I’m normally a gel-liner type of girl because I find it easier to get an even line along my upper lashes with a fine-tipped brush (Bobbi Brown’s Gel Liner brush is my favorite). However I also love the twist-up pencils that don’t require any sharpening. Chanel has one called Stylo Yeux Waterproof ($28) in a variety of shades. These replaced a formula called Aqua Crayon (can’t remember the exact year these were discontinued). I believe all the shades from the previous formula were discontinued except for the black and brown. The Chanel eyeliners (twist-up style) I own include:
Black Shimmer – dark cool grey (not really black) Cassis – plum black-brown Vert Bronze – complex, hard to describe, it has olive, bronze, gold tones Marine – shimmering navy Ébène – matte black Tweed (Aqua Crayon formula) – warm golden taupe
The color strip on the end of the packaging gives you an accurate idea of what you will get on your eyes.
Swatched on bare skin in 3 different light settings. What I love about these is that they really stay put. I only line along the upper lash line though. I can’t do waterline or underneath the eyes. I am like Rachel Green from Friends: extremely challenged when trying to put anything near the eyeball (eye drops included). So I can’t say how well it lasts when applied those ways.
Note that Marine goes on the eyes a bit more subtle than when swatched on the arm. At least on me. If you want a brighter blue, check out Bobbi Brown’s Denim Ink (new from her Denim & Rose collection).
No flash, natural light:
I normally am able to simply line and go. Occasionally I will take a small smudge brush (Laura Mercier’s is my favorite) and smoke it out a bit and re-apply. They normally don’t require blending/smoothing but those who don’t have a super steady hand will find a brush will do the trick.
Although I don’t own all the shades, I have tried every single color. The bright teal green color included. One of the national artists applied it on me and it was so gorgeous. But knowing myself all too well, knew I would never be brave enough to use it on my own.
I’m waiting for a pretty brown shimmer color to be released or a black gold. Their Black Shimmer isn’t really black at all, it’s really more grey.
I cannot swatch compare these to other brands as it is extremely time consuming and tedious. I have already done an extensive smokey eye series that I highly recommend you check out if you want more eyeliner options other than your basic black or brown. There is a black/grey post that will show you how many different variations of black eyeliners there are. Click on the Smokey label on the side bar for those posts. I do ask that you please do not republish those photos even though they haven’t been watermarked. It can be extremely frustrating to put time and effort into something that gets stolen and put on other blogs and websites. All my work is copyrighted.
*Update* if you like these colors but want a gel formula instead I recommend checking out these options:
Black Shimmer – Bobbi Brown Granite or Graphite Shimmer Inks Cassis – Bobbi Brown Black Plum Vert Bronze – no dupe! Marine – Bobbi Brown Denim Ink Ébène – Bobbi Brown Caviar Ink Tweed no dupe!
A lot of repeats this month from recent features. Right now I’m loving …
NARS Eyeshadow Duos – here are a few of my favorites that haven’t been depotted yet (which I don’t recommend, but did for the compacts that got too sticky, now stored in my Trish McEvoy planner pages)
Urban Decay Naked Palette (previously featured here)
Chanel Teint Innocence Foundation and Natural Finish Loose Powder – No matter how many other foundations I try, I keep coming back to the Teint Innocence. Just recently tried their loose setting powder and love it as well. I use Shell in the foundation and Naturel in the powder.
Chanel Rouge Coco in Chintz & Rose Dentelle – A little bit more delicate than most of my other Chanel lipsticks. These came a bit dinged on the sides but everything else was in tact. They are really close in color, Chintz is more peach, while Rose Dentelle is more pink.
Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliners – Rich pigment and longlasting plus no sharpening required! Wish they would re-release that old shade Tweed (a lovely golden taupe).
Black Shimmer & Ebene swatched here Cassis swatched here Marine swatched here and here
Edward Bess All Over Seduction Cream Highlighters – Perfectly glowy (previously reviewed and swatched here)
Paul & Joe Lip Lacquers – Great pigment and shine. I had to get almost all of the colors. I’ll get to lip swatches eventually.
Burberry Lipglosses are great . . . but I’m loving everything I purchased (click on the Burberry tag)
Quilted accessories, purses, makeup planners – dreaming of a quilted flap bag
Out of all the Trish planners I have, the quilted ones are my favorite.
Last but not least, my kitty, small but mighty fierce. This is the only photo I could get of him that makes him look non-evil. (I love my puppies too but they won’t sit still for a picture – way too excited about my brother in-law visiting this week after having been gone to the east coast for several months)
Nails of the day are Dolce & Gabbana Nude Nail Polish ($20) on fingers and Chanel Golden Sand Nail Polish ($23) on the toes. Nice neutrals for summer for a subtle polished look without drawing too much attention. Sandals photographed are from J.Crew (currently on sale).
