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Chanel Vamp, Rose Fusion Le Vernis and Le Top Coat Lamé Rouge Noir – Holiday 2015 Vamp Attitude

November 15, 2015

There are two new nail colors in this year’s Chanel Vamp Attitude Collection for holiday in Rose Fusion Le Vernis and the Le Top Coat Lamé in Rouge Noir ($27 each). In the US Vamp 18 is the one of the re-promoted colors in the collection while other countries received a special-edition Rouge Noir 18. I have swatches of Vamp, Rose Fusion and the Rouge Noir Top Coat along with comparisons below. Both of the new shades are limited-edition.

Rose Fusion #757 is a sparkling duo-chrome purple, silver, taupe shimmer. It has tiny flecks of blue and silver shimmer and has a beautiful iridescent glow to it. There is a lot of shimmer and frost in the color but it applies smoothly on the nails and the brush strokes smooth out nicely. At first glance I thought it would be a duplicate of Sweet Star (reviewed here). Swatch comparions show that Rose Fusion is warmer while Sweet Star looks more cool-toned and silvery.

Shown below with two coats and a top coat. It’s a color that shifts depending on how the light hits it. If you google swatches of this it will look different in every photo – I love how unique it is. The shimmer is perfect for this time of year.

Swatch comparisons below to:
Chanel Sweet Star (discontinued, review here)
Chanel Graphite (discontinued)
Bobbi Brown Scotch (discontinued, swatched here)
Chanel Illusion D’Or (discontinued)
Chanel Le Top Coat Lamé in Rouge Noir over Rose Fusion and Vamp

I’ve reswatched Vamp for reference even though it’s not a new color. Also as promised in my Rouge Allure Picks post, I’ve added more comparisons for Troublante and Singuliere. (Troublante is definitely still a must-have on my list.)

Swatch comparisons below:
Chanel Terrana (reviewed here)
Rescue Beauty Lounge Elvis in the Cloud (swatches here)
Louboutin Scarabeé I (swatched here)
Chanel Cosmic Violine (discontinued)
Chanel Rouge Noir 18 (not available in the US, but often repromoted)
Chanel Accessoire (review here)
Chanel Fantastic (discontinued)
The Le Top Coat Lamé Rouge Noir is stunning. It has a clear jelly transparent plum base with gold flecks that settle to the bottom of the bottle. You need to give it a good shake to mix up the shimmers. One coat will cover the nail with gold flecks. I prefer to use two coats. Suspended glitter polishes can sometimes be a pain to apply – often times you have to pack it on to get the glitter to show up evenly. This one is perfection. Over Rose Fusion the top coat adds more warmth and subtle sparkle. On a contrasting color the gold flecks are really pretty.

The Le Top Coat Lamé Rouge Noir over Rose Fusion. I was really sad to take this off the nails to swatch it over Vamp. Two coats of the Rose Fusion and one coat of the Top Coat.

Two coats of Vamp and two coats of the Lame Top Coat:

One last shot below, if you compare this one to the ones above you can see how Rose Fusion shifts in color with different light:

Bottom line both of the new colors are winners. Rose Fusion is a pretty metallic that’s edgy and unique but still conservative enough for everyday wear. The Le Top Coat Lamé Rouge Noir is simply stunning (I’m backing it up). Also in case you haven’t checked out Troublante from the Rouge Allure collection, I highly recommend you do. Rose Fusion and Le Top Coat Lamé Rouge Noir are both limited-edition. I recommend buying sooner than later as we all know Chanel regret is heartbreaking once the color is gone from counters.

You can find these both at Chanel counters and stores now. Online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Chanel.com and all other Chanel retailers.

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Chanel

Chanel Étincelle, Rose de Lune and Coups de Minuit – Holiday 2015 Vamp Attitude Collection

November 13, 2015
For lips and cheeks I picked up three things from the Chanel Holiday 2015 Vamp Attitude Collection. There are two new limited-edition Lèvres Scintillantes Glossimers in Rose de Lune and Ètincelle ($30 each) and one limited-edition Joues Contraste Lumière Highlighting Blush called Coups de Minuit ($45). The color theme of the items I picked out are light, shimmery and glowy for holiday – the lips and cheeks have a soft luminous finish perfect for a polished understated look. If you want more color or oomph, there are lipsticks and lip liners that can give you a bold look which you might want to look into.

