Both sets this year come in a zip pouch that has a sparkle black tweed material and gold Chanel Logo embossing on the front. The pouches are the perfect size to carry a lot while still keeping everything compact and tidy. The Beauty To-Go Lip and Fragrance Set ($74) includes a Rouge Coco Baume and a Chance Eau Tender Eau de Toilette Twist and Spray Fragrance (light, floral and fruity).
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Travel Heroes Men’s Essentials Set
This year Chanel included a set for the guys with the Travel Heroes Men’s Essentials Set ($76). Andrew already got a sneak peek at this one and was excited to see one for him this year! It has the Boy de Chanel Lip Balm (which he has and uses) and a travel Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum Twist and Spray. It also comes in a limited-edition pouch.
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Both sets contain items that are part of the permanent lineup, so the recipient can always replenish the items once they use them up. I think these sets they make for really nice gifts. The box has a festive holiday design I think is fun too! If you have your eye on them I suggest you act fast! Last year’s sold out almost instantly!
Nail Polish worn in this post is the Le Vernis in Rouge Brun.
I finally have a look at the Chanel Holiday No 5 Makeup Collection! This season I ordered a few pieces from Chanel.com. I had my eye on quite a few of the holiday sets but was surprised how fast they all sold out! Holiday has been out for a while now but in case you still wanted swatches and my take keep reading! I also have a quick look at the Black Friday Set at the end of this post.
Les 4 Ombres No 5
This year’s holiday quad is the Les 4 Ombres No 5 ($65). It has the classic No 5 bottle embossed on each shadow’s surface. The colors are soft and easy to blend. I found pigment to be pretty good although the two pale golds/ivory shades are really similar on my eyes. I wish they had added a bronze or taupe shimmer in place of one of the lighter shades as I think it could have tied the look together. The palette itself is gorgeous, but colors aren’t entirely my vibe. I think it’s missing that warmer shade to make it wearable for me.
Shimmers have the most beautiful sparkle to them though. Almost like fairy dust!
Ombre Premiere Laque
I hauled both Holiday Ombre Premiere Laque shades ($36 each) in 27 Or Ambre and 17 Or Noir. I think the Or Ambre is STUNNING! I love the color and shimmer and it blends out to lovely all over wash without disappearing. The darker shades have been tricky for me to work with and holiday is the same. The Or Noir is nice for a smoky eye look but it takes careful blending to make it work for me. The extra time it takes me makes it an easy pass. I would rather use a smoky deep brown or black powder shadow and blend it out. Lasting power on these is very good though!
Rouge Allure
For this holiday all the shades are variations of red in the Rouge Allure Lip formula and in the holiday spirit decided to I try three of the shades: Rouge Allure in 191 Rouge Brulant is a warm pink red, 147 Emblematique is a bold classic red and 157 Legendaire is a plum red.
I like the plum one the best! Formula is smooth, comfortable, long-wearing and luminous. Color-wise, it pains me to say this but I feel like the options this year are boring. I wish they would consider bringing back some of the old glossimer shades in the new Rouge Coco Gloss formula. Colors like Equinoxe, Seashell, Blizzard etc would have been fun for holiday! If you’re a neutral lip lover like me I still think Or Beige from Holiday 2020 is one of the best shades and it’s still available online (I just ordered a backup). Below wearing the holiday collection with lip swatches:
Cashmere sweater is from Nordstrom (On sale! Wearing an XS)
191 Rouge Brulant is a warm pink red
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147 Emblematique is a bold classic red
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157 Legendaire is a plum red
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Fluide Enlumineur in Or Ivoire
Chanel launched a new liquid highlighter in Fluide Enlumineur ($48) in Or Ivoire and I think this is the star of the collection. It has a sheer subtle finish like the Les Beiges Highlighters (reviewed here) but with a little more bigger shimmer particles that have a more reflective sheen. I love this on top of the cheek bones. It is sheer so your mileage may vary depending on how you like your highlighters. I am considering ordering a backup since it’s limited-edition and I think the color is so lovely.
Last I have a look at the Le Vernis in 913 Rouge Intemporel ($28). This is a classic red cream. It’s a one-swipe wonder, but Chanel has so many beautiful reds already. If you already own a lot of reds I think you can safely skip this one.
Sublimage Le Coffret Fondamental
Most of the sets have sold out online but the Sublimage Le Coffret Fondamental ($570)* is still available! This is the ultimate splurge gift in skincare with their Redefining Serum (designed to tighten and firm the skin) along with a limited-edition Massage Tool (quite hefty!). I have not tried the serum but I love the Sublimage line and am really excited to be able to try this out.