Dolce & Gabbana Nude is a nice neutral nude with slight peach tones. Probably easily dupeable in other lines – however I have a hard time finding a good nude for my skin. Most “nudes” turn pink or very greyish on my skin. I’ve previously featured and swatched it here. Chanel Golden Sand is a metallic warm gold. I believe it’s been discontinued and I don’t own any dupes but the color seems similar to various OPI and China Glaze shades I’ve seen swatched on other blogs.
Perhaps it is the California girl in me that is obsessed with bronzers, but I’ve always been one who prefers to be tan rather than fair. Right now I am a Chanel Teint Innocence Shell (equivalent to what’s in between MAC NC30 and NC35, neither is an exact match for me), hardly “tan” but luckily I have bronzers to help me feel not-so-pale since I have little patience for tanning in the sun.
There are so many different effects one can achieve with bronzers. One’s skintone and skintype will also affect one’s preference for formula and finish. A bit of information about my skin & personal bronzer preferences: I have normal skin with olive tones. I get a bit oily in the T-zone only when it’s really humid. I prefer something that gives noticeable tanned look. My top 3 requirements for bronzer:
Don’t turn orangey as my skin
Don’t make me look dirty/muddy
Too much shimmer = copper bronze statue
Powder Bronzers:
Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Bronzer – Daydream $48 This is my favorite bronzer ever! Not being able to see this in person, I purchased it based on the recommendations of Leslie (see her guest review on the EB line here). Her description was right on. It’s neither shimmery nor matte but somewhere in between. It’s a goof-proof bronzer that I can never go wrong with and makes the skin glow. I like it alone or layered over a luminizer like NARS Multiples or Edward Bess’s All Over Seduction. I recently bought the other bronzer shade shade from EB, Desert Sun, and will be reviewing it soon.
Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder – Bali Brown $33 Part of her Illuminating Bronzer formula, I don’t find this one all that “illuminating” even though there are sparkles in this one. For some reason it applies more matte and I find the sparkle/shimmers don’t show up on my skin. This one is more pigmented so I have to apply it with a light hand in layers or else I get an intense brown streak across my face. I would say this gives a more earthy-brown look rather than illuminating glow.
NARS Bronzing Powder – Laguna & Irresistiblement $32 NARS Laguna has achieved cult status as the most well-known and popular bronzer. It was one of my first bronzers and I used it every single day while I was in college because I found it so versatile. It worked well alone and when layered with other blushes. Irresistiblement is the newest powder bronzer from NARS. It looks rather orange in the compact and when I saw it I immediately wrote it off. However, I saw it featured on Em from Too Much Blush and it looked so good on her pale skin I had to try it. See her review here. See it on her lovely face here. She’s done a few looks with it and her review is extremely helpful. I highly recommend searching through her archives for inspiration on how to use this. I tried this at Nordstrom and fell in love.
MAC Bronzing Powder – Golden & Bronze $22 I find these to be the most natural and sheer bronzing powders. Golden is very subtle on me because it’s close to my natural skintone (when applied) so I like to use it as a contouring powder or over powder blushes to add a bit of warmth. I’ve hit pan on this one twice. Bronze is similar just a few shades darker and warmer. These give a soft bronzed glow. I like the simple mirrored compact. If you find these too sheer, try MAC’s Refined Golden instead.
Armani Sheer Bronzer #1 & #5 $49 #1 is the most brown-based bronzer I have. Looks like it would be too brown in the compact but goes on a nice tanned bronze. I would call #5 my most glowy bronzer. It on the shimmery side but doesn’t apply frosty. It’s a warm golden bronze that makes the skin glow. Darker skinned girls will find this less dramatic and more glowy than bronzey.
Cream Bronzers:
Chanel Soleil de Tan Bronzing Makeup Base $48 This replaced the Bronze Universel de Chanel Sun Illuminator. Comes in the same tub and compact. Looks virtually identical to the original. I believe it was simply reformulated and given a new name. My favorite cream bronzer for a natural contour. The tub is huge and lasts forever. This is my second tub. Looks brown but blends out naturally.
Armani Fluid Sheer #11 $59 This is more of a peachy bronze shade. I like Fluid Sheer #3 as well but find it extremely sheer. The Fluid Sheer #11 is one of the shades that shows up better. It has enough color on me to wear alone as a blush. I apply this over powder and foundation with a foundation brush and it doesn’t cake or get greasy.
NARS Multiple – South Beach $38 Another pretty peachy-bronze shimmer. More shimmery than the Armani. I like this with a powder bronzer (like MAC Golden or Bronze) layered on top. Love how this can be used on eyes, lips and cheeks. The challenge for me with this is making it last. It’s so emollient I find it hard to make last throughout the day. Still, the color is so pretty, the non-existent lasting power won’t stop me from wearing it.
