Coming Soon: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Reviews

I have splurged on so many Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipsticks I probably can go the rest of my life without ever having to buy another sheer lipstick. I thought the wait time in between the sneak preview of Boy in February and the actual release in April was so long that I’d be over it by the time they arrived in-store. Initially I was not thrilled with the sheerness, lack of lasting power, small size, standard color and high price tag of Boy ($32). However, my thoughts on these lipsticks have changed since the initial release of Boy (on Valentine’s Day) as I have had a chance to play with the shades over the past months.

To quote one of my Chanel friends, LR, Boy is “a lightweight, glossy, non-sticky lipstick that compliments many a woman.” I agree with her 100% when she e-mailed me her thoughts on Boy saying, “this isn’t a wow color, but IS something you can put on in an elevator, which is my test for a foolproof lipstick.” Her description is dead-on.

I feel this is how most of the shades are – not exactly life-changing, but naturally flattering and easy to apply without requiring a mirror. Every woman is bound to find at least 1 shade that is naturally enhancing. While the lasting power is almost non-existent, it does feel amazing on the lips and fades in a subtle way so it’s not obvious you only have lipstick around the edges of your mouth. Application is super easy for touch ups. I find if I’ve added lipliner and blend it first, then apply the lipstick on top, lasting power is slightly better.

The big question is: with the new sheer lipstick rage, which brand is better, Chanel Rouge Coco Shines or the new Dior Addicts (previously reviewed in March and April)? The answer to that question will be different for everyone. For me, I think they are just different. Neither is better or worse, the finish, texture and color selections are just different.

Dior has more color options, the texture of the actual lipstick is harder, but still easy to apply. The lighter colors are sheer, the darker/brighter colors show up more. Those who like darker deeper colors will be pleased to find a good selection with the new Dior Addicts. The tubes are bigger than Chanel. I find lasting power slightly better than the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines.

Chanel has a softer texture. Tubes are extremely small and compact. There is a wide color selection, but not as diverse as Dior. I feel overall, the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines are sheerer because of the softness of the actual lipstick.

Both have a high-shine finish. Neither have a detectable scent. Both brands have a good range of colors and finishes. For the price, the Dior is the better buy. The packaging is designed so the product fills the entire tube – a bonus for me as I won’t ever have to worry about lipstick breakage. I have to admit I was overwhelmed by the color options in both brands. It took me at least 3 visits to really decide on colors. Even after that, I was overwhelmed and have decided to wait a few months before I try to look into more colors. After a few hours of hand-swatching, many of the Dior shades started to look the same.

Overall, I’m still not smitten with the price for the size of the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines. I believe it should have been priced around $24 max, but yet I have accumulated quite a few. These are all goof-proof, easy to apply, natural and glossy. I don’t know that I can say I find them moisturizing, but they definitely are not drying. The sheerness makes some of the neutrals look the same on my pigmented lips. I do love the brighter and darker ones. After having some difficulty with opaque lipsticks working because that shade just isn’t quite right, I think you come to appreciate sheer ones because they are just so much easier to work with.

I don’t think these are better or worse than the recently discontinued Aqualumieres. Just different. About the same in sheerness, but softer in texture and glossier in finish with less lasting power.

Now that I have shared my thoughts, I’m going to split up my review on the colors for Chanel Rouge Coco Shines into 2 parts on shades I haven’t covered. For prior coverage, you can see Misia here and Aventure here and Deauville here.