Already a fan of GUERLAIN or keen to rediscover your love of a few forgotten favourites? You’ve come to the right place. In this edit, I’ll be delving into ten of the best GUERLAIN beauty icons.
Each cult-status beauty favourite has contributed to GUERLAIN’s reputation as a luxury beauty brand that’s always in pursuit of excellence and innovation. Covering everything from premium skincare that’s powered by decades’ worth of research into the healing properties of honey to a first-of-its-kind luxe lipstick, these are the most iconic and (in my view) the very best GUERLAIN beauty products that you need to know about…
1. The Cult-Status Bronzing Powder
The Icon: GUERLAIN Terracotta Bronzer
Why It’s An Icon: Ever wondered which GUERLAIN bronzer is best? It has to be Terracotta. One is sold worldwide every 30 seconds. A 2022 Marie Claire Prix D’Excellence Beauty Awards Winner, GUERLAIN’s Terracotta bronzing powder was first released way back in ’84 when it broke makeup history as it’s deemed the first-ever bronzer. And it’s secured its place in the makeup bags of makeup fans the world over ever since.
Acting like an unfiltered dose of sunshine in a compact, it creates a natural bronzed radiance in seconds using a 96% naturally-derived ingredients blend of ingredients, including pigments and luminescent shimmer for an added glow, nourishing and comforting your skin with wear.
2. The Revolutionary Powder Pearls
The Icon: GUERLAIN Meteorites Pearls
Why It’s An Icon: Clearly, GUERLAIN have a thing about making history. Meteorites is yet another cult-status beauty favourite to change the world of makeup upon its release; they’re deemed the first beauty product to incorporate coloured pearls to create luminosity and even out skin tone.
Another thing that sets GUERLAIN’s parma violet-scented Meteorites powder pearls apart? They’re hand-crafted by three trained artisans, who undertake a minimum of six months training before they can produce them. Meteorites Pearls really are the height of luxury and craftsmanship.
And if anyone ever asks you are GUERLAIN Meteorites worth it? The answer is yes: case dismissed.
3. The Customisable Lipstick
The Icon: GUERLAIN Rouge G Lipstick Refill in 03 – Light Rosewood
Why It’s An Icon: The Rouge G Lipstick collection is legendary for all the right reasons. When it was first released, it changed the lipstick game for good by allowing you to personalise your lip look – and I don’t just mean your makeup look, but the actual style of your lipstick. Each Rouge G shade is a refill, so you can choose your personal favourite case to go with it – and trust me, there are plenty of fashionable variations to choose from.
The lip colour itself is nothing short of luxurious. A Beauty Bible Award Winner, it pairs intense colour pigment with luscious lip care. Although the Rouge G line is now home to a wide array of shades and finishes – matte, satin and sheer shine included – the original variation offers a luminous shine, a smooth and immaculate finish, and perfectly plump results. Our best-selling shades here at Escentual? 03 – Light Rosewood, a stunning lip-enhancing pink.
4. The Novel Fragrance
The Icon: GUERLAIN Mitsouko Eau de Parfum
Why It’s An Icon: If you were to ask me, ‘which GUERLAIN perfume is best?’, I wouldn’t be able to answer you; fragrance is all about personal preference, and GUERLAIN certainly have many viable contenders capable of claiming the top spot as the best GUERLAIN perfume. One leading contender, though, is Mitsouko. Created in 1919, it’s the brainchild of Jacques Guerlain, the third and most famous GUERLAIN master perfumers. It was made as a tribute to the Japanese heroine in the novel, La Bataille, written by one of Jacques Guerlain’s friends, Claude Farrère. It tells a tragic tale of a heroine caught between the oath she made to her husband and her forbidden love for an officer from her country’s enemy camp.
Gaining a worthy place in GUERLAIN’s Les Legendaires collection, Mitsouko – which translates from Japanese to mean ‘mystery’ – pairs the fruity, velvety warm sweetness of peach with earthy, woody patchouli for the very first time. This daring, unexpected combination resulted in a revolutionary avant-garde fragrance that is still a best-seller over 100 years after its initial release.
5. The Honey-Loving Icon
The Icon: GUERLAIN Abeille Royale Advanced Youth Watery Oil
Why It’s An Icon: GUERLAIN has become synonymous with bees. And nothing celebrates the beloved honey bee quite like the Abeille Royale range. One particular icon from the collection is the best-selling Watery Oil.
The thing that sets this skin-plumping, radiance-boosting icon apart is the fact that it enables your skin to repair itself 9 times faster than normal. We have GUERLAIN’s Dynamic BlackBee Repair technology to thank for this; created following years’ worth of research, it combines a range of honey and royal jellies from around the world to accelerate the skin’s natural repair mechanisms.
And of course, this is GUERLAIN we’re talking about, so you know it’s going to feel delightful; it packs the punch of serum, offers the richness of an oil but still maintains the lightness of a lotion.