My picks:

Up first is the Joues Contraste Lumière Highlighting Blush, Coups de Minuit. I think this is the first time I’ve seen this particular formula even though Chanel has launched a number of beautiful pressed highlighters in the past. Coups de Minuit is a light soft luminous champagne with a pinkish tinge. It’s very smooth in texture and the shimmer is ultra fine and glowy (not frosty). On my medium-toned olive skin it’s subtle but does show up. I like it as a highlighter on the cheekbones or on top of blush. I think it’s a winner which is huge considering it’s the baked format (and I’m usually not a fan of the baked formula).

Swatched comparisons below to:
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light (reviewed here)
Tom Ford Skin Illuminating Duo in Moodlight (review/swatches here)
Chanel Winter Shimmer Blush (discontinued)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle

The two Limited-Edition Glossimers in Rose de Lune and Ètincelle are both very sheer colors loaded with lots of sparkle. They are almost like micro-glitters in the tube but on the lips the shimmer is very subtle (at least on me). Since they are sheer they will give your lips a very subtle tint with lots of shine if you wear these alone. I have played with Rose de Lune on top of lipsticks and it’s a very pretty layering color. I suspect Ètincelle will look stunning layered over plums and mauves but I haven’t had a chance to layer it yet. So far I’ve worn it alone and even though it’s sheer it gives my lips a healthy soft berry tint – perfect for my neutral-makeup-loving self.

Swatch comparisons below:
YSL Gloss Volupte in #10 Or Rose
MAC Lipglass in Purpurine (discontinued)
Chanel Glossimer in Seashell
MAC Cremesheen Glass in Softly Lit
Buxom Lip Polish Mini in Starr (swatches here)
Chanel Glossimer in Equinoxe (discontinued)
Chanel Glossimer in Braise (discontinued)
Chanel Glossimer in Spark 04

Overall huge thumbs up for the two glossimers and highlighting blush. I was seriously tempted by the Rouge Allure Lipsticks in Rouge Noir and Vaporeuse but I already own Rouge Noir (although it’s an older formula) and the pink looked a bit pale when I swatched it on my hand at the counter. If you tried it let me know your thoughts. Stay tuned for the review on the holiday nail polishes – I’m going to be working on editing swatches and comparisons this weekend. I hope to publish the post by Sunday (fingers crossed).

All three items featured above are limited-edition. You can find them now at Chanel counters and stores. Also online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Chanel.com along with all other Chanel retailers.

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Chanel Eye Makeup

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Signe Particulier, Illusion D’Ombre Rouge Noir and Le Volume de Chanel – Holiday 2015 Vamp Attitude Collection

November 12, 2015

I picked up four eye makeup items from the Chanel Vamp Attitude Collection. All are listed as limited-edition with the exception of the Illusion D’Ombre. I’ve been such a huge fan of Chanel for years and the holiday collections usually are absolutely stunning so I had high hopes for this release.

What I picked up, below from left to right:
Illusion D’Ombre ($36) in Rouge Noir
Les 4 Ombres ($65) in Signe Particulier
Le Volume de Chanel ($32) in Rouge Noir
Le Volume Ultra-Noir de Chanel ($32) in Noir Khôl

I am a lover of the Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadows. I own almost all of the colors and wear them on a regular basis. They offer the prettiest amount of sparkle to the eyes without being over the top and they layer nicely together. I know they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea (some feel they are too sheer or too sparkly). I’m a huge huge fan. When I found out there would be a Rouge Noir color launched I knew I would either love or hate it since I rarely like reddish colors for the eyes. I absolutely love this color. It’s dark enough that it doesn’t look red, but at the same time it’s red and plum enough that the color shows up on the eyes. This one does take some layering, it’s not a one-swipe wonder, but I think it’s gorgeous. That being said, after pulling some other deep wine eyeshadows, I do think it’s very similar to Armani Eyes to Kill #2 and NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Subra reviewed here. Both the Armani and NARS have deeper richer pigment with one to two swipes while the Chanel requires some building. The nice thing about the Chanel is you can swipe it over the lids for a softer wash.