Chanel Les Beiges Swipe and Glow
For Black Friday Chanel will be releasing their Les Beiges Swipe and Glow Set ($77) which includes the Baume Essentiel in Sculpting (swatched here) and Les Beiges Healthy Glow Lip Balm in Medium (swatched here and all shades swatched here). This was available as an exclusive to Nordstrom a while back but sold out in a day. I was lucky to get it back then and if you missed out you can Pre-Order it now online at Chanel.com. It is supposed to officially launch online on Friday.
Overall the Holiday Collection offers quality well-made pieces that perform true to Chanel’s standards. I love the extra embossed detailing on the eyeshadows and lipstick caps. Stand out to me is the Fluid Enlumineur Liquid Highlighter.
If you’re like me and missed out on all the holiday sets, keep an eye out for Cyber Monday. They have 2 sets available in the black sparkle tweed pouches. Also Spring Collection will be launching in a few weeks! I already have some of the product and cannot wait to share it with you! Review, swatches and everything will be up as soon as it launches online.
Did you check out the Chanel Holiday collection this year? What did you think? You can find everything available online at Chanel.com.
Sublimage Set gifted. All other items purchased by me.
I hauled the new foundation and concealer to put them to the test and have a closer look with swatches today.
Chanel Ultra Le Teint
The Chanel Ultra Le Teint Ultrawear All-Day Comfort Foundation is a soft matte finish foundation with a lightweight texture and medium buildable coverage. It’s been a while since I tried the original Ultra Le Teint so I can’t exactly recall what the old one was like, but I think I remember it being on the thicker heavy side. The new reformulation has a more fluid lightweight feel compared to the original. Compared to current Chanel matte/velvet bases it’s not thin and doesn’t have quite as much slip as the Ultra Le Teint Velvet (reviewed here).
Formula blends well for a soft demi-matte finish. I swatched a few at the counter and the sales associate agreed that I looked like I was in between shades B40/B50 possibly a BD41. The undertone of BD41 matched better for my yellow/olive/golden skintone but is just a tad too light. The next shade up BD51 was too deep and olive for me. If I were to get my exact match I’d probably be a mix of BD41 with B50.
Once on the skin it doesn’t really oxidize but I was surprised that it adjusts and blends out perfectly. Most matte foundations tend to darken once they dry on my skin and I was really pleased that this one does not.
Lasting power is pretty impressive. Finish can be a little streaky if you have dry skin, but this can be fixed with a good moisturizer underneath and some good blending. Overall I like it but I still prefer the Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Foundation for formula and how it looks on the skin.
A few swatch comparisons for reference. I’ll link my previous reviews to other formulas below:
Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5 and 7 (review here)
I’ve received a lot of questions over the years about the Chanel concealer and how it compares to other brands like Dior and NARS. To be frank, I’ve never been a super huge fan of the Chanel concealers. The formula isn’t bad, it’s just not what I prefer. Finish tends to be thin, not creamy enough and the colors have always been a little off for my skin. Either too pale, too dark or too pink in undertone. This round Chanel added more shades with their Le Correcteur de Chanel Longwear Concealer.
Formula is lightweight with a gel-based formula. It does the job at brightening and concealing the under eye. It won’t crease, it’s easy to blend, it has soft-focus pigments to diffuse light with a brightening effect (but has no shimmer/glow).
Overall it’s decent. It performs as described. I prefer formulas that are more creamy and emollient. I don’t think it has enough coverage for spot concealing although I did not try the color correctors to see if those work better. I just don’t think it’s the best out there. For a similar coverage I prefer the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer by far for the emollient texture and creamy feel. I like the color range in NARS better too.
For a color match, the first counter I went to was sold out of B40 so I went to another store nearby and didn’t realize until I got home that they sold me the old formula which is 40 Beige. So I have both the old and new 40 colors to swatch for you side by side. A few videos I watched on YouTube also showed that the old and new in the B20 color are also different. I suspect this might be the case across the board that the colors are slightly different.
I ordered the new B40 along with the B30 and BD31 to compare. I know a lot of you like one 1-2 shades lighter than your skintone for brightening. For me after testing all three, the best one for me is B40 but I think it’s still a bit too light and the next shade deeper is too dark.
