Chanel Fall 2011, Illusions d’Ombre, has arrived online at Chanel.com and Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. See KarlaSugar for the lineup on an easy-to-read sheet with descriptions. Check online at Chanel.com for prices, product info, and the breakdown of the fall look. I suspect this will be launched in-store in the next few days and upcoming week – I’m on the West Coast and a few of my local Nordstroms have scheduled Chanel events the weekend of June 24th-26th which I assume were planned to coincide with the fall launch.
I have not yet had a chance to play with the items very much, although I have swiped a few of the new shadows on my eyes and the nail polishes on my nails. I have promised myself a break from my computer the entire weekend, so I can leave work at work and not be tempted, although I know many of you are anxious for the 411, so I will try my best to do full reviews this weekend. I don’t want to rush it though, I want to be thorough so no promises. In the meantime I snapped a few pictures and tried to beat the clouds that were rolling in for June gloom. Here is a sneak peek which I hope will satisfy your curiosity for the time being.
Rose Ecrin Blush, Prelude Quad & Khaki Platine Eyeliner
Overall, everything looks amazing. Had I seen the lip items in person first, I probably would have skipped the lipliners and glossimer, but they are gorgeous nevertheless. Happy Friday everyone!
In January, Dior released their limited edition Gris City Collection. This fall, Dior brings us another limited edition nail polish trio in a red theme called Les Rouges. The three new shades are called Trafalgar 747, Gruau G 837 and Icône 862 ($21 each). Fashion Polish gave us an amazing sneak peek last month. I wasn’t expecting these to arrive instore/online until September, but many thanks to a few who let me know these arrived early at the Dior Boutique in Las Vegas! I suspect they will be online at Dior.com soon, store availability will most likely be exclusive to select Dior Boutiques if these are like the Gris City collection. According to Dior:
“Trafalgar 747A bright luminous poppy red with a hint of orange. A dynamic echo of the spectacular red designs that Christian Dior liked to send out right in the middle of his shows to catch the audience’s attention.Gruau G 837Flamboyant and seductive, a sophisticated tribute to the radiant red of Gruau’s illustrations. The eternal passionate red of a chic Parisian. A red celebrated in a blaze at thelatest Spring-Summer 2011 Haute-Couture show, inspired by Gruau G*.Icône 862A dense and enchanting subtly pearly red brown, recalling Rouge icône, created by Christian Dior to light up the mythical Spring-Summer 1955 “Atout Coeur” dress. Today the House of Dior still pays symbolic tribute to this refined red with lavish dresses in every show.“
When these arrived at my door, my heart sank a little bit as they looked a bit too basic in the bottle but I knew I had to see them on the fingers to get a better idea of how they would look on me. Two coats each on three fingers resulted in absolute red perfection. They are so much better on the hands than what you see in the bottle (although the color in the bottles is still very pretty).
With a high flash:
In direct sunlight:
Dior’s descriptions are spot on and Fashion Polish had swatches and photographs that are gorgeously accurate. Trafalgar is a vibrant coral red poppy creme with the slightest hint of sparkle. The shimmer is barely detectable but I believe it gives this hot red a bit of depth to prevent it from being flat and shocking from the brightness. Gruau G is a vibrant brick red creme, also has the same finish with a tiny bit of microsparkle. Icône is a deep burgandy brownish shimmer. This one has visible shimmer but the color is dark so unless you look at the nail closely, what you see looks like a cream.
The formula is impeccable. Rich, opaque, smooth, glossy and quick-drying although Icône is a bit thicker and needs 2 full coats to get a smooth application (first coat is slightly blotchy). All swatches are without a topcoat.
Are they must-haves or unique? I would say they are not the most unique and if you have reds in your collection these are not must-haves. Still, once on the fingers, these look rich and classic and the formula is amazing. My comparisons (some are really really close in color):
L to R – Dior Trafalgar, Chanel Enthusiast, Chanel Dragon, Dior Gruau G, MAC Rouge Marie, Dior Icône, Chanel Vamp, Chanel Cosmic Violine
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To those inquiring, yes, I am still on a blogging break. These were just TOO amazing to wait until July to write about and as Chanel fall arrives instores, I suspect I will not be able to contain my excitement either.
I’ve written about Dragon Le Vernis by Chanel on numerous occasions but as I was going through my archives and realized I haven’t done a full proper review on this classic red. This post is dedicated to Café Makeup, currently gone, but definitely not forgotten. Her blog was phenomenal and an extremely valuable resource to us all. I know we are all hopeful for a possible return in the near future! At the same time, I wish her and Liz all the best for their plans right now. Chanel Dragon was Café Makeup’s signature red. Everytime I thought of or looked at my Chanel Dragon, I thought of Cafe Makeup 🙂 She described it as epic. Indeed it is. It’s sharp, crisp, rich, eye-catching in a classic sophisticated way. It looked amazing on her fair skin and it seems to be a universally flattering red for all skintones.
Here are a few photos of Chanel Dragon Le Vernis.
Nars Baroque on the lips (previously featured here)
I have quite a few favorite reds, Chanel Dragon is at the top of my list. Do you have a favorite red nail polish? Note I will be out of town most of the day, so I will be checking in comments but you may see a delay in approvals. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
I’ve written a guest post for Karla Sugar on Burberry’s Spring 2011 Lipsticks 22 Delicate Rose, 23 English Rose, 24 Romantic Rose along with the new blushes as well (previously featured here).
