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Chanel

Base Makeup

Primers and Smoothers

April 3, 2014

I’ve been testing out a few new primers and smoothing products and thought I’d share my favorite staple primers along with some new discoveries. I’m not typically a primer kind of person. I’ve found most that I’ve tried don’t really do much to extend the wear of makeup and end up adding an extra layer of product on my face that I don’t really need. I’ve tried dozens of primers at makeover events and from tiny sample packets. There are so may different options on the market these days it can be a bit overwhelming. Different products offer a multitude of effects. Some will smooth the overall look of your skin, add a glow, give a matte look and then there are some that are just basic primers to help the application of your foundation. I have normal and sensitive skin. For your reference I’ve broken down my primer picks into two main different categories:

  • Tom Ford Illuminating Primer ($72 for 1 fl oz) is one of the best glow primers I’ve ever tried. I tested this on numerous occasions each time I was able to visit a Tom Ford counter under both the foundation stick and liquid formula. The counters kindly made a few small samples for me to test before I caved and purchased the full size (I’m still in price shock). The Tom Ford primer is packaged with a clever twist pump dispenser. It has a soothing fresh scent with a slight herbal undertone. What I like about this one is that has a more yellow-like pearly glow which I found perfect for my needs (most I’ve seen have a pinkish glow). It helps extend the wear of makeup and adds a glow without making you greasy. It helps smooth the skin and adds an all over glow to prevent your makeup from looking flat. Be aware that this is on the dewy side, if you’re oily I wouldn’t recommend this one. I also found this one works best with the Tom Ford Foundations. See The Convenient Beauty’s review.
  • NARS Pro-Prime Radiance Enhancing Primer ($34 for 1.1 oz) is the next best alternative to Tom Ford’s primer at a more affordable price. It has a reflective pearl quality that is the perfect mix of opal, gold and champagne. It has SPF 15 and a little goes a long way. I find this one photographs well with a flash. It has a creamy but thin and easy to blend texture to give an all over glow without being too glowy. Lasting power is better than average for me but it won’t make your makeup last all day long (you will need a touch up in the afternoon). I really like this for the effect it gives and how it helps makeup look smoother.
  • MAC Strobe Liquid ($32 for 1.7 fl oz) isn’t really a traditional primer, but I like to use it as one over moisturizer and underneath liquid or powder makeup. It’s another great smoothing glow product with a super thin liquid texture. It dries well to help makeup stay in place and prevents it from sliding around – but note you only need a tiny bit on the face. It’s on the more glowy side so I would recommend topping with a regular powder or foundation. This one is also good for mixing in with foundations to add a glow without making you look white. It has a more opal/blueish sheen.
  • Chanel Base Lumiere Illuminating Makeup Base ($45 for 1 fl oz) is one of the most fluid primer/bases I’ve ever tried. (I’ve repurchased this multiple times.) It has a blueish violet sheen but it disppears into a clear finish on the skin. The key to using this is to make sure you use a thinner lightweight moisturizer underneath otherwise it will make the skin oily. If you’re a serum + moisturizer kind of person, I would recommend skipping one of the items before using this one. I like this best with Chanel foundations as it helps prime the skin with a subtle glow and also helps extend the wear of foundation. Make sure you use as little as possible – if you overdo it it will be too heavy and feel thick on the skin.

  • Lancome Visionnaire 1-Minute Blur ($55 for 1 fl oz) is currently available at Sephora locations in the US. I received a press sample of this (hence the white lab tube). It’s a skin smoother/finisher designed to smooth the skin, erase imperfections and pores. It has a creamy neutral colored texture that disappears on the skin. This video has a good visual of what this will do for the skin. I suggest testing at the store if you can, reviews indicate this is either a hit or miss. I saw a noticeable difference in my skin texture when using this and used it under a liquid foundation (tested with Chanel and NARS). I loved the results for the overall look and it truly erased any signs of pores on my face. It helped my makeup last all day long (quite impressive) well through the evening. There is a very light fragrance to this which I found on the subtle side. The only thing I didn’t like about this was that I could actually feel the layer of product on my face – not necessarily a bad thing, but I tend to prefer face makeup that is more weightless and thinner in texture.
  • Clinique Superprimer Color Correcting ($27 for 1 oz) I bought this at Sephora after reading rave reviews about the Superprimers. I was a bit overwhelmed with the color options and honestly have no idea if I picked the right one for me. I decided to go with the peach color corrector since traditional white ones are often too pale and white for my olive skin. I didn’t notice any color correcting quality with this one but the color matched my skin pretty well once blended. It has a thicker airy creamy texture that has a velvety feel on the skin. The result: long lasting makeup all day long from morning until late at night (around 11ish before I took it off). The peach color disappeared and gave the skin a smooth matte look. If you test any of the options at the store you will see a noticeable difference on the back of your hand. I like that the primer didn’t change the color of my foundation even though it has a peach tint. I’m not sure I picked the right option, if you’ve tried the any of the Clinique primers I’d love to hear your thoughts.
  • Dior Pore Minimizer Skin Refining Matte Primer ($42 for 1 oz) is a primer that wins for most innovative packaging. It’s a tube with a pump dispenser. I have not purchased this after testing a couple counter-made samples but wanted to share my thoughts. This offers the most matte finish that I’ve ever seen. It smooths the skin out similar to the Lancome but has a thicker feel on the skin (at least for me). I found this blended well on the skin and provided a lovely smooth look. There was a huge noticeable difference. I felt it was too dry for my normal/combination skin even though it didn’t look dry at all. I suspect if you have skin that is on the oily side, the Dior Matte Primer will work wonders for you.
Packaging and dispenser details:

My top three picks:
  1. For the best glow, I like Tom Ford’s Illuminating Primer
  2. For the price and performance I like Clinique’s Superprimer
  3. For the most visible smoothing result, Lancome Visionnaire 1-Minute Blur is a winner

Do you have any favorite primers, smoothing products or glowy bases? I’d love to hear about your thoughts and experiences for what has worked on your skin tone or skin type.
 

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Beauty Look Book | Favorite Nude Pink Nail Polishes

March 27, 2014

I’ve been on a natural nude-pink nail polish kick ever since Tom Ford Sugar Dune was released for spring. I’ve since been wearing a lot of light and neutral pinks on the nails. For me light pink is a bit difficult to find, most are either too pale, too sheer or apply unevenly. I’ve still managed to find quite a few variations of light and nude pink with great formulas, application and wear. The colors that made my top picks:



Rescue Beauty Lounge Thank You ($20) is a nude pink with light pearl particles. It flashes blue and pink for a cool-toned sheen but has a nude pink base to prevent it from looking too pale. This color looks good on everyone I’ve seen it on. It’s shown below with two coats.

Tom Ford Sugar Dune ($32) is my ultimate perfect nude pink. As discussed in my review a few months ago, application can be a bit time consuming, it is one of the higher maintenance nudes but once applied is a clean polished neutral light pink. It is limited-edition so if you’re interested I suggest you try to track one down sooner than later.

Burberry Nude Pink and Ash Rose ($21 each) both beautiful polished clean neutrals. Scroll down through the archives (last couple weeks) to see a more detailed review on each shade.

Nude Pink:

Ash Rose:

OPI My Very First Knockwurst can be found at a number of retailers. I either purchase my OPI from Drugstore.com or Ulta. I found this to be the most difficult to apply and it required three coats. However the price of OPI is much more affordable compared to high end brands. Most of the time OPI applies just as well (sometimes better) than other luxury nail polishes. In this case, this one was a bit of a nightmare to apply. It required three coats but I love the color of this shade.

Chanel Rose Cache ($27) is a classic sheer natural pink. It has that secret-shimmer in the bottle that disappears once applied on the nail. It looks different on everyone I’ve seen but is a universally flatting easy to wear/go with everything kind of nail polish.

Dior Incognito ($24) is my favorite classic nude pink. It’s not too dark and not too pale. Just the right in between. Do note this one is coming out in the gel formula (have not tried yet). You may want to wait for that color to be released in stores near you. But for now I’ve been a huge fan of all Dior’s nail polish formulas. The application is smooth and flawless with very good lasting power. Everything from the formula to brush design of Dior’s nail colors makes application very easy.

Zoya Rue ($9) is a classic nude pink with a hint of cool-mauve. I haven’t had much experience with Zoya but the brand has performed well for me on the occasions I have tried it. Rue was part of a recent nude collection. It’s a lovely natural pink cream. Below is Rue shown with three coats.

Comparisons to other lighter pinks: OPI Care to Danse?, OPI Don’t Bossa Me Around, Rescue Beauty Lounge Sheer Nude, Bobbi Brown Pink Pearl, Deborah Lippmann Naked, Deborah Lippmann Fashion, Deborah Lippmann Modern Love, OPI Butterfly Moment, Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire and Tom Ford Show Me the Pink

What’s your favorite nude pink nail polish? Do you have any staple go-to’s? If I were pressed to pick just three, I would narrow down my picks to Tom Ford Sugar Dune, Dior Incognito and Burberry Nude Pink as my favorites.

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Chanel Mutine #90 Rouge Coco Shine, Bliss #181 and Tocade #182 Glossimers | Collection Variation

March 24, 2014

I picked out three lip colors from Chanel’s Collection Variation: Rouge Coco Shine in Mutine #90 ($35) and Glossimers in Bliss #181 and Tocade #182 ($29.50 each). There is a mix of repromotes and new shades for this lips collection. Many of the colors seemed very similar to previous releases so I limited myself to a few of the lip items plus the new Coup de Couer #609 Le Vernis  (reviewed here).

