When I first saw images of the Guerlain Terra Azzurra Collection I was immediately drawn to the new Meteorites in the collection. These pearl powders are Guerlain’s signature and the limited edition versions are often too pretty to pass up.

While I’m not an avid collector of the Meteorites like some bloggers, I do own Teint Beige 02, a permanent color in the line-up. I love the soft-focus, glowy look that it creates and consider it to be one of my favorite face cosmetics.

Purely aesthetics wise, the Guerlain Meteorites Illuminating Powder in Perles D’Azur ($59 US) is stunning. The addition of the blue pearls pops against the warmth and peachiness of the other Summery hues. The indigo blue exterior packaging covered by a Pucci print lid is lovely too.

I never use the included sponge, however I like keeping it in the container as a cushion between the metal lid and the pearls. It also absorbs any flyaway powder from excessively swirling the brush around, which is so fun it happens a lot.

A close-up of the Perles D’Azur. I could never get tired of seeing photos of these light-reflecting beauties. The shimmer is not invisible, but I’ll emphasize that it’s never the unflattering, pore-accentuating kind.

As you can see, there’s a mixture of champagne gold, pearlescent white, satin pink, turquoise, peachy orange, and beige tan pearls. The colors aren’t meant to be pigmented and show up individually, but create an overall illuminating effect.

It is difficult to photograph swatches of the Guerlain Meteorites, but if you look closely you can see very fine shimmer. Perles D’Azur is neutral in color, and the glow leans neither silver or gold, but truly pearly.

I like wearing this as a finishing powder, especially on my cheeks where it complements nearly every blush. The softness of the delicate powder, which is strongly violet scented, makes it a joy to apply with a large, fluffy powder brush.

Have you tried the Guerlain Meteorites before? What do you think of the Perles D’Azur edition?

Love this post? Subscribe to The Daily Cookie RSS feed and email to get more Summer collection reviews from your favorite beauty brands!

Like I mentioned last weekend in this preview post, the Guerlain Summer 2012 items are absolutely exquisite; simply put they are collector’s items. Something I touched on was the beautiful detailing to the packaging, but it’s not just that which makes these pieces so splurge worthy.

The collection is actually a collaboration with Emilio Pucci, Guerlain’s second collaborative collection with the fashion house to date, that takes inspiration from Summers in Italy. For further aesthetics, the blue print incorporated throughout the collection is one of Pucci’s iconic prints called “Winter Capri.”

The leading star of the collection has to be the Guerlain Terra Azzurra Bronzing Powder & Blush ($75 US). This is my first time trying one of Guerlain’s pressed powders, which are excellently noted in many a bloggers’ reviews. This particular split-pan bronzer and blush compact did not fail to meet my expectations.

One thing to note is that the compact, and consequently the mirror inside, is very large at .56 oz or 16g. There is more than enough product to get one through the Summer and beyond, even if used liberally each day. Also, the powder does not have a typical flip-open closure like a compact. Instead, there are magnets on the edges of the unattached top and bottom pieces which must be lined up.

A little more than half the pan is dedicated to the bronzer, a light tan color with barely a hint of shimmer. The other three strips, which are too narrow to pick up color from individually, are perfect-for-Summer blush shades in coral, soft raspberry, and a light pink highlight. I know that a lot of my other cheek products are not going to see as much light this Summer as this fabulously coordinated face palette.

The bottom shade in my swatch are all the colors mixed which is how I like wearing the Terra Azzurra Bronzer & Blush on my cheeks. On other areas of my face I’ll dust the bronzer, and the apples of my cheeks may get an extra touch of the blush portion. In this way, the looks are customizable to changes in skin tone or preference. Pigmentation is softer on the face than the pan implies, so even fair colorings can pull this off.

Have you seen the Guerlain Terra Azzurra Collection on counters yet? What do you think of bronzer & blush palettes for Summer?

Love this post? Subscribe to The Daily Cookie RSS feed and email to get more Summer 2012 Collection reviews from your favorite beauty brands!

