Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lip Gloss (809 Rubis Rose)

Guerlain Kiss Kiss lip gloss in Rubis Rose might be my favorite item from all of this year's holiday collection. Between the pretty tube with the black lace design and the absolutely perfect dark rose color, it was one of the best impulse purchases.

Rubis Rose is shimmery and very pigmented- what you see in the photo is what you get on your lips. It's a rose with a brown-mauve depth. The texture is smooth, not sticky and feels very moisturizing on the lips- it's the kind of gloss that makes your lips look and feel good- healthy and plump. It's a great after dark shade, but I admit to wearing it during the day lately. It's not over-the-top and is just so pretty against winter paleness.

Bottom line: Big, fat love.

Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lip Gloss in Rubis Rose ($29) is one of three limited edition items for Holiday 2010. It's available from top department stores and also online. I bought it at Bergdorf Goodman.

All photos are mine.

Guerlain Secret de Purete Cleansing Milk

It's a good thing the GWP tube of Guerlain Secret de Purete Cleansing Milk I have is reasonably generous in size, because once I get going it's hard to stop. Very hard to stop.

This milky cleanser is of perfect consistency (I have a pet peeve about lotions that are so runny they can't stay on one's face long enough to do the job) and feels heavenly on skin. And it removes and disposes of every last drop and fleck of dirt and makeup- no matter how much I have piled on or what bizarre color experiments I've been conducting- 60 seconds of cleansing and it's all gone. The product makes the makeup removing ritual into an almost spa experience right here in front of my mirror. It has something to do with Guerlain's tendency to make wonderfully scented products- both their skin care and makeup. Of course, not everyone like it, but if you have dry skin and you're not averse to scented products, this is a great one.

Guerlain Secret de Purete Cleansing Milk ($48, 200ml) is available from most decent department stores.

Photo: Corbis

Guerlain B64 Bee Limited Edition Rouge G Le Brilliant

I honestly thought that I was done with the 2010 Holiday collections on all their sparkle. Then last month I took a young cousin to Bloomie's and somehow we found ourselves at the Guerlain Counter. I already had a couple of Guerlain's holiday items and loved them, but then I came face to face with the limited edition Rouge G Le Brilliant in B64, Bee. It had to come home with me.

Rouge G lipsticks are fabulous from their beautiful packaging to the way they wear- the right balance of shine and color. In Le Brilliant Bee everything got kicked up a notch (now try to erase the mental image of Emeril Lagasse in a purple lipstick). There's more pigment, more golden shimmer and it stays on longer than the other Rouge G lipsticks I own, which are already pretty tenacious for such a moisturizing lip color.

The color is rich purple. It looks more violet in certain lights but reflects some red undertones in others. It's quite complex, thus looks very rich and pretty on the lips and I find that it has quickly become a favorite evening lipstick. The texture and luminosity make this Rouge G pretty low maintenance- I can get away with quick touch ups that don't include a liner and a brush.

Botton line:  There's a very cute bee embossed on the inside mirror. Who could ask for anything more?

Guerlain B64 Bee Limited Edition Rouge G Le Brilliant ($46) is available from decent department stores.

All photos are mine.

Guerlain Toner Super Aqua Lotion

Josephine here is not the only one who likes the good stuff. My latest skincare obsession is hydrating toners that not only make skin look and feel fresh, they also moisturize. My nightly routine includes the excellent Lancome Secret de Vie Toner, but in the morning I often prefer something a little more invigorating. This is where Guerlain Super Aqua Lotion (a confusing name, for sure) enters the picture.

Super Aqua Lotion is not as thick as the gel-like Lancome and definitely feels a little more like a toner. But it's still gentle and moisturizing while doing its job to refresh and lightly tone the skin before I start loading it with serums and creams. I don't know much about the desert rose complex Guerlain is using in their Super Aqua line (other than it gives me an earworm- see Sting's song below), but the toner smells nice, feels good and my skin is happy.

