Chantecaille The Glacier Eye Shade Trio and Arctic Rose Hydra Chic Lipstick / Spring 2015

For spring Chantecaille has launched a palette called The Glacier Eye Shade Trio ($70 for 7 g/0.25 oz, made in USA). I picked this up at my local  Chantecaille counter and saw a few lip items featured on the new display. There are two Galactic Lip Shine Lip Glosses ($34 each) in Aurora (sheer pink) and Polaris (sparkling white) and two Hydra Chic Lipsticks ($36 each) in Arctic Rose and Saxifrage. I haven’t been up to speed with Chantecaille for a while so I’m not entirely sure if the colors are new or repromoted colors. I picked up the Glacier Eye Shade Trio and Arctic Rose Hydra Chic Lipstick. Thoughts, review and swatches below.

First, here is the palette and lipstick swatches side by side:

Chantecaille eyeshadow palettes are usually beautifully designed with natural-looking eye shadows. In my experience the trios I’ve bought and tested have sheer to medium pigment for a super natural look. My one rant is that they often come with an overspray which is easily removed, but it makes it difficult to see what the true color is if you order sight unseen. The Glacier Eye Shade Trio is a super soft palette of neutrals. The colors include, from left to right, a sheer to medium matte flesh/tan, an iridescent ivory that flashes gold and some champagne, a shimmering medium brown-grey. The colors when used together will create a softly defined eye that is perfect for an everyday look if you want an ultra conservative no-makeup look. I personally prefer something with richer pigment and coverage. The shades are layerable but are still ultra soft leaning more towards the sheer side. If you’re a fan of Chantecaille eyeshadows, I think you will really like this. If you’re like me and need more color, you will find pigment and coverage lacking.

With patches of overspray removed:

Swatch comparisons below to a couple other neutral palettes. Shown below next to Chanel Tisse Mademoiselle (reviewed here) and Hourglass Infinity Palette (reviewed here). I personally prefer the Chanel for something similar and with more coverage and I found the Chanel extremely natural on the eyes.

For the lips, I picked up Arctic Rose Hydra Chic Lipstick. This is an ultra moisturizing lip color with a glossy finish. I have mixed feelings about Arctic Rose in terms of formula. It has a beautiful color, naturally glossy sheen and feels amazing on the lips but the pigment is lacking. This one requires a lot of layering for me to get even and full coverage. I didn’t find it to be a good swipe and go kind of lipstick and there was missing pigment and color around the edges of my lips when I applied straight from the tube. I am a huge fan of sheer lip colors like MAC Lustres, Chanel Rouge Coco Shines, YSL Volupte Shines and even the Rouge Baume Diors – but I find they are easier to apply and give even coverage while the Chantecaille did not. That being said I do think it will wear very well over a lipliner or if you apply with a lip brush.

Here it is packed on the lips quite heavily. I’m not sure if you can tell in the photo, but around the edges, especially on the upper lip it did not apply evenly.

The Chantecaille spring collection offers nice natural colors. If you’re a fan of the super natural look, I think you will find these are perfect for you. Long-time readers know I’m one who gravitates towards natural looking colors, but I found the formulas of the Chantecaille spring line too sheer for my taste. I do think they are worth checking out though – many have commented on the lack of natural satiny or non-shimmer shadows on the market. If you’re forever searching for eyeshadow palettes that have a more natural looking finish, the Glacier Eye Trio is definitely worth looking into. My quick take, I should have probably passed on both, but somethings pretty packaging gets the best of me.

I bought my Chantecaille items from Neiman Marcus. Note there are a number of beauty events going on right now, so if you have a wish list or shopping list that is growing, be sure to check out the gift with purchases offered now. Some promos to consider:

Chantecaille is also available at Nordstrom, Barneys New York, Bloomingdales, Chantecaille.com.