Musings of a Muse

A Blog of Musings from a Cosmetic Whore

Feb 10, 2009

Guerlain Paradise Exotique Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches, and FOTD

For some odd reason or another I couldn't help but think of Toucan Sam when I seen the Guerlain Guerlain Paradise Exotique Eyeshadow Palette.

Maybe I was just hungry for some Fruit Loops?




I dunno what it is but the colors in the palette remind me of a bowl of brightly colored fruit loops! Hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing mind you.

Gorgeous is an understatement when confronting the brand new Guerlain Paradise Exotique EyeShadow Palette released for Spring 2009. The palette consists of three tropical (and fruity) shades and one brown shade thrown in for good measure. Hey, they had to have a little balance in there so brown was suitable for just that. I have a slew of Guerlain special release shadow palettes and I have to say this is quickly becoming a favorite as the shades are just lovely and pretty brilliant for the upcoming Spring season.




The fact that Guerlain manages to bring vibrant shades to a more mature audience definitely appeals. As I get older I'm somehow realizing that I can't always walk out of the house sporting bold aqua eyeshadow, darn it I don't want to grow up but this palette honestly makes it easy to wear bolder eye shadows but with a softer finish. The palette consists of lime green, a soft tropical orange, a vibrant yet soft pink, and a rather out of place brown shade. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the brown but I did acknowledge it as a good liner shade. Pairing up the fun shades in the palette is a blast and they all simply work well together. The green goes fabulously with the orange and the pink brings a little something special the to the green and so on and so fourth. Wear 'em alone or mix them and match them for a cool tropical look.









The compact itself is a shiny metallic green with a palm and tropical bird design on the cover. It's a typical classy Guerlain compact with a full size mirror, applicators, and that rather loathsome magnet for fingerprints finish...le sigh. One thing about Guerlain it sure does know how to make a palette that attracts fingerprints in a major way.



The shadows all have the customary silky formula that I've come to associate with Guerlain. In simple terms Guerlain shadows just work. They blend beautifully well and leave behind a silky finish that's flawless. You'll likely never run across a better shadow that leaves behind such an amazing finish and Guerlain always brings that high quality to the table with it's eye shadow.

One minor rant would be that the gorgeous palm design on each shadow is an over spray so one swipe of your applicator and it'll disappear fairly quickly. This is really a pet peeve of mine when it comes to Guerlain but I try to buck up and not cry too much over it however I'd love to see Guerlain maybe work on a better design that's more deeply embedded into the shadows that will last far longer than after one simple swipe.







At $58 USD sadly, no, the palette is not cheap but for anyone who favors Guerlain it'll seem like a small chunk of change to lay out for a truly stunning palette. This one is Muse Approved for purchase all the way around! Outstanding and truly beautiful. The Muse loves it!



For my look below I used the lime green as a contrasting shade in my crease and the tropical orange on my lid. I thought it came out kinda fun and it really kept my eyes bright, cheerful, and very awake without drowning them out in a ton of color.






Overall, I'm loving this palette and think it'll make it's way well into the Summer with it's fun tropical shades.

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31 Comments:

Blogger Phyrra said...

Actually this is a really pretty palette.
Love the looks you came up with.

February 10, 2009 at 10:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow this palette really did transform your face into something different. (in a good way of course!) You look so cheerful and just plain fun! Not sure if it would look the same on me though :P

February 10, 2009 at 11:19 PM  
Blogger happy said...

I'm glad I read your review. I saw this palatte in the store and even though I love Guerlain, the palatte just didn't do anything for me. So in the end I passed. After seeing the colors on you, I'm reconsidering. I've got to go check it out again and hopefully it's not sold out by now

February 11, 2009 at 11:41 AM  
Blogger happy said...

I'm glad I read your review. I saw this palatte in the store and even though I love Guerlain, the palatte just didn't do anything for me. So in the end I passed. After seeing the colors on you, I'm reconsidering. I've got to go check it out again and hopefully it's not sold out by now

February 11, 2009 at 11:44 AM  
Blogger Shefali said...

