Guerlain Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl Liner 06 Mirage

Price: $35 for 1g (.03oz)

What they say:
"An exceptionally elegant eye makeup innovation, this ultra fine, loose powder, with a touch of iridescence, can be applied as an eyeliner using the wand applicator or applied as an eyeshadow using the brush."


What I say:
I have reviewed these kohls before, but this is the new limited edition shade, so I thought I should post a separate review for those interested before it sells out. 

This shade is Brun, but without the sparkle.  I did have a swatch of the two together, but it didn't turn out that good, unfortunately.  There is no slight variation of the shades, there's no background color difference, Mirage is Brun without the shimmer, period.

Brun happened to be my favorite of the kohls, so this wasn't a bad thing for me, since I don't always like shimmer, but really, the difference when worn was minimal, at best.  They wore for the same amount of time (not surprising), and if anything could be said, I would say the shimmer of Brun makes it look maybe the slightest bit lighter in bright lighting, if that.

If you have Brun, you probably don't need Mirage.  If you have neither, you might want to pick up the LE Mirage first, since you can always find Brun later if you like the color.

Overall 4/5
This color, since it really isn't that special 3/5

Guerlain Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl Liner

Price: $34 for 1g, .03oz

What they say:
"An exceptionally elegant eye makeup innovation, this ultra fine, loose powder, with a touch of iridescence, can be applied as an eyeliner using the wand applicator or applied as an eyeshadow using the brush. "

What I say:
After that review I did on their blush, I thought I would review something from Guerlain that I did not think totally sucked.  Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl Liner (henceforth known as "kohl") is a decent product, but one that is not an immediate success, unless you know what you are doing.

First, the video link: how to apply kohl the Eastern way.

As you can see from that video, the way that this shines is the fact that you can put it on your waterline very quickly, without any tools but the one that came with it, and basically without a mirror (if you get good enough at it).  Yes, it does look a bit scary, but after having done this a number of times myself, I can attest to the fact that it is in fact not painful at all, and actually really simple to do.  If you can put on contacts, you are more than capable of doing this maneuver.  Hell, contacts are scarier, since you aren't watching this with the eye you are doing it with.

This power does not hurt at all when it gets in your eyes.  I have gotten it in my eyes a lot, and never felt a thing.  The powder does end up in your inner corners of your eyes, but you can just take that out when it gets there.

Lasting power: it's good.  I do notice a little migration if I don't prep properly beforehand, but that's my own fault, and the fault of my slightly oily, watery eyes.  This stuff, when it finally migrates to my lash area (which it does, but seriously, it looks like you meant it to be there, and just makes your lashes pop), does not want to leave.  Oil cleanser can take care of it, and it is easier to get off than mascara, but sheesh, it can be a bastard.

Colors are limited, but the ones that I have tried are nice (brown and black).  I want to get my hands on 00 Glow and 04 Oriental Metal.

Price is ludicrous, until you think of how little you are using each time.  You're supposed to tap off the excess back into the jar, so really, all you are using is what little powder sticks to the plastic stick, which is basically nothing.  Yes, it's only 1g, but it lasts a really long time.

Which actually leads me to my next point.  Sanitizing.  You sanitize a eyeliner pencil by sharpening.  You sanitize eyeliner pressed powder by spray and wiping off the outer layer.  How do you sanitize this?  The key is the stylus.  It is hard plastic, which is incredibly easy to sanitize.  Just wipe it off/sanitize it after each eye, and before putting it back in the product.  Since it is hard plastic, unlike a brush, it dried pretty much immediately.  If you are uncomfortable doing that, using a toothpick that you rounded the edge off is something that I have read online, though I have not tried that myself, so don't quote me on that.

So, overall, do I feel it's worth it for the price?  Well, yes, and no.  Kohl that is safe, and lead free, is actually harder to locate than you might think.  Colors are nearly impossible to find.  While this stuff is quite expensive, I look at it in more than one part:
1) It come with its own applicator, which is convenient.
2) It comes with its own nice looking container, which is nearly unheard of.
3) It is safe for your eyes, unlike many kohls and kajals on the market (that are easily accessible).
4) A little does last a really long time.
5) It does not contain lead.

So yes, I do think it's worth it, at least as a gift.

4/5  (-1 for price being so high)

Guerlain Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl Liner

image from Sephora.com

So I had been lemming this for quite a while, and finally decided to get it (it helped that I had a 10% off coupon, of course). I picked up both the Black 1 (deep charcoal black) and Brun 2 (golden brown).

What they say:
"An exceptionally elegant eye makeup innovation, this ultra fine, loose powder, with a touch of iridescence, can be applied as an eyeliner using the wand applicator or applied as an eyeshadow using the brush."

What I say:
Well, Brun had iridescence, but I really didn't notice it in the Black shade. The black applies more like a dark charcoal gray, and I had to reapply just to get it to really show up. On the other hand, Brun was stunning. While I also had to reapply, it came out much nicer, and looked great against my blue-green eyes. The powder was definitely finely milled, and even when I got it in my eyes, a couple blinks later, and it was gone.

Now, there are two ways to apply this, and since I have other pencils and the like to apply Western style, I stuck with the more traditional method (read: stick it in your eye, and pull). There are a lot of tutorials on youtube about how to apply, and I whole-heartedly think you should look them up if you are thinking of purchasing this product. Keep in mind, while the whole idea of sticking something in your eye might seem, well... wrong, it really feels not that different from applying pencil to your waterline, and is a whole lot faster. It seriously took me just a couple tries to get this right, and it never once hurt (even when I poked myself (cause I'm an idiot)). I do suggest that you give this a few tries before your big dinner date (or going out in general) so you know it looks good.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this product. Right now I'm debating between returning my black one in exchange for a backup of Brun, or buying the entire color range that I can get my hands on... too bad there's something called "needing food" and "not /needing/ makeup."

4/5