The new Blush Horizon de Chanel ($58) is the star product of the Harmonie de Printemps Collection for Spring 2012. The new Glowing Blush Harmony is a stunning palette of soft luminous pinks, white, plum, peachy-pink and gold. I believe this will be a universally flattering pink. It has a good mixture of cool and warm tones with the alternating stripes. There are several variations of pink to suit everyone’s taste. This powder I took a soft blush brush and swirled the colors together before applying. On the face this is a very soft glowing pink, not overly frosty, but a hint of shimmer is visible on the face. Each stripe appears to have a different degree of shimmer which I find lovely. On my medium-toned olive skin (Chanel Perfection Lumiere B30) it gives a soft medium pink glow. On darker skins I think this will be more of a lighter highlighting pink, still visible, and absolutely gorgeous. Be sure to check out Makeup Magpie and Best Things in Beauty if you haven’t seen their photos yet.
Here at an angle you can see the glow better and the variations in the colors between each stripe (I believe the gold goes all the way through to the bottom of the pan):
Swatched & swirled (the heavy blended swatch looks frosty because of the high flash, but on the face it is not quite as frosty, I recommend you check out Best Things in Beauty’s swatches):
While striped blushes aren’t new, Chanel has created a beautiful fresh new variation with the Blush Horizon de Chanel. In the past few weeks, Amy from Café Makeup and I pondered how the new Chanel compared to compared to Guerlain’s Série Noire Blush G from last spring. On my skin, the Guerlain looks brighter and more peachy. The Blush Horizon de Chanel is more subtle & pink. I feel it’s a combination between Brompton Road and Narcisse without the chalkiness.
I haven’t seen any other spring collections in person yet, but I can already tell you this is a must-have for the season.
Chanel Spring has started to trickle into stores in the US. Nordstrom should be receiving their items any day now and Neimans already has the product instore at counters (most of the items have arrived). Chanel.com just launched the spring items online. Of course I could not resist the three new Le Vernis Nail Colours in April, May and June – all cream non-shimmer shades with smooth rich coverage. Although these shades do not appear to be special or unique, I find that Chanel once again has mixed the perfect amount of color to create shades that are amazingly beautiful. Lined up together they remind me of a sunset.
April is a cream mauve plum. In the bottle it looks like almost reddish but it swatches with a hint of purple.
May is a baby soft pink. It’s a neutral-cool, similar to Melrose, but April is slightly warmer in undertone.
June is a soft pastel apricot cream. It’s a lighter brighter version of Miami Peach/Orange Fizz.
Comparisons to other Chanels and 1 RBL, L to R: Rescue Beauty Lounge Bruised, Chanel April, Chanel Fantastic, Chanel Rouge Fatal, Chanel Rose Confidentiel, Chanel May, Chanel Melrose, Chanel Morning Rose, Chanel Riviera, Chanel June, Chanel Peche Nacree, Chanel Miami Peach and Chanel Orange Fizz.
Bottom line: I don’t know what else to say but “love”. *UPDATE* Check out The Purse Forum: Chanel on your nails #2 thread page 408 for awesome comparisons from Elisaq (I think you have to login to see images).
Rose Caché 521 Le Vernis is one of three nail polishes released in the Rouge Allure Velvet Collection this year. I had high hopes for the three new shades (as you may know I have problems with restraint when it comes to Chanel nail polish). Rose Caché, Pirate and Rose Exhubérant are all indeed beautiful classics, but seemed like uninspired repeats of past collections. After a few swipes of testing I was pleasantly surprised. The colors are beautiful even though not the most unique. The first shade I put on for a full manicure was Rose Caché 521, a sheer pale neutral nude rose-pink. There is a slight iridescent glow in the bottle similar to what you see in colors Paradoxal and Jade Rose but when applied on the nail you get a creamy non-shimmery finish.
The formula is very sheer and natural, I had to use three coats to get decent coverage and the tips of my nails still showed through slightly. The shimmer does not show up on the nails once applied. Some shimmer will show up when the sun hits the nails directly but it’s very subtle. For my skintone, the color of Rose Caché is very nude and almost mannequin-like. It’s more pink and more visible on the nail compared to Jade Rose, but Rose Caché is still extremely sheer. All swatches below are with 3 coats. I do like that it is non-streaky (it has better coverage than Riva or Jade Rose).