Hey Muse! I ALMOST caved on this quad last Saturday. I tried 3 different looks with it and loved them, but I just couldn't do it for $58. So here's a question - if you had to choose, would you go with this quad or the Stila Precious Pearl? I've been eyeing both of those for a while.

February 11, 2009 at 3:58 PM  
Blogger Krasey Beauty said...

Izzy! Thank you for your in depth review of this palette. I have been too lazy to get to sephora to check it out but I think I just might do that soon ;)

I know I say this all the time but we really really need to meet up! Pretty please with sugar on top? ;)

February 11, 2009 at 4:47 PM  
Blogger the Muse said...

thanks dd :)

HUGS!

February 11, 2009 at 5:47 PM  
Blogger the Muse said...

hi xisa!

thanks hun. I appreciate it :) It's a fab palette really fun colors!

go swatch it :) see whatcha think!

.

February 11, 2009 at 5:52 PM  
Blogger the Muse said...

hello happy!

Aw really? :( I really liked this one...fun fruity shades! Def swatch it a bit and play around as at first I wasn't sure either but I actually like it better than the midnight butterfly palette :)

February 11, 2009 at 5:53 PM  
Blogger the Muse said...

hi Shefali

I know..it's a bit expensive eep :( I hear ya! Oh don't make me choose that's SO hard lol!

I gotta say that I adore the Stila and it gives you quite a good deal more of looks since it has more shadows and variations but I like this better :) the shades are just unique and interesting!

February 11, 2009 at 5:55 PM  
Blogger the Muse said...

hey adina!

My pleasureeeeeeeee! :) it's gorgeous with your coloring I think it'll be beautiful on!

Oh I'd really really love it...I know I say it too...I've been terribly swamped but I'd love it...just tell me when and where :)

February 11, 2009 at 5:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I bought this pallete and love it. Can't get myself to use it yet- don't want to lose the design on the shadows- lol!!

February 11, 2009 at 6:35 PM  
Blogger happy said...

I blame it on the weather when I swatched it. It was really dreary out and snowing so those bright colors just stood out and look kind of awkward especially when everything else is gloomy

February 12, 2009 at 11:20 AM  
Blogger happy said...

I blame it on the weather when I swatched it. It was really dreary out and snowing so those bright colors just stood out and look kind of awkward especially when everything else is gloomy.

February 12, 2009 at 11:22 AM  
Blogger the Muse said...

hi anonymous

You aren't the only one....I really didn't want to use it at all!!!!!! :-) too pretties!

February 12, 2009 at 1:45 PM  
Blogger the Muse said...

hi happy!

I totally understand :) Def swatch again I think you'll find you'll like it ;)

February 12, 2009 at 1:47 PM  
Blogger happy said...

I've put the palette on hold and picking it up tomorrow. I'm still a little skeptical 'coz they aren't colors that I'll normally wear but I'm going to give it a shot and who knows I might fell madly in love with it. I figured I might as well get it now while it's still in stock, rather than wait around and then find out they are sold out. I got the last palette. Have you had a chance to swatch the Clarin's palette?

February 13, 2009 at 2:13 AM  
Blogger the Muse said...

hi happy!

YAY awesome hun! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think. I got the midnight butterfly myself and liked it ;-D but I liked this one more.

I haven't as of yet but I plan to possibly pick it up as it looks gorg...did you get it?

February 13, 2009 at 4:01 PM  
Blogger happy said...

I'm bad I picked up the Clarins palette too but haven't tried either one yet. I used my points to redeem for both palettes and only had to pay the tax so it wasn't too bad. Looking forward to trying both palettes out.

February 15, 2009 at 1:18 AM  
Blogger happy said...

Just wanted to let you know that I used the Guerlain palette today and used the pink, green and brown and lined with a green liner. It was BEAUTIFUL!! Even my husband said I looked pretty. I'm so glad I bought this palette. Thanks for the encouraging review!

February 15, 2009 at 10:29 PM  
Blogger happy said...