Guerlain Sper Aqua Lotion ($48) is available from select department stores. The travel size I've been testing was part of a GWP.

Photo by me.

Guerlain Shalimar Ode à la Vanille

Opinions on the new Guerlain Shalimar Ode à la Vanille vary greatly. Some say it's a return to Shalimar of yore, or at least to some past version. Other say it's closer to the dearly departed Shalimar Light/Eau Legere or its recent incarnation as the somewhat wimpy Eau de Shalimar. Then there are those who claim it's more powdery/less powdery or whatever. But I doubt anyone would dispute the fact Ode à la Vanille is a legitimate member of the Guerlain family. It is definitely a Shalimar.

I usually prefer to spend more than two days and one night with a perfume before attempting to review it, but considering Guerlain released Shalimar Ode à la Vanille as a limited edition I figured it would be a good idea to hurry up a little. I did test it outside in the crisp(ish) fall air and indoors, slept in it and indulged as much as I could. So, yes, I really really like it.

The name Ode à la Vanille is misleading. It is definitely a vanilla scent, but what Shalimar isn't? Thierry Wasser, Guerlain's in-house perfumer, didn't turn Shalimar into a scary gourmand version of itself and I don't find the famous patisserie accord to be amplified in Ode à la Vanille. I also don't find it especially related to the boozy syrup of Spiritueuse Double Vanille other than in that general Guerlain family resemblance. Now that we established what this new perfume is not, let's see what I can actually make of it.

The biggest difference I find between Ode à la Vanille and several of the Shalimar versions I own is in its relative dryness. Despite the variety of citrus fruit (bergamot, lemon, mandarin orange) used in the opening of Shalimar it is anything but light or sporty. Shalimar is all drama and feels perfectly at home in a red carpet gown and other formal attire. While the vanilla note of Ode à la Vanille is deeper and more complex than what we've gotten from past versions (according to Guerlain it was achieved by using different types of vanilla from various sources), there is a mellowness here that starts at the top notes and makes Ode à la Vanille more laid back scent.

The late dry-down seems to share some of the complexity I find in Bois Torride. They don't smell anything alike, but there's an impression of a dusty bitter dark chocolate in both, and I love it. It's just interesting and quirky enough without compromising wearability or beauty. I find Ode à la Vanille less baroque but very elegant. It holds back a lot more than the original but it's still quite plush- not like the aforementioned evening gown, more like a finely-cut blazer that is made of the best possible materials and you can wear it with just about anything and go stroll the Upper East Side and feel like you belong there.

Is Ode à la Vanille to Shalimar the same as Eau Premier is to Chanel No. 5?
Not really, if you ask me. Eau Premier has done away with the more questionable part of No. 5, the perfumy aldehyde opening, that tends to bother many a modern nose. While the relationship between the two Chanels is obvious, one can easily dislike one and adore the other. It's not that simple in the case of this Guerlain. Ode à la Vanille might be easier to wear for some (men, especially), but it's still very much a Shalimar and those who smell it and run for their life or just object to this style of oriental perfumes would not change their minds all of a sudden. I doubt I'd be able to convince even my own mother to wear Ode à la Vanille for a full hour, but then again she has never met a semi-gourmand perfume she liked.

Guerlain Shalimar Ode à la Vanille ($110,50ml EDP) was released in the new Shalimar EDP bottle (the Jade Jagger design). It's a limited edition and bottles seem to be selling quickly but still available from most Guerlain boutiques around the world (Bergdorf might have run out at this point, but the Vegas boutique should still have it). I don't recommend buying unsniffed, especially if one is a bit iffy about Shalimar. It's a great perfume but hardly likely to rock your socks off if you're not already a fan of Guerlain in general and Shalimar in particular.

