Due to the shimmer and neon quality of the pinks in these colors I found it a bit difficult to photograph accurately. I found Tom Ford Trophy Wife to be most similar to Chanel Rouge Carat. The difference is very slight from arm’s length. The Tom Ford is more pink. Chanel is more red and more frosted.
Today I bring you a delayed comparison post for Tom Ford Shameless (reviewed here). You can definitely find colors similar since classic reds are very popular and done in almost every nail polish brand. I still find Tom Ford Shameless a gorgeous red cream that brightens the hands. My thoughts:
Chanel Dragon is the closest to Tom Ford Shameless. The Chanel is slightly cooler while the Tom Ford is warmer with a brighter quality.
Chanel Rouge Fatal is significantly darker than Shameless.
A few things I’m loving right now all have a rose theme in common. I haven’t always been a fan of heavy rose-scented beauty products. It took me a while to get used to the floral fragrance in Chanel and Burberry beauty items. My current obsessions are all rose-themed.
Aerin Rose Hand and Body Cream ($40 for 4.2 oz) is the biggest splurge I’ve made for a hand and body lotion. The price is a bit steep but worth every penny. The tube is fairly large and it works wonders as a hand cream. I love the scent which smells like candied roses with very soft and feminine feel. The cream nourishes the hands and absorbs quickly but still keeps the hands feeling moist but not greasy. It’s a total must for me as a hand saver during the dry fall/winter months.
Diptyque Roses Candle ($28 for 2.4 oz approximately 20 hours of burn time) is a warm rose scent. It’s perfect for fall to winter. I like burning this by itself but it also burns nicely alongside Baies or Mimosa. I love that this gives a warm fuzzy feeling.
By Terry Baume de Rose ($60 for 10g/0.35 oz) is a cult classic. I’ve been eyeing this for years (literally years) but could never bring myself to splurge since I tend to avoid lip products that come in pots. (I prefer tubes for easier application.) However several beauty enthusiasts and friends insisted I try this and they pushed me over the edge. I’m happy to report that it’s every bit amazing as they claimed. The Rose Balm doubles for lips and nails, but I’ve only tried it for lips so far. It has a smooth texture and a unique luscious feel that I’ve never felt in any other lip balm. There is a rose scent but it’s very faint. How does it compare to my other two favorites? I’ll have to do more testing, but for now I can’t live without all three. The texture of the By Terry is slightly thicker and adheres to the lips better and feels like absolute heaven on the lips. My favorite part of Jo Malone’s is the scent (it’s heavenly) and packaging. I love the Hourglass because of how it performs combined with the spa-like scent it has. I’m hard pressed to pick just one – but will report after a bit more testing. Bottom line is the By Terry is worth every penny. I don’t ever want to be without this lip balm. (I keep wondering if the gloss version is good too?)
Chanel Rose Moire Le Vernis ($27, limited-edition) was previously reviewed here and here. There’s something so lovely about a shimmery rose-mauve pink. I’ve worn this numerous times since I first bought this color. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend you check it out at your next trip to the Chanel counter.
Dior Enchanted Rose #451 Addict Gloss ($29.50, limited-edition) is a new shade from the holiday collection. It’s an irresistibly gorgeous neutral peachy pink infused with gold shimmers. It’s sheer on the lips alone but works wonders when layered over an opaque lipstick. Review and swatches to follow very soon for it’s own feature.
Are you fan of rose-scented or rose-colored beauty products? What are your favorites?
Chanel Charming Ombres Matelassées Eyeshadow Palette ($80 for 9g/0.32 oz, limited-edition) has finally arrived in stores. It’s a stunning soft delicate palette of neutrals – all shades are come in a lovely quilted pattern. The colors are soft powders but with decent pigment. Layered over a base the colors show up much better on my medium skin. The colors left to right include:
A soft delicate champagne ivory shimmer
A satiny fawn tan brown
A glimmering chocolate gold shimmer
A soft semi-satiny brown
A cool grey matte tinged with slight blue tones
Chanel Charming retails for $80. It’s limited-edition. My counters report they have received a very limited supply, but not to worry. It’s online at numerous locations. I bought mine online from Nordstrom. You can also find it online now at Neiman Marcus and Chanel.com.
