Affiliate links
Can you imagine how excited I was when I learned that Guerlain was launching a new line of 5 Couleurs eyeshadow palettes for fall 2016? Can you?? I've had a great experience with Guerlain palettes before, so of course I had to try one and share my thoughts with you.
As much as I would love to collect them all, at $69 a piece (gasp!) my budget doesn't allow me to get more than one of these luxurious treat. Picking just one was very hard: I felt like all the color combinations were beautifully arranged and any could work for me. Bois des Indes was very tempting, but the shades look very similar to my beloved Les Fumés from Guerlain's previous lineup. Tonka Impériale looks fantastic too, but I already own a lot of brown shadows. Eventually, I settled for Coque d'Or, which means golden shell (some retailers erroneously spell it Coq d'Or which translates as golden rooster...) and is also the name of a classic Guerlain fragrance created in 1937, a warm harmony of gold and coppery browns.
The Packaging
The first thing I noticed when I opened the box, squealing in anticipation, was that the palettes do not come in the classic black velvet pouch any longer. I never cared much for these velvet sleeves, but they do prevent my palettes from sliding when I stack them on top of each other in my drawer. And I think that for $69, we could really get a small piece of thin velvet here... Why removing that little luxury detail, Guerlain?
The packaging also bears one major difference with all the other Guerlain palettes I've ever owned: the compact isn't golden, but a glossy black. I personally prefer the black version to the gold which I think looks a bit dated these days, but it's not quite as luxurious as I would like. There is a little golden "knob" with Guerlain's G logo that looks like a button, but isn't something you push: it's actually attached to the lid. The compact also comes with the classic tiny tools, a double-ended brush and a foam applicator. They're not terrible but you can't create a whole decent look using them!
The Colors
Now let's get to the good part, the shadows. There are five of them, as the name 5 Couleurs Palette would suggest, three in regular sized pans with an embossed pattern, and two sharing the same, larger pan. From left to right we have:
- a very pale yellow with sheer pigmentation that's perfect to blend the edges of the other shades and to highlight the brow bone. I looks like it has a tiny bit of shimmer when swatched, but it turns matte on my lids;
- a warm, yellow shimmery gold with medium pigmentation that works very well as an inner corner highlight or just under the brow;
- a warm metallic copper with great pigmentation, very luminous and perfect as a lid color;
- a warm, rusty brown with great pigmentation. This is my favorite shade in Coque d'Or! It's deep and sultry, great for the outer half of the lid or all over for a smoky bronze look.
- a blackened green with medium, buildable intensity. Think antique gold or oxidized bronze. This shade works well on the outer corner or on the lash lines.
I don't know why the last two shades share the same pan. I expected them to be liners, but the two looks described in the little leaflet that came in the box suggested using them as regular shadows. The protective plastic sheet that covers the shadows in the compact labels them as "smoky", while the first shade is "base" and shades 2 and 3 are "nudes".
At first I though that shades 3 and 4 were a little too similar in terms of tone, but then I realized that these colors were carefully put together so that you can create a perfect gradient from gold to deep shimmery brown. There's no visible demarcation when you apply them next to each other, and almost no blending work needed! You can achieve a really seamless ombre look from light to dark with this palette, with all the shades blending together perfectly. As you can tell I love this color combination, but if I could change something I would switch one of the shades for a matte brown to use as a transition shade. Everything but the base color is also very shimmery, so another matte would allow more variety in the looks you can get out of it.
The Texture
The first and only matte shade is buttery soft, while the others feel a little more firmly pressed. They're not as silky to the touch, but they're not powdery either, and they apply smoothly and evenly to the lid. Be warned, there is a good amount of fallout during application with all of these shadows! Despite the shimmer fallout, they blend together really well. With my usual eyeshadow primer (theBalm Put A Lid On It) the shades last all day without losing any of their beautiful vibrancy.
The Looks
I think that this palette is best for evening looks, or at least more dramatic eye makeup. I tried doing a day look following the directions in the leaflet, using the first three shades, but it was really subtle. In my opinion the first two shades are really accessories for the stars of the show, the last three, and particularly for the jewel in the palette, shade 4. Keeping that in mind, you can create gorgeous, sultry, smoky looks!
The first look I have to show you was based on the evening looks suggested in the leaflet, done à ma sauce (my own way). I'm wearing shade 4, my favorite, all over the lid, shade 5 in the outer corner and on the lower lash line, shade 3 on the inner third of the lid, shade two around the tear duct, and I used shade one to blend the edges just above the crease. This is a really beautiful, elegant warm bronze smoky look.
The second look I created is the gradient from light to dark, using shades 2 to 5 from the inner to the outer corner, and again shade one to blend above the crease. This is such a beautiful metallic look for fall!
Overall
Coque d'Or is not the most versatile of Guerlain's eyeshadow palettes, but if you love warm shimmery golds and coppers, you will absolutely love the intense looks you can create with it! The quality is great as expected from a French high-end brand, with shades ranging from subtle to vibrant and sultry.
Where to buy?
No comments
Unfortunately the comment system does not work on mobile phones at this time :( If you see this message and leave a comment, I will be unable to approve it, I'm really sorry about this issue!