Head on over to her blog and click HERE to see the swatch lineup of the new items from Spring!
I tend to carry a lot with me in my purse. I accumulate things over the week so by Thursday, the purse of the week is typically chock-full of way too much. So for the woman who carries too much, what’s the best way to carry the just essentials? Find a smaller purse. Today’s feature will be on what’s inside my Vert Fonce (Dark Green) Quilted Caviar Wallet On Chain (I believe this style/color combination is exclusive to Saks).
For those new to Chanel, the Wallet On Chain is exactly that. A larger sized wallet/clutch styled bag put on a chain to be worn over the shoulder. It has a few slots for your id and credit cards plus extra pockets and 2 zippered compartments. It’s just the right size for just the essentials: keys, phone, id, money and a lipstick.
Inside mine: Edward Bess Lip Gloss, Chanel Rouge Allure Laque, mini Jo Malone purse spray (received as a GWP from previous beauty event), iPhone, keys, gum + id/cards, cash in the zippered front pocket
The little black case is a leather Jo Malone cologne holder, it came with 2 mini sprays and just so happens to be the perfect size for 1 mini cologne + 1 mini lipstick, I wish more brands did cute GWPs like this with useable cases/bags:
I don’t know the last time I carried this little. Even with my pouchettes, I tend to pack them. You can check out these resources for more information on pricing, dimensions, styles, colors, seasons styling ideas here:
Green isn’t really a “me” color but the moment I saw it I had to have it. That said, after having this for less than a week – I’ve found green is new to me for my wardrobe, I have quite a few kelly greens, no army greens yet. I will have to experiment in the upcoming weeks trying to coordinate green with the rest of my wardrobe. It matches the Khaki Vert nail polish perfectly (previously reviewed here), but as mentioned the other day, matching green nails with a green purse = too green. Overall a great going-out bag, perfect for biking on the weekends around the beach, nice for running quick errands, but for everyday – not so practical since I tend to carry a lot more than just the essentials. I’m still in love with the quilted texture.
A few of you have e-mailed me asking “what are your top picks for nails?” This is a tough question! As with many other products, my favorites are subject to change week after week. I’ve picked 5 color categories of what my must-haves for nails are. My favorites fall mainly within a few select brands, but many of my readers either don’t like the brand, formula or price. However, those who do love the same brands as me, for each category I’ve included my right-now favorites by brand/color. Most of these have been previously featured. (Update: It appears the sidebar google search isn’t working so I’ve linked past reviews to each name as applicable below.)
The Beauty Look Book is going on a mini-summer break from blogging the month of June. I have quite a few projects coming up which will require more time and dedication. But not to worry! Blog posting for me will not come to a complete halt this next month although there will be a significant slow down in the upcoming weeks. I will have limited time to respond to e-mails or comments but will keep you updated on my latest finds in the upcoming month and complete a few more reviews on things I’ve been loving but haven’t had time to write about yet.
The inside my new Chanel feature will be posted sometime later this week.
Giorgio Armani has released a new lipgloss formula called Gloss d’Armani Lip Gloss ($28) designed to mimic the color range and packaging of their Rouge d’Armani Lipsticks. These come with a flexible sponge-tipped applicator and shades have been released in color ranges of Beige, Pink, Red and Plum. I was personally drawn to the Beiges and Pinks.
The new Gloss d’Armani is described as “More than a mere gloss… Concentrated high-definition color, fusing shine, comfort and lasting hold. Giorgio Armani’s color expertise takes a three-dimensional form.” These are indeed multi-dimentional in the beautiful shimmer. Some of these are like the typical Lip Shimmers while others are a bit more sparkly like the Midnight Lip Shimmers. Concentration of color is more apparent with the darker and brighter shades. The paler neutrals I was drawn to are very sheer and more typical of the original Lip Shimmer formula. If you loved the original lip gloss formula you will like these. Otherwise you may be wanting for more pigment.
Pink 501 and 502 are very similar. Virtually identical baby pink shimmers. The difference is in the shimmer which you can see if you scroll down below to the swatches section. 501 is prettier in my opinion.
Pink 503 is a beautiful soft shimmery rose.
Beige 102 is an iridescent beige frost.
Beige 102 is an iridescent soft light peach.
The packaging is beautiful with an oval tip and base:
You can see the design is similar to the Rouge d’Armani, here it is also compared to the original lipshimmer:
New sponge tip applicator versus the original brush tip:
This is Pink 501 on me – as you can see it’s very sheer, you can barely tell there is any color on my lips:
Swatched heavily on the arm to show the color. On the lips the color is sheered out quite a bit so it only gives a hint of color. My artist said these are meant to be layered over the Armani lipsticks to enhance color and add depth. I find them to be very sheer.
Here you can see the shimmers better:
Overall – these are beautiful glosses that will suit the natural-makeup lover. Again, if you liked the original lip shimmers you will most likely find a color in the new formula that will suit your taste. These are very sheer. The texture is smooth and glossy (non-sticky) with no noticeable scent. Those who prefer high-impact rich color will be disappointed unless you venture into looking at the darker/deeper shades which are still sheer but give more color than the lighter shades. I personally like these but probably did not need to purchase both light pinks as they are virtually identical.
Giorgio Armani’s Gloss d’Armani is trickling in stores now. I found mine at Neimans. They have an event starting this weekend for Camp Gorgeous so you might want to check your stores to see what promotions they have going on. I decided to forgo the GWP for instant gratification.
