This fall Chanel has released six new colors of cream blush called Le Blush Crème de Chanel ($38 each for 2.5 g/0.09 oz). I had my heart set on one of each shade but my local counters have not received all the shades yet for sale. At the counter the Chanel artist applied a bright peach called Présage on me along with the peachy Rouge Coco Mystique and I fell in love in an instant. I left with four of the shades and have been putting them to the test this whole week. The colors are all creams without shimmers.
- Destiny 61 is a neutral beige brown/tan
- Présage 62 is a bright peach
- Révélation 63 is a perfect pink/peach watermelon-like color
- Inspiration 64 is a pale powder pink
My two favorites are Présage and Révélation for the color. They brighten the face with just the right amount of color. Destiny is a good basic tan, but I found slightly boring for my skintone. Inspiration is borderline too pale for my medium skintone.
The texture of these creams is not quite a cream-to-powder but not quite as emollient as regular cream blushes. They are described as a power-cream. They definitely dry down when applied but don’t really feel powdery on the skin. I really like that these have a lightweight feel but are quite pigmented.
I tried several different application methods. With fingers or a regular foundation brush I found application to be a bit tricky for my skin. I either applied too much color or it looked uneven. Color didn’t last more than 2 hours. Layering over a sheer liquid illuminator like Tom Ford Fire Lust or MAC Strobe Liquid helped smooth the application but sheered out the color a bit and also diminished lasting power. After testing with several brushes, I found that my Tom Ford Cream Foundation Brush proved to be the best tool for these. It provided the smoothest, most even and longest lasting application (well through the late afternoon). I suspect how these apply on you will depend on your skin type (mine is fairly normal, I don’t get oily except in humid weather and my skin isn’t dry). Your mileage may vary – some will prefer fingers others may find a brush works better.
Some more photos and swatches:
Swatches, swatched with a heavy hand to show the rich color, note that the colors are easily blended out for a flawless glow:
I was hard pressed to find dupes or similar colors in cream blush shades. Most of my cream blushes have some shimmer or are in a different formula making colors a bit difficult to compare. Here are a few I thought were similar. After pulling the shades, it turns out the Chanels are really different.
Comparison swatches:
I wanted both of the darker shades and will probably purchase once they arrive at my counter. For now I’m in love with Présage and Révélation.
