peach

Finally! I have gotten around to reviewing the Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Terra Azzura Capri eye shadow quad from the delightful Summer 2012 collection. I’ve had a few weeks to road test this product and see how versatile it is and how the shadow formula behaves.

Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Eye Shadow Quad in Capri–French Riviera memories!

The Product Details

There are four (4) colors in this quad chosen to replicate a feeling of being in the French Riviera at summertime are as follow:

A shimmering ecru
A smokey brown
A satin pink
A semi-frosty peach coral

At first glance if you think you’ve seen a quad like this you probably have. MAC’s Call Me Bubbles quad that came out for Spring 2012 for Shop MAC/Cook MAC is almost identical at first glance. But unlike with MAC’s quad, I found all four colors in the Guerlain palette to be buttery smooth with amazing color payoff. More often than not I got too much product on the application with less effort than with my MAC shadows. For darker-skinned beauties NC/NW40+, these colors will definitely work for you however I would suggest using either a white eyeshadow on the lid, or a light color eyeshadow pencil such as Make Up For Ever’s Shadow Pencil in Pearly Peach (26E) or Urban Decay’s 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Sin.

Guerlain’s new eye shadow palette by Emilio Pucci–Great for everyday!

The palette seems like it is all warm colors but there is enough neutrality for it to look nice on all skintones. Even with my screaming red undertones all of colors complimented me very well and I found myself reaching for this palette more often than not. Out of all of the colors, the cool dusty brown and peachy orange are my favorites for a surprisingly wearable summer smokey eye. The pink color is nice but as I have the Les Roses palette and this one is more matte, I use to enhance the peachy orange shade moreso than on its own. The beige color is fabulous as a highlighter or a light wash of shimmery ercu across the lids.

Guerlain by Emilio Pucci swatches from bottom: Kohl Kajal, Eye shadow palette (no flash/HDR)

I would highly suggest using the included custom applicator to apply the shadow. My MAC brushes didn’t seem to play very well with this. And if you have oily eyelids as I do, definitely use an eyeshadow primer like Too Faced Shadow Insurance and a cream shadow as a base such as MAC’s Quite Natural or Painterly paint pots, or Maybelline’s Color Tattoo 24hr cream shadow in Tough as Taupe or Pomegranate Punk. Total weight by volume of all four shadows is .24 oz which is a very healthy amount compared to MAC’s usual .17 oz total weight for a quad.

Final Recommendation

While the price point is quite high ($59), the different finish of the case and quality of the eyeshadows (and big mirror in it) more than qualify the price. For women of color, the shadows do not turn ‘ashy’ but to make them pop I would suggest using a cream shadow underneath either a few shades lighter than your coloring or use a white shadow pencil. All colors are easily blendable and while this pallete is showcased for Summer, it is a lovely one to have year-round for olive to dark-skinned beauties.

The Guerlain by Emillio Pucci Capri eye shadow palette is a limited edition item and is available at Nordstrom, Sephora.com and NeimanMarcus.com

Back of Capri eyeshadow palette by Guerlain by Emilio Pucci

The velvet sleeve for the eye shadow palette–a true identifier of luxury cosmetics

Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Eye shadow quad – Flash

Guerlain by Emilio Pucci swatches from bottom: Kohl Kajal, Eye shadow palette (flash)

Spring 2012 colors already? I love you Chanel but it isn’t even Christmas yet!

Unboxing 'June': The Limited Edition Chanel Spring 2012 nailcolor on everyone's list!

When I saw the Chanel Spring 2012 display my eyes immediately went to the Horizon Blush and the pretty apricot-colored nail polish called ‘June’. Part of the three (3) nail polishes from this collection (a red called ‘April’, a bright pink called ‘May’), June is a semi-sheer apricot crème that is not as visually stunning like Peridot or Black Pearl but it has a softness to it that goes with the theme of Spring.

Chanel's Les Vernis in 'June'. A pretty apricot creme that screams Parisian Spring.

For dark-skinned women, oranges look particularly good on the nails and as this is an apricot color (which is darker than peach but lighter than orange) I feel it would work better for those with warm skin tones. Cooler skin tones like mine can wear this color, but compared to some of the corals I own it’s easy to see that while June is very wearable, it doesn’t ‘pop’ as well. The upside is this color is very muted and work-safe regardless of your undertones.

In terms of performance, Chanel’s polishes get high technological marks. I’ve really never run into a serious chipping issue with their polishes (I’d always nicknamed it The Greatest when it comes to polishes until Rescue Beauty Lounge came along). Coupled with Illamasaqua’s base and top coat, Chanel in ‘June’ kept is shine and integrity through a grueling day of driving, typing, writing database code and household chores. Even without a base and top coat Chanel’s colors resist incidental chipping extremely well.

Luxury costs, as you all know and Chanel charges accordingly. All of the polishes in this collection are $25 each. This isn’t an extremely unique color and I feel you can find something at a lower price point that looks comparable. I’ve included swatches of other colors along with June to give you a color range idea.