Photo of Christy Turlington and Louise Vynet by Gilles Bensimon, 1987

Guerlain Meteorites Perles d'Or- Holiday Collection 2010

It's no secret that Guerlain Meteorites finishing powder is perfection. The improved formula of the last few seasons both in pearls form and in the Voyage pressed compact has made the last step of applying makeup that much more satisfying and rewarding. A single violet-scented brush stroke and you actually see a difference. It's no wonder that in a holiday collection that focuses on luminous skin there will be a version or two of Meteorites magic.

The new Perles d'Or come in an ornamented metallic case embossed with a golden bee. I wish I didn't have to keep all my makeup locked in feline-resistant drawers, because this would have looked gorgeous on my dresser. I wish Guerlain would have also release a holiday Meteorites brush to match the case. It's not necessary, of course, and you don't even need to have the regular Meteorites brush- almost any high quality face/powder brush works with this product (as long as it's not a humongous kabuki that's too big for the case).

The real story is the powder itself. The 2010 Perles d'Or is enriched with subtle gold and violet shades. As you can see in the photos, none of the pearls is too shimmery or sparkly, and the violet ones aren't too dark or too many, so it doesn't really tint the powder- it's still as sheer and balanced as ever. The effect once you swirl your brush over the pearls is of a natural glow. There are no shiny particles, no bronzing or gilding action and no obvious brightening/light reflecting/whatever. Instead, the powder imparts a finished, smooth layer that instantly improves the complexion. I even tried it on bare naked skin and was stunned at how good it looks even without carefully applied makeup underneath. I hate to use the word "airbrushed" but there is something to it, this powder is just that good.

Bottom Line: My Precious.

Guerlain Meteorites Perles d'Or for Holiday 2010 ($56) is available at Bergdorf Goodman and select other department store and Sephora locations. a press sample was provided by the company.

All photos are mine.

Guerlain Holiday 2010 Rose de la Reine (363) KissKiss Strass Lipstick

The bad news about the Holiday 2010 Collection Les Ors from Guerlain is that they didn't make anything as stunning as their Fall 2010 6 color eye palettes. I sort of hoped for one of two such compacts in a gilded packaging that would make us once again delirious with Guerlain lust. Of course, this is also the good news. I can wait a season or two for another $85 palette.

Collection Les Ors focuses on golden luminosity- for complexion, lips and eyes. Later this week I'll show you the new Meteorites Perles d'Or, but today we're talking lips. KissKiss Strass lipstick comes in two limited edition colors for the holiday 2010 collection. There's a dark red, Rouge Imperial, which looks very tempting in the promo pictures, but let's face it: I need another deep red lipstick as much as I need an additional set of lips. It's the nude department in my lipstick drawer that could use some reinforcement, and Rose de la Reine (#363) is a good addition.

While I hoped for more rosy pigment, I like Rose de la Reine for its texture and light reflecting qualities. It doesn't take away anything from my natural color and doesn't make my lips look pale or chalky. The little pigment this KissKiss Strass lipstick warms the complexion and works well with a bold eye look and sheer gold cheek color. It's very balmy and moisturizing, so one can wear it over a darker lip tint. By itself Rose de la Reine gives a very shimmery nude look. It will have more impact on the fair-skinned, pale-lipped crowd, but for the rest of us this is an easy to wear (and apply) nighttime option.

The balmy texture moisturizes and plumps the lips, but is quite heavy. It doesn't last long and requires frequent reapplying. I'd be curious to see if the other color, the deep red Rouge Imperial leaves behind a little color so one doesn't have to fix her makeup after every glass of champagne (all this gold, light reflecting from crystal goblets and chandeliers and plush textures is making my imagination work a little).

Bottom Line: nice but definitely not a must-have.

Guerlain KissKiss Strass lipstick ($31) and the rest of the holiday collection is already available at Bergdorf Goodman and select department store locations. A press sample was sent for consideration by the company.

All photos are mine.

