Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs - Swatches

For this fall, Guerlain has launched a new series of Écrin 4 Couleurs palettes, replacing their previous quads. The new quads retail at US$59 in the US, which is a hefty chunk of change but quite a bit easier on the pocket compared to the Écrin 6 Couleurs (US$84). I'm not sure of the price for Singapore but the previous quads retailed at around S$82.



There are 9 new quads in total, each containing eyeshadows in matte, satin, metallic and iridescent finishes. My first impression is that the Écrin 4 Couleurs are definitely an improvement over the previous range, which tended to be of uneven quality. The wider, flat pans make it easier to pick up the shades. They also offer a much more interesting range of shade combinations than the Écrin 6 Couleurs (which were dominated by neutrals, taupes, beiges and greys) while remaining very wearable and more portable, thanks to the sleek gold compact packaging.



The pic above was taken in direct sunlight, while the pic below was taken in the shade so the eyeshadows look more muted. (Do click on the pics to view them in full size.)



The texture of the metallic shades was truly impressive, with an almost molten velvety feel. Think MAC Veluxe Pearl but even more rich and luxurious. The mattes, for the most part, swatched quite smoothly. The level of colour payoff does vary amongst the shades, with the iridescent shades tending to be the most sheer.



01 Les Violets



02 Les Bleus and 09 Les Noirs



03 Les Verts



04 Les Bois de Rose (under direct sunlight)



Taken in the shade.



05 Les Gris and 02 Les Bleus. See a great review of Les Gris on the Beauty Look Book.



07 Les Cuirs





08 Les Perles





Of the nine quads, I liked 09 Les Noirs and 05 Les Gris, which will appeal to smoky eye lovers. 04 Les Bois de Rose looks prettier and more interesting than the brown-themed 07 Les Cuirs, but the medium rose shade may be tricky for some skin tones to pull off. 08 Les Perles has three pale, frosty shades which I think will look indistinguishable from one another when applied.



You can also view swatches of all nine quads on the fabulous Karlasugar. I neglected to swatch 06 Les Fumes, which you can read about on The Beauty Look Book. Makeup & Beauty Blog has also reviewed Les Noirs and Les Bleus, while Best Things in Beauty has reviewed Les Verts, Les Gris and Les Cuirs.