Mutine #90 Rouge Coco Shine is a soft shimmering silvery pink. Bliss #181 Glossimer is a warm peach with subtle gold flecks. Tocade #182 Glossimer is a sheer reddish plum. All are on the sheer side but each color can be layered for a bit more color. These are lovely subdued classics.

Here are the colors swatched side by side:

Close up of Mutine #90 to show the pink base with silver sparkles. This one was fairly pigmented for a Rouge Coco Shine, I found it showed up well on my pink lips without washing out my complexion.

Bliss #181 is a sheer peach with gold flecks. The shimmers don’t really show up on the lips. Although Bliss is on the sheer side, I found it covered my entire lip quite well. Tocade #182 looks like a cool-toned plum in the tube but it applies more red on my lips (many plums end up fuchsia or red once applied). It is very sheer but your mileage will vary depending on how much you layer on.

I couldn’t find any duplicate colors with other glossers or rouge coco shines.

Below are comparisons: Burberry Cameo (is more orange), Tom Ford Love Bruise (is more brownish), Burberry Oxblood (is more fuschia/cooler), Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy (is darker), Chanel Parfait (is sheerer and has gold shimmer), Chanel Fetiche (discontinued, is darker).
I’m overall pleased with Bliss Glossimer and Mutine Rouge Coco Shine. Tocade is a lovely plum but I was a bit disappointed it turned more reddish on my lips. As of right now, both Bliss and Mutine are listed as limited-edition colors on Chanel.com (see all the colors in the collection listed there). The Collection Variation should be at all Chanel counters now since it was released over a month ago in stores. I’d recommend researching the color selection online first before going instore – sometimes the items in tester units can get switched around making it difficult to figure out which colors are truly new (versus repromoted colors).
Glossimers retail for $29.50 each and Rouge Coco Shines retail for $35 each. You can find the Collection Variation online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks, Bloomingdales and Chanel.com.
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Chanel Aqualumière Glosses | Eau de Rose 86, Rosace 87, Pink Pivoine 88, Baie Rose 89

March 1, 2014

Chanel has brought us four new shades of Aqualumière Gloss in the Jardin de Camélias collection ($29.50 each, 6 ml/0.20 fl oz). Eau de Rose 86 is a pale silvery pink, Rosace 87 is a shimmery light peachy pink, Pink Pivoine 88 is a sheer coral pink and Baie Rose 89 is a cool pink. All the shades are extremely sheer and offer a slight hint of shimmer or tint to the lips. They have a high shine smooth glossy finish.

Lip swatches, for skintone reference, I currently use Tom Ford Foundation Sticks in 04 Bisque and 05 Natural mixed with Dolce & Gabbana Powder Foundation in Warm 100 on top:

Comparison swatches below to: Chanel Colbri Aqualumiere Gloss (discontinued), MAC Nectarsweet Cremesheen Glass, Chanel Bliss Glossimer, Dior Bed of Roses Addict, Bobbi Brown Pink Lily (discontinued), Tom Ford Sugar Pink Gloss, Chanel Imaginaire Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss (discontinued). 

Overall beautiful fresh colors that are lovely for spring. I wouldn’t call them must-haves since there is very little color payoff. These are extremely sheer glosses but that is expected with the Aqualumiere Gloss formula.
Eau de Rose 86, Rosace 87, Pink Pivoine 88, Baie Rose 89 are currently exclusive to Chanel.com. Will you be purchasing any of these? If you already ordered, what did you think?

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Chanel Charmeuse #142 and Fleurie #139 Rouge Allure – Jardin de Camélias Collection

February 28, 2014

There are two new Rouge Allures in the Chanel.com Jardin de Camélias Collection ($34 each, both limited-edition). Charmeuse #142 is a neutral nude beige with a slight shimmer and Fleurie #139 is a soft bright pink with fuschia sparkles. Both are buildable lip colors with a slight transparent quality so you can see a bit of your natural lip underneath. True to Rouge Allure formulas, they are creamy and easy to apply.