Just wanted to let you know that I used the Guerlain palette today and used the pink, green and brown and lined with a green liner. It was BEAUTIFUL!! Even my husband said I looked pretty. I'm so glad I bought this palette. Thanks for the encouraging review!

February 15, 2009 at 10:30 PM  
Blogger happy said...

I used the Guerlain palette on Sunday. Did a combination of green, pink, brown with a green liner and it turned out really good! Even my husband said I looked pretty. Thanks so much for your review otherwise I would never ever have gotten this palette. It was one of the palettes that I wasn't interested in right off the bat.

February 17, 2009 at 10:04 AM  
Blogger happy said...

I used the Guerlain palette on Sunday. Did a combination of green, pink, brown with a green liner and it turned out really good! Even my husband said I looked pretty. Thanks so much for your review otherwise I would never ever have gotten this palette. It was one of the palettes that I wasn't interested in right off the bat.

February 17, 2009 at 10:16 AM  
Blogger the Muse said...

happy said...

OOOOO I want the clarins badly...jealous here :)

awesome...did you have some sort of boots points?!

February 17, 2009 at 2:45 PM  
Blogger the Muse said...

hey happy!

yayayayayayaya! you should share a pic :)

It's so fab that it worked out for you! your fotd sounds fab :) I really loved the shades...they just worked great together right?!

and really brightened up my eyes too!

February 17, 2009 at 2:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello, Muse ! huge thanks for a wonderful review! :)

I'm considering getting myself this quad, but I'm still hesitating, since I've got Shu Uemura's Limited Edition Fleur de Terre Palette

this one
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2990143?tuid=000006cb-006f-0861-6c61-726765727669&id=8497678&largeImg=0&tname=product

the colours look so similar.... I just wanted to ask if you have possibly tried the Shu palette and could compare both..... :)

February 24, 2009 at 6:40 PM  
Blogger the Muse said...

hey anonymous!

My pleasure :)

I haven't tried this particular shu palette and the colors are very much the same ;-D plus alot more variety as well...!

This palette is more if you're a guerlain collector..def get it if you are :-D

February 26, 2009 at 4:29 PM  
Blogger Porcelaine said...

i'm feeling that same problem with one of my other guerlain palette and a revlon blush with a gold pattern on top. because of this i have not used the guerlain palette which is a shame, and have been reluctant to use the revlon blush till recently and the gold came off (but i used only the edge). i also had that problem with the daisy duo eyeshadow from the body shop that it took me a long time to get to terms with using it and i took photos of it but luckily when i started using the daisy pattern didn't come right off. i guess i'm really sentimental with my makeup so i find it hard to use anything new. if you do try the shu uemura tell us about it (even if it's just trying it at the shops)

March 30, 2009 at 6:24 AM  
Blogger the Muse said...

hi porcelaine!

I hear ya :-D I'm so anal about my beautiful palettes and not wanting to use them :-D I've gotten considerably better though with my using items. I firgure I only live once might as well dive in!

which shu did you mean? I've tried tons :-D from shu!

March 30, 2009 at 3:58 PM  
Blogger Porcelaine said...

it was the one mentioned a few comments before me with the link

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2990143?tuid=000006cb-006f-0861-6c61-726765727669&id=8497678&largeImg=0&tname=product

and you know I keep telling myself that. it's like "why the hell did you buy it, you want it to sit around for a few years or until it's past it's used by date?" then it goes back "but it's so beautiful and pretty (and not to mention expensive and limited edition) and if it's new it can be old and if it's old it can't be new"... oh well maybe some day, i'm dying at the moment trying to start using lancome's L.U.C.I. collection but every time i open it i start staring, picking it up, putting it down, then putting it back in the pouch and the box. "STRENGTH BE WITH MY HAND, AND DO ONTO THE CHEST WITH POWER AND MIGHT!"... haha

April 3, 2009 at 10:11 PM  
Blogger the Muse said...

ohhh yes I have one of those!

LOL I totally understand how you feel! I was like that for many many years! But I just told myself hey you only live once might as well dive in :-D

I've been hacking into many of my beauty vault items lately and loving it LOL!

April 7, 2009 at 1:39 PM  

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