Collection: Vintage Guerlain Météorites

I've been inspired by Eugenia from Ommorphia Beauty Bar and Toya from Beauty Obsessed to start a series on my makeup collection. It didn't take a lot of convincing, as I love collection posts more than kittens. There's something about seeing all the makeup pretties laid out neatly (and swatched!) that makes both my Pisces and Virgo sides dance around in glee.

I'm still trying to figure out the logistics of how to organize this series (by category? brand? category within brand? colour within category within brand?), but I thought I should start with something that occupies a special place in my collection.

This is the only real vintage piece of makeup I own, and it has a profoundly personal meaning for me.

Guerlain Météorites in the original cardboard packaging.

Label from the underside of the packaging, copyright 1982.

This is one of the first items of luxury makeup my mother owned.

We moved from Poland to France in 1982, during the Communist regime. At the time, Poland was under martial law and my mother could not abide the thought that she would stand in line for hours to try to buy food, only to find out that there was nothing but vinegar left on the shelf. She wanted a better life for her family. My father left the country first to establish himself in the US, and we followed after a year. We were not able to join him in New York right away, and instead made our way to an intermediary stop in France - a stop that lasted two years. When we arrived, my mom had instructions that she had written down in phonetic French, and we each had a bag. At the time, I was a cranky and sick 4-year-old, and acting every bit of it. I'm amazed she didn't pitch me head-first into the Seine.

In retrospect, I know what an extremely brave and selfless thing it was for her to do, uprooting us and taking an incredible chance on a better life. We had some extraordinary friends waiting for us in France, including the matriarch to end all matriarchs, who I came to know as Grandmaman. We also had Anne, who was just...Anne. One of the kindest, sweetest, most elegant women ever, a great friend and soul sister to my mother, and the ultimate image of "chic" that was forever etched in my mind. I don't remember much from that time, but I remember the scent of certain flowers, the feel of lace and fine cotton - and those ladies. (My mother also says I ate butter by the fistfuls, astonished and made greedy by its abundance. But that's a story for a different time.)

Anne was a beautician, and took my mom under her wing. I'm not sure if she bought the Guerlain Métérorites for her, of it's something my mom eventually got for herself in later years. In my memories, they always seemed to be present on her vanity. I was so fascinated by them, by the violet smell and the colours and the shimmer of the powder. Eventually she passed them on to me, presumably so I could play with them the way kids do. Instead they took on an almost magical property, became a little totem of sorts. The beauty junkie in me can be traced back to these little beads, and a French ideal of feminine grace and beauty that, to me, is synonymous with love and generosity.

One of the questions I was asked - repeatedly - after I posted my makeup collection video online was "aren't you worried about your makeup going bad?". To answer that question technically: powder products can last a lot longer than the suggested best-by date, especially if you take care of them. With these, I gently spill them out over a paper napkin and spray them with an alcohol mist, and then clean out the jar with more alcohol. I let everything dry and then decant the beads back in. The process removes any surface bacteria that may be lingering. 

I don't actually use these anymore though - I keep them because because of what they evoke. Makeup may be transient in nature, but its value cannot be dictated by a best-before date.

And yes, it still smells of violets.

Clarins Rouge Éclat (Radiance Range) Collection - Palette Éclat Face and Blush Powder

Sometimes it's difficult to get excited about complexion products. Eyeshadows and lipsticks - those have colour and whimsy and drama. Complexion products tend to be those workhorses that go under-appreciated.

And then there are the face palettes from Clarins. If I tend to covet any one item from a Clarins seasonal collection, it's likely to be that. So you can imagine my reaction when I was recently sent a few things to try out from the Rouge Éclat collection (also known as Radiance Range in anglophone markets), and lo and behold - the Palette Éclat was front and centre. There may have been a Balki-worthy dance of joy. (Points if you get the reference. Also, pull up a rocking chair, so we can yell at the kids on my lawn together.)

Let's have a look at this latest beauty, yes?

The scarlet and gold external packaging is bright, classic and elegant, and immediately French-feeling to me.

The Palette Éclat is part of Spring 2013 collection, and it is reminder that something beautiful is coming after this Winter That Will Not End. (Seriously, I feel like we're living through that Game of Thrones winter. Summer was twelve years ago, right?)

Look at that gorgeous iris detailing!

This palette has elements of both a bronzer and a blush. The base colour is a pale beige-y tan that is marginally deeper than my skin tone (NC 20, for reference). It is fairly neutral, but brings some warmth to my skin. With a small highlight or contour brush I can pick up just this colour to use as bronzer or light contour, though not without some maneuvering.