Swatch comparisons to a few other brands:
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Macadamia, Ginger and Praline (formula is more creamy and easier to blend)
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion in 3N (more swatches here, formula is thicker and more emollient)
Tarte Shape Tape in 35N Medium (formula is full coverage, thicker, more creamy, better for spot concealing)
Overall I think the new foundation is a good basic semi-matte base that will offer medium natural coverage and last all day. The concealer is decent but compared to other brands I would say a pass.
Have you tried the new base products yet? What did you think?
Available at Chanel.com and all other Chanel counters.
The overall look and vibe is dramatic eyes and lips with a neutral muted blush. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up liking the fall Le Vernis Nail Colors since they run very deep in color. Swatch comparisons added for the blush + lips per request too!
Joues Contraste Blush
The Joues Contraste Blush ($45) in 608 Ombre is a neutral matte light tan brown. This kind of color seems hard to come by and I wish Chanel had kept this as a permanent item. On my medium tan skin (Chanel B40/BD41) this gives me a barely there neutral hint of color. If you’re light to fair it will show up better on your skin. Pigment is pretty good, it just matches my skin tone very closely so you might not be able to see it in photos.
If you’re my skin tone or deeper, Ombre will most likely not show up well on your skin. A few others I wear that show up better include Chanel Alezane or Jersey. Laura Mercier Ginger is similar but a bit warmer.
Stylo Ombre Et Contour
There are four new Stylo Ombre Et Contour ($34 each). I have three of them in 19 Contour Beige, 15 Contour Marron, 13 Contour Kaki. You’ll either love or hate this format. It comes in a twist up pencil style. I love these creamy sticks to swipe and blend for pigmented color. Since it’s semi-chubby you won’t get a super precise line once the tip wears down. I like to swipe and blend. Or for the darker colors I’ll use a detail eyeshadow brush to apply color to the tip and then smudge on the eyes.
19 Contour Beige is a warm brown beige (if you blend it makes for a good contour color), 15 Contour Marron is a deep plum, 13 Contour Kaki is a blackened deep khaki green. Texture is smooth, pigmented but blendable to sheer out, lasting power is very good on my eyes.
Ombre Premiere Laque
I loved the Ombre Premiere Laque ($36 each) from a few years ago so I was excited to see new shades for fall. Three of the four new shades include 39 Lame Ivoire (pale gold), 35 Lame Pourpre (shimmery red), 37 Lame Acier (metallic grey olive khaki). Application is tricky with these. If I apply in a traditional swipe on the lid and blend with a finger, the color blends out so sheer it’s barely noticeable. For me the best way to get these to show up is to apply with a separate eyeshadow brush (like the MAC 242) and layer/dab on the lids. I have Lame Pourpre layered on top of Contour Beige + Contour Marron blended.
Le Vernis
The four new Le Vernis ($28 each) shades are perfect for fall. These are opaque creams, they apply nicely with 2 coats for full coverage. 909 Beige Cendre is a pale warm grey, 905 Brun Fume us a deep khaki, 907 Rouge Brun is a deep plum and 911 Terre Brulee is a deep red.
Rouge Allure Velvet
Last is a look at the two new Rouge Allure Velvets ($40 each). Shade 74 Low Key is a warm pink (similar warmer/deeper option to Charlotte Tilbury Super Cindy) and 75 Mode is a classic bold warm red. This is a “velvet” formula but it’s a luminous matte with smooth flawless coverage. A few swatch comparisons below.
Same items above, wearing Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in Mode
Overall everything performs well quality wise. I think the nail colors are the stand outs for me for fall. I love the Rouge Allure Velvet in Low Key but it does seem similar to other shades I own. I’m currently testing the new Ultra Le Teint Foundation and Concealer! Review coming soon.
You can find the Fall-Winter Makeup Collection at Chanel.com.
Have you tried anything yet? What did you think?
Chanel Fall-Winter collection provided for review.
Chanel launched new shades of Rouge Allure Laque and Rouge Allure Ink Fusion ($40 each). The colors run on the bold side which I think will be really nice for the fall season or if you like a classic bold lip. I also ordered a few pieces from the fall collection and have a quick look at one item today (the new blush). These are out now at Chanel.com.
Chanel Rouge Allure Laque
The Chanel Rouge Allure Laque Ultrawear Shine Liquid Lip Colour is a glossy liquid lipstick formula with a lightweight feel and high shine finish. You can see my previous review with swatches here and here. I do think that the Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue is significantly longer lasting if you’re looking for extended wear. The Rouge Allure Laque has similar lasting power to a regular lipstick for me. Stays put but does fade if your lips touch something like cups or a napkin.
