Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Guerlain Parure Extreme Foundation Review!

Guerlain Parure Extreme Foundation

Guerlain Parure Extreme Foundation ($58) is a luminous, extreme-wear foundation with SPF 25 that is water resistant, non-transferable and long lasting.
"Guerlain Parure Extreme Luminous Extreme Wear Foundation leaves the complexion glowing with a naturally matte finish. This Tibetan Rhodiola plant formulation helps cells withstand temperature variations, intense heat, and stress—making this product last for at least eight hours."
Guerlain Parure Extreme is available in nine (9) shades: 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 13, 23, 24 and 25.

I debated whether to purchase #3 or #4, and I ended up purchasing #4 Beige Moyen. It turns out that the shade is a bit dark and pink for me, but if I mixed it with a lighter, golden foundation it works fine - or if applied very sparingly. I did end up purchasing shade #3 and it works much better. *Guerlain numbers their foundations with the even numbered shades being pink toned, and the odd numbered shades are yellow-toned. 

It's pretty unfortunate there are only nine shades, so there's only a limited range of skin tones that can wear this foundation.

The consistency of this foundation is very light and creamy. It's not heavy at all - in fact, it's somewhat runny. If you apply a pump on the back of your hand, it will start to run, but it's not thin/watery.

You must give this foundation a good shake before applying it for the best results. My favorite way of applying this foundation is actually with my fingers. I start off by moisturizing my face, and dot the foundation on each area of my face and blend together with my finger tips in circular motions (as if I was applying a moisturizer). After it's all blended, I like going over my face with a flat-top foundation brush to further buff it it in. Less is more. I have found that when I've applied too much, I look very unnatural - it seems to oxidize slightly, and when I apply too much, it looks like I'm wearing a mask. Start out with 1/2 a pump, and when you're done blending it in, add more if necessary. The result is completely flawless. It dries to a satin-matte finish. For my balanced skin, a powder isn't necessary, and I prefer not wearing a powder because the finish is beautiful.



The coverage varies on how much product you apply. With a 1/2 pump, it provides a light-medium coverage and with a full pump it provides a solid medium coverage. With additional product, it's buildable to full. It completely evens out the skintone and makes the skin look healthy, natural and flawless. It really gives the illusion of perfect skin. I'd like to say it's somewhat similar to Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (but with better wear).

(Here is my face with and without the foundation in shade #4. As you can tell in the after photo, my face has a pink cast and isn't the best color match for me.)

(Here I am wearing Guerlain Parure Foundation #3 - a much better match!)

The wear time is very good. I notice a little shine mid-day, so I usually dust a little Guerlain Meteorites on my face, so I won't use a powder that takes away from the luminous finish.

This foundation has a scent, for those sensitive to fragrance in their cosmetics. The scent is very soft and pleasant. I absolutely love it. It reminds me a bit of the smell of Chanel Bronze Universel. 

From left to right: Guerlain Parure Extreme #4, Nars Sheer Glow in Barcelona Nars Sheer Glow in Stromboli, MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC40 and Estee Lauder Double Wear in Tawny.

Additional swatches:

Out of the bunch, Guerlain is the most pink toned, Nars Stromboli is the most yellow toned and Estee Lauder is the most Neutral. Nars Barcelona & MAC are practically identical and are warm. All shades are in the medium range.





Overall, I'm really happy with this foundation and it has become one of my top foundations! It's a bit expensive though, for daily wear. 

Price: $58, Sephora.

Have you tried Guerlain Parure Extreme? What are your thoughts? Have you tried any other Guerlain foundations?

11 comments:

  1. Im a NC37-40 in Mac Studio Fix and have yellow undertones. I was thinking about buying this but after you say its very pinky.. I will not now! Thanks! Your makeup looks great like always!

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  2. Great review and your makeup is always beautiful!

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  3. i want to read your whole review tomorrow, love, i'm passing out! but i wanted to say you look fab in the pictures and i realized we share a similar smile, i have the same laugh lines as you (not wrinkles, just the lines we make when we smile) sadly i'm older than you and i DO have those wrinkles now, lol - who cares, it just means i try to be happy!

    i'd puppy sit for you if you were nearby, seriously! i love puppysitting!

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  4. Great review. I love your smile, it's so beautiful. :-)

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  5. Eugenia - TY! I know, it's such a shame because it's such a beautiful foundation!

    Meme - Thank you! :)

    Janie - Thank you Dear.. haha that's so cute! My laugh lines drive me crazy b/c my foundation always settles in them! Grrr!!!! When I look at your posts.. you remind me a lot of myself. I think we have similar body types too. We're both shorties. I'd love you to puppy sit.. this little guy drives me nuts. Lol. It's like having a new born.. I can't get any sleep!

    Nicole - Aww, thank you!! :)

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  6. I'm an NW30 so #3 sounds like what i'll pick up! i like foundations that don't make you look perfect and show some of your redness (just a little though!)

    oh my gosh, me too, it always settles in my lines too!! we are def shorties! funny enough, most of my bff's are shorties too, rofl - if you ever want to vent on your little puppy, shoot me a message, i went through the potty training in a high rise apartment bldg, SO NOT EASY, i wanted to throw him out the window on the first night, i'm cold hearted, i didn't want to let him sleep with me the first night...didn't want to spoil him - which was in vain, he's a spoiled brat now and still doesn't let me sleep! i hope you get some sleep, love!!

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  7. you're so pretty =] super cute blog doll. www.fancybytch.blogspot.com

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  8. very helpful review, thank you!

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  9. I think I would love the finish and feel and scent of this foundation, if only they have better color selection - that's probably it's been taking me more than a year to decide whether to get one or not!!

    Pretty girl!! Thanks for this in depth review!

    blushfully.blogspot.com

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  10. Thanks for review, your blog is great)
    ps. also wanted to say that you're reeeaallyy beautiful!

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  11. I have the same shades of your liquids foundations & I recently bought the guerlain parure extreme foundation but instead of buy the shade 3 or 4, I bought the shade 23 its a perfect match for my nc 30-35-37 skin because this shade have a warm yellow undertone :3 I hope I can help you out

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