Undetectable Base: Guerlain Météorites Baby Glow in 2 Clair/ Light

When Guerlain Météorites Baby Glow Light Revealing Sheer Make-up ($54 for 1 oz/ 30ml) first came out early this year, I admit I wasn't terribly interested in testing it out - the words 'glow' and 'sheer' bringing more apprehension than excitement to this acne-prone combination-skinned gal. But yet again, I was lucky to have a wonderful friend pass on the shade Light to me, as it was a bit too pale for her, and I couldn't be happier that I was given a chance to try it out myself.

Let me start by saying that in my book, the packaging is pretty much ideal for liquid foundation. It comes in a lightweight squishy tube with a very easily controllable pump, and the Guerlain logo engraved on the cap. By controllable pump, I mean that you can squeeze out both quite a large blob or just a teeny tiny bit, depending on how hard you push down - I tend to apply my base all over the face in small dots and add more where needed, so being able to pump out a very small amount works great for me.

Guerlain claims that this sheer foundation 'restores skin’s radiance and minimizes signs of fatigue as it unifies, smooths, refreshes, and plumps the appearance of skin' (from Sephora's website) and it features both the same light-diffusing pearl pigments technology as their famous Météorites powder, as well as the signature violet scent. And yes, it definitely has a rather strong violet fragrance that lingers for a while on the skin, so if you're sensitive to perfumes or unsure if you like violets, I'd recommend sniffing it in store before you buy - while it personally doesn't bother me at all, I've seen it being described as a 'granny scent'.

One of the things that really surprised me about Baby Glow from the very first use was the rather thick texture (maybe due to the sunscreen content?) - it does actually take a bit of work to blend it evenly across my face. I've tried both fingers and a brush (dampened with a bit of Caudalie Beauty Elixir to help spread the foundation more easily), and I found that patting or stippling Baby Glow into the skin works much better than a sweeping/ blending motion, as the pressing technique allows the product to really fill out enlarged pores and/or fine lines to the point where it becomes completely undetectable on the skin. The coverage is indeed on the light side - I was able to achieve medium by using my fingers to apply, but I think it looks much nicer when applied in a thin layer, so I'd recommend separate concealing rather than trying to build up coverage with this one.

Wearing Guerlain Météorites Baby Glow in 2 Clair/ Light on bare unprimed skin, no powder or highlighter.

Once applied, the finish of Baby Glow on the skin is absolutely beautiful: semi-matte with a subtle healthy glow, no shimmer in sight whatsoever. It does actually look like bare skin unless you look very, very closely - I hope you can see that in my face shot. It doesn't completely obliterate the dry patches around my nose, but I don't think it clung to them too badly either. I was also pleasantly surprised by how well this lasted on my skin; I had some oil breakthrough around a 6 hour mark, but the foundation didn't separate or disappear from my face, even without primer or powder on the T-zone.

L-R: Guerlain Baby Glow in 2 Clair/ Light, Bourjois CC Cream in 31 Ivory, Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Intensity 1, Revlon Colorstay in Ivory

My biggest gripe with Guerlain Baby Glow is unfortunately the shade range; there are only three shades in total and I have the lightest, which is still too dark and ugh, orange, for my fair NW10-15 skin. Because the coverage is so sheer, I can make it work, especially when I bronze up my neck or mix it with a lighter foundation, but I do wish they offered more shades. All in all, however, I'm really loving the Baby Glow and I think it's the perfect effortless foundation for the warmer months. I've been a fan of Guerlain lipsticks for a while, but after this first foray into their bases, I'm definitely more interested in their foundations and powders. Have you tried this one? What is your favorite high-end foundation?