Swatches on the hand show that while Charmeuse is a straight beige nude in the tube it pulls a bit pinkish on my olive-toned hands:

Lip swatch of Charmeuse #142:

Lip swatch of Fleurie #139:

Comparisons swatches for reference: Tom Ford In The Buff (review here, swatches here), MAC Touche Huggable Lip Color (review here), Tom Ford Paradiso (review here) and MAC Out for Passion Huggable Lip Color (review here):

Charmeuse #142 and Fleurie #139 Rouge Allures are both easy to wear lip colors that require no additional fixing. They work straight from the tube and lasting power is quite good. I like both colors but they are very similar to other colors from Chanel and other brands so you may want to skip if you already splurge on MAC Huggables or Tom Ford Lip Sheers. I ordered them sight unseen so I did not  know exactly what to expect from online photos.
Both colors Charmeuse and Fleurie are in the Rouge Allure formula and are limited-edition. In the US they are both exclusive to Chanel.com.
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Chanel Sakura #87 Blush and Jardin de Camélias Illuminating Powder – Chanel.com Exclusive

February 26, 2014

There are two new cheek products in the Chanel Jardin de Camélias collection Sakura #87 Joues Contraste ($43 for 4g/0.14 oz, made in France) and Jardin de Camélias Illuminating Powder ($70 for 16g/0.54 oz). Both products are lovely classics true to Chanel form. It appears that the blush has already sold out online but I’ve pulled quite a few other blushes in attempt to find a dupe. Scroll to the bottom for comparisons.
Sakura #87 Joues Contraste is a soft peachy pinky color with a soft shimmer. This is the baked Euro/Asia version of blush which I’ve found to be hit or miss. Some are powdery on the surface with a hard texture underneath which can be difficult to apply. I’ve had better luck with some of the more recent releases but prefer the US formula. Sakura applies quite nicely on the skin with a soft pink glow. It’s a softer sheerer color but you can build it. It’s still very very natural on the skin. Lasting power is medium from morning to the early afternoon (like most powder blushes). There is a slight shimmer to the blush, on the cheeks the shimmer doesn’t show up but it does give the blush depth. This is a much-needed in between shade in Chanel’s line. Most blushes are either more rose or a straight peach. This is a good in between color with a mix of pink and peach.

Jardin de Camélias Illuminating Powder is a very pale ivory tinged with a hint of light rose pink. The color of the product in real life is true to what you see on Chanel.com. There is a slight iridescent quality to the powder when applied on the skin. On my face it just looks like a sheer pale white with a hint of pink pearl. It resembles a soft finishing powder with a hint of an opal pink glow. I personally wouldn’t use this all over the face for me. It can be used to tone down harsh edges of blush. I didn’t remember to photograph swatches of this next to Hourglass Dim Light but the effect is similar. The difference is Hourglass is more beige while the Jardin de Camelias is more pink. The first time I tried this I did not like it. I found it extremely subtle and almost invisible on my skin. I’ve been testing it some more and find it adds a lovely glow when applied on top of any blush (powder or cream). Still, the $70 price tag is hard to justify something that is extremely subtle in effect.

Swatches:

I have two sets of comparisons below. First set shows the colors next to Chanel Rose Initiale (review here), Fleur de Lotus (Nordstrom Exclusive, miraculously still available for sale), Poudre Signee de Chanel Powder (discontinued), Hourglass Luminous Light (review here) and Chanel Rose Tourbillon (discontinued).

I later pulled a few more blushes after someone emailed me asking if the #87 Sakura was the same as the recently released #87 Émotion blush. Although they have the same numbers, the colors are completely different.

Left to right: Chanel Rose Petale, Chantecaille Laughter (discontinued), Chanel Emotion (review here), Chanel Narcisse (US version, discontinued), Inspiration Blush Creme (apparently discontinued now as well, more swatches here), MAC Dainty Mineralize Blush and Tom Ford Frantic Pink.

There’s no dupe from what I’ve found although MAC Dainty and Tom Ford Frantic Pink (my all time favorite natural pink blush) are very close. If you click to enlarge you might be able to see that the Chanel is more satiny with less shimmer while the MAC/Tom Ford have more shimmer. I tried Sakura on one cheek and Dainty on the other and they were almost identical on my skin.

Did you order anything from the Jardin de Camélias line? What were your thoughts? Or if you were waiting for my swatches, has anything caught your eye?

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Chanel Jardin de Camélias – Chanel.com Exclusive

February 26, 2014
Chanel just launched the Jardin de Camélias Collection exclusively online at Chanel.com in the US. I ordered the following items:
  • Sakura #87 Blush ($43, Euro/Asia baked version)
  • Jardin de Camélias Illuminating Powder ($70)
  • four Aqualumière Glosses ($29.50 each) in Eau Rose #86, Rosace #87, Pink Pivoine #88, Baie Rose #89
  • two Rouge Allures ($34 each) in Fleurie #139 and Charmeuse #142
I’ll be uploading more detailed reviews as quickly as I can. I swatched and photographed everything over the weekend but need to do a bit more testing. For now here are swatches for your reference. Quick note on the glosses, they all apply very sheer on the lips like most Chanel glosses do.

Without flash:

With flash:

You can find the collection now online at Chanel.com.

Stay tuned for the swatches and photos of the Chanel Sakura Blush and Jardin de Camélias Highlighter next. I’ll be adding a few finishing touches and thoughts on my review for these during my lunch break. Review should be up the review in a few hours.

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