The Rouge Allure Ink Fusion is a fluid lightweight matte liquid lipstick. These colors looked fairly dark in the tube but I was pleasantly surprised by these colors! They’re a lot prettier on the lips than what I see in the tube. There are a couple of repromotes. My other review of other shades here.
838 Orange Enigmatique is a soft muted orange (love this color)
840 Rouge Paradoxal is a warm red
842 Rouge Distinctif is a bold red with slight blue tones
844 Rogue Imprevu is a pink red
846 Rouge Particulier is a deeper red
848 Brun Mysterieux is a plum brown
Joues Contraste 608 Ombre
I ordered 3 items from the Chanel Fall-Winter Collection, one of them being the new Joues Contraste in 608 Ombre ($45). It’s a super soft diffused nude almost neutral-cool caramel brown shade that offers a very subtle contour on my skin tone. I applied it and felt it was a little too neutral in the lip swatches with Rouge Allure Laque 82, 83, 84 and 85. I added some Laura Mercier Blush in Fresco and Ginger which I find similar in tone but show up better on my medium tan skin tone on the other Lip Swatch images above. If you want swatches and a more detailed of the Ombre Blush review let me know.
You can find the new Chanel Rouge Allure shades available now at Chanel.com. Have you checked any of them out yet? Or anything from the Fall Collection? What did you think?
I’m so excited to share a look at this year’s Chanel Les Beiges Summer Light collection. I look forward to the new additions every summer! Everything is available now online at Chanel.com. I think the entire collection is effortless and beautiful.
Chanel added a deeper shade of the Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream in 395 Soleil Tan Deep Bronze which is a darker cream bronze shade. It is quite a bit darker than the original 390 Soleil Tan Bronze. For me I find the original one shows up for a more natural look on my Chanel Foundation B40/B50 skintone. If you’re B40 or deeper you may have found it matched your skintone too much.
395 Soleil Tan Deep Bronze definitely works better as a deeper bronze shade for my medium tan skin. It is quite intense in color but is easy to blend and make more natural looking. That being said if you are fair toned I think this will be too deep for you, especially if you want a more natural bronze look.
Lasting power is pretty decent as long as I’m not outdoors too long. Weather here is warmer but not intense yet.
Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyeshadow Palettes
There are two new Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyeshadow Palettes in Intense (neutral bronze tones) and Tender (pink reddish tones). I love both and they have that finely milled smooth shimmer with sparkles similar. They have a soft texture with medium pigment. You can layer them on top of cream shadows to intensify the color payoff.
Intense has shimmers in a soft cream, bronze, darker khaki, medium khaki and soft bronze. The shimmers are complex in the compact so if you see different photos online the palettes may look different depending on how the light catches.
Tender has a mix of soft pink, wine, champagne and rose tones. I added a couple other swatches to Medium (the original one) and Warm (from last year).
Rouge Coco Flash
Chanel has four new shades of Rouge Coco Flash and I think they’re perfect for summer! Dawn is a light neutral nude beige, Sunbeam is a perfect coral (reminds me of a more pigmented version of their discontinued shade in Flash), Flame is a pretty plum, Heat is a bold red. They’re glossy and have pretty good pigment for a shine lipstick formula.
Last we have a look at the new Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colors. I do think at least two of these may have been previously launched many years ago (I know Golden Sand for sure was a color before). I do not have the older shades to compare, but I really love the four options this launch. I applied each one with 2 coats. The metallics will show some of the brush strokes but I think they’re still really pretty.
Glimmer is a pretty neutral cream beige with a hint of silver sparkles (but they don’t really show up on the nail)
Sunlight is a metallic rose pink
Golden Sand is a golden metallic sand color
Solar is a pretty bronze sparkle
Overall a solid A+ for everything. I love how effortless and easy the colors are to wear. I still would have liked to see them launch a beautiful new powder bronzer or highlighter but I have plenty in my stash to pick from. The lip colors are perfect for summer to me – love that there is a nude and a few brighter colors that are fun but still nice to wear for everyday.
You can find the entire collection available now at Chanel.com. Have you checked out the new launch yet? What did you think?
Les Beiges collection provided courtesy of Chanel for review.
Mother’s Day is just around the corner and today I’m rounding up some of my favorites from Chanel for gift ideas! Chanel has been one of the brands I’ve worn the most over the years – even through a lot of product revamps and reformulations, I can always find classic staples I’m always happy to wear. You can see their full Mother’s Day Gift Guide online by category too.