The other two shades are a lovely tulip pink and pinkish peach, arranged in small stripes down the sides of the compact. Don't be fooled by their small size, because they are saturated. You can't use them individually, of course, but if you focus your brush on the left side of the palette you can get a more pink-toned blush shade. Using a bigger brush over the breadth of the palette, the colour that emerges is the one in the swatch at the bottom, a soft coral-peach.

The texture is incredible - super, super finely-milled, so soft and dense. It feels creamy and smooth to the touch, and will kick up powder if you use a stiffer brush. It is not, however, powdery on the skin. It blends well, with no pigment sitting on the surface. The finish is matte and holds up for 6 to 7 hours with no fading.

A kitten-soft synthetic blush brush gives the best application, depositing the right amount of colour for a cheery spring cheek look. Because of the neutral tone of the base shade, this will not yield a super-intense effect - it really is meant to be subtle, warming and fresh. On deeper skin tones than mine the effect may be extremely muted or negligible. It is, however, ideal for pale-skinned redheads and blondes.

Peach stripe, pink stripe, base colour.

All blended together with a blush brush.

Availaibility: At Pharmaprix/SDM and Murale stores, as well as Nordstrom and The Bay. Price is 40$ CAD and 35$ USD.

Pros: Gorgeous texture that feels ultra-smooth and blends without a hitch. With a smaller brush, can be focused on either side to create a more pink or warm effect. Overall colour is lovely. The imprinted design is so pretty it's almost a shame to erase it with use.

Cons: The delicate nature of the colour means that it has limited potential for deeper skin tones.

(This item was provided by the brand for consideration for review.)

Becca Beach Tint - Strawberry, Dragonfruit and Watermelon

Becca Cosmetics are known for a natural, healthy, skin-focused aesthetic - and what better to encapsulate that aesthetic than their signature product, the Beach Tint? These are supposed to be easy-peasy cream stains that can be applied to lips and cheeks for natural colour and water-resistant wear.

Since I've recently become obsessed with cream blushes, I knew I had to give these a try.

I purchased Dragonfruit and Watermelon, and received Strawberry as part of a Gift With Purchase special. (Strawberry doesn't appear to be around anymore, on either the Becca site or Sephora.)

I was a little taken aback by the small size of the squeeze tubes (which are smaller than the OCC Lip Tar tubes). It turns out they're small but mighty. I only needed the tiniest amount to do both my cheeks and to use as lipstick.

The texture of the Tints is a mix of cream and gel, and the fluid can become separated (pressing the tube a few times between the fingers mixes everything back together, much like the Too Faced Shadow Insurance or the Lip Tars).

They appear very dewy when first applied, but as they dry down, there is no tackiness or texture left over - just a stain. Despite the fact that they set quickly, I didn't find them overly tricky to apply. I think that fluid-cream texture makes them really easy to blend. If you goof, just go over the edges with the brush you used for foundation.

The final effect is a supremely natural, flushed cheek - luminous without any shimmer. What's nice about this product is that you can layer it to incredible intensity without sacrificing texture. It works beautifully to create a sunburnt surfer-girl cheek, or the softest English-rose complexion. (Fans of Downtown Abbey, take note.)

Watermelon is a warmer-toned pink that livens up the skin. Dragonfruit is a gorgeous poppy pink that goes on way more mellow than expected, unless you layer it. Strawberry was a more difficult shade for me personally to carry off, but I think it would look lovely on a creamy-skinned redhead.

All of the shades appear more opaque on the lips. You can see me wearing Watermelon in my previous review for the Becca Skin Perfector and Radiant Foundation.

Watermelon.

Dragonfruit.

Strawberry.

These are great as lip stains as well. They dry down completely matte and feel like you're wearing nothing at all. I found them a bit drying to wear alone for long, but that's fine, because they are an excellent base to wear under gloss.

The wear time as a blush was great - 8 to 10 hours easy. As a lip stain, they lasted until a meal, but looked worse for the wear after that.

A big plus for me is the way they are scented to match the fruit they are named for. This partially makes up for a packaging issue - namely, that the tubes themselves are unlabelled! The boxes come with the name, but the tubes themselves do not. I panicked when I realized I had removed them all from the boxes to take pictures and couldn't remember which was which. Thankfully I was able to match them back up with lot number, but that remains a call-out to the brand.

Availaibility: At Sephora.com and the Becca website (which only ships to the US). Price is 30$ CAD and 25$ USD.

Pros: Very easy to use, a little goes a long way. Versatile, can create a natural effect or be layered for intensity. Wears very well. Undetectable finish that looks like skin, and though matte, doesn't look dry or flat.

Cons: Tubes are not labelled with the name.

(I purchased these - and received one as a GWP - from www.beccacosmetics.com)