MAC To the Beach Cream Bronzer – Weekend $25 I didn’t think I would like this because it looked so reddish in the container, but it works well as a subtle bronzer with warmth. Fair skinned girls will probably find this too red. If I were slightly paler this would turn orangey on me.
Discontinued Loves:
Chanel Irreelle Soleil Silky Bronzing Powder in Sierra 22 This was the best bronzer Chanel made. Then they discontinued the formula and came out with something I feel is chalky which just sits on the skin instead of blending in with it.
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish – So Ceylon, Sunny by Nature, Global Glow I find these can be a bit intense so I like these with a skunk brush.
Shu Uemura Loose Powder in Luster Bronze I don’t remember which year this came out, I think back in the summer of 2005? I got this at Bergdorf Goodman when I was in New York summers ago. I use it only for special occasions because I love the color so much I’m afraid to use this up.
Tools:
I like brushes that are more on the fluffy side for bronzer to get a sheerer application. These are my most frequently used brushes. For the creams, most of the time I use my fingers but my staple is the Prescriptives Foundation brush which is no longer available. Listed left to right:
Prescriptives Foundation Brush
MAC 129 Powder/Blush Brush $34
MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush $42
MAC 138 Tapered $52
Bobbi Brown Bronzer Brush $50
My Top Bronzer Picks:
Best Bronzer Hands Down – Edward Bess Daydream
Best Bronzer For the Price – MAC Golden or Bronze
Most Natural Bronzer – MAC Golden & Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base
Best Bronzer Brush – MAC 129 (because it’s the most versatile)
A Side Note: I do have a number of other bronzers from the same brands listed above and other brands like Guerlain, Laura Mercier, Le Metier de Beaute, Dolce & Gabbana, Becca and Dior. The ones listed above are just my favorites for the formula and price. Also, I just got a new computer which I am trying to get used to. You may see a slight difference in the photos from my normal posting. Please bear with me as I am trying to figure out all the new settings with a new version of photoshop as well.
A Note About These Swatches: Please take these with a grain of salt. These were swatched on a bare arm without primer or moisturizer. Bronzers apply better over foundation + powder for me, so these swatches aren’t really true to life. I put as many as I could fit on my arm. There might be a few missing. Please don’t be alarmed by the furry thing at the bottom, he’s my kitty.
The Nordstrom near me recently had a National Artist Event for Chanel and they used a mix of the new fall 2010 shades with a couple other items from the regular line. There were two different artists who worked with me. Typically with the National Artist events one makeup artist from the Chanel team will cleanse and prep the skin with moisturizers, primers, foundation, concealer and powder. Once the face is prepped, then the National Artist will come by to apply the makeup and work their magic. I would say about 1/2 the events I’ve been to, the National Artist has been able to do my makeup. The other 1/2 were so busy the artist never made it to my chair (in that case one of the regular artists will do your makeup).
I brought in a photo of one of the latest Burberry Beauty ads and asked them to recreate the look using Chanel products. The final result didn’t really resemble the look but I was still pleased with the look and the items they picked out.
Face:
Teint Innocence Compact in Shell 30
Poudre Universelle Libre in Naturel 30
Pink Explosion 64 Blush
Lips:
Nude Lipliner
Rose Dentelle 37 Rouge Coco
Rose Dilemma 144 Glossimer
Products are linked to the Chanel & Nordstrom websites for your convenience in case you want to read more about the products through their descriptions, check prices, see other color options etc.
Cristal-Dusk Duo + Cassis Eyeliner
L to R: Nude Lipliner, Rose Dentelle Rouge Coco,
Rose Dilemma Glossimer, Pink Explosion Blush
Skin: Skin was cleansed and then prepped with the Ultra Correction Lift line. For the skin the focus was on preventing the effects of aging. Looking at my skin, they said they thought I would have the type of skin that would sag instead of wrinkle as I aged. I’m not sure which one is better, lol. They used the Sculpting Firming Concentrate, Lifing Firming Day Fluid, and the Total Eye Life Eye Cream. I’ve never really liked Chanel skincare (except their Age Delay line which has long been discontinued) but they gave me samples to try.
Face: The artist who prepped my skin had done my makeup before on numerous occasions, so she used my regular foundation in Teint Innocence in Shell 30. I asked to try the loose powder, and she applied the Poudre Universelle Libre in Naturel 30. I was surprised no concealer was used since they almost always push their concealers during these events. However, the Teint Innocence Compact Foundation is a heavier coverage foundation on my skin, so perhaps that is why they skipped it (much to my delight).
