Guerlain Météorites: Perles du Dragon Review

Guerlain's Perles du Dragon are my first météorites purchase. I haven't regretted a penny of it. The photos of the météorites combined with the rave reviews I read spurred me on to make my first Guerlain purchase after coveting météorites for so many years.

I eagerly awaited their arrival. The colors looked like they would suit both warm and cool skin tones. Overall, they looked pastel enough to give a clean soft glow without adding any extra unwanted color to my skin.

The official press release for Perles du Dragon:

Météorites Perles du Dragon is named for the Year of the Dragon, and pays tribute to the mythical animal, a symbol of the emperor of China, whose primary source of power lay in a pearl, synonymous with happiness, wisdom and abundance. The harmony of six shades of pearls in an intense, iridescent monochrome palette is perfectly tailored to the holiday season. Like nighttime jewels, it cloaks the face in incredible radiance: pale pink and beige even out the complexion, white and gold illuminate, while plum and rosewood brighten areas of shadow and erase fatigue as the night goes on. The famous metal case, also embossed in black, is stamped with a golden rosette and bears the Guerlain signature.

When it arrived, I gleefully took it out of its packing to examine it. It comes in a regular black Guerlain météorites box. The inside, however, has the perfect red hue. A slight tip to the Asian themed collection. The round metal case is completely black with gold rosette. Some people complained about the dullness of the packaging, but I like its simple elegance.

The beautiful inside of the box.

The violet scented perles are hidden underneath a black sponge. I have read that this sponge can be used as a applicator. It also holds the balls in place and prevents the perles and powder from spilling out onto the lid area. There are six colors total - pink, beige, white, gold, plum, rosewood. All the colors blended together are supposed to create a flawless complexion.

Perles and powder residue on the black sponge.

A few reviewers have noted that the perles do not look the same in person as they do in the promo photos. I have to agree, but the effect on the face is still stunning.

As the press release states:

• pale pink and beige balls even out the complexion
• white and gold balls illuminate
• plum and rosewood balls brighten areas of shadow and erase fatigue

Close up on perles in indoor light.

The perles all mixed together create a sheer peachy beige color. As some collectors can attest, there are subtle differences with all météorites. They created the same polished airbrushed effect, but each météorites collection provides nuanced variations. 

Close up of peachy powder on black sponge.

Trying them on my face, I could see the difference! It's something I could never tell with a swatch on the back of my hand. It gave me a "my skin, but better" appearance. Perles du Dragon added a nice healthy glow to my skin. There was no excessive shimmer or glitter on me as other have reported. Just a nice subtle glow. I looked refreshed and awake. My fears that the powder would sit on my pores were unfounded. If anything, it seemed to aid in minimizing pores too. It was amazing.

This one little product had me hooked and sold on Guerlain météorites.

This would be the start of a beautiful and dangerous obsession.

All photos (c) Little Luxuries 2013.