I had very high hopes for the Les 4 Ombres in Signe Particulier. The eyeshadow quad releases from past seasons have been phenomenal with beautiful designs, excellent pigment and stunning unique colors. This year’s was one of the first disappointments from Chanel for me. I did swatch in store and saw that the pigment was very sheer and patchy. I thought it was just an over-handled tester that caused such poor application. I tested the brand new one I bought at home multiple times with several different brushes and applicators. The texture is very smooth and silky to touch but application is so sheer I could barely see any color payoff on the skin. I regret buying this. The colors are a soft sheer pale pink, a medium taupe shimmer, a deep plum-red, and a yellow gold shimmer. The packaging and embossed design is so so gorgeous. I wish the color payoff and pigment was better. If you love this – let me know what brushes you use, would love to figure out how to make this work.

Swatched below with a heavy hand, and the colors still are very sheer:

Finally there are two new mascaras in the holiday collection. I’m a fan of the Le Volume de Chanel Mascaras so I knew I had to try the Rouge Noir version. I’m thrilled with it – it thickens, volumizes, defines and doesn’t smudge or flake. I might need a back up of this. In addition to the Rouge Noir, there is a new deep dark black called Le Volume Ultra-Noir de Chanel in Noir Khôl (also limited-edition). I had high hopes for this and a few swipes applied an ultra dark color. It looks amazing and it’s super dark. The formula thickens the lashes evenly for a volumized look. The downside is it smudged terribly on my eyes. I tested it on several occasions (5 different days to be exact) before deciding it was a flop for me. I thought on the first occasion that I might have not powdered my concealer properly, so the next few times I tried the Noir Khôl on one eye and a regular Black Le Volume on the other eye. Each time, I had one side that smudged (the new one) and the other side did not (one with the classic formula/color).

I’m desperate to make the Ultra-Noir mascara work, if you tried it and love it, can you please share what makeup or skincare you use under the eyes?

I did consider purchasing the eyeliners in Rouge Noir and Or Safran, but decided against buying since I tend to wear black, brown or bronze colors. If you picked those up or tested them let me know what you think! Overall the eye makeup products were either hit or miss for me. The Le Volume de Chanel in Rouge Noir was an absolute hit for me. I love the Rouge Noir Illusion D’Ombre but it’s not an absolute must since it’s so close in color to other shades I own. Misses were the Les 4 Ombres and Noir Khôl Mascara.

You can find the Chanel Vamp Attitude Collection items at all Chanel counters now. Also online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Chanel.com along with all other Chanel retailers.

Did you pick up anything or try the colors from this collection? What did you think?
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Chanel

Chanel Vamp Attitude Collection for Holiday 2015 – The Beauty Look Book Picks

November 12, 2015

Here’s a sneak peek at my picks from the Chanel Vamp Attitude Collection for holiday 2015. I stopped by the counter a few weeks ago and have been playing with everything. It appears that the US did not receive the Rouge Noir 18 Le Vernis shade this round and instead featured a repromote of the Vamp 18 Le Vernis color. I have swatches and comparisons coming up so stay tuned, but many of you have been e-mailing me asking what I picked from the collection. Here’s the list:

Les 4 Ombres Eyeshadow Palette in Signe Particulier
Illusion D’Ombre in Rouge Noir
Le Volume de Chanel in Rouge Noir
Le Vernis in Rose Infusion and Vamp
Lèvres Scintillantes Glossimer in Rose de Lune and Étincelle

I’ll have swatches and the full review for eyes, lips and cheeks today. Nail polishes are still going through the test so I’ll have swatches + comparisons up as soon as possible, but it’s most likely going to go up next week. Everything I picked up is listed as limited-edition except Vamp Nail Polish and Rouge Noir Illusion D’Ombre.

You can find the items now in stores and online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Chanel.com along with all other Chanel retailers.

Did you pick up anything from the collection?
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Chanel Eye Makeup

Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Entrelacs for Fall 2015

August 27, 2015

There’s a stunning new eyeshadow palette from Chanel this fall called Les 5 Ombres de Chanel in Entrelacs ($80, limited-edition). It’s quite expensive but the colors are phenomenal neutrals that have a super soft texture with good buildable pigment. I think Chanel should make all their shadows in this formula – it melds into the skin flawlessly. The light colors are pigmented with a glorious shimmer giving them unique look. (In the pan they look almost matte.) The three darker shades are satiny in texture and layer nicely over each other. If you have a creamy liner or base on the lids you will see the dark shades pop. Chanel’s Les 5 Ombres de Chanel for fall is the perfect in-between of pure mattes and high frost shimmers. The finish is more of a satiny glow and I can’t rave enough about this palette. Even though I own enough neutrals to last 100 lifetimes I think this one is a must. 

