Guerlain Holiday Rouge G #12 Gems $45 Review & Swatches

"In its original case designed by the jeweller Lorenz Bäumer, Rouge G has become a classic in refinement and modernity. Elegant and unusual, its abstract and pure form is enhanced by a new jewel, black and strass-like in spirit that adds a subtle and refined holiday note."

"An ornamental gem for a sumptuous hallmark. As the ultimate finishing touch in makeup, lipstick enhances the lips and illuminates the face."

"Rouge G diffuses subtly sparkling golden reflections over elegant nude and gentle rosewood. It has the radiance of gold, just enough to bring out a glowing smile over an evening of celebrations. Two must-have shades: 11 Grace – 12 Gems " ~ from Guerlain's website

I got this in Gems shade #12.

Here's a shot of the case opened where you can see the double mirrors.

Swatches

My natural lip color.

With Gems applied. I really love the rosey base and gold shimmer that gives the lipstick a multi-faceted effect. I can't quite describe it, but the color is really amazing! During the day the color is a smidge more pink and at night the lipstick appears to be more apricot.

Here's a comparison of the Rouge G in Gems and Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited in Juniper Brown.

When I first saw the lipsticks I thought they looked really similar in the tube and when applied. But compared side by side, you can see that Juniper Brown is more peach-colored and glittery. Gems has a deeper rose color and gives off a slight gold sheen.

Product Packaging
The mirrored case is absolutely gorgeous! This is definitely a conversation piece for your vanity. The case is very weighty and it has a very luxurious feel to it. But of course since it's mirrored on all sides, you can't really avoid fingerprints getting all over.

I really like the magnetic closure that they incorporated into the case - it keeps the lipstick firmly closed and prevents it from uncasing when it's in your makeup bag.

I should mention that mirrors on the case are only held closed by the gem detail. So everytime you uncase the lipstick, you also simultaneously uncase the mirrors too.

I can't help but feel the majority of the price tag is for the case itself. I really wish Guerlain made this a "refillable" lipstick case. It'd cost less for the refills and be less of a waste when the lipstick is empty.

The Verdict: A+

This lipstick formula completely exceeded my expectations! Is it the ruby dust that makes the color so incredibly amazing? I have no idea. Alls I know is the subtle gold sheen in the color is like nothing I've ever seen.

Also, everytime I put this on my boyfriend comments how nice the color looks on me. I know. I can't believe he even noticed! See how amazing this lipstick is?

Guerlain thought this was such an awesome lipstick they gave Rouge G it's own website just for this amazing product. Go forth and experience that that is Rouge G.

Guerlain Imperiale Christmas 2009 Parcel

The Bergdorf (instant) Gift Card event is the best eva! O and as an added bonus since there is NO Bergdorf's in the Lonestar state my online purchases were tax free! Yippee!

So what did I indulge on? Why the Guerlain Impériale Christmas Collection of course!

I only purchased the Rouge G de Guerlain $45 and the Météorites Pearls Impériales $53. I also purchased the Météorites Brush $35.

I didn't go nuts with this collection but if I had deeper pockets I would've gone for the Eclat Impérial Sublime Radiant Powder $85 and the Météorites Voyage Impériale Compact $180 too. Unfortunately, I'm not swimming in dough so I had to cut the fat and with those price tags - they're fat. I'm still lemming for the Eclat Impérial Sublime Radiant Powder though...it's soooo elegant!

Freebies
My gift with purchase courtesy of Guerlain were some product samples and a faux velvet makeup bag.

Shipping Experience: A
The items were shipped as they were available and I actually got the Rouge G a couple of days ago. I could see the process of each individual item as they each received a UPS tracking number.

Everything arrived within the shipping window and all items were wrapped and cushioned with heavy butcher paper.

Shu Uemura Tsumori Chisato Makeup Bag $29 Review

"Store your make-up in Tsumori Chisato's world with this limited-edition cosmetic pouch decorated with lucky stars." ~from the Shu Uemura website

The bag is made of nylon and there's little pink and peach stars printed all over. The pink stars are glittered and I think the glitter will eventually rub off completely.

The Details

Front of the bag.

Back of the bag.

Some close-ups of the jewel details and zipper on the bag. The bezel of the jewels and the jewels themselves are plastic. The star zipper is shiny gold pleather.

Inside of the bag and a close-up of the inside. There is a side pocket on one side for small items. You can see how puffy the lining is on both sides.

The Verdict: B+
I really like how insulated the bag is because all the items are protected and secure. But all this cushioning comes with a compromise on space.  The bag will hold just enough items for the day but that's it and it gets pretty crowded. Overall I've really enjoyed using it to tow my daily makeup.

Shu Uemura Tsumori Chisato Rouge Unlimited $25 Review & Swatches

"Rouge Unlimited lipstick in a limited edition shade of Jupiter Brown and encased within Tsumori Chisato's exclusive "Lucky Cat" packaging design." ~from Shu Uemura's website

This special holiday packaging is for the Limited Edition shade Juniper Brown. The color is a nude rose with a gold sheen to it. The gold is from teeny tiny gold glitter. Look below for to see swatches!

Swatches

Here's my natural lip color.

With the rouge applied. Can you see the tiny gold glitter?

Product Packaging
How cute are the box and the lipstick? I love the whimsical doodles of this packaging. The lipstick case is made from a high grade plastic and seems really durable.

And check this out....

