Guerlain Crazy 68 Terracotta Healthy Glow Powder from the Holiday 2013 Crazy Paris Collection

I wasn't going to purchase Guerlain's Crazy 68 Terracotta Healthy Glow Powder ($69) from the holiday collection. I was going to be frugal, given that I have so many Guerlain bronzers. Frugal flew away with the wind when I was offered a 20% discount at Sephora. Now that I have this beautiful pressed powder compact, I think "frugal" could have led to a terrible mistake.

This matte bronzer is designed to revive dull winter skin. That's why it's special. It doesn't make me look brown; it makes me look healthy - as the name suggests.

Healthy Glow Powder warms the skin with a matte finish and creates a subtle, natural-looking glow complemented by winter light. The first-ever Holiday Terracotta, this powder features a delicate peach hue infused with invigorating bursts of pink. Apply it, and you'll experience a subtle, natural-looking glow that uplifts your lackluster or wan winter complexion.

I took swatch photos outdoors in full, mid-day sunshine. I applied a heavy swatch at the top of my arm with a sponge-tipped applicator, making sure that all colors in the compact were equally represented in my swatch. Then I used a kabuki brush to pick up all colors and apply a larger swatch below. When I applied the powder to my face, I swooned. It's one of the prettiest "bronzers" for my fair complexion I've ever used.

Look at the peach-toned beige shade! It's so natural when applied normally, it makes me look like me, but healthier. I could have made a huge mistake by not purchasing this powder. I'll wear it in every season - not just winter. If you have fair skin like I do, you'll find it a year-round blessing.

If your skin is darker than mine, perhaps you'll limit the use of Crazy 68 Terracotta Healthy Glow Powder to winter and switch to a browner powder bronzer when the cruise season starts - or later. Unless your complexion is very dark, I think you will find a lot to appreciate from Guerlain's holiday masterpiece.

Guerlain Crazy 68 Terracotta Healthy Glow Powder from the Holiday 2013 Crazy Paris Collection is available at all Guerlain counters and online at Sephora and other sites. If you had planned to skip it, I'd recommend you rethink that.

Photo at top courtesy of Sephora; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

Crazy 68 Météorites Illuminating Compact from the Guerlain Holiday 2013 Crazy Paris Collection

Guerlain has created another Météorites product to light up the holiday season: the Météorites Crazy 68 Illuminating Compact ($69). Like its Pearl counterpart, the new, limited-edition holiday Météorites Compact reveals energetic hues of pink that light up the face with a delicate satiny halo. The pressed powder is discreetly perfumed with an inimitable powdery violet - a Guerlain signature. There is a third Météorites product I did not purchase: Crazy 68 Terracotta Bronzer, the first-ever Holiday Terracotta. I think my bronzer count has exceeded all bounds of reason. The bronzer does look very nice, though.

I usually resist the pressed powder Météorites entirely, opting instead for the Météorites Pearls. However, this time the colors were so pretty, I succumbed to the I-wants. I'm glad I did. I can carry this compact along with me, and who doesn't want to glow toward the end of the day?

I took swatch photos in full sun, swatching at the top of my arm with a sponge-tipped applicator that had been "run" across all the shades in the compact. I really laid on the product, although you'll never know it from my photos. This powder proves I'm a crazy blogger for attempting to show you this light pink powder. For the larger swatch below, I used a brush, but it doesn't look any different - probably because I had to apply it heavily to see it distinctly on my arm. Such is the nature of finishing powders.

I hope you can see that the color is light, cool pink with a slight glow. It is entirely different from the color of the Crazy Champs Élysées Météorites Pearls, which are a warm pink and provide more color than this pressed powder does. It was hard getting good swatch photos, so these will have to do.

This is a very nice illuminating powder, however, if I had to choose between the two holiday Météorites, I'd go with the Pearls - all other things being equal. Of course, they aren't equal. This one is portable; the Pearls aren't conveniently portable.

What do you think?  Which one would you choose? I'll be interested in your selections.

I purchased my Crazy 68 Météorites Illuminating Compact from Sephora, where it was available for a day or two before my favorite Guerlain Boutique had received the collection.

Photo at top courtesy of Guerlain; other photos by Best Things in Beauty