-to-dry, and typically, “glowy” foundations make me look oily, which is so not my thing. Parure Gold doesn’t. It really does give you that natural glow. Just that little, “Oh, did you cut your hair?” kind of glow that people don’t attribute to your foundation. It feels like heaven on, and it hasn’t broken me out after using it for these past few months (always a good thing!).

Application: I always apply my liquid foundation in the same manner: apply the foundation in spots all over my face with a concealer brush, then I spritz a fluffy brush (I’m loving MAC 109 for liquid) with plain ol’ water. I then work the foundation out and all over my skin and the brush both applies and blends at the same time. If that was confusing, I did do a video tutorial for applying foundation with the 109 brush. I use this method with Guerlain’s foundation, because it stretches out the product (I just find it’s so easy to overwear foundation, and the water stretches it out and gives you a more natural look where you can go back and apply more in the areas you need it) and makes it incredibly easy to blend and smooth onto the skin.

It has the traditional sort of perfume-y scent of most Guerlain skincare/face products, though, which may be something those who are more sensitive to perfumes and scents can’t tolerate. The price tag is another obstacle for some, as it is considerably pricey at $78 per ounce. I’ve sinced swapped this for my previous find DiorSkin Nude Liquid Foundation, which was also a bit more expensive at $45 per ounce. I imagine the price hike is attributable to the skincare properties in the foundation itself (which isn’t a bad idea, considering you often wear foundation for eight hours or more).

It is available in six shades: #02 Beige Clair, #03 Beige Naturel, #04 Beige Moyen, #05 Beige Intense, #06 Beige Profond, and #13 Rose Naturel. The shade I’m currently using is #03 Beige Naturel, which I think matches my skintone quite well (I’m around NC25/NC30 in MAC foundation, for reference). The packaging does hold some fingerprints, which can make the product itself look messy, but it comes with a pump, and I use one to do my whole face.

Bottom Line: For a splurge foundation, Guerlain Parure Gold Liquid Foundation gives amazing coverage, feels lovely on, and looks even more amazing. I’ve loved it enough to have stuck with it for the past two or three months, and it’s my go-to for liquid foundation. I do wear a lot of tinted moisturizer, just because if I’m not doing a full face of makeup, tinted moisturizer is all I need (but to be honest, I do go bare-faced quite often). The only real drawback (to me) of the product is the price tag.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 🙂

  • Product: 30/30
  • Value: 7/10
  • Ease of Use: 4/5
  • Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation:  A stellar liquid foundation that covers well, feels like nothing on, and looks fantastic — if you can get past the price tag, there’s a lot of great things to say about this foundation!

Availability: Nordstrom, Saks

See more photos of me wearing this foundation


Wearing Guerlain Parure Gold Liquid Foundation


Wearing Guerlain Parure Gold Liquid Foundation


Wearing Guerlain Parure Gold Liquid Foundation


(Company supplied image. It’s a pain to photograph – fingerprints GALORE!)

108 Comments

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Faye Avatar

Thanks for posting your review, Christine! I’d been wondering about this foundation for a while. It really does look great on you.

Question — have you seen all the shades? Do you think any would work for a very pale, cool-toned person?

Thanks!

Christine Avatar

Hey Faye,

To be honest, I haven’t seen the other shades. With foundation, it’s so easy to forget other shades exist when you stumble on the right shade for you (my bad!). Considering I’m medium-toned and my shade match seems to be #3, and I only see #2 available, so that kind of looks like the only shade that could potentially work for anyone pale. I’ve heard some say they’re about NW20 and can use #2 in Guerlain’s Parure Gold Aqua Fluid (which has the same shade names).

Roxanne Avatar

It looks good on you (I like the sparkly glow to it), but the price tag is just too steep for me!!

And please please pretty please, do a tut for the last look? With the blue/green eyes and peachy cheeks/lips? It’s sooo gorgeous!

Christine Avatar

It takes me forever to finish a foundation, if I even do, so I can swallow the price-tag if I decide to stick with it after I finish this bottle! I think even if I use a foundation everyday without fail, it takes me over six months to finish about an ounce of foundation! (The only foundations I remember finishing were MAC Studio Fix Fluid.)

I’ll definitely keep the suggestion in mind!

Sheila Avatar

I was looking at this! I tried on the Parure Extreme and the Parure Aqua but it never occurred to me to try on the Parure Gold. The sales lady said it gave a good glow so I was really scared that it may make me more more oily (I’m have dry combination skin).

Do you feel that this is hydrating enough? The problem I had with Extreme was that it wasn’t hydrating, but the Aqua was too hydrating. I think I might go check it out the next time I’m at a counter. I was contemplating getting Diorskin Nude, but now that you’ve replaced your HG foundation…

Thanks!

Christine Avatar

Hey Sheila,

I’d say DiorSkin Nude is a bit more hydrating than this foundation, but it’s also lighter coverage. I think this is hydrating enough and never accentuates any dryness I have on my skin (I’m normal-to-dry; typically normal, but I get dry patches on occasion and in the winter).