Since I received my package on Thursday I’ve been anticipating the arrival of this weekend so I could play with the goodies inside! Namely the Terra Azzurra Bronzing Powder & Blush and Meteorites Perles D’azur Illuminating Powder from the Guerlain Terra Azzurra Summer 2012 Collection.

Both are painfully hefty splurges, but so pretty that I feel redeemed by the fact that they don’t disappoint from what I expected from the promotional images. After I take more pictures of the stunning packaging and such, I’ll share my thoughts with you this coming week.

Another beautifully photographed hair tutorial by A Beautiful Mess. This time showing us how to create a braided crown.

Aren’t these perfectly coordinating lip and nail color products by Butter London shown on I am Style-ish just genius?

More love for Guerlain at The Gloss Goss who shows us her favorites from their other Summer collection Sun in the City.

These new Tarte Maracuja Cheek Tints on Allura Beauty seem to give the prettiest Summery glow.

A taste of what’s coming up this Summer from Nails Inc. on The London Beauty Review with a wowing green glitter topcoat.

Love this post? Subscribe to The Daily Cookie RSS feed and email to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox!

I can’t tell you how picky I am when it comes to foundation. When it’s labeled a tinted moisturizers I’ll try anything, but for some reason I feel like the word “foundation” can be a warning sign: Use cautiously to prevent a heavy, mask-like complexion.

It can be a daunting task to pick the right one. Especially since I usually only reach for foundations on a bad skin day, meaning I need one with natural, medium-full coverage. The last thing I need is to accent redness or a break-out with cakey, thick makeup.

Of course this is where the Flawless Face expert Laura Mercier enters the story. The new Laura Mercier Oil Free Supreme Foundation ($42 US) is the perfect fit for my needs and something I’ve been obsessively using for the past month. I’m thinking it might have become somewhat of a necessity in my foundation wardrobe.

The biggest draw for me has to be the finish, a soft matte that seems to blur out pores and provides even, full coverage. I wouldn’t say this foundation feels exactly weightless like some, which usually have lighter coverage, but it lasts eights hours like promised.

There are 12 shades in the line. I have Sunny Beige, a creamy yellow-toned beige that melts seamlessly into my NC-30/NC-35 complexion. Laura Mercier says to apply this with fingers or a sponge after shaking the bottle. I like using my fingers.

The Oil Free Supreme Foundation doesn’t keep me shine-free all eight hours, so a mid-day powder touch-up is needed. However, that’s only in my t-zone where my combination oily skin gets the shiniest. For areas like my cheeks, it endures beautifully and makes anything I wear like blushes or bronzers stay strong too.

Have you checked out Laura Mercier’s newest foundation yet? Do you have a favorite Flawless Face product by the brand?

Love this post? Subscribe to The Daily Cookie RSS feed and email to get the latest review stories sent straight to your inbox!

This review contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR.   We do not do paid or guarantee reviews. For more information, please read our Editorial & Content Disclosure.

What: Aveeno Positively Ageless Correcting Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30

Who: Uneven and dull skin, meet your match. The search for a preventive moisturizer with a hint of natural coverage is over.

How: Apply each morning with fingers as both a daytime moisturizer and face makeup. Drier skin types may need to wear an additional moisturizer underneath this. Less than one pump is needed for light coverage since it is surprisingly pigmented.

Why we like it: The slight and subtle shimmer creates a brighter look, just what is needed to counteract the look of aging skin. The SPF 30 and addition of shiitake mushroom provide skincare benefits.

What we would change: The color selection, or lack thereof. Light to Medium, which is about two shades too dark for me, is the only one available. Oddly enough it looks fine out of the pump, but dries darker. Medium skin tones shouldn’t have an issue matching, but there are a lot of people who could love this if it was sold in more shades.

Where to buy it: Get it at your local drugstore, mass retailer, or online for $19.99 US.

Love this post? Subscribe to The Daily Cookie RSS feed and email to get more product reviews from your favorite beauty brands!

This review contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR.   We do not do paid or guarantee reviews. For more information, please read our Editorial & Content Disclosure.