Chanel has released a new natural-look collection this May 2009 featuring two new matte single eyeshadows along with several repromotes. I’m really excited they decided to repromote Bel Air and Waterlily Glossimers!
The theme for this collection is: “A quintessential makeup collection of universally wearable, natural colours designed to enhance and flatter the face. . . and ensure a woman’s best look is naturally her own.” Les Naturels de Chanel includes the following items:
Here are some close-ups of the collection:
Left to right: Curious Rouge Allure (63), Unity Glossimer (41), Waterlily Glossimer (112), Bel Air Glossimer (147), Naive Rouge Allure (25)
Orchid Rose Joues Contraste (15)
Left to right (matte shades): Lily Ombre Essentielle (84) & Slate Ombre Essentielle (83)
Left to right (repromote shades): Lotus Ombre Essentielle (46) & Mahogany Ombre Essentielle (51)
Some comparisons for Bel Air Glossimer:
1) Chanel Curious RA
2) Chanel Naive RA
3) Chanel Bel Air Glossimer
4) Chanel Giggle Glossimer
5) Chanel Glass Quartz Aqualumiere Gloss #69
6) Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect Satin Pink #657
7) Laura Mercier Blush Lip Glace
8) MAC Ample Pink Plushglass
Overall thoughts: I am a huge Chanel fan and am so happy I finally got my hands on the Bel Air glossimer since I missed it when it first came out and was exclusive to Chanel Boutiques and online. The matte shadows are gorgeous, but are on the sheer side for me. I need to use a cream base like Laura Mercier’s Metallic or Satin Cream Shadows or MAC Paint Pots. And even with a base, I need to layer it heavily with a stiffer brush. I’m crazy about the natural no-makeup look, but the new matte shadows are a bit “too natural” for me to be absolutely in love with them. Still, they are great for layering over other shades to softly blend colors together.
Luckily, I already have all the other items featured in this collection, so I felt this was nice to give me some ideas on how to incorporate some staple products with new shades. If you don’t have Orchid Rose Blush, it’s a definite must have, it goes with just about everything. I’m a Chanel Shell/Beige = MAC NC30-35 for reference. At one of the Chanel events I went to, the makeup artist used this on one of my friends who is a couple shades lighter than me and it looked gorgeous on her too!
* Promotional images from Chanel.com
