Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs in #06 Les Fumes.

when i first saw the promotional pictures for the revamped Guerlain eyeshadow quads which are now called Écrin 4 Couleurs, leaning on the name and design of their masterpieces the Écrin 6 Couleurs,  i knew that i would definitely need to get several of them. after having purchased the palette in #05 Les Gris (review) two months back as an appetizer now is the time to round up my cravings with #06 Les Fumes, which is the topic of today, and #08 Les Perles, which will be discussed another time.

i ordered this palette on parfumdreams.de within the Glamour Shopping Week where they offered 15€ off of 75€, it costs 45.95€ there.
the compact is a simple but elegant reflective golden case of plastic material (i initially hoped that it would be metal like the Écrin 6 Couleurs palettes) with a magnetic closure. it comes in a velvet pouch that i would strongly suggest to keep the palette in for protection, otherwise this compact is highly prone to get scratches and ugly fingerprints. it houses a big mirror and a double sided foamy applicator that doesn't need much attention.
the palette contains 7.2g of product in total, i'm not sure how these divide up into the different sized eyeshadow pans, though.

other than the Les Gris, which is rather the exciting palette with differing colours, this Les Fumes contains a very harmonious combination of colours from the same colour family - taupes.
but: first thing - i love taupes, and second - i really really love how this palette contains the same mix of different finishes just like the Les Gris, which will make it versatile and varied to use while remaining absolutely wearable.

the colours in this palette are:

• a dark, cool toned brown with a shot of grey and green. it's a satin-matte base colour with lots of tiny pink and gold shimmer running through it. the shimmer is not visible once applied and blended, you can see hints of pink specks when you pack it on more intensely. this is my secret fave of the palette, the perfect shadow for a literally smokey eye. it's dead-on the colour of smoke, soft and dirty and reminds me of my imagines of London smog to the industrial times. it blends out so beautifully and perfectly to just a sheer gaze of shadow and smoke on the lid, so i don't mind the pink shimmers getting blended away at all. the texture is extremely fine and silky. perfect.
• then theres a warm mauvey taupe which i would describe as the colour of chocolate milk. it's a silky, finely milled matte colour that applies evenly and blends out softly. it's a good blending colour to warm up the crease area or to define the crease in a nude make up look.
• the most exciting colour in this quad is the highly reflective, metallic light taupe colour. this is a sandy taupe colour with silver frost. it's smooth and creamy in texture and is a great eye-catcher, especially on the lower lashline i really like it to light up heavy looks. it blends out evenly to a sheer pearl effect, almost wet/glossy. it's fabulous as an effortless wash on the lids combined with a thick brown eyeline.
• the darkest colour is a cool toned matte charcoal brown. it's rather firmly pressed and its texture is quite dry. it has a sheer pigmentation but applies evenly and builds up nicely as a dark haze to darken up the outer corner or for a smokey eye. it can be used wet as an eyeliner, too. this goes perfectly with the first shade.

the silky and sheer colours work best on an eyeshadow primer to adhere, especially if you have dry lids. the colours last all day on me without any creasing or fading.
this palette is fantastic for a soft smokey eye, i love the satin finish of the shadows that contrasts with the metallic pearly quality of the light taupe shade.
the eyeshadows are all very fine and silky, and even though they are sheer, they blend out gorgeously and build up to a sophisticated, sultry smokeyness.
if you're looking for a *BAM* palette, this is not for you. but if you want a sexy but classy soft smokey eye that you can undoubtedly even wear on a daily basis at work, here is the answer.

the two main different looks you can do with this palette are a shimmery, pearly eye or a satiny smokey eye. of course inbetween there are many variations, here are my favourite combinations:

(these eye make up pics don't look the most accurate since both times it didn't get to photograph right after application but not until i came back home several hours later...)

#1

for the pearly, light look i swept the shimmery taupe all over the lid and lower lashline, darkened it a little bit with the taupe with pink shimmers in the outer corners and applied some of the darkest shade along the upper lashline to give some definition. i really like how glowy and pearly this looks.

with flash:

#2

for the darker, smokier look i used the lighter of the satiny taupes on the lid and darkened the outer corner with the darkest taupe. light shimmery shade on the lower lashline.
this one looks so much better in real!

with flash:

comparison

1 & 2 - Guerlain Écrin 6 Couleurs in #29 Rue des Sèvres (review) with 1 as possible dupe to 5 (but too dark and too warm) and 2 as dupe to 3 (same pink shimmer, but 2 contains more grey).
3, 4 & 5 - Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs in Les Fumes
6 - Chantecaille Sel (review) as dupe to 4 but is too warm and not as reflective
7 - Le Métier de Beauté Corinthian (review) as dupe to 4, but much too dark and mauve.
8 - Bare Minerals High Shine Eye Colour in Glisten (review) as dupe to 4, but it's too golden.