Taupe-tastic Tuesday: Guerlain Holy Smoke

Today's feature on Taupe-tastic Tuesday is one that you can't get anymore unfortunately.  I wouldn't normally torture you like that (or would I?) but I FINALLY found it the other day lost deep into my blush drawer.  I have been searching for it for a long time now and I was so excited to have found it I have been wearing it non-stop.  It is a loose pigment by Guerlain called Holy Smoke.

This eyeshadow was released in the Terracotta 2009 limited edition collection.  I was lucky enough to have one of my fabulous friends gift this to me and I will forever be thankful.  It is stunning.

This taupe is a beautiful luxurious formulation also while being finely milled.  Even though it is a messy loose pigment it delivers great color pay-off and has a beautiful multi-colored sparkle, which you can see on the wand in the above photo.  The taupe itself is it's own monster: it has a rosy tint to it while also keeping a nice golden tone as well.

The wand is the biggest complaint with this product.  The applicator itself is total crap.  It doesn't deliver the product without dropping it all down your face and cheeks, so I usually dump enough to work with onto the back of my hand and use a basic eyeshadow brush for application.  

As you can see in the swatch below, you can have a nice opaque finish which is completely stunning and give yourself a Holy Smoke-y eye or you can blend it out into a GORGEOUS sheer wash of color.  

If you can get your hands on this, through a friend/blogsale/ebay (be careful) I would definitely encourage it.  It is probably one of my most favorite taupes ever.  The name itself sounds sexy and mysterious and that is definitely how I would classify this gorgeous shade.  

What taupe have you been loving lately?  Let me know in the comments below!  I may need to stock up soon to keep you guys rolling with the Tuesday Taupe posts.  Also... would you guys be interested in seeing more drugstore taupes?  I don't have a ton but I am sure I can go scout some out for you!