Chanel Collection Libre Holiday 2016 Picks

Many of us have been wondering for a few weeks whether or not the Collection Libre Synthetic de Chanel would be the holiday collection or if it was a mini launch. We now know that it is indeed the official Chanel Holiday 2016 launch this year. The pieces definitely have a unique take on a winter holiday theme with a mix of a cool-toned silvery smokey eyes, black liner, and an interesting mix for nails and lips. I ordered these sight unseen and have yet to see the collection in person in stores. I’m happy with all but one of my picks. What I hauled:

I bought the 3 nail polishes because to date I don’t think I’ve skipped a seasonal nail polish launch in many years. Since the reformulation I have yet to try all the new permanent colors, but for seasonal collection launches I still collect them. We have Velvet Nail Color in Pink Rubber (limited-edition), Le Vernis in Liquid Mirror and Le Vernis in Hyperrose Glass (limited-edition).

Pink Rubber is the item that I’m not thrilled with mainly because I don’t like matte or velvety nails. My first instinct when I put it on was “I hate it” – the matte finish is just something I can’t get into. This one is such an interesting concept though as it dries to a gel-like rubber matte finish. Coverage is just perfection with two coats though which I find very rare for pale pastel polishes. Most apply like a streaky mess and require 3 coats to smooth out or are just very sheer. The exceptions are Dior and Tom Ford from my experience. The first coat of Pink Rubber can be a streaky mess but the second coat fixes everything to a perfect soft baby pink.

I think it photographs well but in real life it just looked odd to me. The finish is something you have to see in person to truly understand the velvet finish. I think it can easily be fixed by adding a glossy top coat.

Liquid Mirror is a metallic silver which is beautiful but I’m just not into silvery nails right now. This is a one-coat wonder but I always apply colors with two coats. Brush strokes are visible but the formula is very good so you can smooth it out as seen below. For a metallic almost chrome color I think performance, pigment and formula are all excellent.

Hyperrose Glass is an interesting shade as it’s on the sheer side. It feels like it almost has a transparent base with bright pink shimmer particles suspended. I do wish this one had full coverage as what you see in the bottle is simply gorgeous. It’s shown below with 3 coats. I suspect a fourth coat can add more color.

One of my beauty friends who has also been a long-time Chanel fan sent me a link to British Beauty Blogger’s post on Chanel Christmas layering Hyperrose Glass over Liquid Mirror on a nail wheel. I would have never thought to do that but gave it a whirl on the fingers. It has that 90’s duo-chrome vibe which I think is so interesting but don’t know that I’d wear. Below is one coat of Liquid Mirror and one coat of Hyperrose Glass.

Next are the lip picks which include the Rouge Allure Gloss in Super Coral and Super Nude (both limited-edition). Neither have a holiday or winter vibe to me, but these colors are right up my alley so I said yes to both and added them to my cart. I really like this formula of gloss (previously reviewed here) and can’t believe it’s already been two years since Chanel first launched this.

Super Coral is a medium but muted coral with slight pink tones. Super Nude is a perfect soft peachy nude. Both are amazing. If you tried NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls but find it too sheer, Chanel Super Nude is a better alternative as it gives more color, coverage and pigment. It is thicker in texture though so if you need something weightless these might be too heavy.

Still I really like the Rouge Allure Gloss formula. It’s thick but not too thick. It has a perfect shine and just the tiniest bit of shimmer. Gloss adheres well to the lips and makes them look lush and full. It’s about time Chanel added more colors to this formula and I hope they continue to do so.

Swatch comparisons:

NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Stripped, Unlaced and Playpen (reviewed here)

Chanel Glossimer in Beige Star (on lips here)

NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls (review here)
Chanel Rouge Allure Glosses in Sensuel, Sensible, Affroliant (review here)

Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Amoureux (on the lips here)
Diorific Matte Fluid in Pleasure 001 (review here)

I’ve found some nice pieces. My favorite items are the Rouge Allure Glosses which I think are both just so perfect they are back-up worthy. I’ve gone back and forth in my head on the Hyperfresh Joues Contraste as it looks quite beautiful but am just not sure especially since I already own a lot of blushes and there are lots of holiday items coming out soon. When I placed my order the blush was not available at the time. If you’ve tried it let me know what you think. I may go investigate this weekend.

You can find the Chanel Collection Libre right now at Chanel.com, Nordstrom and Saks. I suspect it will be available at all counters very soon.