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Base Makeup Chanel

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid No. 30

May 21, 2014

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid ($45 for 30 ml/1 fl oz) is a tinted cream that comes in a beige squeeze tube. It has been released in several shades similar to the Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Powders. There are currently five shades in the US in 10, 20, 30, 40 and 60 (not sure if we will get shade 50). The US version comes with SPF 15 with the active ingredients listed as Octinoxate 2.5% and Titanium Dioxide 6.4%. I swatched both No. 20 and 30 at the counters on my hand and fell somewhere in between. The artist at the counter matched me to the darker end with No. 30 – he described this as a glow product that was designed to give a sheer wash of tinted color to the face to make it look like it has more color.

On my face it did not look impressive upon first application. It has a very sheer coverage and almost disappeared into my skin. However similar to the Sheer Colour Powders, you need to let this sit on the skin for a minute and then you will see it really give your entire face a healthy luminous glow (no shimmer, just glow). I’ve applied with fingers and the Chanel Foundation brush at home this week. My skin isn’t at it’s best right now so I find the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid doesn’t give enough coverage to cover imperfections. It does make a good natural base – I need to layer on concealer or a heavier foundation on the cheeks and chin areas. Once my skin improves I do see this as a good every-day tinted product.

I find this wears quite well, it
lasts all day and stays put without getting greasy or sliding off even
though it has a slightly dewy finish. I’ve been wearing this in
conjunction with the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum and Sheer Transformation Moisturizer. I then layer Tom Ford Foundation Stick and Cle de Peau Concealer on top and finish with Koh Gen Do Loose Natural Powder.

 More views of the packaging and size:

I usually fall within the Chanel 30 range for foundations. Swatching it
compared to other formulas shows that the Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid
No. 30 is quite a bit darker than the other No. 30s. The sheer texture
makes this formula more forgiving, blending it on make it match my skin
well. I probably could have gotten away with either 20 or 30, however as
warmer sunny weather approaches, the artist recommended I go with the
30 so I could wear it through summer. I did some photograph testing at
home, the Les Beiges Fluid photographs really well.

Comparing coverage and texture to other foundations, I would say the Les Beiges All-In-One Healthy Glow Fluid is most similar to Edward Bess Ultra Dewy Complexion Perfector (review here). If you have sensitive skin that can react to Chanel foundations or the SPF but want a good glow evening base or tinted product that isn’t too sheer, go with the Edward Bess.

Compared to other Chanel Foundations, the Les Beiges is more glowy with a more transparent finish. Others provide a lot more coverage and you can probably use this in conjunction with other formulas for layering. I definitely need to add other foundations on top of this for more coverage along with a dusting of powder.

Swatch comparisons to some other foundations I have. I don’t use all right now, some are from winter or earlier months when I was lighter in color. I’ll link previous reviews in case you want to read more about the formulas.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B30 (too light for me now), Perfection Lumiere Velvet B30 (good match for me now), Edward Bess Complexion Perfector in Medium 02 (perfect match now), Chanel Perfection Lumiere in 30 Beige (a tad too light for me), Tom Ford Foundation Stick in Natural 05 and Bisque 04 (I use bisque now).

I’ve been testing this since Saturday and so far no reactions or break outs from this. It does have a noticeable fragrance similar to the Les Beiges powders and the Hydramax skincare line. I don’t find the fragrance irritating for my sensitive skin but I know others have mentioned to me that their skins couldn’t handle the formula. Ingredients listed below. (Click for larger viewing.)

If I were to rate this on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the high), I would give this an 8.5. I love the way it gives a good healthy glow. I would have liked it to have a bit more coverage, a bit more olive for my skin or a better match. It does blend out to a flawless finish and the sheer texture makes the color more forgiving. The warmth in this is what helps give the skin a bit of healthy color for that perfect summer glow. Often times I end up purchasing two shades of foundation to mix for a perfect match, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to buy both the 20 and 30 since the coverage is so sheer. At this time I’m still undecided, I’ll investigate when I check out the lighter multi-color powder in person.
If you have near perfect skin or just prefer sheer coverage (but not invisible) this is a good everyday product for you to wear with a sheer dusting of powder. If you’re like me and don’t have perfect skin this is still a good base product to give a healthy glow. Layering this under other foundations will give your face a healthy natural glow from within look without the shimmer or frost that other illuminating products give (I love shimmer but I know many of you do not).
Did you purchase the Les Beiges Healthy Glow fluid or the powders? Do
you find they run dark or close to your normal Chanel shade? If you can
comment on your skin tone matches and experiences that would be awesome for those who can’t get to a counter easily to test in person.

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluids retail for $45 each. Available now at Nordstrom, Saks and Neiman Marcus.