The colors layer quite well together on the eyes. Each color in this palette is wearable enough to wear all five shades at once. I layer from left to right (light to dark). This palette is sometime I envision to be an everyday kind of palette. The middle gold shade gives it a slight holiday feel, although not quite as glitzy or glamourous as the beautiful Illusion d’Ombres in Fatal and Initiation. I suspect layering either shade on top of this powder palette would add a bit of glitz for the holiday.
Shown without flash, there’s a soft glowing quality from each color:
Close up of the shades, here in sunlight:
Here, under artificial light with flash:
The colors swatch very nicely on the skin and the eyes. Being the neutral lover that I am, I adore each shade in this palette. There is just no comparison with the finely milled satiny shimmers here.
In sunlight, no flash:
Comparing this to other Ombres Matalassées Palettes, Charming proves to be the safest neutral. Pearl River (limited from the spring 2013 Hong Kong collection) was a more edgy non-neutral. It’s been sitting in my drawer neglected and unused although I keep intending to use it (I keep getting distracted with Le Metier de Beaute kaleidoscopes and Edward Bess palettes). 51, Montaigne (also limited edition from 2012) is more yellowy and khaki-colored. Charming is the warmest, although still a neutral. Here are the palettes side by side for comparison.
Overall, Charming Ombres Matelassées will be one of my staple work-horse kind of palettes for everyday. It may be too neutral for some although I do love how the shades can be layered for a subtle warm smokey eye. If you’re looking for something different and unique, I’d suggest you opt for the holiday Illusion d’Ombres (reviewed here). This one is definitely must-have for me (although pricey).
Chanel Charming Ombres Matelassées is a limited-edition palette. It retails for $80. Online now at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Chanel.com.
La Nuit de Chanel ($85 for 50 ml/1.7 fl oz) is currently exclusive to Nordstrom and Chanel.com in the US. It’s part of the Resynchronizing Skincare Line. I was thrilled that my local Nordstrom had samples when this collection was first released. I was able to test for a couple weeks to decide whether or not it would work for my skin. My favorite item in the collection is the La Nuit de Chanel night time cream. Per Chanel this contains:
“Frankincense Extract calms skin to prepare for the process of overnight repair, while Hyaluronic Acid helps restore skin’s plumpness and hydration. Your complexion appears supple upon awakening, with no signs of dullness.”
I’ve been using this nightly for several months and have seen an improvement in the overall feel and texture. It has a lovely scent that isn’t overpowering and soothing. I have super sensitive skin and almost never wear any creams or serums during the night due to the fragrance. This one is subtle enough so it doesn’t bother me (and I’m extremely sensitive to fragranced face products). It does leave the skin well moisturized but not greasy.
Caudalie Huile Divine Oil ($9 for the small15 ml size spray at Sephora) was raved about my friend LJ. We had a girls day out this past weekend – being the skincare and fragrance aficionada she is we spent a good deal of time browsing the skincare lines at SpaceNK Bloomingdales and Sephora. She asked if I had tried the Caudalie Huile Divine Oil. When I said “no” she told me I was missing out and seriously needed this in my life. I debated between the Nuxe and Caudalie so she looked up the reviews on Makeupalley. Caudalie won me over with the reviews.
Her raves: it feels amazing on the skin, it’s not greasy, the spray feature made it easy to apply, and the fragrance is extremely pleasant without being too strong. Her biggest rave: it wears really well with any perfume. I bought the small $9 version to try it out. It was love at first spritz. It’s everything I’ve been looking for in a body oil – smooth, quick to absorb, moisturizing and most importantly the scent is pleasant, subtle and just like my friend said – it wears well with any perfume. (Most oils I’ve tested at the counters are just so unbearably strong). It’s well sealed at the top so it won’t leak. The spritzer at the top is pure genius. The size is perfect to put in your purse and the glass seems sturdy. I will be purchasing the full size soon.
