I wasn't going to purchase Or Impérial Sublime Radiant Powder for Face and Body ($85) from Guerlain's Les Or for Holiday! I figured it would be uber-smelly, and I'm not big on gimmicks. Then, I read that it smelled like candied violets (the un-Shalimar).Have you ever eaten those little sugar-laden treats? Candied violets are a specialty of Toulouse in the south of France. The French have been using them to decorate cakes and pastries for hundreds of years. Revived in the mid-80's as a candied treat, they are made by a quite a few companies in France and the U.S. They are no longer rare and hard to find here, but I'll never forget my first taste. Many years ago, someone brought me candied violets from France, and I swooned when I tasted my first exotic candied flower. I think they
lovely on salads and ice cream - I've used them ever since - but I digress.Or Impérial is a spray powder that highlights wherever it lands. Packaged in a classy bee-embossed glass container, it looks as nice on the vanity as it looks on skin! The vintage look to the bottle, with its bulb-shaped atomizer, makes this a pretty gift.
This silky, light powder caresses the skin "like a breeze, leaving behind a luminous halo." Deliciously perfumed with violet, it subtly embellishes the face, body, and hair with a shimmering golden glow. You can spray it anywhere! Pamela Morgan from Guerlain calls it "poof poof." A few poofs on your face or hair will give you an indescribable gleam. It's amazing.
The 20% VIB discount at Sephora pushed me over the edge and pushed Or Impérial into my shopping cart. I'm glad, except that I had to wipe it down when it arrived. I was fairly annoyed that it leaked - thanks to either Sephora or UPS (I'm betting on Sephora, and I'm wondering how a new item that hadn't had its poofer poofed could have left powder all over the inside of the box and the bottle and atomizer).
You can find this beauty at Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Saks, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom - any Guerlain counter. It is on display with the rest of the Holiday 2010 collection. Stop by a store and give yourself a poof poof. It's fun!
Photos courtesy of Sephora and Easy-French-Food