I Want to Go to Paradise, But I Took a Wrong Turn

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder ($70.00 for 1.86 oz.) consists of six different colored pearls, ranging from pale pink, peachy-pink, icy pink, medium pink, dark pink, and silver.   The mix of pearls is supposed to brighten, reflect, add radiance, and generally “light up” and “instantly awaken” the face.  The pearls are violet-scented as well and larger than the regular-sized Meteorites. It comes with a pink pouf designed to be used for application.

Meteorites are regularly sized at 1.05 oz., so this is quite a bit more; to compare, they are regularly $55.24/oz. and this jumbo-sized version is $37.63/oz. Of course, at this price point, it may be more of a question of whether you will finish a tin at all! I’ve drank from the Guerlain-aid (or would that be Guerlinade?); I get Meteorites. I wear them, love them, and regularly incorporate them into my routine. I find myself being disappointed with this spring’s version–because I can’t see it at all. It’s not giving me the subtle radiance that looks natural, luminous, and effortless on the skin.

I used it all over the left side (your left, that is) of my face, and then concentrated it on the cheek bone as a highlighter. Even swatched on my arm, I could barely see anything; no sparkle, no shimmer, no barely-there sheen, until I layered it. You can see this past holiday’s Perles du Dragon–there is so much more going on there; you can see the little reflections from the ultra-fine shimmer as well as the larger sparkles.  Only when I more heavily layered it was I able to get the effect.  It is not the signature effortless radiance that has become associated with Guerlain’s Meteorites range (whether in pearl-form or pressed).

The pearls themselves are no doubt super soft. Where I was able to visibly see (and thus, measure) the Meteorites placed was on my cheek bone (like a highlighter), the subtle sheen lasted all day long–a full eight hours with no signs of fading. I had the best luck when I used a dense blush brush and patted in on in sections–when I used the pouf, I expected it to pack quite a wallop, but it didn’t seem to transfer much at all onto the skin.

I was also disappointed to discover that the container is made up of mostly cardboard–heavy duty, definitely–but not metal, which is what Guerlain switched to in the past year or so.  There are bits of metal (maybe plastic?) that line the edge of the tin and it’s wrapped in shiny something-rather on the exterior, but at this price point, I anticipated something more in line with Guerlain’s luxury compacts (which are typically metal).

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder

Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder (on [your] left side only)