Chanel Pulsion Le Vernis ($23) is a vibrant hot pink cream color that is cool-toned. I thought Riviera was bright but Pulsion is like Riviera electrified. It’s a few shades deeper and significantly brighter. I’m not sure I would really associate this with a winter/holiday color except maybe for a holiday party. Definitely too bright for a conservative office environment, perhaps ok for the toes.
Here it is compared to a few other pinks, left to right:
Chanel Melrose, Chanel Riviera, Chanel Pulsion, Dior Red Dahlia
I picked up the two new products released this holiday for Chanel: Tentation Cuivrée Quadra Eyeshadow ($56) & Splash Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadow ($32). In addition to these two, there are a few repromotes such as Cassis Eyeliner (reviewed here), Espresso Eyeliner and Misty-Soft Duo (reviewed here).
* left to right: wearing Khaki Rose, Splash, Tentation Cuivrée
Both are beautiful but not entirely unique. All of us Chanel lovers have been waiting holding our breath to see what the Holiday Quad in the Euro formula will look like. I’ve tried the round-pan formula at a few Chanel Studios (which carry import collections) and was never impressed. I found the pigment sheer and texture powdery. The Tentation Cuivrée quad is not quite as powdery as most I’ve tried and I was surprised to find out pigmented the colors were. You’ll see my swatches below without any base (it’s incredible in my opinion). However, after swatching this quad at home I saw how it was quite a bit more sparkley than I observed from swatching in-store. It must have been bad lighting. Still gorgeous but the colors have these uber tiny micro glitter particles and a higher level of shimmer (much like Paul & Joe’s lighter eyegloss shades reviewed here).
I’d describe the colors as light pink with gold sparkle, neutral ivory with sparkle, warm medium-light brown with gold sparkle, deep warm chocolate shimmer (love this last shade). There is a difference between the lighter shades, but on the eyes, they both look the same, at least on my skin.
I’ve compared it to single shades and a few other quads. I personally prefer the older square pan eyeshadow quads and current singles, all of which have a more sophisticated luminous glow (rather than super-sparkle). Take note I’m not claiming any are dupes, these are simply comparisons to help you get a better idea of what the quad looks like. The singles below have a more finely milled shimmer quality. Those who have Chanel Ivory and are familiar with MAC Pigments know that Chanel Ivory is a softer more wearable version of MAC Vanilla Pigment. Both have this lovely opalescent almost duochrome quality. The light shade in the quad is more basic in undertone, but more glitzy in sparkle. (Does that even make sense to anyone? I feel as though I’m not really communicating what I see properly.)
Note that Nomade didn’t swatch so well on my arm, but it applies so much better on the eyes. Trace is warmer and less red than the quad. For the bottom left shade in the quad I couldn’t find anything with the same undertone and deepness – all the other shades I looked at were lighter, less pigmented, or more red/purple/or darker.
Splash Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadow is like a liquid-and-slightly-warmer version of Taupe Grisé. I envisioned Splash to be a light silvery blue or a light greyish color. Instead it’s more of a medium taupe grey. These come in a glass tube with part clear liquid and part pigmented liquid eyeshadow. To apply, simply shake the tube, apply the sponge tip directly to the eye and then blend. I like to blend with my fingers. Since Splash is a darker shade, I find it takes more careful application on the eye compared to the other lighter colors like Source & Sand etc.
Overall thoughts: I prefer the older US Chanel quads. I find the holiday quad a stunner, but the shimmer level is a bit outside of my comfort zone. Still the pigment is amazing and shades are very blendable. The liquid eyeshadow is stunning, but if you already have Taupe Grise you might find it redundant to own both. Definitely check it out if you’re a taupe lover.
The Les Khakis de Chanel Le Vernis shades are growing on me even though my initial reaction was “meh”. The formula however is very impressive. You will get a full coverage application with just one coat. I find that this quality definitely makes these well worth the high price tag ($25 each). I did an extensive review and comparison post a few weeks ago Les Khakis de Chanel: Khaki Brun, Khaki Vert & Khaki Rose and finally did a full manicure with Khaki Rose, a warm coffee-with-milk type of brown. Not really something I would normally be drawn to for nails, but I like it. There’s no brand like Chanel that can capture my attention for trendy shades.
I had five nail polishes with me in my bag the other day (yes, 5) because I could not make up my mind, so I e-mailed my sister with my handy iPhone “which one should I do?” She said “thumb!” Thank goodness for sisters.
More views:
Recap of my comparison to other shades, Rescue Beauty Lounge Om & Chanel Rose Confidentiel:
I have been insanely busy with work and with DH having been out of town I’ve been working later than usual. I will get to the comments and questions in the next few days, so please be patient – my time and energy levels have been at an all time low (although work is going extremely well). I spotted Chanel’s Holiday 2010 Collection this evening and went nuts. Thanks to KarlaSugar, we got a preview from the information sheets back in July (see her sneak peek here) so I credit her for satisfying my curiosity for the past few months. You all know I am not the biggest fan of the Euro/Asia-made formula for Chanel powder products – but those who feel the same as me, not to worry, the pigment and quality of the holiday eyeshadow quad is amazing. You will not be disappointed with the formula. The whole collection is stunning.
