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Chanel Les Beiges Duos 01 and 02 for Summer 2016

June 14, 2016

There are two face and cheek products in the Chanel Summer 2016 Collection. The Les Beiges Powder Duos are available in two limited-edition shades Duo No. 01 and Duo No. 02 ($65 each for 11 g/0.39 oz, made in France). These are similar in texture and feel to the regular Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powders which have a very natural look, soft velvety texture and semi-sheer but buildable coverage. Ever since originally reviewing them a few years ago, I’ve used Shade No. 20 to set for a very soft sheer setting powder. The new duos for summer have a very soft shimmer to them – if any of the blushes, bronzers or highlighters of late have seemed way to shimmery for your taste, these two are among the most subtle. They are perfect for those who don’t want a pure matte but don’t want a lot of shimmer either.

No. 01 is a duo with a shimmering orange and deep bronze. No. 02 is more like a blush with a pale champagne pink shimmer and medium reddish blush color.

Swatched with a medium to heavy hand below:

No. 01 is a duo with a shimmering orange shade that has a very soft glowy finish and a dark bronze. Mixed together creates a warm and deep bronzed look. You can apply with a fluffy brush for sheer coverage but I found it to be on the pigmented side for a Les Beiges powder. The first time I tried it I put too much on the brush and ended up with dark streaks on each side of my face. Definitely use a lighter hand when applying. That being said the color can be easily blended out. This is one of the darkest bronzer powders I own. If you are light or fair skinned you will most likely find this too warm and too dark.

Comparisons below to:

No. 02 is more blush material for me with a soft pinky shimmer highlighter on the top and a warm reddish coral shade on the bottom. It’s a really pretty color for summer I think goes well with the pink Aqua Glossimer in Adenium (reviewed here).

Comparisons below to:

Chanel Les Beiges Duo No. 01 look features Rouge Coco in Vera and Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in That Glow on the eyes. Chanel Les Beiges Duo No. 02 look features Chanel Aqua Glossimer in Adenium and Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Sundipped on the eyes. Foundation worn is NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in Groenland + St. Moritz mixed together.

Overall thoughts are that these are very good powders quality and color-wise. I bought them last month so I’ve had some time to play with them. The Les Beiges Duo No. 01 is definitely more along the lines of a bronzer while No. 02 is more of a highlighter/blush on me. Based on pulling a few other powders to compare, a few final thoughts:
  • The powder texture is very finely milled and very pigmented for a Les Beiges powder formula.
  • By comparison to other formulas, the Les Beiges Duos are not as pigmented as the Becca Luminous Blushes, but you can still build the color for more intensity.
  • I applied by swirling a large fluffy brush to combine colors, the darker shades in each compact are more pigmented than the lighter top color so the result is that the deeper bottom shade dominates. The top shade helps diffuse and soften the bottom color if that makes sense.
  • No. 01 is easy to overdo – at least it was for me, I consider myself to have medium toned skin. If you’re lighter than me, it will probably look orangey on your skin as it is on the warm side. If you’re medium to tan to deep, you will probably rejoice that Chanel has finally released a darker colored powder!
  • No. 02 has a very similar effect on me to Hourglass Diffused Heat.
I don’t have any regrets buying these but am not sure that I can call them must-haves. If you’re looking to update your bronzer or blush collection with new colors that have that lovely satiny soft glow I think you will really like these. Even though it’s probably best for conservative makeup wearers like myself to go easy on the shimmer and frost I can’t help but be really into the super shimmers for the face that are popular these days.

Both duos are limited-edition. They retail for $65 each, available at Chanel.com and all other Chanel retailers.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

9 Comments
Chanel

Chanel Collection Dans La Lumière de L’Été Le Vernis in Espadrilles, Turban and Cavalière for Summer 2016

June 13, 2016

Last month I reviewed one of the Chanel Summer 2016 Le Vernis Nail Colors in Espadrilles and today I have a review on two more shades in Turban and Cavalière. These are in the new and improved formula and retail at $28 each for 13 ml/0.4 fl oz, made in France. In case you missed the post I’ll repost photos below but if you want to read the full review on Espadrilles here.

