Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of finally meeting the product manager of Guerlain and Bulgari, Sigrid Villamil. She's a vivacious, beautiful woman who is obviously passionate about the brand. Over delicious food (thanks Sigrid for letting me know about Chelsea's cookie dough cheesecake!), we talked about Guerlain and how it is one of the oldest brands in the industry, representing quality, tradition, and the ultimate luxury when it comes to beauty.

Guerlain was founded in 1898 by Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain in Paris. His perfumes were so popular that he became the perfumer of the royals, first by the King of France, then by Queen Victoria in England, and also by Queen Isabella II of Spain, among others. Some of the Guerlain scents that are part of perfume history are Jicky (recognized as the first modern perfume), Après L'Ondée, Mitsuoko, and Shalimar, the flagship fragrance. Read my review! 

The 183-year old house of Guerlain eventually started producing skincare and makeup, the most famous of which is the Orchidee Imperiale skincare line and the Meteorites. 

Guerlain must-haves: Midnight Secret, L'Or makeup primer, Orchidee Imperiale Cream, Rouge G lipstick, Meteorites, Lingerie De Peau liquid foundation

According to Sigrid, Guerlain believes in beauty - the kind that a woman naturally has and in the things that she uses on herself. Hence, Guerlain products are always in beautiful, luxurious packaging which makes them keepsakes in their own right.

When the kind folks at Pond's invited me to a soft product launch last night, I was wondering: knowing the extensive skincare lines the brand has come up with to address every Pinay skin concern, what else can they possibly have up their sleeves?

The answer is delightfully surprising: gold! I was completely caught off guard. Can it be that something as luxe as real gold be available in drugstore skincare products?