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Chanel Eye Makeup

Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Mirage, New Moon and Utopia

May 3, 2014

This summer Chanel brings us three new stunning shades of Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Shadow in Mirage, New Moon and Utopia ($36 each for 4g/0.14oz). All three colors are breathtakingly gorgeous. I think all are universally flattering colors, each with a stunning mix of shimmers. Both New Moon and Utopia are listed as limited-edition, while Mirage is listed as permanent. As with all other Illusion D’Ombres, these are semi-sheer but layer able with intense shimmer.

Swatches:

More pics and swatches:

Mirage is a luminous warm bronze. It seems to have been launched to replace Initiation from Holiday (which is now discontinued, but still available at Neiman Marcus). If you compare the two shades, Mirage has a more refined shimmer while Initiation has more visible silver flecks of sparkle. Both are similar on the eyes.

It was a bit difficult for me to capture the differences with a flash, the shimmers blinded my camera so I have two sets of swatches. The one with flash is more accurate with color.

This one is without any flash, under artificial light, it makes the colors look a bit green, but shows the difference in undertone and texture better.

New Moon is my favorite of the three. It’s a complex burgundy, gold, brown, red mix. It can appear reddish when swatched on the arms or hands but it applies much more neutral on the eyes.

Two sets, same items in each, just different lighting include MAC Constructivist, Bobbi Brown Velvet Plum (review here), Chanel Ebloui, Chanel New Moon, Armani Eyes to Kill 28 (swatches here) and Chanel Fatal (review here).

Utopia is a gorgeous lavender sparkle. It’s one of the few lighter pink/purples I can actually pull off without looking like I have pink-eye. Medium or dark purples are easy for me to wear (as long as the red in them is minimal), lighter purples tend to clash with my olive skin and make me look sickly. Utopia has the perfect mix of pink and purple.

Below comparisons swatches to Armani Eyes to Kill 30 (hard to find but swatches/review here), Bobbi Brown Cool Lilac, Chanel Utopia, Chanel Illusoire, Chanel Impulsion (review here) and Armani Eyes to Kill 8.

These are must-haves for summer in my book – especially for Chanel fans. For those who avoid dupes/similar colors, I think you’ll find these shades particularly unique. I’ve had a lot of fun playing with these over the last week. They are extremely versatile and easy to wear for any occasion (day or night). Lasting power is quite good as long as you’re not one who rubs your eyes frequently throughout the day.

The Illusion D’Ombres are $36 each, now at all Chanel counters in the US. Currently online at Nordstrom, Saks and Chanel.com.

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NARS

NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette

April 30, 2014

The NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette ($79 for 0.03oz x 15 shades) is a glorious palette of 15 neutrals. It comes in a large mirrored compact and includes a wide range of colors, textures and finishes. I’m late to the party with the NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette (it launched back in January). I thought long and hard for months about purchasing this one because I already owned many of the colors individually and also thought the Urban Decay Naked eye palettes might be duplicates. The Sephora VIB sale earlier this month pushed me over the edge. I put it to the test for several weeks. It was also the only powder eyeshadow palette I brought with me on my recent trip to Dallas. I’ve been really happy with this palette, the versatility is impressive. This one palette has all the colors you need for a multitude of looks: natural, smokey, bronzey, etc. It will take you from day to night.
The colors in the NARSissist Eye Palette include (from left to right, from top row to bottom)


All About Eve (1 side) – shimmery champagne
Madrague (both sides) – matte cream and matte tan
Fez – shimmery copper
Bali – matte soft brown
Coconut Grove – matte brown
Nepal – shimmery peachy pink
Ashes to Ashes – soft grey shimmer
Brousse – shimmery soft plum
Mekong – dark blackened brown with gold flecks
Bellisima – white base with gold sparkle flecks
Lhasa – shimmery light grey mauve
Bad Behavior – shimmery gunmetal
Dogon – darker blue-grey metallic
Pandora – matte sheer black

There have been mixed reviews about the palette, some have reported a different quality and texture of the palette shades compared with individuals colors. Overall I found the palette to be very good quality on par with the individual colors. There were a couple shades I found to be sheerer in texture and harder to work with (my personal experience). Colors I found to perform different in this palette included:
  • the matte colors of Madrague (the regular duo applies smoothly, this palette’s version was a bit chalky)
  • Ashes to Ashes (the singles I have are more pigmented and smoother in texture, but the palette applies ok, just different texture)
  • Dogon (individual is creamier in texture while the palette is drier)
The palette still worked well with no issues for application from what I tested. The colors I noticed differences for still applied well, it just took a little bit more work for me. Close ups and swatches below of the NARSsissist Eye Palette:

Many have asked how this compares to the Urban Decay Naked and Naked2 Palettes. There are similarities in the concept – all have a mix of shimmer and matte neutral-ish colors. I find that my Naked Palettes (1, 2 and 3) are the ones I reach for the most frequently out of any of the eye shadows that I own. The differences between NARS and Urban Decay are mainly in packaging and texture. Both brands have distinct shadow formulas, I can’t say one is better than the other, they are just different.