The three shades I have include:
  • Espadrilles which is a bright orange red cream
  • Turban is a medium bright pink-orange cream
  • Cavaliere (c/o) is a deep chocolate brown with very subtle gold shimmer mixed in

All three are full coverage and opaque with two coats. As mentioned in my previous reviews of the new Le Vernis formula here and here, the new formula is an improvement from the original in terms of coverage, pigment and lasting power. I have always had good experiences with Chanel polishes, but the new formula offers more opaque coverage.

If you’ve been a long-time Chanel or Dior nail polish collector, I do think the three colors in this post are similar to previous releases. I’ll add a few notes below on the swatches, this round I did not have time to photograph comparisons in good light.

Up first is Espadrilles reposted, it’s a bright orange red that screams summer to me. I’ve been wearing it a lot on the toes – it goes with a lot of the shoe colors I have in my closet right now.

Turban is one of those pink-orange mixed colors that I reach for frequently. It looked like a medium bright warm pink next to Espadrilles. I pulled a few others I thought might be dupes. Chanel Fracas (discontinued) is similar in terms of pigment and brightness but it’s more pink. Chanel Tutti Frutti (discontinued) is more blue in undertone. Dior Wonderland is more pink and lighter in undertone. Louboutin Miss Loubi is close but deeper and richer in color (this is my favorite out of the bunch).

Cavaliere is an interesting color. Based on the promotional photos and on the model on Chanel.com it looks like a shimmering bronze with visible gold frost. On my nails it’s more of a chocolate bronze with the shimmer barely detectable on the nails unless light hits it directly. It’s still a lovely color – just not quite what I expected. It will be a good summer to fall kind of transition color that I will feel comfortable wearing as the seasons shift.

Three quick looks taken over the past few weeks for fun:

Shoes – Steve Madden
Purse – Prada
Sunnies – Marc Jacobs 
Skirt – J.Crew (old style)
Sandals – Madewell
Chanel Turban snapshot:
Pouch – Truffle
Candies – Sugarfina
iPhone Case – Gray Malin

Out of all three colors, my favorite is Espadrilles. There are a couple other colors that were launched in the collection but when I saw them I didn’t feel like I would really wear them. Canotier is a pale gold frost and Emeraude is a stunning shimmering green but I’m not really a green polish wearer. I’ll do aqua or blues but I rarely feel emerald shades call my name. If you’ve tried it let me know your thoughts! For the other two, I think Cavaliere is unique compared to the other colors that I own. I tried it on the toes and was surprised that it actually worked for a polished edgy look. Turban is gorgeous – but I already own many colors similar to it. That being said it has a lot more coral and orange compared to other medium summery pinks which makes it different but still similar.

Have you checked out the summer collection yet? Stay tuned for a review on the two Les Beiges duos soon. In case you missed the post, Aqua Glossimers reviewed here.

You can find all three colors at Chanel counters & retailers now, also online at Chanel.com. I bought Espadrille and Turban from Nordstrom. Cavaliere was sent courtesy of Chanel for review.
12 Comments
Anastasia Beverly Hills Eye Makeup Sephora

Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow Review

June 8, 2016

I was over the moon when I found out Anastasia Beverly Hills expanded their product line to Sephora and immediately picked up a few eyeshadows. In store the first weeks they launched I saw a lot of testers but there were empty spots for product as stock was trickling in. I picked out a few shades in batches and the process of narrowing down picks was overwhelming because there are so many options! Shades went in and out of my online cart and I finally decided on 12. You can buy the Eyeshadow Singles for $12 each and the 4-Pan Empty Well Palette for $1. There are different textures ranging from matte, metallic, shimmer, satin and glitter. I picked out a mix of finishes to give them a test.