If you want to see more in depth reviews and swatches you can always click on the CHANEL Category label. I’ll also link more swatches below.
FRAGRANCE
Fragrance is so personal but I have a super soft spot for light citrus scents! My two favorites are the Les Eaux de Chanel in Paris-Riviera* (lovely mix of orange and neroli) and Paris-Biarritz (travel size shown, citrus mandarin and lily of the valley). I’ve purchased the Les Eaux de Chanel Hair and Body Shower Gel several times and think it’s such a beautiful splurge.
No5 L’Eau* is another fresh and pretty scent perfect for spring to summer. It has note of lemon, mandarin, orange, rose, jasmin and ylang ylang. Also has hints of cedar and musk mixed in. It’s also available in an All Over Spray Format and Hand Cream as well – both are really lovely for gifting!
NAIL COLOR
You girls know that I’m a die hard Chanel Le Vernis lover. I’ve collected almost all of their polishes over the years and I wear them constantly. Right now my favorites that you can still find are Pensee, Egerie, Organdi, Turban, Camelia, Anthurium, Metallic Bloom.
LIP FAVORITES
Colors above shown left to right: Rouge Allure Laque Continous, Rouge Coco Gloss Caramel, Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue in Timeless Beige, Longwear Lip Pencil in Rose Naturel, Rouge Coco Bloom in Dream
For Mother’s Day gifting, you can’t go wrong with a lip product – even for the super picky ones! There’s something so pretty and luxurious about the packaging. A few of my favorite formulas include:
Rouge Allure Laque* a pretty liquid lipstick with a shiny lightweight finish (swatches of all colors here and here)
Rouge Coco Gloss* the prettiest high shine gloss that has a semi-thick texture but feels hydrating and adds a lot of shine (swatches of more colors here)
Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue Gloss best long-wear liquid lipstick that comes with a clear gloss topper to lock in the color all day (swatches of newer colors here)
Longwear Lip Pencil* favorite neutrals are Rose Naturel, Beige Naturel and Nude Brun (swatches of all colors here)
Rouge Coco Bloom* the latest lipstick launch from Chanel, rich pigment and hydrating with a pretty shine (swatches of all colors here)
Rouge Coco Flash one of the best sheer glossy lipsticks with an almost balm-like feel (swatches of more colors here)
Swatches of some of my favorite neutrals:
MAKEUP ESSENTIALS
Above wearing: Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint in Medium, Les Beiges Sheer Healthy Glow Highlighting Fluid in Sunkissed, Joues Contraste Blush in Rose Ecrin, Les 4 Ombres in Candeur et Experience, Stylo Yeux in Black Wood and Le Volume Mascara, Rouge Coco Bloom in Dream, Longwear Lip Pencil in Rose Naturel
For makeup, I have so many favorites. You can read more about my favorites in my BEST OF CHANEL roundup. A few that I also love that I think will make nice gifts:
Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint (comes with a blending brush too!) the prettiest soft sheer base that makes the complexion look soft and radiant (I can wear either Medium or Medium plus, review here)
Les 4 Ombres in Candeur Et Experience* is my most worn matte quad, it looks pretty ordinary in the compact, but anytime I’m wearing it I always get tons of compliments! (swatches here)
Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Black Wood is a great long-wear eyeliner formula and the color is black but not a pure black so it has a softer feel
For skincare, I also think this is so personal depending on skin type and preferences, but there are a few things I think are versatile enough for any skin type.
Huile de Jasmin* is the prettiest lightweight facial oil I’ve tried!
La Solution 10 de Chanel is one of the best products I’ve tried for sensitive skin, it’s a gentle soothing cream that features 10 ingredients to soothe skin from environmental aggressors. If you’re sensitive it’s Alcohol-free, fragrance-free, oil-free, non-comedogenic, anti-pollution, dermatologist-tested
Sublimage Les Grains Vanille* another luxurious splurge, one of the most gentle face scrubs I’ve ever used, the entire Sublimage line is beautiful
La Crème Main a classic you cannot go wrong with, has a soft velvety dry down, also love the Texture Riche and Le Lift formulas
That wraps up my gift guide! As always I hope splitting it by category helps you narrow down your picks if you’re looking for good gift ideas. In my experience picking just a few items and pairing them with flowers or candy is always well received! I’ve gifted a gloss, lip liner and polish, or a fragrance and hand cream, or a trio of lip products – the combinations are endless!
You can find all these online at Chanel.com. I love that the orders always come packaged in a chic Chanel box so you don’t have to worry about wrapping or presentation – they take care of it for you!
