Best Things in Beauty : Givenchy Fleur de Frangipanier.

gosh, isn't this incredibly beautiful?
it's the Givenchy Fleur de Frangipanier Unique Compact Powder - Natural Tan in 02 Island Sun. this was released in Givenchy's 2010 summer collection and admired by me since then (there also was a peachy tan version of this, 03 Island Tan). and because i had no real access to Givenchy all the time, it only stayed on that love from afar level. haven't even found it on ebay the many times i searched for it, and then it slowly faded out of my mind. Givenchy really does beautiful products that i always wished to get hold of, and now luckily they are not only available for me on escentual.com but also on douglas.de!
well, few months ago i was looking at some Cargo Suede Blushes, and their look totally reminded me of this collection by Givenchy. after finding it on ebay i think less than a minute went by and i already received the paypal confirmation email ;)
i think it originally was 45$; i paid the same price but just in € for it (with shipping), but willingly. just look how gorgeous it is! it contains 10g of product, which is a nice amount for a face powder.

the packaging is adorable and very detailed, it's sturdy and of high quality. the lid has a cute blossom design under a 4G pattern-window, it has a magnetic closure and opens 180° to push out and reveal the extra bottom drawer which contains a very nice little brush made of soft natural hair. wasn't it so thin and more substantial, i could imagine to use it. even that little drawer that slides open and snaps back in place thanks to a magnet has a neat mini lid to protect the brush's hair. you can imagine everything is very well thought out and with a lot of attention to the details - that's what i really appreciate with high end packaging.

the powder itself is a little work of art, the beautiful frangipani flower embossed into a sprinkled powder of bronze, light tan and cool pink shades. the center of the flower has a metallic gold overspray that will fade after the first or second use. other than that the powder is not shimmery but has a satin sheen. the shades mixed together appear as a rather light tan with rosy tinge on me, the very fine satin sheen translates as the most subtle natural glow. i use it as a blusher/bronzer derivative.
it doesn't make much sense to use each colour alone, but with a smaller blush brush one could concentrate on either part and get a more blushy light pink or more bronzy tan result. i like to pick up more of the pink and put it on my cheeks while the bronze applied below.
Island Sun is a rather light shade, i guess i could even use it sheerly as an all over finishing powder for a bronzed look. it's very finely milled and applies evenly and is easy to blend. its velvety texture gives a refined appearance to your skin and conceals pores and tiny unevenness.
uh, and i haven't mentioned it's fantastic flowery scent - overall it's just lovely!