The colors I picked out vary in weight depending on finish. All the pans are the same size but some are more densely packed while the shimmers have lighter weight particles mixed in. I’ll list the weights per shade in case you’re interested. Pigment is very impressive across all the ones I bought. Perhaps I was lucky in selecting good shades – most I ordered sight unseen. Based on online swatches I was a bit concerned some of the colors such as Rose or Pink Champagne would be extremely glittery or frosted. You can apply some of them with a damp brush for an extremely pigmented almost foiled-looking finish for more intense coverage. With a dry brush over an eyeshadow base the finish is more natural looking. 

Finish is smooth and easy to blend. All the colors applied on the lids flawlessly – they have a soft texture that is very easy to layer. Some of the shimmer colors will have fall out when you apply them – but once on the lids they did stay put all day long without budging. I have hundreds of eyeshadows from other brands and do not need any more but being a beauty blogger am always curious about testing new formulas, brands and textures. I did not know what to expect from these – I thought there might be a good chance these were overhyped, but after putting these to the test I can say that these are definitely impressive. The pigment is very good, textures easy to blend and color selection seems to be diverse to suit a wide range of preferences.

Shades that I picked out:
  • Rose (1.7 g) is a neutral-warm mauve pink rose with silvery sparkles
  • Pink Champagne (1.6 g) is a cool-toned mauve pink shimmer, a cooler-version of rose
  • Gem (1.7 g) is a medium peach champagne shimmer
  • Chocolate Crumble (1.5 g) is a cool-toned brown shimmer
  • Nude (1.7 g) is a matte beige pink
  • Suede (1.7 g) is a soft pale yellow gold shimmer
  • Stone (1.7 g) is a light to medium neutral-cool brown
  • Smoke (1.7 g) is a matte neutral brown
  • Sateen (1.3 g) is a shimmery pale champagne frost
  • Chiffon (1.5 g) is an olive khaki kind of shimmer
  • Warm Taupe (1.7 g) is a medium warm taupe shade matte
  • Chocolate (1.6 g) is a shimmery medium chocolate brown
Close ups and swatches:

Some look extremely frosted when swatched on the arms or back of the hand. Once on the lids though the finish of the shimmer is more subtle and definitely very wearable for everyday.

While the price per shadow is reasonable – completing a palette does add up costing $49 for a complete palette. By comparison MAC has reduced the price of their Pro-Palette refills at MAC stores to $6 per pan with the price of the compact at $8 totaling $32. Of course the formulas are different and amount of product you get is different (weight varies depending on formula). Just a few things to consider if you are price/value conscious. MAC just launched new palette sizes and inserts that allow you to mix and match products. I really love the concept and I’ve been a long time fan of MAC products. A more detailed review to follow on the MAC pro palettes (so much to do and not enough time) but here’s a quick look at a few of the different options. As you can see below the pans of the Anastasia eyeshadows are the same size as the MAC eyeshadows. The only one shown below that is pre-filled and non-customizable is the MAC x9 palette. You can find all the MAC Pro Palette Options on their website here and at MAC Stores.
So you might want to know how do the Anastasia eyeshadows compare to MAC. If you’ve played with MAC before you know there are a lot of different formulas and finishes. Pigment, shimmer factor, color payoff and density depends on the formula. In general here are a few thoughts:
  • the MAC mattes have a softer more natural finish but harder texture compared to the Anastasia mattes, color payoff of Anastasia is more pigmented
  • the MAC Veluxe Pearl shadows have that almost buttery soft velvety finish that is similar to that of the Anastasia shimmer eyeshadows, color payoff is excellent for both
  • some of the Anastasia eyeshadows like Rose, Pink Champagne, Chocolate Crumble, Chiffon have a more metallic finish compared to MAC shimmers
  • overall texture of the Anastasia eyeshadows is softer and more velvety while the MAC eyeshadows tend to have a slightly stiffer or harder texture
  • is one better than the other? I would say sometimes yes, sometimes no. MAC Shroom is one of those classic all over wash kind of shades that has the perfect semi-sheer texture to blend out colors, Anastasia Sateen by comparison is similar in color but a lot more pigmented and a lot more frosted which gives more contrast on the lids if you are medium to tan to deep. In this case it really depends on what kind of look you want, how much shimmer and how much pigment. Sheerer finishes aren’t necessarily bad – I love sheer washes for a lot of reasons.