Moroccanoil Treatment ($16.50 for 0.8 oz and $43 for 3.4 oz, at Nordstrom and various retailers) is a must-have for my thick unruly hair. I tried this at the Drybar in West Hollywood where the stylist mixed this with their Drybar Chaser Shine Pomade (another favorite, my husband loves this too). I’ve purchased both the small and large size, one for travel and one for home. It smells amazing. This helps to soften the hair and add shine without being too greasy looking. It wears very well throughout the day. My friends always think I have really healthy hair – it’s somewhat true, but I feel the Moroccanoil + Drybar Chaser combination is the secret to naturally shiny healthy looking ends. Just a tiny bit on the ends works miracles.
What are you loving right now? Do you have any favorite body or hair oils? Nuxe and Tatcha are next on my list to try. What are you loving right now in skincare?
This season Chanel has released a limited selection of lip colors for the holiday collection. I ordered Rouge Allure Radieuse #217 a cool pink cream ($34, limited-edition) sight unseen. Although I usually find most Chanel lip colors naturally flattering and easy to work with, Radieuse proved to be one of the few I’ve purchased from the line that does not work so well for me. Radieuse is absolutely gorgeous in the tube and swatched on the arm it’s quite lovely. On my pigmented lips and olive skin it turns very powdery-looking and blue. There is a sharp contrast between my natural lip tone and the slight transparent quality of the lipstick which results in a darkish looking ring around the edges. The quality and texture is still quite good like most Chanel lipsticks. Although I do try to go outside my comfort zone with makeup, I found Radieuse just didn’t work for me. It’s a bit too too pale and has too much blue. Even my husband commented that he was not a fan of this color on me.
I think this might be the palest cream pink lipstick I own. I pulled a few to compare: Burberry English Rose Lip Cover (discontinued), Pink Heather Lip Mist (reviewed here) and Armani Rouge Ecstasy #103 (reviewed here).
If you can pull off pale baby pinks (I usually cannot unless there is some nude peach or brown or rose mixed in) you will like this one. Those with olive medium skin (like me) or darker may find this one a bit too pale. If it had shimmer mixed in I probably could pull this one off a bit easier. You’re mileage may vary with this color. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve tried this shade. Perhaps I’m being too picky with this one – but I will be playing more with the color to see if I can grow to like it more.
Chanel has released two new shades of their Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow ($36 each) in Initiation and Fatal. Each color is beautiful alone with a simple coat of mascara but also look lovely when layered together. Lasting power is quite good for these – they did not budge from my eyes from morning to early evening when I tested these.
Below: Left – Fatal, Right – Initiation
Fatal is a stunning purple-red with silver sparkles. It’s like a mix between Chanel Illusoire and Ebloui but with an added kick of visible silver shimmer to make it unique. Purples can be hard for me to pull off if they have too much blue or too much red. Fatal is the perfect in between. It does look warmer in the pot than it applies on the skin but it’s a chameleon-like color. The shimmers are both red and purple so it may look different depending on what angle you hold the pot at.
Initiation is a stunning warm bronze with silver and gold flecks. I find this one to be extra sparkly but in a good way. There was no fall out with the sparkles. I like to use the little applicator brush to apply but fingers or a basic cream shadow brush works well too. (One of my favorites is MAC #242 for creams or Chanel Concealer #10.) I’m glad Chanel released a bronze shadow – it was a much-needed color in the Illusion D’Ombre lineup.
Swatches, two views. The colors are easy to control for pigment. I swatched with a heavy hand but they are easy to blend out and layer.
Comparisons show that Chanel Initiation is quite different from most bronze colors I own. Armani Eyes to Kill #15 is warmer and #26 is more brassy. For Chanel Fatal I found Armani Eyes to Kill #27 almost identical in finish. The Armani is just slightly lighter with a bit more silver frost.
Overall beautiful colors perfect for fall to holiday. Versatile enough to incorporate into many different looks for both day and night. Also wearable alone, mixed, or layered over other powder shadows for added depth and sparkle. Definitely must-haves in my book.
Both Chanel Fatal and Initiation Illusion D’Ombres are limited-edition colors. Available now at Neiman Marcus.
