Guerlain Meteorites Cruel Gardenia Review, Swatches

Hello there!  I apologize for my absence for the past couple of weeks I had some last minute travel that came up, but I am getting back into the swing of things now.  It's good to be back!

When I first saw Guerlain's Cruel Gardenia Meteorites, I thought for sure it was mainly a cheek highlighter.  It looked so frosty in the pan, and less frosty but so shimmery when swatched, that it seemed impossible to use all over the face without looking a disco ball.  I am happy to report that this is not so.

Guerlain Cruel Gardenia Meteorites

First, I just wanted to preface by saying that I attempted swatch pictures of Cruel Gardenia but it has been snowing all week here in Seattle and the lighting has been atrocious; only one swatch turned out to be decent, and it is below.  Mr. Addicted and I are working on a light box setup of some kind so that I can still manage swatches during these ridiculously gray months.  I hope you will bear with me, and I thank you in advance for your patience!

OK so I admit, I originally purchased Cruel Gardenia Meteorites mostly because of the hype.  I knew it was going to sell quickly and having missed out on the Serie Noire Blush G last year (I still can't believe I skipped it - WTF), I was not going to let this one slip by me.  I ordered it from Nordstrom as soon as it was available, but I held out on testing it for over a week after it arrived just because my expectations were kinda low.  Frankly, I anticipated returning it because let's face it, as much as I love them I really don't need another overpriced highlighter in my stash.

So, I am sorry to say that Cruel Gardenia languished in my drawer for a little while.  Then the other day, in what I can only describe as a fit of boredom, I used a face blending brush to lightly buff Cruel Gardenia all over my face to see what would happen.  I was pleasantly surprised by the results!  I found the powder to be creamier  and more finely milled than the Meteorites Perles I have tried at Guerlain counters, and the shimmer is much less noticeable when applied to skin.  I got a soft focus effect from Cruel Gardenia, but without the noticeable chunks of sparkle I have found when I tried the Perles.   Keep in mind that Cruel Gardenia is pretty pink, so this might not work for you if you are quite warm-toned.  Being more on the neutral end of things myself, I found the effect wonderful.  I have a whole new respect for this powder!

Here is Cruel Gardenia on my NC/NW10-15 arm:

Left: Cruel Gardenia swatched

Right: Cruel Gardenia blended slightly

Trust me, when you look at it, you are going to think it's frosty.  When you swatch it, you will be mesmerized by the creaminess and the shimmer, and you will think it best used on cheek bones, brow bones etc.  But the shimmer is so fine that it really will look good all over the face.  You can see from the picture above that once you begin to blend it, the powder takes on more of a sheen than a shimmer, but it does not look oily at all. It translates to a nice youthful glow on my face.

I purchased my Cruel Gardenia from Nordstrom, which is my go-to for most U.S. beauty purchases because of their excellent customer service, free shipping, and fantastic return policy.  Nordstrom has sold out, but you can still get it on Neiman Marcus' website.  Use code NMJAN for free shipping!  You could also try calling your local NM or Nordstrom to see if they might have one left.

UPDATE: Neiman Marcus has sold out, but you can still find Cruel Gardenia Meteorites at Dillard's.