A quick look with the quad I put together with Sateen, Chiffon, Warm Taupe and Chocolate Crumble blended together on the lids:

Products worn:
The eyeshadows exceeded my expectations and I think every color I tested is top notch in terms of color, pigment, blendability and everything else I would want in an eyeshadow. I’ve forever been searching for an antique olive kind of shimmer eyeshadow that I can wear and Chiffon is IT! Most have a tiny bit too much green which clashes with my olive/yellow skin. The colors Rose and Pink Champagne are wearable pinks – huge for me since so many pinks can give me that unflattering pink-eye kind of look. Bottom line is I can’t wait to explore more of the colors. If you have any loves please let me know!
You can find the Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadows at Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Macy’s and on the Anastasia Beverly Hills website. I have not yet tried any of the palettes as many of them have had bold colors I did not think I would wear, but they did look interesting. As always would love to hear about your loves or thoughts on these. If you’ve been looking into them I hope these swatches are helpful!

P.S. I’m very behind on responding to comments – but will try to catch up soon!

44 Comments
Chanel

Chanel Aqua Glossimer for Summer 2016

June 3, 2016

The Chanel Collection Dans La Lumière de L’Été features six colors for lips in a new gloss formula called Aqua Glossimer ($30 each for 5.5g/0.19 oz, all limited-edition). These are similar to the regular Glossimers which I’ve been a long time fan of for natural color and shine. The new Aqua Glossimer is a lighter kind of gloss with a lightweight almost watery cushion feel and sheer color. The colors in the tubes are absolutely gorgeous. Once I applied them on my lips I was undecided how I felt about them. They have a very sheer finish and almost feel jelly like. At first they felt so emollient I thought they would slide off my lips. I did put these to the test though and am happy to report that they do not slide around but stay put, however if you don’t like that thinner emollient feel for a gloss you may want to add a neutral lipliner first to help it feel like it won’t slide.

The colors have a mix of jelly non-shimmers and a couple shimmers. The 3 deeper colors have better color payoff. The lighter shades give the lips a barely there tint. If you like color to show up I would say pass on these – they will simply be too sheer for you. Curiosity got the best of me and being a Chanel fan I just had to try them. I am happy with the formula and colors – I think they are fun for an effortless kind of wash, however if I will say that if you want a nice wash of color I would recommend the YSL Rouge Volupte Shines I reviewed in April instead even though the formula is completely different. The color payoff is much better but will still give you that beautiful sheen. If you still want a gloss but with more color stick with the regular Chanel Glossimer formula or try the YSL Pop Water Glossy Stains – I reach for these frequently and I repurchased Wet Nude and Pink Rain.

Onto the colors for the Aqua Glossimers. They also come with a slightly different applicator which has a pointy tip instead of the regular rounded tips:
  • Tanami is a sheer coral with a hint of pink
  • Sirocco is a bright orange red with gold shimmer 
  • Rouge Desert is a sheer brick red but on me it brightens a bit because it’s sheer
  • Dzhari is a gorgeous plum red with shimmer, unfortunately most plums turn red on me, this may look more true to the tube on your lips
  • Sahara is a sheer your lips but better shimmer, it’s a pale peach gold in the tube but is almost transparent on my lips
  • Ademium is a soft rose pink without any shimmer

Swatches:

All swatched on bare lips, for skintone reference I’m wearing NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in Groenland + St. Moritz mixed (review here) with NARS All Day Luminous Powder Foundation in Punjab (review in this post here) on top to set.

One last look:

I give them a thumbs up for the formula and natural shine. They have a very nice hydrating emollient feel and do not slide around. Lasting power is about average for a gloss – they stay put like most other glosses will but color transfer will happen if your lips touch anything or you snack. If you’re looking for an effortless kind of wash of color you’ll like these. However I don’t think they will appeal to everyone because they are on the sheer side. You can build the color by layering it and it won’t feel too goopy. If you’re a natural lip lover like me but want a bit more color try the YSL Rouge Volupte Shines I mentioned above – there will be similar colors but they have more pigment and color payoff.

