Beautiful design, but minus points for smudgy fingerprints
One of the most beautiful (non-limited edition) palette I own has to be the Guerlain Ecrin 6-Couleurs Eyeshadow in 2, Place Vendome. I purchased this when it first came out two years ago, but relegated it to the back drawer because I could never make it work. The looks came out too muddy, too messy, too much, but I realized it's because I kept trying to use all six colors at once.
I know. 'twas a silly compulsion. But I picked it up again and now it's magic! To illustrate, I created three simple looks from just this one palette, but no doubt I've only scratched the surface of possible combinations.
Be warned: this post is picture-heavy, even for Messy Wands standards.
First, I love the softly shimmering textures in this palette. The liner shade on the most left can be more intense if used wet, but I don't like doing it because I don't like the leftover stain you get on the shadow. The taupe shade is beautiful on the lower lash line, which you can see in action in the last look below.
(Also, for concision's sake I will not explain the base makeup/repeat steps like apply concealer/mascara etc. For list of products used, scroll to the bottom.)
Light Smokey Eye
Apply ivory shade as highlight under brows and around inner corners of the eyes. Light gray shade all over the lid, lightly blending out toward the brow bone, and on bottom lash line. Taupe shade in the outer v. Lightly apply liner shade to upper lash line.
Deep Gray Gradient Smokey Eye
Pat the darkest gray shade on to the eyelid and use the taupe shade to blend it out toward the brow bone. Use the ivory shade to highlight under the brows and blend into the taupe. Press liner shade into upper lash line. The bottom lash line is a combination of the dark gray and taupe shades.
On a side note, methinks it's time to invest in a better brush for the lower lash line.
Violet Smokey Eye
Pat the blue shade on to the eyelid, blend light gray in the inner 1/3, then press taupe shade to the center of the eyelid, being careful not to blend it out too much (but enough so it's not just a patch). Line upper lash line with liner shade and lower lash line with taupe shade.
And finally, to dispel the "rule" (myth, I say!) that you can't pair a heavy eye with a drastic lip:
Endless fun! Can you believe I used only one brush (my precious Shu Uemura 11 Pure Kolinsky) to apply all that eyeshadow too? The palette, mercifully, is in Guerlain's permanent color collection for $85.
Shop the products:
· I used the same base makeup for each look -
RMS Beauty Uncover-Up #22
Shu Uemura 11 Pure Kolinsky Eyeshadow Brush
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow in 01 Moss Green
Shu Uemura Retractable Mechanical Brow Pencil in Seal Brown
Shu Uemura 6OB Brush
· Look 1 -
Suqqu Balancing Cheeks in 02 Mukuge
John Masters Organics Lip Calm
Shu Uemura 20H Blush Brush
· Look 2 -
(same as Look 1, with the addition of)
Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipstick #12
· Look 3 -
(same as Look 2)
Chanel Notorious Sculpting Veil for Eyes and Cheeks (now available on
Chanel.com!)
· Bonus -
Mohair sweater is from
Club Monaco, purchased last year.
