
(see more info on Guerlain’s Asia exclusive Pearly White collection HERE)
This light fluid foundation, formulated especially for the Asian market, is meant to maintain a look of matte flawlessness even in hot or humid weather.
I’m really loving Guerlain’s foundations lately; they’re light, long-wearing, non-irritating and come beautifully packaged. I purchased both the Pearly White and the Extreme foundations at Duty Free in Korea recently, and I’ll be doing a quick comparison of both for you.
Parure Pearly White contains 100% natural nacre powder taken from the shells of oysters which provides a slight glowy iridescence to help conceal imperfections such as enlarged pores, dark spots, redness, discoloration, and overall complexion dullness. The formula also contains Pearl Lily Complex (taken from the lily of course) which offers advanced protection against pigmentation issues caused by environmental and internal factors.
Guerlain’s Pearly White is really something special. Its ability to provide good coverage while feeling light and weightless; the way that it leaves my skin looking brightened and whitened without the look of a cakey mask; how it keeps me matte for hours on end thanks to the combination of two absorbing powders contained in its formula. And it doesn’t hurt that the packaging is seriously the best that I’ve seen for foundation–it’s gorgeous and the pump makes for easy, clean dispensing.
I own both the Guerlain Parure Pearly White and the Parure Extreme foundations in Shade 01 Beige Pale, which is an Asia-exclusive shade (boooo I know!). I’d tried Parure Extreme in the lightest shade available in the US (see my review HERE) and it just hadn’t worked for me (problems with oxidation) but I’d loved the formula so much I was determined to give it another shot.
So how do they compare? Well Parure Extreme is a very liquidy foundation that’s uber-light and super long-wearing. The Pearly White is a little on the thicker side, consistency-wise, and while it’s good at keeping me matte, it’s not nearly as good as the Parure Extreme.
While the Parure Extreme is probably the easiest foundation in the world to work with thanks to its liquidiness, in terms of appearance, Pearly White wins hands down. The Parure Extreme, even though it’s the same shade as the Pearly White, definitely has a bit more yellow to it and still oxidizes a bit, although it’s not nearly as noticeable as it was with the darker shade. The Pearly White shade stays true all day long and really just give my complexion that certain “look” that I try to achieve with every foundation purchase. Pearly White gets me as close to a glowing, porcelain-skinned look as I’m ever going to get.
Of course I’d fall in love with a foundation that’s not available outside of Asia–that’s just how it is for me. All my favorite products end up being limited edition, discontinued, from brands that disappears from the US, etc. etc.–it’s like the beauty gods hate me!
For now I’m trying to use my little bottle sparingly, but trust me I’ll be looking for a way to get more of this stuff once it’s gone!

December 3, 2009 at 3:06 am
I recently bought the parure gold and it is the best foundation I've ever had!
December 3, 2009 at 3:08 am
Hey Anonymous!I've been wanting to try that one ever since I saw it on the NM site – it sounds pretty wonderful and I've been pretty impressed with Guerlain foundations thus far.
December 17, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Glad I could help D! Coverage-wise they're both pretty great, albeit different. I'd say the Parure Extreme shade is actually a good amount darker/yellower than the Parure Pearly White, especially after a few hours of wear, if that makes a difference in your decision. I'd say the Parure Extreme offers a tad more coverage (at least with minimal effort) but both foundations can definitely be medium to full.