All that being said I do recommend these. Given that they are sheer and if I were to do it over again, I don’t think I would have purchased all six. I almost never try glosses at the counter on my lips because they aren’t sanitary so with these you don’t know until you try them on your lips. My top three picks would be Adenium, Tanami and Sirocco.

You can find the Aqua Glossimers at counters now. All the shades are limited-edition. They retail for $30 each. Available online at Nordstrom (where I bought mine), Neiman Marcus, Chanel.com and all other Chanel retailers.

For those curious about what other bits of Chanel Summer I will be reviewing, I have both of the Les Beiges duos and the Le Vernis in Turban that I will be reviewing soon (preview here). Espadrilles has already been reviewed in this post here.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?
8 Comments
Clarins Lips Skincare

Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oils

May 31, 2016

 

Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oils ($25 each for 1 ml/0.1 oz) are among the most hydrating lip treatments I’ve tried and all three shades have made a come back this year. They launched a year ago in three shades which are still available today. I reviewed Honey before in this post, today I have a review on all three options: Honey, Raspberry and Red Berry. (Also shown above Lumira Darsana c/o previously reviewed here, Kate Spade All in Good Taste, Garance Dore Love, Style, Life). The Instant Light Lip Comfort Oils are lip treatments with a very slight tint and scent. They are like cushions for the lips with a gel-like oil formula that isn’t sticky but has a high gloss shine. For me the word “oil” in the name had me worried these would be thin, runny or goopy. They are emollient and have an oil feel but they do not slide around and stay put once applied. Clarins calls these plant-based which has ingredients to soothe and protect the lips. I really liked Honey because it gives instant relief to dry lips. Lasting power is very good and stays put for several hours before you need to reapply.

 

The two other shades Raspberry and Red Berry have a pink and red tint. The color is very sheer, almost transparent on my lips. In real life I can tell there’s a slight difference between the three, although I think the effect is almost identical – so if you’re looking for a lip treatment + color, these will barely have any color payoff in which case I would recommend you opt for the Clarins Instant Light Lip Balm Perfectors (swatched here) or the Instant Light Lip Natural Lip Perfectors (new shades out now, review soon) or the Shimmer Shades for Summer (review soon).

I’ve mentioned in other posts I have high sensitivity to scented lip products, especially when it comes to added fruity or vanilla scents. Glossier Cherry is a no go for me although I do love the other options. Raspberry and Red Berry are noticeably sweeter than Honey. If you have a very sensitive nose and do not like berry scented lip products you may find them too strong. I personally found them both to be strong upon application but gave both a thorough test to see how the scent played out. Raspberry is the more wearable option scent-wise for me. The scent softens and fades shortly after application and about 5-10 minutes after I applied it I no longer noticed there was a scent. The scent of Red Berry seemed to linger a bit longer. I personally prefer the way Raspberry smells. With all three I didn’t detect any noticeable taste.

A closer look at the packaging and applicators. If you’re one who is concerned with oils and the possibility of them leaking – note these are very well packaged. The cap twists on tightly and in the time I had my original Honey I never had any leaking issues (I did with some of the YSL lip oils) – just make sure you twist on the cap all the way. That being said I would avoid putting these in the car or anywhere there will be a lot of heat. I’ve had sunscreen oils that are well packaged that I accidentally left in the car and the heat melted the oil to a consistency that it leaked through the tops.

 

 

 

Swatches:

 

As shown below, all three pretty much look the same on my bare lips. If you look closely you may be able to tell that Red Berry has more of a red tint than the others. All three have a really nice cushiony feel that hugs the lips nicely.

Thumbs up for the formula. If you’re looking for a no fuss lip treatment that you can easily carry with you and apply these are worth checking out as long as color payoff in a lip treatment isn’t important to you. You can definitely add these on top of lipstick for added shine however if you mix the applicators with your lipstick – they are bound to get messy and color transfer will happen in which case you may want to use a lip brush or fingers. Or sometimes I’ll apply a lip treatment first then take a clean finger and dab it into my lipstick then dab the lips for a bit of color/stain on top.

