Guerlain Terra Inca Ombre Fusion Cream Eyeshadow Review, Swatches, Photos

At the beginning of my makeup life and most of my older one I absolutely hated cream eyeshadows for some reason. I just couldn’t stand them. Perhaps it was my lack of patience during application of such a medium or the fact they tended to crease like crazy (circa BUDPP, “Before Urban Decay Primer Potion) but I avoided them like the plague.

I became enamored with them when I discovered the joy of Visee Quad Shining Eyes and ever after that faithful day creams have been a staple of my eyeshadow life.

For Summer 2011, Guerlain introduced three shades of Terra Inca Ombre Fusion Cream Eyeshadow in warm, gorgeous hues to compliment your tan.

Let’s take a peek!

A beautiful shadow that offers the softness of the powder and the richness of a cream with a lightweight formula.

Guerlain Ombre Fusion Cream Eyeshadow are the very first cream formula eyeshadows from the brand. I surely hope this means will be privy to more of these in the future because the shades are stunning.

Guerlain released three shades of the shadow in their limited edition Terra Inca Color Collection. The colors are all complimentary to the warm weather but honestly, you can wear them well into Fall and still look beautifully polished and put together as the shades are just universally flattering for Spring, Summer, and Fall (the last two particularly).

Each shadow comes housed in a square tube with a sponge tip applicator for application. The formula is a rich creamy base that blends easily onto lids and builds very well. I took note of how well they built as some shadows dry out too quickly, creating a mess when you apply a second or third layer where as others dry too slowly leaving behind a wet finish which creases. Guerlain gets the formula just right and allows the product to be built up easily but dries down to a soft, silky finish sans a dewy, damp finish. The shades each sport a very fine golden shimmer but nothing dramatic or crazy so those who are a bit wary of shimmer can happily wear these.

These blend out very easily in my experience and leave behind a nice touch of color that can be worn sheered down or worked out to medium coverage on your lid. I didn’t like the effect of applying powder shadow on top as I thought it took away from the beauty of the colors which seem very pretty all their own but if you prefer using them as a base for powder I find they work perfectly well as such. You can also line your eyes with them and smudge out for a more sultry look. Personally I find they are best applied on the lid and blended upward into the crease for the best effect. A single layer yields a very nice bit of color but a second layer is a much better pop and a third is even more intense (my photos below contain two layers of product on my lids).

With Urban Decay Primer Potion under each I find they last pretty much all day on my lid without fading, creasing, or migrating but without proper prepping and primer they did crease easily and by the end of the day they faded completely so I do suggest using a good primer underneath for the best possible wear.

The colors are all very pretty but I’m particularly partial to Maya which is a bronze-y golden brown. This complimented my browns eyes the best of the three. Other shades include Bahia which is a rose-y golden peach and Havana, a golden taupe brown. I thought I’d end up liking Bahia the best since the color is unusual and very fresh but it applied the most sheer of the three which disappointed me a bit but it does create a glossy lid look if you embrace the trend.

Although these are supposed to be water and heat resistant I do think you might see some minor wear and tear should you swim in them and oily lids probably won’t get on as famously with them as someone with drier lids. I do suggest a proper primer and perhaps following up with some translucent powder prior to application to keep the shadows from creasing or fading on oily lids.

• Anyone who loves cream shadows!
• Those looking for some stunning shades to compliment their tan.
• Those seeking a lightweight Summer shadow (the formula is a whisper on lids and has a barely there feel).
• Anyone who loves Guerlain (this is something new and exciting to try from the brand).

• Those with oily lids (prep well before use to avoid creasing).
• Those unwilling to go the extra mile with their credit card (at $35 each these don’t come cheap).

Overall, Guerlain Terra Inca Ombre Fusion Cream Eyeshadow are a welcome addition to my Summer shadow wardrobe. The formula proved lightweight on my lids and created some truly stunning Summer eyes. The formula was a breeze to work with and blended out beautifully, believe me, I’ve had some really tough times with cream shadows but this formula reigns supreme. If you’re a fond fan of Guerlain, I think you’ll find the joy in these as they are a new and exciting way to experience Guerlain Eyeshadow. I only hope that Guerlain might introduce these to the general catalog one day in a wider range of colors!

Maya on Lids

Bahia on Lids

A most excellent Summer shadow!

Muse Approved for purchase!

I know some of you have already tried these, do share your thoughts!

Learn more about Terra Inca, Guerlain’s Summer 2011 Color Collection at www.guerlain.com