Beauty: Guerlain Terracotta Summer 2015 collection, review and swatches

Time for another beauty post! I was sent over the  Guerlain Terracotta Summer 2015 collection to review (this never gets old, I always freak out when I get a package of reviewable beauty products), so read on for eye candy, honest opinions and some insta-summer feelz.

The products I'll be reviewing today:

- Terracotta Sun  moisturizer tan booster with SPF 30 - 44€*

- Terracotta Sun protection compact foundation SPF 20 water resistant - 61€*

- Terracotta Bronzing powder - 52.5€*

- Terracotta Summer Shadow in Blue Ocean - 32€*

- Terracotta Colour Lacquer in Blue Ocean - 26€*

*Belgian prices, and the collection will hit the shelves on June 1st. All of these products are limited edition.

First up: the Terracotta Sun moisturizer tan booster with SPF 30, a sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection AND a tan booster, to allow you to develop a beautiful tan while maintaining the health of your skin.

The sunscreen is light and almost gel-like in texture, easily rubbed into the skin, and most of all: it has a glorious white floral scent. I love my white floral scents more than anything (reason number one that keeps me going back to the Monoï de Tahiti line by Corine De Farme), so that one is always a huge selling point for me. I can't really vouch for the tan-boosting properties, but I might bring this tube to Puerto Rico next week to test it out. I'm determined to come back with a (healthy!) tan.

Second, the Terracotta Sun protection compact foundation SPF 20 water resistant in Sand, which comes in a compact with a mirror, presented in a lovely, bright aqua sleeve.

This foundation has SPF20, moisturizing ingredients and contains hyaluronic acid, which  has anti-aging properties, making it a great summer foundation that protects the skin while fighting the damage that has already been done. The Sand shade is supposed to be for light skin, but I think it's very dark. I can only use this as a bronzer, applicating it sheerly along the contours of my face to create a sunkissed glow. It does work quite nicely like that, the sponge applicator is very pleasant to work with, but you'd have to have pretty dark skin to wear this as an actual foundation.

As you can see, the result is natural, not too orange, and the sponge applicator allows you dab the product on wherever you'd want it. I prefer to use a bronzer beyond the regular "draw a 3 along your forehead, cheekbone and jawline" tip, more like how this blogger does her Sunkissed bronzing look, because it creates an all-over glow rather than the artificial orange contouring/blusher effect you get with the shape 3 application. This would be a good bronzer for people with very dry skin, or people who just prefer to work with creams and liquids rather than powders. Cream contouring products are still hard to come by, so you might want to check this one out if that's something you're looking for.

Next, the Terracotta Bronzing powder in shade #02, which comes in an adorable, removable aqua blue silicone shell, almost like a cellphone case! You can remove it and use it on your next Terracotta bronzing powder when this one runs dry. It costs about 2€ more than a Terracotta bronzing powder without the case, so it's a cute type of collector's item you can keep on using in the future.

The #02 is a mid town brown with red undertones, which makes it different from most bronzers I've tried up until now. The undertone is warm, which usually doesn't suit me, but generally those warm toned products are yellow/orange based shades. My skin is not yellow/orange. It does, however, have red-pink undertones, so that might explain why this bronzer works quite well for me despite it being so dark and warm toned. It's the bronzer that best mimicks the colour of my own skin after some sun exposure - yeay! It also has a subtle amount of sparkle, but it definitely does not make you look like a ball of glitter. The shimmer is barely noticeable on the skin.

I LOVE it.  It gives my face that healthy, carefree, no-need-for-make-up look that I love so much about summer. I will definitely be using this one a lot over the next few months. And it comes in a total of 8 shades, bot for cool and for warm complexions, so you're bound to find one that matches your skintone.

Next, the Terracotta Summer Shadow in Blue Ocean: a liquid eyeshadow that supposed to be waterproof.

The colour is very pretty, but not something I'd personally go for in eyeshadow. A bit too light for me, I'd hardly get any use out of it. But it is very summer-proof, and if you are into statement make up, this colour works well with a range of different eye colours.

As much as I can love the idea, I am not in love with the application. It applies sheer and patchy, and if you try to use anything else than the spongy, lipgloss-type applicator, the colour becomes even more sheer and uneven. Building colour doesn't work either, because reapplying over a dried layer will make your first layer move around. No bueno. To illustrate the effect, I just used the applicator to dab on product as evenly and as saturated as possible. It does dry quickly and it sets without creasing, remaining perfect the entire day without losing any pigmentation, but the product is definitely not waterproof. It deteriorates as soon as some drops of water hit the coloured area, so don't be going for a swim and think your make up will remain flawless.

I did manage to put together a make up look using the Summer Shadow, and I have to say it looks quite nice. Sure, it's patchy, but from normal people distance you don't notice it. And the colour is very pigmented. However, it's not easy to combine with normal eyeshadow because it does not blend after drying, so be sure you know how to use this before you buy it.

What I did: the summer shadow all over the moving eyelid, some medium blue eyeshadow along the crease, and the Yves Rocher kajal in bleu indigo along the waterline. Very 70s, very summery.

And it works sooo well with that gorgeous bronzer.

Finally, the Terracotta Colour Lacquer in Blue Ocean, a beautiful aqua nail polish with a subtle layer of shimmer throughout, in shades of gold and silver. It reminds me of the sun dancing on the ocean surface. Too pretty!

The shimmer is hard to catch on camera, but it's definitely there when the sun hits your nails. This picture shows the product after three coats - perfectly opaque, no streaks, dries fast. Not sure how well it wears, but I'll let you know asap.

I added this picture just for shiz and giggles, because I like it. This was the nail polish after just two coats btw, you still see some streakiness, so you definitely need two thick layers or three thin ones to get perfect coverage.

And this is a look at all of the products used together. Does scream "summer", no? My favourites out of the collection are the bronzing powder and the nail polish. Which of these products do you prefer?