More details, reviews and swooning to come very soon. At this point my house is a mess and I feel like I’ve been hit by a tornado – I need a day to recoup. Thank goodness DH is coming home tomorrow night. Hope you all have an amazing Friday!
Tentation Cuivré Quadra Eyeshadow
Tweed Fuschia Blush and Pulsion Le Vernis
Top to bottom: Glossimers Pleasing 227, Charming 237, Pink Pulsion 247, Rouge Cocos Patchouli 107, Magnolia 117
I found these at my local Neimans. I am thrilled to have gotten my hands on these so early, however found their customer service extremely lacking. I will most likely not be shopping the Chanel counter at Neimans again in the near future unless they tone down their snooty attitude. I’ve experienced poor customer service from them in the past but thought I’d give them a second chance. Never again. Although I will say my regular SAs with other brands at that location are fabulous. Just not their Chanel counter. I called my Nordstrom Chanel counter to inquire when they will be receiving the collection, they said any day now.
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Might be a bit too early in the year for a dark manicure but Chanel Steel is one shade that I just couldn’t wait to put on. I swatched the Soho Le Vernis in Steel & Strong last week and decided to go with Steel first. I find these shades typical of certain shimmery Chanel Le Vernis shades like Jade Rose, Paradoxal, Vendetta etc. in that what you see in the bottle isn’t exactly what you get on the nails. In this case, what you see in the bottle is a deep grey laced with silver pearly streaks. What you get on the nails is more of a deep midnight steel blue-black.
Here are a few close up shots and further below it’s on a full manicure (2 coats although 1 would have been sufficient) in different lighting so you can see the full effect.
Outdoors, natural light, this is what it looks like with a bit of sun shining:
This is what you see without direct sunlight or flash:
Photographed with high flash against Black Caviar Leather (you can see the blue sheen):
Also against Black Caviar Leather, but without direct flash (the color on the nails is dark but not a pure black):
I compared it in my previous post to a few other shades, Chanel Noir Ceramic and Essie Over The Top (see last week’s post). In looking at my other colors again, I thought it might be similar to Lippmann’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot, but I find the quality of the Chanel superior as you only need 1 coat while for the other you need at least 3 to get a rich opaque finish. The Lippmann shade has a more steely-blue cast, but if you have this color and don’t mind applying more coats then I think they are similar enough that you don’t need the Chanel.
Chanel Steel vs. Lippmann Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Next to Bobbi Brown Black Sparkle – you can see the blueish tones:
It’s perfect for fall. Not too black and has a rich opaque finish (as you can see with just one coat swatched). I find it a tad thicker than most Chanel nail polishes (Strong as well) so you may want to adjust your application slightly with that in mind. Worth every penny.
Here is the Soho Story Collection continued with the lip items. Luckily there are a number of other resources you can look to for reviews, descriptions and swatches. Check out Beauty Moogle Zone and Karla Sugar for a few other resources.
Left to right: Stunt Rouge Allure Laque, Stunning Rouge Coco and Star Glossimer
Stunt Rouge Allure Laque – full coverage, creamy, no shimmer, plum-mauve leaning more towards the purple side, almost borderline too purple but ok when blotted
Stunning Rouge Coco Lipstick – beautiful natural light rose pink
Star Glossimer – a smooth sparkley sheer silvery pink (not as opaque or whitish as Brilliance)
Swatched on bare skin:
Stunt Rouge Allure Laque – slightly more purple than the photos show
I didn’t have time to swatch the other items before the sun went down, so here are some comparisons to other Chanel colors. Stunning is beautiful but I think if you have any of the other shades below, you can get a similar effect. I didn’t photograph it next to Perle Rouge Coco but the effect is similar in my opinion.
Stunning Rouge Coco compared to Aqualumieres:
Star Glossimer compared to other sheer light pinks:
Those who have e-mailed me I will respond shortly!
My lovely readers, I only have time for a few brief posts. This is a continuation of the Chanel Soho Story collection. The Soho de Chanel powder is a beautiful soft luminous highlighter. Pigmented enough to show up and has just the right amount of shimmer for a perfect glow. The quad is a lovely combination of soft cool shades which I find also very soft and more pigmented than most Chanel quads I’ve tried. If I could only pick 1, it would definitely be the powder highlighter. The quad pulls more cool but is still neutral enough to work on most skintones.
Photos and swatches:
Mystic Eyes v Stupendous:
Swatched on bare skin:
Sorry I don’t have much time for detailed descriptions. If you have questions – I’ll publish them through my iPhone but won’t have time to answer them until sometime this weekend. Definitely check out Beauty Moogle Zone and Estelle’s Guest Post on Karlasugar for other wonderful details and information.