You can re-use the case with other Rouge Unlimited lipsticks! Alls you gotta do is pop out the lipstick from the base and voila!

Even though the packaging is so cute, I probably would've resisted this purchase because I've got lipsticks and lip glosses to last me a couple of lifetimes. But the fact that you can re-use the case over and over again was enough to convince me to get it.

The Verdict: A-
The lipstick glides on very smoothly and it doesn't dry out my lips at all. I do however feel the glitter if I rub my lips together.

Another thing I liked is how the lipstick fits perfectly in the Dior lipstick case from Saks! That's right - I am not ashamed to mix my labels. I love this because if I'm going to be re-using this case, I really do NOT want the design to rub off from getting shuffled around my makeup bag.

MAC Dazzleglass Creme $18 Review & Swatches

I dunno why but I just couldn't resist these when I dropped by the MAC boutique to pick up MAC's Volcanic Ash Exfoliator. I ended up purchasing only 3 out of the 9 shades available.


"M∙A∙C cult favourite Dazzleglass with a creamier, smoother, but no less shiny or dazzling effect. For those who are drawn to the luxe of cream lips, but still want the dazzling allure of its inspiration, this is it." ~from MAC's website These are Limited Edition so if you like them - do stock up!

Product Packaging

The outter packaging is standard issue MAC black.


These babies are in clear glass tubes and I like the weighty feel of them. The glass is unadorned and lets the shimma of the Dazzleglass Creme show through beautifully. Plus it's lets me gauge if this stuff is running low

Swatches

Aren't they sparkly? O and unlike traditional MAC Dazzleglasses these are NOT sticky at all! I really don't mind the sticky thing but it does get annoying when my hair get stuck to my lips repeatedly.


Ok this pic is not a swatch - it's my natural lip color and is for color reference purposes only. The real lip swatches are below!

The Verdict - Amourous: A

I wasn't into this color online, but when I got to the store the SA was like "You ARE going to try Amorous aren't you?" You're not supposed to second guess advice from MAC gays so I obediently gave it a try. Turns out he was right - I loved it! Even though the glitter is very fine, of the 3 Dazzleglass Cremes I feel the glitter of this one the most when I blot my lips. It's not uncomfortable but I thought I should mention it.


This picture doesn't do it justice because in person the color is really amazing!

The Verdict - Do It Up: A+

This is my favorite of the trio! In the tube it looks sorta orangey-pink but on me it's more of a hot pink. I guess I'm just naturally orangey and I the orange-ness gets camouflaged on me.



The Verdict - My Favorite Pink: A

Pinks never show up well on me because of my skin color and my pigmented lips but what can I say? I'm always pining away for the perfect pink to come along and sweep me off my feet!


I have to say I was really impressed this showed up on me at all. I've nothing on except the Dazzleglass Creme itself.

MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator $19.50 Review

I totally missed out the when Volcanic Ash Exfoliator first debuted so I had to see what all the hype was about this time around. I didn't want to miss out again on this Limited Edition item.


"A highly effective, dual-purpose foaming, cleansing and exfoliating scrub blending natural Volcanic Ash with fine sugar crystals. Refines and unclogs the skin, adds instant moisture: leaves skin feeling soft and comfortably clean. Mineral-rich. May be used effectively on any part of face or body. Rinses off with warm water." ~from MAC's website.

The directions say to smooth this over the skin and then rinse off with warm water 1-3x a week. I tried it that way and I didn't like it because the second this stuff touches water, it's GONE. Instead I spread it all over my skin and then with moisten hands I "scrubbed" it around. See the next set of pictures below to see how it transforms.

Swatches

Here's some of the exfoliator right out of the tube. It's jet black with large flaky grains.


When the water is added, it gets a bit foamy and a bit thinner. See the grains? It looks a lot like kosher salt but I'm not brave enough to find out. If I were to keel over I would just hate to go like that.


Working it in a bit more... you can see it's starting to turn grey as it dissolves.


Ok at this point the "salt" grains have completely dissolved and this is when I finally rinse it all off with warm water. I use this for my face about 1-2x a week and on patchy dry areas of my body whenever.

Product Packaging

I love when MAC takes a departure from their usual black boxes. The outer packaging of the Volcanic Ash Exfoliator is a white box with a raised MAC monogram all over.

I've no issues with the packaging of the actual product. They improved it this time and put it in a plastic squeezy tube. It makes it easy and mess-free to get the product out.

The Verdict: A+
This stuff really rocks! It leaves skin so clean and soft. What really sets it apart from other exfoliators is the foaming action. Even though it only foams a little bit, I think foaming makes the exfoliating process feel bubbly. It's a really nice unique feeling. Most other exfoliators just feel like I'm sandpapering my skin.

There is a strong smoky smell to this and it seems it's either a love it or hate it type of scent. I personally do not mind the smell, but I'm really super sensitive to smoke - I blame my weak nasal passages. When I use this on my face I have to work fast or else I get a tickle in my throat and feel like coughing.

Shipping Experience - Macy's: A+
I bought just 1 bottle of Volvanic Ash at MAC's boutique because I wanted to be sure I really liked this exfoliator before stocking up. Since I ended up loving it, I turned to Macy's to stock up. They were the only store I could find that would allow me to purchase 6 items of these at once.


So here's the stash of my precious Volcanic Ash until MAC re-releases it or better yet makes it part of their permanent collection!