I’ve swatched them below for your reference. There wasn’t enough room for labeling the swatches but the colors are in the order of the palettes. (To have enough room on my arm, I skipped one of the Madrague shades from the NARS palette because it didn’t show up on my skin in the photograph.)

Overall love. As you can see above there are similarities between the NARSissist and Urban Decay Nakeds. Your preference will depend on a number of factors, such as packaging preference, if you own a lot of the individual colors already, texture preference (Urban Decay is softer and more buttery, NARS is more like traditional shadows in texture with more complex shimmers).

I believe the NARSissist Palette is limited-edition. It may take a bit of hunting to find it in stores, but you can still find it now online at Sephora, Beauty.com and Saks.

Did you buy the NARSissist Palette? What did you think?
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Diptyque

Photo of the Day: Diptyque

April 10, 2014
I hope everyone is having a productive Thursday. I’m happy it’s almost Friday and looking forward to the beach and sunshine this weekend (see my weekend beach picks). Currently working on summer reviews for Tom Ford and Armani. I’ve been testing the gorgeous white palette this week and hope to have my review up this afternoon. Stay tuned for a couple more essentials posts coming up as well.
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Base Makeup Chanel

Chanel Perfection Lumière Velvet | Smooth-Effect Makeup

April 7, 2014
Chanel Perfection Lumière Velvet ($45 for 30 ml/1 fl oz) is the latest foundation formula from Chanel. It’s described as a lightweight, oil-free fluid foundation that provides a long-lasting matte-velvet finish. It has what Chanel calls “soft-focus pigments” which smooth and perfect the skin for a flawless look
that lasts all day. It comes in a sleek black bottle. I was matched to 30 Beige (I’m usually either a 20 Beige or 30 Beige for Chanel). According to the Chanel rep I spoke with at Nordstrom the new Perfection Lumière Velvet is going to replace the Mat Lumière.

The Perfection Lumière Velvet is indeed a lightweight foundation with medium coverage. It has enough pigment to even out the skin but not quite as full coverage as the regular Perfection Lumière. This new velvet formula is designed for those normal to oily skin.

At the counter the Chanel artist prepped my skin by cleaning first with the Creamy Cleansing Milk and then followed with the Hydra Beauty Creme. She tested 20 and 30 on my skin. We decided to go with 30 which was a perfect match. She applied the Perfection Lumière Velvet with the foundation brush and then finished with a light dusting of Les Beiges in No. 20 to set. I loved how the foundation blended on the skin with a smooth no-makeup feel. The Perfection Lumière Velvet adheres well to the skin but still lets it breathe. On my normal/combination this lasted all day long and the smooth velvety finish remained the same from the time it was applied well into the late evening. I like that it’s not a full-matte finish which prevents it from looking too flat.
Chanel had some amazing matte foundations back in the early 2000’s which they discontinued and replaced with Mat Lumiere (which I hated, I found it did not blend well and caked a bit on my skin). I’ve since tried to find a good matte-finish replacement, the closest is By Terry’s Hyaluronic Face Glow but it still doesn’t have the same velvety finish as the older Chanels. This new Perfection Lumière Velvet is a must- have foundation for those looking for a long-lasting natural makeup with a slight matte finish. I find it has been released at the perfect time of year as we start getting warmer weather. The color stays put on the skin without oxidizing. Below you can see how well it blends into the skin and evens out the texture:

I’ve been using this over a number of moisturizers, I like it right now over Le Jour de Chanel and set with the Les Beiges powder.



Here are some swatches for comparisons: By Terry Hyaluronic Face Glow No 2, By Terry Cover-Expert in 9 Honey Beige, Tom Ford Foundation Stick Bisque 04 (review here), Chanel Vitalumière Aqua in B20 and B30, Chanel Perfection Lumière Velvet 30 Beige, Chanel Perfection Lumière 30 Beige, NARS Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland.

In terms of formula comparisons to the new Perfection Lumière Velvet to other Chanel foundations:

  • Chanel Vitalumière Aqua is sheerer and more lightweight in color. The new Perfection Lumière Velvet goes on smoother onto the skin and also is more fluid in texture. I found it much easier to squeeze out of the tube.
  • Chanel Perfection Lumière is heavier in texture and has more full coverage, I find the Velvet version to work better with my skin, the Regular version was a bit too heavy for me.
Packaging comparisons:



I’ve been testing this for a week and I’ve been really pleased with the results. I’ve always been a huge fan of Chanel foundations (except for a couple formulas) and I highly recommend you check out the Perfection Lumière Velvet foundation. I’ve had no issues with breakouts or clogged pores with this formula. It blends well, lasts all day and doesn’t change color. The velvety finish is natural but still matte-looking.