Sheila Avatar

Thanks for your reply! Do you think that this would be okay to use in summer in a humid place? I do get dry patches on my skin so I am looking for something hydrating, but not sticky as was the case with Guerlain Parure Aqua. Ill be in the UK and then Asia next year so its going to be super humid and I dont want my foundation to clog up my pores or just slip off my face… If you know what I mean, haha =)

LuvJ Avatar

I love how this foundation looks on your skin.. I have combination skin/ really dry cheek area but the usual shine on the t-zone. I recently purchased the YSL Teint Resist which I like a lot but since the colder dryer months are coming up, I might give this one a try.. would you happen to know if the Guerlain is oil-free?

Christine Avatar

I don’t think it’s being touted as oil-free (I don’t remember seeing any marketing to this effect), and the term has always bothered me as it’s not really regulated or substantiated. I have acne-prone skin, and my skin didn’t break out from using this (if that’s why you opt for oil-free).

LuvJ Avatar

Thanks for the info. Someone has suggested that I stick to oil-free moisturizer, foundation, etc. to avoid skin congestion, however, some oil-free products don’t address the issues of my dry cheeks. Before I saw your review, I was looking into purchasing the Trish McEvoy Treatment foundation, since it looked promising, quite steep at $75 as well, but there were no good reviews that I could find for this foundation. And I do like the idea that you believe in preventative makeup/skincare.. at least, you have a good head start 🙂

Christine Avatar

Hey Jaime!

It just kills me that a lot of terms (particularly for acne, since that’s kind of my big skin issue that I focus on) aren’t standardized so it’s sooo confusing picking out skincare. I even asked a dermatologist what it meant, and they didn’t have much of an answer for me. I know that not all oil is bad for your skin – a lot of people have had great success using treatments like the Oil Cleansing Method!

I’m definitely a firm believer that it’s easier to prevent skin damage than it is to erase or diminish it. I think it’s almost proven by the sheer amount of anti-aging products out there and how many are constantly searching for the miracle cure-all.

Kiran Avatar

Hi Christine,

Are you wearing a primer underneath or do you apply it to your bare skin? Would you have to skip using a primer/spf/moisturizer… seeing as though the foundation has properties to help your skin therefore it would need direct contact would it not?

Oh it does look fab on you too;)!

Christine Avatar

I didn’t use a primer, but I still used my normal moisturizer/SPF with it. I didn’t find I needed a primer (it looked just fine at the end of the day) for everyday wear, though. I don’t know how great of a barrier a primer really is at the end of the day, lol, but I suppose skipping the primer would be better for the skincare properties of this foundation to work.

Delice Avatar

I bought this spring the Parure Aqua version and it’s absolutely amazing. I’ll wait until I finish this one as I usually wear foundation in cold season. But it looks great on you 😛

Mary007 Avatar

Christine, did you set the foundation with a powder?
Since you mentioned tinted moisturizers…maybe you can share a review and pictures of your favorite! Thanks so much!!

Lori Avatar

WOW! That foundation looks amazing on you! And youre beautiful! Which leads me to ask, is your skin essentially perfect? Ive only been reading your blog for a few months and Ive never seen what you look like, before. I have color imperfections, would this work for me?

Jeye Avatar

I have this in #4 and Ive never gotten SOO many compliments about my skin! Even the MA at MAC complimented me! The price is pretty steep, but I think definitely worth considering it does have all those anti-aging properties and overall, gives your natural skin a glow. Also, compared to my Mac stuido fixed fluid, it didnt leave traces on my BFs white shirt when I cuddled with him :/ so that was a plus for me.

I really do think its a great product and totally worth the splurge. Its not heavy at all on my face and definitely helps hydrating my skin. But i always put Skyn pure cloud cream before applying. Im so glad you like it Christine. I absolutely love it!

amy Avatar

Sounds like a nice product, but I will have to dock points off for the packaging, as it is a not a transparent bottle. It would be pretty hard to tell how much product you have left!

Cherokee Avatar

Great review and your skin looks fantastic. I dont wear liquid foundation because I dont need it. However, while shopping a while back a sales associate for Dior Skin did apply it to my face and I was amazed at how good and natural it looked. Although price is a factor, it is better to buy something that you will use as oppose to buying something cheaper that you wont get any use of. I am considering buy a liquid foundation, so thank you.

abbyL Avatar

i’m so glad you love this foundation Christine! I have it as well and also am in love with the formulation! I am Beige Claire and find that it is a tad dark for my pasty winter skin but nothing too obvious. and yes it does have that certain glow that never ever looks cakey or overly made up! I love guerlain!!!

tofupoo Avatar

wow when i saw your picture i was like “she looks amazing there!” and then i saw you were doing a foundation review! it looks great, i like the idea of the added skin benefits.im using shiseido’s foundation right now and its really amazing for me, you cant see a pore on my face! im wondering how this one might look

Christine Avatar

No, I don’t think it does. There are actually good reasons *not* to have it in certain products or all products. First, most SPF in foundation isn’t that high (15 or so), but more importantly, if you’re going to be photographed a lot, you don’t want to be wearing much SPF as it reflects light and can wash you out in photos.

