Today I am going to talk about the limited edition Guerlain Christmas Collection called ‘The Night at the Opera.’ The name gives away the main motive of this collection: boldness and luxuriousness of every item symbolizes chic, elegant and mysterious atmosphere of Paris L’Opera. Guerlain ingeniously combined the L’Opera motive with Christmas spirit: all colors in the collection are primarily gold and red, and represent both festive Christmas and the extravagantly opulent interior of Paris L’Opera.
Petrouchka palette
Petrouchka palette (more pictures above)
The first thing that I bought was Petrouchka eyeshadow and blush palette. First of all, I have to talk about its name. Actually, it’s what got me interested in the whole collection. Petrouchka is a Russian folklore character, equivalent to British Punch, and is also the name for the famous Igor Stravinsky ballet burlesque (first performed in Paris!). So, in some sense, this collection is a tribute to the Ballets Russes.
This palette is a set of 5 eyeshadows and 4 blushes. The palette is very miniature (it would easily fit in almost any purse), light and has a mirror. It is a perfect travel set. It is a bit smaller than I expected – on the website it looked bigger, and, of course, very pricey — $90. But, after all, it is Guerlain.
Packaging is stunning: if you buying it as a gift, you don’t even have to look for a red ribbon – there is one already! The palette comes in a golden case with a red ribbon (you can take it off and wear!). The case is hidden in a golden box and a black velvet pouch fringed with red. Besides the palette, you’ll find two brushes in the pouch: one for eyeshadows and another for blushes. Again, this makes the palette a great travel companion.
All five eyeshadows are in warm, I would even say neutral colors and are absolutely perfect for my light medium/medium skintone and hazel eyes. All of them have sparkles so I wouldn’t use this palette for my day makeup routine – but hey, this whole collection is about style, glamour and evening attire. The lightest eyeshadow is in creamy, champagne color. It serves perfect as a base color for the whole eyelid. The second color is warm, peachy beige. The third – light copper. The fourth – noble bronze. The fifth – dark slate with brown undertone. All of them work beautifully with each other and will allow to create a perfect evening look. These eyeshadows are extremely easy to apply since they have great pigmentation and don’t fall off. I think even if you use them without a primer, it should be fine. They also have a good staying power.
The blushes are matte and quite versatile too. Out of four blushes only one – baby pink – doesn’t seem ideal to me. It doesn’t suit my skin color. I am happy it’s small. Two larger blushes – one in muted dark rose and another in brownish coral – are just right. The second small blush in mild slightly simmering brown feels more like a bronzer to me. To be honest, blushes are not very easy to use with a typical blush brush – they are too small for it. I use my small powder brush to apply them.
I’d like to mention specifically the fragrance of this palette (and of all items in this collection) – it’s gentle violet. I love it but if you are sensitive to smells, that’s something to consider.
This palette is my favorite item in this collection. It is so versatile and beautiful it takes my breath away. Moreover, its colors are so perfect for me that I feel like this palette was created for my eyes and cheeks.
Packaging
Versatile
Pigmented
Good value
Long wearing
Awesome factor
Perles d’Etoile – Light Revealing Pearls of Powder
Perles d’Etoile: Meteorites (more pictures above)
The second thing I acquired was Perles d’Etoile – Light Revealing Pearls of Powder. These really are Meteorites pearls re-designed for Christmas edition. This powder costs $60 and comes in a golden box with a famous red bow sculpted on the lid. The box looks charming, however, it is a bit too light to my taste. Don’t get me wrong – I appreciate the ergonomics part of my powder case but this is not the powder I needed for practical purposes. This is not the powder I was planning to carry around. I bought it simply because it is Guerlain and it is a piece of art. Therefore I expected it to be more solid and heavy – like, for example, Guerlain’s Jewel Lipstick Compact. I wanted it to feel like hardcore, old-fashioned quality. I wanted it to be made of glass or some other sturdy material. What I got what a case so light it felt like a tin box.