Cheeks: This is where the National Artist stepped in and picked out Pink Explosion 64 Joues Contraste (previously reviewed here). Much to his surprise, I mentioned that I noticed the formulas for the fall collection were different and came in the baked formula like the European and Asian releases. His face just lit up as he said, “I’m so proud you know that, half of these ladies (waved his hand at the team) don’t even know that and they should.” I asked if he by chance knew if they were going to change the formula going forward. He wasn’t sure but thought it would be for certain collections only, not all, but couldn’t confirm.
Eyes: He gave me a more subtle eye look than what was on the Burberry photo and used Cristal-Dusk Irreelle Duo 77 which will soon be discontinued. The white side was applied with the finger and smudged on the eyes. The taupe-grey was blended over with a brush. The goal was a subtle smokey eye. Next he applied the new Cassis Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner 83 (a deep plum) along the waterline on upper and lower lash lines and finished with the Smoky Violine Exceptionnel Mascara.
Close up of the lips, but this is a few hours after the event so it’s a bit faded. Also within a few hours, my skin felt extremely greasy despite the cloudy-cool and slightly windy weather we’ve been having here in Southern California. I think the skincare items I tried will be a no-go. I hate to admit this, but for the eyes, I took the makeup off as soon as I got home. I liked the colors they used, they just applied way too much. Even my husband asked, “why do you have so much makeup on today?”
There wasn’t a gift with purchase offered. I feel this is sometimes better because then there is less pressure to spend a lot of money. They did however give out samples to everyone who attended: A mini look-card, mini perfume sample, eyemakeup remover, Rouge Coco sample card.
Those new to my blog, you can click the “Makeover” tag below to see other products used at past events I’ve attended (including Chanel, MAC and NARS). My last one from Chanel was back in March (click here).
Ever since I saw the Chanel Quatuor Boutons de Chanel $65 swatched on KarlaSugar (see here for her review) I knew I had to have it. I didn’t even need to see the tester even though it was of the round-pan design – that’s how good Karla Sugar is.
It seems like Nordstrom has been sending out their pre-sales early this year because UPS arrived with a package from Nordstrom today. (I hear from my local store associates that you can pick up your pre-sale items as early as the 13th. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that what happened with SR doesn’t happen with the other “pre-sales.”) I was even more pleased to find out that while these shadows come in the round pan, they are not the baked variety! Yay! I’m not sure if where it’s made makes a difference, but these ones were made in Italy. This quad seems very similar in texture to the Les Folies Noires from the Noirs Obscurs collection.
This quad has four neutral shades in a soft ivory, light brownish-red clay color, soft fleshy peach and a sheer cool-mauve-brownish color. All have the gold Chanel logo as an overspray which disappears after one swipe. The quad seems to be more on the sheerer side for me, perhaps the color doesn’t show up as well as they do on Karla because I’m darker than her, hence the shades seem to blend in with my skin better. I will say that this quad swatches better on the fingers and apply better on the eyes with brush. Once I put them on my arm the color seemed to disappear a little.
The gold overspray disappears:
In natural light, no flash (still cloudy here in Southern California):
Swatched on bare skin, NOTE they swatched sheer on my arm,
but on my fingers and eyes the color shows up better:
I will say I had no idea these were $65 when I did my pre-sale. Regular quads are $56 which is still highway robbery. At that price, I can’t say it’s a must-have. Pretty, but the price is pretty steep for what you get considering it’s on the sheer side. It seems to have a similar texture/pigment to the Noirs Obscurs quad which was something I was tempted by but passed on because I found it too sheer for the price.
This post is for one of my readers Jo Ann, a fellow Chanel Nail Polish collector, she was kind enough to search for shades I did not have from Asia during her recent business travels. I apologize to her, but this has been a few months delayed. She hoped I would feature an updated post on my Chanel Le Vernis Nail Polish collection in order to try and figure out which shades she was missing. Upon returning from her trip, I heard she brought back over 20 bottles (Chanel + Dior) 🙂 Many were for her friends. One was for me. I was ecstatic (it was Magnolia Rose which I had missed out on years ago).
I never thought this would happen, but I’ve recently run out of space for my Chanel Nail Polishes in my nail polish rack. There are now four lone bottles without their own space. I need an intervention, but don’t really want one. Most of these shades were limited edition from past seasons. Chanel is the brand that set off my interest in nail polishes. The formulas weren’t always great quality (in my opinion). I can’t remember the exact year, perhaps it was the early 2000’s was the time Chanel revamped their formulas. My first two were Le Perle (see dupes here) and Vamp (see swatches here). Some of the shades are from Canada, Europe and Asia, so US girls might not recognize or remember all the shades being released here in the US. This is definitely not comprehensive of all the shades that have been released in the US.
I may have missed a few swatch links. Also, I haven’t always photographed every mani/pedi I’ve had in the past year. I’ll try to include more in the future. Do you have any favorite Chanel Nail Colors?