I personally prefer to have a SPF in my moisturizer or separate entirely so I can use it as I need to for the occasion!

Fiona Avatar

Hey Christine,

Like all of the readers have mentioned, this foundation looks absolutely gorgeous on you. I was wondering, do you happen to know what ingredients are in this foundation? I can’t seem to find it anywhere online and Sephora only carries 2 of Guerlain’s foundations. Thanks in advance!

Fiona Avatar

Thanks so much for replying back. I’ll definitely need to stop by the Guerlain counter on Friday! You enabler you! I’m glad your acne has gotten better with this product. No more retin-A!

Brie Avatar

I have to admit that after comparing these photos with several other ones of you where you were not wearing this foundation and I see very little difference other than with this you appear to be “dewier” (for lack of a better word) rather than more matte. Which is nice, but I think for $78 for 1oz there should be a much bigger difference between that and a $20 foundation.

The lipstick in that first photo is GORGEOUS though and oh so flattering on you! 🙂

Christine Avatar

It’s hard to see any skin imperfections once foundation is on and from that distance, because I do think my skin is healthier/smoother overall – whether it’s this is more suited for my skin vs. whatever I used before, my diet’s changed, I was sick, etc. but since introducing this to my routine, my acne has scaled back a bit!

Thank you!

Jessie Avatar

Wow, your foundation has never looked better! You’ve tried others that I thought were kind of off, or at least photographed that way, but this one is perfect. Sucks for me though that I’m a NW43-45, by all the “Beige” names I guess I can assume there are no brown shades.

Brenda Avatar

I love your site and am on here everyday, and I have to say this is the BEST foundation I have seen on you!!! Your skin looks incredibly natural and best colour match!!!! The first pic (the whole look i mean) looks really great 🙂 I may check this out..price tag and all being canadian may be a shocker though!!!

Christine Avatar

Thanks so much, Brenda 🙂 Glad you like it! It’s totally worth it (IMO), because I know a go through so many different foundations trying to find the *right* one… so finding the right one? Costs way less than trying to hunt a dupe down, LOL!

Maria Avatar

My brother gave this to me as a gift for my bday… I cant wait to wake up tomorrow and try it… Tried it in the store and it was ahhhmazin!! Thanks for ur input!!! U look fab!

Angela Avatar

Hi Christine, great review! i’m almost ready to buy this foundation however it will be over the web as i am in Australia with no Guerlain counter nearby, could i please ask what shade you are in Chanel liquid Foundations? I generally mix shades #20 (clair) and #30 (cendre) depending on the seasons, however using just #20 is a tad too light, if you have used Chanel can you let me know so i can use that as a comparasion for buying Guerlain, i think i will probably be shade 02 beige clair, but just to be sure! Look forward to reading your other reviews! thanks!

Sarah Avatar

Thank you so much for doing this review – your skin looks amazing! 🙂 I’ve been using Nars for the past few months but I am definitely going to give this foundation a go next! 🙂

Brigitte Avatar

Ooh… I JUST tried this on today at Neimans and wooooow… it’s gorgeous! The sales lady worked at Dior and kept pushing Dior on me (which was annoying) and she insisted on doing half and half of Guerlain and Dior (ughhh) and wow the Parure Gold is so gorgeous!! 🙂

sable Avatar

Hi Christine,
I finally think I want to get this! What color would you recommend for me between 2 or 3? I wear MAC NC25, Armani LSF 6, CdP Cream Compact 030, CdP Powder Foundation O20, MUFE HD 120. My local Nordstrom didn’t have testers of 2 or 3 so I wasn’t able to try it out the last few times I’ve gone in!

Neha Avatar

I’m loving all the lipshades you are wearing.
Can you tell me what lipsticks are you wearing in the second and last picture. They are stunning shades.
Thanks

Mary Avatar

hi , first of all you look seamless like always, and then could you please tell me about staying power of this foundation? and also a little comparison with diorskin nude ?about staying power and coverage ..thanks alot

lola Avatar

hi christene
Iv’e been using the para extreame 02 which is abit dark for me but its not a huge problem.However i tried the lingerie which was also nice but i just find these foundations make my forhead and nose very shiny.Its a shame because even bobbi brown sheer loose powder don’t work.Is the para gold the same sort of texture as the other 2, i know its abit more expensive but because it goes on so nicely i thought of trying the para gold to see if it don’t make ya so shiny.Or can you suggest something else to combat the shine please.thanks..p.s your make up looks lovely

lola Avatar

yeah maybe..i don’t use any thing before i put the make up on so maybe cleansing and toning before may stop it.i do clense and tone at night before bed but not in morning..i’ll give it ago..im now trying the d&g perfect finish creamy which iv’e ordered from harrods to see what thats like.If youv’e tried it can you do a review if not then no probs.Im just waiting for it to arrive, got it in beige? may go back to guerlain tho if d&g no good for me..thanks again.x

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