Since all three colors are sheer I wouldn’t call them a must to have all three. However if you like variety and love the formula there’s no harm in buying multiples of what you love to have one for your desk, one for your handbag etc.

You can find the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oils at all Clarins counters now. They retail for $25 each. Online at Clarins, Nordstrom, Sephora, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Harrods and Selfridges.

Have you tried these yet? Do you have a current favorite lip treatment?

 

Clarins Lip Oils provided courtesy of Clarins for review consideration.

 

5 Comments
Becca Bronzer + Blush Highlighters

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection

May 26, 2016

 

The Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection launches today online at Sephora and everything is beautiful. The collection features items focused on creating the ultimate glow for the complexion, eyes and cheeks. The original Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Powder (reviewed here) has been extended into two other formulas. In addition two palettes created by Becca and Jaclyn Hill have launched as limited-edition pieces. The collection launches online today 5/26 at Sephora and will be in stores 6/16:

 

A closer look at each item starting with the Champagne Collection Face Palette which comes a large sturdy mirrored compact. The two palettes have gold reflective packaging so if you see that they look different on other blogs or on social – it’s because of the highly reflective nature of the surface. The Champagne Collection Face Palette has three blushes and two highlighters. All the colors in this palette are extremely pigmented but easy to blend – in testing this I found it best to use with a light hand. There is one shade of Luminous Blush called Rosé Spritz which is a very shimmer pink gold finish. There are two shades of Mineral Blush which are more on the satiny side and more natural-looking in Amaretto which is a medium tan and Pamplemousse which is a pink grapefruit color. You can use shades individually or mix to create different looks. I found I liked the look best when I used either of the mineral blushes first before layering any of the shimmery shades on top.

 

There are two highlighters – both of which are extremely shimmery and very glowy. I have and adore the original Champagne Pop (originally reviewed here and compared to Anastasia That Glow here). The Champagne Pop in the palette is identical in color but for some reason to my eye both highlighters in the palette seem to be a couple notches up in terms of glitz and shimmer. Both are still wearable if you apply with a light hand. Prosecco Pop is the more yellow gold option which usually isn’t a flattering color on my olive yellow-based skin. I can wear Prosecco Pop with a very light hand, but I still prefer Champagne Pop by far. A closer look:

 

 

Swatched below with a medium hand, you can blend to sheer out or apply with a denser brush for more intensity. Pigment is so rich I suspect these colors will show up on a wide range of skin tones. The overall effect is very glowy but still wearable for conservative makeup lovers:

 

 

A look at the palette without sunlight or flash:

 

Next up is the Champagne Collection Eye palette which has two shimmers and three mattes. The overall undertone is warm. It has Chardonnay which is a pale white gold frost, Champagne Toast which is a warm tan copper frost, Cordial which is the prettiest mauve matte, Cognac a very warm toasted brown matte and Bordeaux a soft plum matte. The shimmers offer rich high pigment color while the mattes have a softer medium finish. Textures are soft making them easy to blend on the eyes but I do recommend using a creamy base (I like using the Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid or Poured Creme on the lids, but I think I’m the only one I know who does not have oily lids). For me the colors did take a bit of experimenting and blending because I cannot wear reds or warm shades like this easily. I swatched it next to Ombre Rouge which I just ordered (have not tried yet) for reference. Here in direct sunlight:

 

 

 

Another shot of the Becca Champagne Collection Eye Palette – because the packaging is gold it looks different depending on what is reflecting in the compact:

 

Last but not least are the three Champagne Pop complexion items. The Shimmering Perfector Liquid offers the most natural finish. It’s very natural on the skin and on the medium-sheer side. The color almost matches my skin exactly so it adds a naturally dewy sheen. It does look luminous so if you have oily skin you may find it will look more luminous as the day progresses. The Shimmering Perfector Poured Creme has a more visible finish compared to the Liquid but still looks very natural. Out of the three Champagne Pops this finish and color is my favorite. Then you have the classic Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed – for those who love highlighters there is a different formula for multiple colors in the Becca line so you can pick the finish that works best for you.