Since Rose Caché is classic and neutral, I think it could be easily duped with other brands, but I don’t think others can replicate the fine iridescent quality Chanel has that give their nail polishes depth and dimension. It’s been quite a while since I stopped looking at neutral creamy pinks from brands like Zoya, OPI or Essie – all the ones I’ve tried are either too pale or too warm. I do have comparisons to some other Chanel neutral pinks as shown below Mica Rose, Magnolia Rose, Rose Satin, Jade Rose, Perle Roseé and Rose Confidentiel. I didn’t think Rose Caché was very unique, but after comparing to other pinks, I found that there’s not really anything quite like it. (Below the angle/flash shows the iridescent shimmer of some of the shades.)
Overall nice to own, but not a must-have. There are some Chanel colors I really wish the shimmer was more visible. Rose Caché is one of them. If what you see in the bottle appeared the same on the nails (plus if it were a bit more pigmented/less sheer) I would have been completely head over heels. Prior to the US release I had googled “Rose Caché” on a weekly basis. I especially loved the features from A Lipstick a Day, Polish Police, Makeup Magpie and Elevensixone’s Flickr Page – all of which I highly recommend you check out.
Did you check out the Rouge Allure Velvet collection? I’m not a fan of the matte or velvet look for makeup so I passed on all the lipsticks and the matte topcoat. I think looking back on the past year, the Soho Collection, along with Spring (Black Pearl Le Vernis) and Fall (Illusion d’Ombres) blew us away in such a way that anything new is hard to top. What did you think of the new Chanel items?
Here is Chanel Stupendous (from the Soho Collection last year) compared to Tom Ford Silvered Topaz. They are not identical dupes but very similar. I prefer the Chanel to the Tom Ford by far. I had thought Stupendous was a limited edition quad, but I just checked Nordstrom.com and it still shows up available for purchase. Swatches side by side:
Tom Ford Silvered Topaz: $75 for .35 oz/10 g, made in Italy = $7.50 per gram
Chanel Stupendous: $57 for .24 oz/6.8 g, made in France = $8.83 per gram
Even though the price per oz/g is more for the Chanel, I think it’s more justifiable at $57, plus I think the overall finish and quality of the Chanel looks better on my skin. Don’t let my reservations about Tom Ford Silvered Topaz stop you though. I still highly recommend that you check out the line in person if you can. If you can get to the Beverly Hills area, Neiman Marcus is the ideal place to shop for Tom Ford because they have Edward Bess and Le Metier among a number of other fabulous brands. Also Dolce & Gabbana is next door at Saks, not to mention all the goodies at Barneys like Koh Gen Do, L’Artisan, Serge Lutens, Le Labo, Byredo etc.
This is the year of new foundations and I love all the different formulas, textures and finishes companies have developed and released this year. After my trusty Teint Innocence was discontinued I’ve been searching for my new holy grail replacement for a liquid/cream formula. I don’t know that I’ve found a replacement for it, but I have fallen in love with different formulas, textures and brands. What I’ve discovered this year: Koh Gen Do’s Aqua Foundation, Dolce & Gabbana’s Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation (review coming soon), Edward Bess Compact Sheer Satin Cream Compact Foundation (review coming soon, but I’ve already used up one compact), Guerlain Lingerie de Peau and the latest, Chanel’s new Perfection Lumière.
Perfection Lumière ($55) is a long-wear fluid foundation with SPF10. It applies beautifully with a brush or a sponge with a medium-to-full coverage flawless satin-matte finish. Originally I thought it would be replacing the recently discontinued Pro Lumière but Perfection Lumière is actually quite different (it’s not as moist or heavy-feeling on the skin). I found the detailed reviews from RaeViewer and Cafe Makeup to be tremendously useful and I urge you to visit their blogs. I am darker in skintone than Cafe Makeup but lighter than RaeViewer. Here are my personal thoughts:
Application: Perfection Lumière comes with a convenient pump and applies with smooth even coverage. I found application with the Chanel Foundation Brushes (Original and New Versions in the US) was easy and goof-proof. I do however prefer a sponge, but since sponges soak up more foundation product faster, I’ve started to apply foundation with the brush and then smooth out any streaks or uneven areas with the sponge.
