Summer is finally coming and 'Tis the season for bronzer! After trying Givenchy and Lancôme's releases, today I want to show you a very special, limited edition Guerlain Terracotta bronzing powder for summer 2017, the Chic Tropic. Guerlain is going a little cray cray with new bronzers this year (I've counted 5), and this one is the collector, maxi version that typically launches a few weeks after the rest of the summer collection (see last year's here). Let's take a closer look!




First of all, I need to warn you that as of the publication of this post, Chic Tropic is not available yet in the US  now available at Nordstrom as an anniversary sale exclusive. It is now in stores in France, and I had someone buy it there and bring it for me. Based on the past few years, I predict that Guerlain should launch it in the US market by the end of July - hopefully I'm right!




Chic Tropic comes in an exquisite round metal box with a screw top. It is incredibly luxurious and beautiful, with its deep brown reflective exterior decorated with raised details in gold and coral pink. There is a large mirror inside the lid, and the powder pan rests on brown satin. You can spot a small piece of brown ribbon on the side, and Guerlain says the compact is reusable, so I suppose you can pull it to remove the powder. I was too afraid to damage the bronzer to try!





The bronzing powder itself is absolutely stunning, with Art Deco inspired gold fan motifs, coral details, and the "background" in a classic bronzer shade of warm brown. Sadly the gold is an overspray, so it goes away after a couple uses, however the coral pink goes all the way through and is meant to add warmth to the complexion.




As long as the gold overspray is on the surface of the powder, you can't get to the base bronzer: what you get on your brush is extremely shimmery and works as a highlighter, not as an overall bronzer. So if you want to use Chic Tropic as a bronzer right away, you'll need to brush off that gold. That's a bit sad, not only because the most stunning aspect of the embossed powder disappears, but also because that gold powder is a fantastic highlighter! It's extremely bold, especially for a product made by Guerlain, it looks like a veil of liquid yellow gold on my cheeks. Not for an everyday look for me, but it's absolutely stunning for a sophisticated evening look.




So what I suggest doing is brushing away the gold on one side of the compact, so you can use your bronzer, but leaving it intact on as much surface as possible, so you can still enjoy that breathtaking gold highlight a few times before you've used it up. I think Guerlain should consider releasing that gold powder on its own, it beats the most metallic highlighters by Becca or Anastasia hands down!




Guerlain says that the bronzer is their usual Terracotta formula in shade 3 but I find it quite different from the permanent range: it's much more firmly pressed, which makes it a little more difficult to pick up product on my brush, it's less pigmented, and the finish is more shimmery than satin matte as usual. The color is a medium beige with orange undertones, and the small coral areas create even more warmth. On my light skin, I need to build it up before it shows up, which means that it's likely too sheer and light for anyone with a deeper skin tone.

Chic Tropic is very strongly scented with the summery signature fragrance of the Terracotta line, but with intensity times 10. Seriously, I could smell it as soon as the person who brought it from France opened their bag! I love this fragrance, but it was a bit much. I left the compact open for a while and it became a little softer, but it's still very present.

Wearing Guerlain Terracotta Chic Tropic

I think the Terracotta Chic Tropic is best for collectors. The object is absolutely gorgeous, but it's not the best performing bronzing powder I've tried from Guerlain, although the light and sheer color could make it a good pick for fair skintones. If you like pretty makeup, however, this is one you'll likely want to get your hands on! Price in France is 59.90 euros so I would expect it to be in the $60+ range when it arrives in the US.

UPDATE

The Chic Tropic is now available at Nordstrom as an anniversary sale exclusive!




The product featured in this review was purchased by me. I received no compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links. I receive a very small commission when you click on those links, and the money generated covers a small portion of my expenses to purchase products for review. Clicking on those links helps ensure that Beaumiroir continues to publish reviews of new and exciting high end French products - at no cost to you!