It is not super comfortable to open the case: the lid sits in very tightly and if you have long nails you should be careful – you may chip them while opening the case. When you open the case you’ll find a bright red puff with a red bow. That’s a nice touch although I never use puffs for loose and meteorites powders. Underneath the puff there are the pearls. The powder has the same violet smell as everything else in the collection. The pearls come in relatively dark colors and are more suitable for the evening – they are very sparkly. The pigmentation is very high, therefore I don’t use meteorites all over my face – it would be way too dark and shiny. I apply a tiny bit of it on my nose bridge, some above the eyebrows and some on my cheekbones – along with the blush. It creates a perfect glow. This powder is essentially an amazing combination of a highlighter and a bronzer.
Overall, I am happy with the purchase, however, if you are planning to buy only some items from this collection, I wouldn’t recommend this powder as one of them. In my opinion, Petrouchka palette or Rouge Parade lipstick (I’ll talk about it in a second) would be much better investments.
Packaging
Natural looking
Soft shimmer
Good value
Luminous glow
Awesome factor
Rouge G de Guerlain (Color 820 Roude Parade)
Rouge de Guerlain: color 820 Rouge Parade (more pictures above)
This lipstick is simply gorgeous. Everything, except the color – for me. The beautiful red case of this lipstick was designed by Lorenz Baumer, Place Vendome’s jeweler. The case is a red replica of Jewel Lipstick Compact case – the shape and weight are exactly the same. This lipstick has gorgeous texture and pigmentation – it is creamy, stays on lips practically forever, doesn’t crease or smudge, colors is very intense and fades evenly (which is super important for a bright red lipstick). Guerlain’s lipsticks are my favorite, and this is not an exception – I love it and I am very upset that the only available color (for now) didn’t work for me.
Rouge Parade is a pure bright scarlet (maybe a bit darker) red with cool, blue undertone. The color is stunning and, I think, would be perfect for anybody with very fair skin (think Marilyn Monroe or Joan Harris from Mad Men) : the contrast of white skin with pure red would be breathtaking. For me, however, it was too bright (not in a good way), too red and looked out of sync with my whole face. I have Asian medium skin and as much as I’d love to convince myself it was MY shade of red, I couldn’t – I need warmer, more toned down red. Carmine or auburn red, for example.
So, my recommendation for this lipstick is following:
- Fair-skinned ladies– this is YOUR color, and I absolutely recommend it. Make a wonderful gift to yourself.
- Everybody else – try it first.
Packaging
Moisturizing
Pigmented
Good value
Long wearing
Awesome factor
Gloss d’Enfer (Color 920 Rouge Parade)
Gloss d’Enfer: color 920 Rouge Parade (more pictures above)
This lip gloss is my next favorite item from this collection. Rouge Parade is a deep dark cherry color that will flatter any complexion. The tube is classic Guerlain: simple and elegant. The texture of the gloss is amazing: smooth, creamy and non-sticky. Once you apply it, you don’t have to re-apply for a couple of hours: it has a great staying power and fades very evenly. The applicator that comes with the gloss is more than enough: you won’t need a lip brush to help you.
Color, as I said above, is beyond any praise: rich, intense, and bright without being too glossy. Rouge Parade is perfect for the evening and will look especially stunning with a little black dress. The best thing about this gloss is that it’s so bright and rich I can wear by itself, without any lipstick underneath, unlike Dior glosses (those fade within minutes). After I tried this gloss, I don’t want to try anything else – it is simply perfect.
Packaging
Moisturizing
Non-sticky
Good value
Long wearing
Awesome factor
Conclusion
I am deeply in love with this collection. I still have to try other items from it: Coque d’Or (hair and decollete powder), two-color eyeshadows and nail polishes — but I am sure those are as impeccable as the ones I already have, so hopefully I’ll be able to get most of them before the collection is sold out.
In my opinion, Un Soir A L’Opera is the best Christmas makeup collection this year. I looked at Dior, YSL, Bobbi Brown holiday collections and they don’t stand a chance against Guerlain. Any item from the collection would make an amazing gift for any lady, including yourself. 🙂
You can buy Un Soir A L’Opera collection at the Guerlain website, Nordstrom and Sephora (the last two don’t carry all of the items though). Keep in mind that this is limited edition and will never be repeated!