Finish: The finish of Perfection Lumière is matte but not quite a full matte. I find it a bit more satiny with a dry finish. Powder is not needed at all. I still always finish with a powder or powder foundation, but I did wear the new Perfection Lumière without powder on several occasions and it lasted all day. I agree with others that as your skin warms up and the foundation sets that it becomes slightly less matte compared to when you first apply.
Coverage: I would rate this as a medium-full coverage foundation, leaning more towards the full side. It really evens out the skin completely – it’s like magic. It’s not quite as thick as concealer, but the closest thing I think I’ve found – without looking too fake or cakey. I feel that I need a bit more of a moisturized base to get the best application. I actually like layering it over Koh Gen Do’s Aqua Foundation for areas that need a bit more coverage.
Color Selection: I’m always in the Beige range for Chanel. I swiped Beige 30 and 40 on the back of my hand and felt there was a bit of a gap. If I were to pick my perfect shade I would be right in between. I went with Beige 30 because as my skin warms up it adjusts and darkens slightly. Also with summer over I know my skin will lighten in the next few months. Beige 30 seemed to be the best choice for me.
Overall thoughts: Even though I couldn’t get an exact match, Beige 30 is still very close to my skintone. Overall I give this a huge thumbs up. I love that you don’t need powder to set and that it truly lasts all day while still feeling weightless on the skin. Even though the coverage is full your skin can still breathe. I didn’t experience any breakouts, irritation or sliding off the face. I love that Chanel released three different color families this time. I think more women will have a better chance of finding a good match.
A few packaging and shade comparisons within the Chanel Foundation line. Although the shades look quite different, they all are good matches once blended out on the skin. I do feel that Teint Innocence in Shell is a bit dark for me these days though so I’ve been mixing it with Cameo.
Have you tried the new Chanel Perfection Lumière Foundation? Did you find that your usual Chanel shade was a good choice in this formula?
The last two items I will be featuring from the Chanel Holiday 2011 collection include Noir-Ivoire Eyeshadow Duo ($42) & Féérie Natural Finish Loose Powder ($52).
Noir-Ivoire Eyeshadow Duo ($42) is a beautiful classic duo of a soft luminous ivory shimmer and a complex semi-satin soft black. In the compact it looks very basic, unoriginal, almost bland. However I found on the eyes it looks quite lovely. The ivory shade is not quite as yellow as the promotional photos show but it does have a yellowish tinge. It’s similar to the Lumière Sculptée de Chanel Highlighting Powder but the powder is more beigey-pink and the shadow is more yellow. The black shade looks matte in the compact but after brushing it on the skin I found that it’s actually not really matte. It’s not really a shimmer either, but I would describe it as a having a satiny finish. I love the complexity of the colors in this because it prevents it from looking too harsh or ashy.
Féérie Natural Finish Loose Powder ($52) is a pinkish-beige soft sheer matte powder with tons of pink and white shimmery flecks. It comes in the finishing powder formula which I found a bit odd. The base is very sheer and light and the shimmer is not quite the glitter size but bigger than a shimmer. It seems too sparkly to use all over the face in my opinion and even as a highlighter seems a bit too glitzy. I think it would make a lovely dusting powder for going out on the cheeks. I don’t think I will be using this on the eyes – I’m worried about the glittery fallout but I haven’t tested this on the eyes yet. It’s simply gorgeous in the tub but too much for me for everyday. I recommend reading reviews from Best Things in Beauty and Fruity Lashes – they both love this powder.
Swatches:
With High Flash:
Comparisons (I apologize for the mis-spellings):
I really love the duo in this collection even though it’s fairly basic. The powder is something I’ll have to play with more. Thanks to alice for pointing out I spelled Noir-Ivoire incorrectly. I hope it’s now updated everywhere in the post (except for the labeling).