Guerlain Après L'Ondée (Vintage Extrait de Parfum)

My first official  introduction to this 1906 classic Guerlain was through the newer EDT. I tested it many times and was always struck by the difference between the beauty wafting from the bottle and the way it smelled on me. I declared my skin as the place violets go to die. But that was not the  real Après L'Ondée.

Last year I had the incredible luck of finding a full bottle of the vintage parfum. I proceeded cautiously to make friends with it and discovered love. Apres L'Ondee is not so much about violets as it is about atmosphere. It's somewhat sheer and floral, but the notes that stand out to me are heliotrope, anise and lots of lots of very pale dry iris.  It's interesting how even with all the licorice and almondy heliotrope, the perfume never turns gourmand. It actually lacks that pastry shop quality you find in many Guerlain perfumes, even though the connection to Guerlinade (both the classic base and the 1998 special limited edition) and to L'Heure Bleu is there. It's just a very different kind of perfume.

Sometimes smelling Apres L'Ondee in parfum feels like entering a dream. It can be familiar, like a memory you can't quite place but you know you've been there, maybe in your subconsciousness. The iris is almost otherworldly. It's not earthy or dirty, nor is it buttery. How can something so rooty feel this sheer and delicate, like the wings of a dragonfly? That's the art and genius of Jacques Guerlain. He created an emotional experience of the first degree, which is perfume at its very best.

Art: Nocturne by Kirsty Mitchell

Guerlain Mahora

A confession: Sometimes I wear Mahora EDP to bed. Mostly because I'm not sure I can get away with wearing this loud Guerlain in public, but I still enjoy its creamy tuberose, and I like waking up and finding some of it on my pillow.

You don't usually think of Guerlain as the creator of tropical florals. It's also obvious that the most eyebrow raising Guerlain perfumes of our generation are the white florals- Mahora and the inexplicable Jardins de Bagatelle. Mahora is the better of the two, though. It's a bold and confident heavy-bosomed tuberose that is happily surrounded by the usual suspects- frangipani, jasmine and ylang-ylang and is riding a creamy vanilla-sandalwood base.

If you like big (BIG) tuberose scents, most chances Mahora would ring your bell. It might not be the most balanced and tasteful, and it might not smell anything like a well-bred Guerlain, but it's pretty and feminine. Sometimes it feels like Mahora laughs too loud or flirts too much. Maybe it's the unfortunate name. That might be the reason Guerlain attempted to do some damage control and reworked this perfume under the new name Mayotte. Of course, in doing this they also rebottled it into the Les Parisiennes series with a hefty price tag. I've smelled it, but I don't think the makeover has changed this little hussy. She's as fun as ever, even if now she's carrying an expensive handbag.

While Mahora as we know it has been officially discontinued and replaced by Mayotte, you can still find it online for relatively cheap.

Guerlain Habit Rouge

Several years before Ralph Lauren used horsey-set images and branding for his colognes and perfumes, Guerlain did the same thing with Habit Rouge. So what does a masculine perfume named something like "red riding hood" smell like? Surprisingly, pretty much like a butched up Shalimar.

It makes sense, really. Shalimar, at least in its former incarnations, is gorgeous and very complex. Many men like Shalimar and would have loved to wear it, but not everyone finds it easy to get over the branding, marketing and that powdery facet. So Guerlain kept the structure, the citrus top (made even crisper with spicy greens), the smooth sandalwood and rich amber base, took away some of the powder, added leather and poured into a pour homme bottle. The result is a smooth and sophisticated scent, lighter than Shalimar but still instantly recognizable as an oriental Guerlain.

Habit Rouge is sweet and creamy, thus making it stand out from the crowd of commercial masculines of the last couple of decades. Of course, it is a 1960s creation, a time when a good perfume was not a thin airy little nothing. I would have liked to conduct a blind testing of the Guerlain classic masculines in a college dorm and see the young men's (and women's) reaction. After all, this is the generation born into a world of CKWhatever.