The colors left to right:

Shimmering soft ivory with a champagne shimmery glow
Matte neutral beige tan
Soft satiny chocolate shimmer
Dark blackened brown satin
Soft light pink with gold shimmer

Swatches with the sponge applicators:

Swatched heavy over Tom Ford Peach Glow Primer with fingers:

I suspect each color can be replicated with individual colors. Some of the ones above resemble older Chanel singles and quads that I own (the first one resembles Ivory, second resembles Sand, third looks like a brown version of the darkest color in Poesie, fourth is unique). I pulled two other palettes to compare, Chanel Charming from Holiday 2013 and Dior Eye Reviver 001:

Overall a winner. I highly recommend it. If you’re new to high end eyeshadows and want a good easy to wear palette of neutrals, the Les 5 Ombres de Chanel is a good introductory palette. It has conservative colors suitable for everyday wear but enough color to show up on the eyes and add dimension. Lasting power is very good – it stays put all day without fading or budging. I’ve used it with my go-to eye base from Edward Bess. I like it so much I have to buy a back it up.

You can find the fall 2015 Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Entrelacs at all counters now, while supplies last since it’s limited-edition. Online at Chanel.com, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and all other Chanel retailers.

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Chanel

Chanel Rêve D’Orient Quadra Eye Shadow

December 3, 2014
Chanel has released a limited-edition eye shadow palette called Rêve D’Orient Quadra Eye Shadow ($70 for 2 g/0.07 oz, made in Italy). It was initially a special release only to the Chanel Boutique in New York on 57th Street. My dear friend Café Makeup e-mailed me to let me know the news in early October. By the time I received my order in the mail it sold out. The good news for Chanel fans is that this palette has launched at other retailers. I have thoughts and swatches to share with you today.

Chanel Rêve D’Orient was designed for the Dubai Cruise Show earlier this year. Each shade has a stunning star pattern embossed on the powders. Opening it simply took my breath away. The colors in the palette are well pigmented. The shades are a bit powdery so you might get a tiny bit of fall out with it, but it isn’t anything different than I experience with most powder shadows. The pigment is very smooth. All the shades have some degree of shimmer. The shades are quite complex with multi-dimensional shimmers. In some light the colors look more warm, in other lighting (like the one below) the gold tones show up more making it look more neutral.


The colors that are in this palette:
  • Deep warm brown with a very natural shimmery sheen
  • White gold ivory shimmer, I like that this is an ivory color that doesn’t turn yellow
  • Sparkling but very smooth true gold shimmer
  • Satiny pigmented black, this one applies very smoothly

Swatched on the arms with a brush. The palette comes with tiny white-tipped sponge applicators but I always prefer to use brushes:

Some have wondered how the Chanel Rêve D’Orient compares to the Charlotte Tilbury Fallen Angel. Both have beautiful star patterns embossed on the surface. They are very similar in overall effect, I would say that the Charlotte Tilbury pulls more cool-toned on me, while the Chanel is more neutral.

The differences I’ve seen from testing:

  • Charlotte Tilbury’s quad has a creamy texture, Chanel’s quad is more like a traditional powder
  • The black shades apply almost identical in the finish, I have a slight preference for Chanel’s because it’s more satiny and slightly smoother when you apply it
  • The deep bronze shade in Charlotte’s is more metallic, Chanel’s bronze has slightly more red/plum
  • Charlotte Tilbury’s pale shades are ivory champagne pink and silvery tan with a mauve sheen
  • Chanel’s pale shades are an ivory gold that’s off-white and the gold is a pure gold

Between the two, I prefer the Chanel, mainly because I can wear neutrals on the eyes easier than I can pull off cool tones. Although the shades in the Chanel palette do have a similar vibe to previously released singles, I think the formula, texture and pigment in the Chanel Rêve D’Orient surpasses the singles. The colors just blend in beautifully with the lids and the color adheres well to the lids. They layer together really well and the shades are distinct enough in undertone and texture that they don’t all look the same once applied.