The new Perfection Lumière Velvet foundations should be at all counters now. Check out Natural N Chic Makeup for swatches of all shades. I purchased mine at Nordstrom. It’s also available at Bloomingdales, Saks and Chanel.com.
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Diptyque Home / Interiors Lifestyle

Beauty Storage Ideas for Minis | Diptyque Recycled

March 8, 2014

I’ve been trying to find a new way to store my mini perfumes and samples. I had been putting them all into a small Jo Malone box but this made it difficult to see what was inside after items started to stack up. I had seen a few pretty small round glass bowls on Pinterest to store them but all the ones I found for sale online were either too shallow or too large in circumference for my needs. I had been storing my longer roller perfumes in Diptyque jars already and it just hit me that I could also use the jars for the mini samples as well.

The minis and samples I’ve been accumulating for a while and three empty Diptyque candles in Noisetier (my new favorite, hazelnut), Musc and Figuier.  Silver lacquered rectangle tray shown below is from West Elm.

The emptied and cleaned candle jars:

Minis inside the candle jars:

Previous articles and posts I’ve written that you may find helpful for how-to’s or storage and decor ideas with Diptyque candles:

How do you currently store your mini perfumes or skincare samples so you can find them easily?
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Base Makeup Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick | Bisque 04 and Natural 05

March 6, 2014

Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Sticks ($78 each for .5 oz/15g) are a twist up cream foundation that comes in twelve different shades. I’ve been using this for over a year in Natural 05 and more recently Bisque 04. For me, this is an exceptional product. I tested this on three different occasions at the Tom Ford counters before deciding to purchase. Each time I had the Traceless Foundation Stick on one half of my face with the Traceless Foundation (liquid) on the other. I worked with a few different artists. I asked if they could pick only one which one would they recommend and all of them recommended the stick.

The Traceless Foundation Sticks are a medium to full coverage foundation. It is a creamy kind of stick but blends out to a flawless streakless coverage. The Tom Ford Cream Foundation Blush is amazing with this in that it buffs out the foundation to a perfect finish without any visible streaks. For me anytime I use a foundation brush I end up having to blend a little with a sponge to erase any streaks or lines. The brush + foundation is really phenomenal and worth every penny. It’s on the more emollient side but a little goes a long way and it blends out to a perfect finish for my normal/combination skin. I even like to use it under the eyes as an alternate to concealer. It is a bit too emollient to use as a regular concealer but the coverage can be layered to have a similar effect.

Natural 05 is a lighter color than Bisque 04. Both are neutrals with Natural being a bit more olive/yellow. Natural used to be a perfect match but I got a bit of a tan so the artists matched me to the next darkest shade which is Bisque 04. I’m usually the 3rd or 4th color in foundation lines: Chanel B30/NARS Groenland. It’s been over a decade since I’ve used a MAC foundation (they don’t work well with my skin), but I’ve typically been in between NC30 and NC35. (See all shades swatched at The Beauty Professor.)

 

I use the foundation stick two ways. One is all over the face mixing both Natural 05 and Bisque 04 together. Sometimes I use the darker color Bisque in the center of my face and blend outwards and use Natural around the edges and blend inwards. Other times I just mix the two and blend. On good skin days I use a tinted moisturizer and then the foundation stick for extra coverage in certain spots.

Here are swatch comparisons to other foundations I have in rotation. Note that a couple of the shades are too light for me now but I still had some left over since I went to the next shade up.

Left to right: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B20 and B30, Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick in Bisque and Natural, Chanel Perfection Lumiere 30 Beige, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Compact 30 Beige, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland.

Indoor lighting without flash:

Outdoors at dusk, with flash:

Overall I find the Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Sticks to be a workhorse staple in my weekly beauty routine. If I were to compare this to other foundations I’ve tried, most foundation sticks I’ve tested during makeovers and at the counter left me feeling extremely greasy and oily after a few hours. The Tom Ford lasts longer without getting greasy. I would say it’s similar to the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Compact but works better for my skin with a flawless finish, more controllable coverage. For me I cannot wear the Chanel compact foundation for more than two days in a row because it breaks out my skin.

This is extremely pricey but a little bit goes a very long way. I’ve been using the Natural 05 for over a year and have not used it up with regular use. Comparing the two Tom Ford foundations, I found the stick to have more coverage and be less dewy once blended. I still really liked the liquid and may eventually purchase once I’ve used up my other liquid foundations (probably not for a while).

If you’ve tried Tom Ford foundations – what did you think? If you can share what shades you use to help other readers who can’t get to a counter pick out their match I’m sure everyone would be incredibly grateful for your input and advice.

You can find the Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick for $78 each at Tom Ford Beauty counters. Online at Saks, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales.

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