6. The Bee-Powered Facial Serum
The Icon: GUERLAIN Abeille Royale Double R Renew & Repair Serum
Why It’s An Icon: You know a skincare line is good when two of its formulations make it onto my list of icons. Yes, both the Watery Oil and the Double R Serum deserve their place in this line-up – especially as Double R was updated in 2022, and it’s now better than ever before.
As you can tell by both the name and its design, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the Abeille Royale facial serum. Its dual-chamber reflects its two-sided formula, which is all about offering advanced peeling and next-level lifting. It combines the power of two exclusive technologies to renew the epidermis whilst offering a skin-lifting effect with just one formula. Of course, this is Abeille Royale we’re talking about, so you know it’s going to be powered by honey. We have bio-polyfermented honeys to thank for its lifting effect, and white honey and AHAs to thank for its peeling, brightening and revitalising properties.
7. The Amber Signature
The Icon: GUERLAIN Mon Guerlain Eau de Parfum
Why It’s An Icon: Launched in 2017, the Mon Guerlain fragrance has blossomed in popularity to secure its place in the GUERLAIN Hall of Fame. With acting legend, world-renowned filmmaker and humanitarian, Angelina Jolie, as the face of the fragrance, Mon Guerlain is an amber fragrance that’s built around Provencal lavender, sambac jasmine, sandalwood and a sweet, creamy dose of vanilla tahitensis (a specific species of orchid).
Although it’s a fairly modern release given the fact that the brand is nearly 200 years old, this iconic GUERLAIN perfume still honours its heritage. The fragrance might be fresh and modern, but it’s held in the iconic “quadrilobe” bottle. This classic design was created in 1908, and is named after its glamorous stopper, which is formed from just one piece but moulded to resemble four lobes.
8. The Nutty Almond Aroma
The Icon: GUERLAIN L’Homme Ideal Eau de Toilette
Why It’s An Icon: The only men’s fragrance to make my list of GUERLAIN icons, L’Homme Ideal was first released back in 2014. And it’s gone from strength to strength ever since. Loosely inspired by Jicky – a classic GUERLAIN fragrance first unveiled all the way back in 1889 – Ideal for men continues to prove why the brand is held in such high esteem across the perfume world.
Just like so many GUERLAIN icons, L’Homme Ideal breaks the mould and changes the fragrance game. It’s GUERLAIN’s first ever men’s fragrance to centre around almond. And let me tell you, it’s a delicious almond at that!
It’s fresh, bright and dazzling to start, thanks to the likes of citrus, rosemary, orange blossom. But the true indulgence kicks in when you reach the heart. Here, you’re wrapped in a sweet, nutty and utterly sensual “amaretto” dupe inspired by almond and tonka bean – irresistible! Then, L’Homme Ideal’s strength and sturdiness is unveiled in its woody, warm base of Indian vetiver, cedar and leather.
9. The Gold-Speckled Base
The Icon: GUERLAIN L’Or – Radiance Concentrate With Pure Gold Make Up Base
Why It’s An Icon: I don’t think I can name a more luxurious makeup base than L’Or. It’s laced with pure 24-Carat gold flakes – if that doesn’t scream luxury beauty, I don’t know what does.
A truly deluxe beauty icon, L’Or almost feels like a piece of jewellery on your dressing table, as opposed to a makeup product, especially as its precious gold flakes glisten and glitter as they catch the light. But, believe it or not, this is a makeup primer, so the gold is here for a reason; the ultra-sparkling and ultra-reflective particle throughout a hydrating gel to beautify your complexion. For a number of beauty lovers around the world, the classic GUERLAIN L’Or – Radiance Concentrate is the secret to a smooth, satiny and radiant complexion – whether used as a primer or mixed in with foundation for extra glowiness.
As if its gold-flecked formula wasn’t premium enough, the L’Or primer is laced with a delicate floral scent, combining the likes of peach, raspberry, jasmine and white musk for another touch of luxury.
And, it’s pretty clear you know this already, as it’s even made it into list of all time best-sellers over the past 20 years:
10. The Long-Lasting Liquid Foundation
The Icon: GUERLAIN Parure Gold Skin Matte No-Transfer High Perfection Foundation – 24H Care & Wear SPF15
Why It’s An Icon: Whoever first said ‘all that glitters isn’t gold’ has clearly never tried GUERLAIN. And just like the L’Or – Radiance Concentrate Base, yet another gold-infused beauty has made it to my list of the top ten best GUERLAIN beauty products that need to be on your radar: the Parure Gold Foundation.
Boasting an ultra-sensory texture, the updated Parure Gold Skin Matte Foundation features an 85% rejuvenating skincare-base. Delivering around-the-clock coverage, this iconic GUERLAIN foundation might have the word ‘matte’ in the title, but that doesn’t mean it looks dull – far from it! Its velvety texture maintains your skin’s luminosity as it pairs pure 24-karat gold with white peony extracts for skin that appears more beautiful and more luminous over time. Parure Gold Radiance is a true gold-star foundation.
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