 

 

Below the Champagne Pop formulas swatched along with a few other Becca colors:

 

 

 

I’ve only been playing around with the collection for a few days but first impressions are that I really love all three Champagne Pop formulas. I did think there might be a chance that having Champagne Pop in three formats would be overdoing it but after testing them I think they are different enough to justify all three if you love highlighter. If you want to limit yourself to 1, my favorite is the Poured Creme because it has the perfect in between finish (powder being the most shimmery and liquid being the most natural).

 

For the Face Palette – I had already ordered it when it launched as a very brief preview and was able to test this one for a few more days. I tried this a number of ways and found it to be extremely pigmented and very glowy – but the colors are easy to blend for a wearable look and the blending does not require a lot of extra effort which is nice for me since I’m more conservative in the makeup I wear. The colors are naturally flattering for and the warm undertones brighten the complexion. Since the colors are pigmented I prefer to apply with a lighter hand. The Champagne Pop highlighter in the palette does seem to be more glowy and shimmery compared to the individual version (Prosecco Pop is exclusive to the palette). If you prefer a more natural glow or softer color this may be too shimmery or too pigmented for you.

 

The Eye Shadow Palette is all kinds of gorgeous but very warm. I have been experimenting with warmer shades recently though and the palette from Becca is really stunning. I start with the medium matte mauve shade, then layer the ivory and gold, then use the deeper shades to contour – the effect is very pretty and soft without being too warm. Pigment for shimmers is rich while the mattes have a sheerer more natural finish but still offer smooth easy to blend coverage.
Bottom line everything is beautiful and worth checking out. The Becca Face Palette may be too glowy for some in which case I’d recommend you opt for the Tom Ford Afternooner which has a much softer effect but similar warm color scheme.

 

You can find the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection exclusively at Sephora. It launched online today 5/26 but everything is scheduled to launch in store by 6/16.

 

The Champagne Collection Face Palette and Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed were already purchased by me, however Becca also sent the entire collection for review consideration.

 

23 Comments
Chanel

Chanel Espadrilles 534 Le Vernis for Summer 2016

May 20, 2016

The Chanel Collection Dans La Lumière de L’Été for summer has launched online and I spotted it in stores a few days ago. I only picked up a few items as I was in a rush, my favorite sales associate was not there and decided to pick up a couple things for now and think about the rest. The first item I have to review is one of the new Le Vernis Nail Colours called Espadrilles 534 ($28 each). It’s a vibrant orange red cream that has perfectly smooth application. It is very similar to a lot of other orangey summer shades but it’s too pretty to pass. Compared to other shades, Espadrilles is clearly orange but it has some red to it. The two closest ones I have are Tom Ford Ginger Fire (the Tom Ford is a bit deeper) and Chanel Holiday (now discontinued and Holiday is a bit lighter and has more orange).

Shown with two coats swatched:

Comparisons:
It was hard to get swatches in sunlight because the orange and brightness flashed back making them all look the same. Note most of the Chanel shades have been discontinued (the ones with the names printed on the front are no longer made). All the shades below indeed look very similar, my thoughts on the difference between others to Espadrilles (previous reviews linked where applicable):

One last look:

I think it’s perfect for summer. It’s perfect for right now even though it’s still not yet summer. That being said you may want to shop your stash if you already own a lot of similar colors. It didn’t stop me from picking it up. That being said I don’t carry nail wheels or nail polishes with me to compare so I really didn’t know even though at a quick glance I knew there would be a decent chance I had something similar. The formula has improved over the older now-discontinued polishes. You can read two reviews on the new launches:
  • Camélia, Gitane and Roubachka here 
  • Ballerina, Monochrome, Gargonne, Organdi, Vamp and Rouge Noir here

Bottom line I love it, but if you want to avoid dupes, I recommend you shop your stash.

You can find the Chanel Summer Collection at counters now. Online at Chanel.com, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus along with all other Chanel retailers.

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