In any case, those of us who like to dig deeper when searching for a good perfume can easily appreciate Habit Rouge. It's one of those masculines women like to adopt for themselves just as much as to smell on a man's neck (it promotes some serious nuzzling). I originally bought the (vintage EDC) bottle for the Blond, but have found myself wearing it often during this sizzling summer, often as a morning scent before switching to vintage Shalimar EDC. It's a splash bottle, but I find that dabbing isn't very satisfying (it is an eau de cologne, after all, so I shouldn't be surprised). Spraying gives a better impression of this sweet but tasteful concoction, and while the modern version seems a bit flat and less leathery, it's still light years better than any of the modern Guerlain releases for men.

Vintage Habit Rouge perfume ads: vintageadbrowser.com

Guerlain 2 Place Vendome Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette

This is one of those posts that write themselves. It starts with the photos that no matter how tempting they look, they still don't compare to the very gorgeous real thing, and continues with a product that performs so well it makes you wonder why isn't every makeup item this good. I'm not even talking about the packaging- the compacts of the Ecrin 6 Couleurs should win Guerlain some serious prizes for the beautiful design. This is what a luxury product should be like.

As I've mentioned before, I chose two of these Guerlain eye shadow palettes. One was the warm mauves of 93 Rue de Passy, and the other one is this- 2 Place Vendome. The shimmery blue eye shadow in the center is the star, of course, as are the blue eye shadows other brands have been featuring lately (Le Metier de Beaute Le Cirque, Bobbi Brown Denim & Rose, Armani NightViper, Nars (coming soon. I couldn't resist) and Givenchy Midnight Look (ditto). But the other colors in th are character actors- full of depth and deserving of love.

The compact creates the impression these shades are on the cool end of the scale, but as you can see they are actually quite neutral and pick warm tones from the skin, making all of them very wearable and adjustable for various makeup looks. You can use only one or blend several colors together to shade and highlight. The eyeliner is more muted on skin than it appears in the pan.  I like it a lot more in this compact than the charcoal from Rue de Passy because the color is not just more unique but also looks as an integral part of the palette. I like using it to smoke out Bobbi Brown's Denim Ink gel eyeliner, but it's fine by itself or over a black liquid liner.

The texture and pigment of these eye shadows is just as superb as in Rue de Passy. My swatches don't necessary reflect it, because I didn't use a primer and my skin was already raw from swatching other items when I took these photos, still I think you can get a decent impression of the pretty.

Bottom Line: Made of awesome.

2 Place Vendome Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette ($84) is available from Guerlain counters everywhere.

All photos are mine. It's really bad karma to steal them and not give credit. I'm just sayin'.

Guerlain 93 Rue de Passy Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette

Someone at Guerlain really knows us. Naming the new eye shadow palettes from the fall 2010 Champs-Elysees collection after the most fabulous shopping destinations in Paris could not be more perfect. 93 Rue de Passy is also home of a Lancel boutique, where you can find this little beauty (€ 599.00) and other leather goods:

93 Rue de Passy is also the name of this 6 color eye palette (five shadows, one powder liner). The colors are on the warm side, from shimmery pink quartz to sandy brown. The eyeliner is charcoal and might be the least convincing item in the otherwise wonderful palette. The eye shadows come in various textures from matte to high shimmer, they blend well together and allow for creating different looks. Playing and combining these colors has kept me amused for the last couple of weeks and I've been wearing this palette everywhere- from the pet store to the comedy club to see Jeniffer Coolidge (so much fun).

Bottom Line: It's a gem.

Next week: the other Guerlain palette I picked, 2 Place Vendome.

Guerlain 93 Rue de Passy Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette ($84) is available from Guerlain counters everywhere.

All makeup and swatch photos are mine, Lancel bag gsell.fr, orange tabby is Kosh.

