This Weeks Manicure

Hi All, I am trying to show you my favorite nail polishes on a weekly basis.

This week I present you "Chanel April 533" which was part of last years spring release. Over the last year this polish became one of my favorites because of the wonderful color and great lasting power. 

This is how it looks:

I used "Butter London Horse Power Nail Fertilizer", two coats Chanel April and "Butter London Hardwear P.D. Quick Top Coat".

I needed two coats of April to have full coverage and to get a nice color result. The application was smooth and flawless. Overall the polish is very user friendly.

This year Chanel has a very similar color in its spring release "Coup de Coeur" which I am still hesitating about due to its similarity to April. You can see a nice review about it here. 

Did you try Chanel April? What are your thoughts? Should I go for Coup de Coeur 609?

Guerlain Météorites Light-Diffusing Perfecting Primer

Today I would like to show the "Guerlain Météorites Light-Diffusing Perfecting Primer".

This primer is probably one of the most beautiful beauty products that I own. The primer itself consists of a transparent gel base with creamy-looking light pink pearls. I got this primer as a Christmas gift but I see that it costs online around 59 Euros.

Here below you can see how the primer looks like. As many makeup products from Guerlain in comes in a nice glass bottle with a pump dispenser.

The texture of this primer is very interesting. Once you pump up the product the creamy pearls are breaking and get mixed with the transparent gel base. The mixture is very liquid and has a light floral smell. I tried to capture this in the photos below. The product is light pink with a pearly finish.

I am using this primer almost daily together with my "Guerlain Lingeries de Peau" foundation. After I moisturize my face I apply this primer. By the way I am not using a lot of product - one time pumping is enough. As the primer is quite liquid it needs a minute to set. Once it is a bit dried down the skin feels still moisturized and I cannot actually feel the primer.

So how does it look applied? Well, this is difficult to answer. On me you do not actually see the primer once it is applied. I can see that my skin gets a light shine which comes from the pearly shimmer of the product but it is only visible when I get really close to the mirror. I am using this as a primer and that's why I am not actually looking for any big effect right after its application.

Once I apply my foundation on top of the primer the main effect comes. The application of the foundation is easier and more even. I feel that may face reflects more light which makes my skin look brighter and less tired. For me this primer makes my foundation stay longer and once it starts fading out it fades out quite evenly.

Overall I believe this product is not intended to be used on it's own as it does not actually have any visible effect. Once used together with a foundation the primer has an effect on the foundation since the application gets smoother and more even. In my opinion setting the foundation evenly brings the result of the light reflection which makes the skin look brighter.

Summing up:

Pros:

• Beautiful Product (if that can be counted as a pro :-))
• Facilitates application of foundation
• Foundation sets more even
• Foundation stays longer

Cons:

• Price!
• No actual effect of product when used on its own

Have you tried this primer? What are your experiences? Please share your thoughts below; I would be happy to hear your experiences.

Guerlain - Lingerie de Peau Foundation

Hi everybody! Welcome to my very first post. It took me a while to decide what I would like to show you first.

"Lingerie de Peau" is a light foundation from Guerlain (compared to the other formulas I have been testing from Guerlain when I was at the counter). The SA told me that the product is supposed to enlighten the face without creating the feeling of wearing a foundation. It costs around 50 Euros for 30ml.

The foundation has a SPF of 20 and is available in 12 different shades according to Guerlain's homepage. I am not sure I saw all shades in store. I am a 02 Beige Clair which is the second lightest neutral tone they offer. The color names staring with "neutral" are for skin tones with beige undertone, the color names staring with "rose" are made for skin tones with rose undertone and the color names beginning with "dore" are for skins tones with golden undertone. It seems to me that Guerlain is using the same color names throughout all their different foundation types which make things quite easy once you found your match.

As you can see in the picture below the foundation comes in a fancy glass bottle with a pump dispenser. The formulation is quite liquid and the product has a floral smell which I personally like but for those with allergies it might be a downside.

 

As mentioned above "Lingerie de Peau" is a relatively light foundation as it does not offer a full coverage. Having said that, I still believe that it provides quite a nice coverage for everyday redness and occasional spots. It can be layered very nicely and then it offers additional coverage wherever needed.

This is how 02 Beige Clair looks like. I tried to capture the formula and how the actual color looks like.

In terms of application you have several options. I am using a foundation brush from Guerlain because I feel that it evens out the application better then when I use my fingers. Still the application without a brush by hand is totally possible. In fact I am doing that when I am short in time in the morning and the results are very nice.
I am using this foundation since November and have to say that I am very happy with it. The color matches my skin very good, the application is easy and the foundation holds nicely from 7 am to 5 pm. I am having a rather dry skin and it might be different with oily skin where a touch up might be needed during the afternoon.

What extends the wear of the foundation for me is the "Guerlain Météorites Light-Diffusing Perfecting Primer" and the "Guerlain Météorites Pouder Pearls". I will present both of the products in my next posts.

Summing up:

Pros:

• 12 different color shades
• Easy application
• Long lasting

Cons:

• Price!
• Maybe the floral smell for those with sensible nose or allergies

Have you tried this foundation? What is your Holy Grail foundation which you can't live without? Please share your thoughts below; I would be happy to hear your experiences.

About

About Peonies and Roses

Hello! Welcome to Peonies and Roses! I started this blog to share the things I love in beauty and lifestyle. Peonies and Roses are my favorite flowers and they name this blog as I mean to write about the things I truly like and care about. This blog will include reviews and swatches as well as my personal insights in terms of Make Up and Apparel.

By day, I work  full-time as a project manager for a big American company. I am originally from Germany but I am living with my wonderful husband and our dog in Israel.

Contact

You can contact me via e-mail at sansasandraa@gmail.com. Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I hope you leave feeling inspired!

      Sandra