It’s a splurge at $70 but in my opinion I’ve found it to be totally worth the splurge. It performs well, the pigment is super smooth, the colors are super easy to wear, and it’s extremely versatile for day, night and almost any occasion.

The Chanel Rêve D’Orient Quadra Eye Shadow is limited-edition. It has already sold out on a few sites I mentioned a few days ago, but right now still available at Nordstrom, Macy’s and Chanel.com.

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Chanel Eye Makeup

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadows | Tissé Mademoiselle, Tissé Vénitien, Tissé Vendôme, Tissé Gabrielle

August 28, 2014

I have four more shades of the Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadows to share with you today. After falling in love with Poésie and Tissé Rivoli I decided to look at the other colors in more detail. I picked up Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Tissé Mademoiselle 214, Tissé Vénitien 232, Tissé Vendôme 204, and Tissé Gabrielle 208 ($61 each for 2 g/0.07 oz, made in Italy).

I had my eye on the neutrals initially but one of my favorite Chanel artists recommended I try Gabrielle and Venitien as well for more color and something different. All the quads have some degree of shimmer in each color. I found each quad to be well pigmented, some are more subtle than others. After testing all six quads that I now own, I think Tisse Rivoli and Poesie are still my favorites. If you find these don’t adhere well to your eyes, I recommend using a slightly dewy base. Edward Bess Illuminating Eye Base is my absolute favorite for evening the lids without making them look flat or dry. It sets after a few minutes but retails a slightly dewy texture for shadows to adhere well. It will help bring out the color without changing the shadow (some super matte eye bases end up looking very dry and change the colors of shadows by dulling them).

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Tissé Mademoiselle is a neutral quad with a satiny tan, satin cream, shimmery light peach champagne and a dusty fawn brown, all the colors have some variation of shimmer, on my Chanel B30 skin, this is very nude almost matching my skin color. If you start applying the colors from lightest to darkest it will all kinda blend in and blur. My recommendation with this is to start with the medium shade first and pack it onto the lids (top left corner shade), then layer the soft champagne (bottom left corner) and use the darkest shade to smudge on top. Finish with the palest color to highlight or blend any edges.

Here it is compared to Dunes (discontinued):

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Tissé Vénitien has a stunning mix of green, metallic silver, soft sheer pink and deep green. I’m normally not a fan of greens but this one is really lovely when layered together. The greens pop if you layer them over a black or brown liner with a dense smudge brush (I like Laura Mercier’s Smudge Brush or Corner Eye Brush for darker detail colors.)

Here it is compared to Murano (also discontinued):
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Tissé Vendôme is a another neutral palette. It has a tan brown shimmer, soft peach, apricot shimmer and deeper satiny brown. For this one I also recommend starting with the medium/middle shade (top left brown) and applying it all over the lids. Add the coral on top to blend and the darkest brown (bottom right) to intensify/define the lids. Finish with the lightest color as a highlight. You can of course apply this from lightest to darkest or whichever way you like the most. Some have mentioned that the colors all blend together (except for the darkest color) and end up looking the same on the lids. I personally like layering lightest to darkest, but with some quads, I like to start with the medium shades first.

Compared next to Shimmering Dunes (also discontinued, please excuse photo typo):

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Tissé Gabrielle is a smokey eye palette. It’s not the traditional grey/white/black smokey which makes this unique. I found the colors to be well pigmented but the colors went on lighter in color than what I expected.

I didn’t have anything similar, but here it is compared to Variation 37:

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Bottom line: new and definitely improved. I’ve always been a fan of Chanel quads for their neutral fool-proof easy to use combinations. I know not everyone has liked them as much as I have due to the sheerness of the colors. The new Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadows have much better pigment and a super smooth texture. There is a diverse range of color options including blues, pinks and purples (which I didn’t gravitate towards but are still really stunning).

If I were to pick my top three, it would be Poesie, Tisse Rivoli and Tisse Venitien.

The Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadows retail for $61 each. You can find these quads now at all Chanel counters and boutiques. They are also available online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks, Bloomingdales and Chanel.com.

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