Guerlain Mitsouko

Heard in our house:

The Blond: What are you writing about?
Me: Mitsouko
The Blond: Oooh, ambitious! What are you going to say about it?
Me: That it's really really good.
The Blond: What are you going to say that hasn't been written 10000 times before?
Me: Absolutely nothing.

So there you have it. I was thinking about Mitsouko a lot lately because I was reading a book about the Duke and the Duchess of Windsor and I remembered an old unconfirmed story that the former Mrs. Simpson used to layer Mitsouko with L'Heure Bleu, both in extrait. I always thought it's a crazy idea. Can these two Guerlain classics coexist on the same body at the same time? I could never see it and didn't even dare try until this week. After all, I've been wearing two or three Lutens perfumes at the same time for years now, so why would I be scared of experiment with Guerlain?

I own both Mitsouko and L'Heure Bleu in several concentrations and vintages, so I decided to go with two that are approximately from the same era, the parfum de toilette version. The result wasn't hideous but it wasn't good, either. Mitsouko's peach and peach kernel plays well with the almondy heliotrope of LHB and they make each other smell more gourmand. But augmenting this particular facet also makes both perfumes lose a lot of their unique charm and depth. It somehow flattens both of them, which didn't make me feel more Duchess-like.

So let's allow Mitsouko to remain the star tonight. It definitely deserves it.

It's not hard to believe this perfume comes to us all the way back from 1919. It has an incredible depth and richness that grabs your attention and tells you stories from the Jazz Era. This fragrance, five years older than my grandmother, has seen it all. It's a femme fatale like most true chypres- bold and experienced, round and volutipous thanks to a rich rose and peach heart. The peach is a big part  of the story here. One doesn't need to be a fan of fruit in perfume to enjoy it because nothing about Mitsouko smells like a Bath & Body Works refugee. The peach note is very complex- you can smell everything from the flower that flirts with the rose to  the woody and astringent kernel. It blossoms and ripens throughout the scent's development on the skin, adding to the sexiness aspect.

Then there's the oakmoss.

Sigh.

If you've been around the perfume scene during the last five years you know the story. In the process of protecting us from ourselves and by assuming people who wear perfume are more stupid than those who consume food and can't read labels, IFRA has forced perfumers to remove most of the oakmoss from the formulas. When you smell vintage Mitsouko you get loads of this thick and dark mossy base, all velvet and brocade. Even the sharp and slightly disharmonious EDT from the 1980s and 1990s is loaded with it, making Mitsouko a love-or-hate kind of scent. I have a fairly recent bottle (from two or three years ago) of the modern extrait, and while it feels a little dry cleaned it's still recognizable and very full bodied, even if there's a certain booziness that I'm not sure belongs there. I've smelled the current(ish. Sometimes it's hard to know for sure with testers in department stores that don't have a high classic Guerlain turnover) EDP and it's reasonably nice. Something is missing, but I doubt a casual Guerlain fan who isn't a vintage fiend would care too much. The new EDT isn't worth the energy it takes to spray it, though. The base feels off, the heart is gone and so is the staying power.

The Bottom line, I guess, is that despite everything, Mitsouko is still quite marvelous if you like this heavy and ornate chypre style. It's breathtakingly beautiful, like a set of royalty-worthy antique jewelry, all diamonds and huge emeralds.  I admit I enjoy wearing it casually, with a printed wrap dress and boots just as much as for a night out in a swanky NYC restaurant. Mitsouko can sometimes surprise you with its warm embrace despite the spiky heels, making it a wonderful candidate for a signature scent if I were interested in having one.

Mitsouko can be found at Guerlain boutiques around the world and select department store counters. Bergdorf Goodman has it in every concentration, of course, but even my local Bloomingdale's carries the extrait ($316, 1 oz). Rumor has it that there's been another more recent reformulation, but I haven't sniffed a bottle that was sealed in the last 6 months, so I cannot comment on this.

All photos: myvintagevogue.com