Guerlain 2 Place Vendome Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette

This is one of those posts that write themselves. It starts with the photos that no matter how tempting they look, they still don't compare to the very gorgeous real thing, and continues with a product that performs so well it makes you wonder why isn't every makeup item this good. I'm not even talking about the packaging- the compacts of the Ecrin 6 Couleurs should win Guerlain some serious prizes for the beautiful design. This is what a luxury product should be like.

As I've mentioned before, I chose two of these Guerlain eye shadow palettes. One was the warm mauves of 93 Rue de Passy, and the other one is this- 2 Place Vendome. The shimmery blue eye shadow in the center is the star, of course, as are the blue eye shadows other brands have been featuring lately (Le Metier de Beaute Le Cirque, Bobbi Brown Denim & Rose, Armani NightViper, Nars (coming soon. I couldn't resist) and Givenchy Midnight Look (ditto). But the other colors in th are character actors- full of depth and deserving of love.

The compact creates the impression these shades are on the cool end of the scale, but as you can see they are actually quite neutral and pick warm tones from the skin, making all of them very wearable and adjustable for various makeup looks. You can use only one or blend several colors together to shade and highlight. The eyeliner is more muted on skin than it appears in the pan.  I like it a lot more in this compact than the charcoal from Rue de Passy because the color is not just more unique but also looks as an integral part of the palette. I like using it to smoke out Bobbi Brown's Denim Ink gel eyeliner, but it's fine by itself or over a black liquid liner.

The texture and pigment of these eye shadows is just as superb as in Rue de Passy. My swatches don't necessary reflect it, because I didn't use a primer and my skin was already raw from swatching other items when I took these photos, still I think you can get a decent impression of the pretty.

Bottom Line: Made of awesome.

2 Place Vendome Fall 2010 Eye Shadow Palette ($84) is available from Guerlain counters everywhere.

All photos are mine. It's really bad karma to steal them and not give credit. I'm just sayin'.