Pucci Fever: Guerlain by Pucci Eye Shadow Quad in Capri

I'm tickled to be writing this review, as Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Capri is perhaps my favourite splurge from the Spring 2012 cosmetics collections. As they have done in the past, Guerlain teamed up with the iconic design house Pucci to create a makeup collection awash with warm pinks, corals, and bronzes, evocative of springtime in the Mediterranean. While I was tempted to snatch up the whole collection, the treasure that came home with me was the eyeshadow quad.

Here it is, next to its luxe, Pucci-printed box:

Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Capri- Spring 2012

And a closeup of the box's interior, lined with a turquoise floral Pucci print:

Though the packaging is charming, it is of course the eye shadow itself that makes this product a standout. Here are a few closeups:

As you can see, the palette contains a sheer white with subtle shimmer, a matte, bright pink, a shimmery salmon-coral, and a deep brown with shimmer. All of the shadows have an amazing, soft texture and are a dream to apply. Super smooth! The pink, coral, and brown shades are quite heavily pigmented, while the white shade is more sheer.

Here are swatches of the individual shades:

I was a bit intimidated by the pink and coral shades at first- not because I shy away from colour, but because pink-toned eyeshadow has a tendency to give me that unrested, irritated eye look. Not flattering! Luckily, when all four shades from the palette are used in unison, the result is actually quite wearable. You could certainly wear the pink and coral shades more heavy-handedly for a greater impact, but the look I created for this post is a bit more subdued.

Here's what I did to create the look:

1) I applied a neutral champagne shade (Laura Mercier Eye Shadow in Sandstone)  all over the lid and crease to create a base for the look. I did not use the white shade from the palette for this, since it is quite sheer and better used as a highlight

2) I applied the coral shade to the inner half of my crease, gently blending up and out.

3) Next, I applied the pink shade to the outer half of my crease, blending it into the coral shade.

4) After that, I applied the brown shimmery shade from the palette to the outer corner of my eye, blending it gently into the crease, merging it with the pink and coral shades.

5) Then I applied the white shade from the palette gently to my brow bone, inner corners of the eye, and the centre of my lid.

6) Next I used the pointed end of the applicator included with the palette to apply the dark brown shade as an eyeliner, winging it out slightly.

7) Finally, I applied two coats of a volumizing mascara (Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black).


And that's it! Here are a few pictures of the final look. My camera didn't fully capture the vividness of the shades (weird, unreliable lighting that day), but hopefully this still gives you a good idea!

Mixture of natural and artificial light, no flash

With flash

Overall, this palette is a must for anyone who is a sucker for warm, summery shades or has a soft-spot for butter-soft eyeshadow. Being a fan of vibrant colour wouldn't hurt either, though as you can see from my look above, even the colour-shy could make this palette work!

Thanks for reading :)