I’ve been testing out the new Rouge Cocos, one by one, and am pleased to report that I find them to be everything Chanel claims them to be: lightweight, hydrating, full coverage and pure luxury. For the most part, they all seem to be full-coverage, but there are a few shades that seem a bit sheerer than the other which are basically the lighter ones like Perle. Here is the line up of the other shades I have: Perle 02, Secret 03, Cashmere 04, Camelia 10, Bois Des Iles 33, Sycamore 32.
I won’t be posting a swatch line up on my arm, but will be posting a few lip swatches in the near future like I did for Gardenia, Sycamore & Mademoiselle. There are already a number of great blogs who have swatched the lipsticks including Karlasugar, Temptalia, Makeup & Beauty Blog and Cafe Makeup, I highly recommend you check them out! Or even better, run to your nearest Chanel counter to try these if you haven’t already.
This is an up-close feature of the new Chanel Rose Paradise Nail Polish I purchased from Neimans a week ago from the Beauty Week Event. (Read about the other Neimans Exclusive Items Here.) In the bottle, it looks like a complex warm bronzey-pink shimmer, but on the fingers, it went on a bit lighter than it looked in the bottle. I guess it depends on what angle you hold the bottle at. I wouldn’t call it a duo-chrome, but there are so many different colors of shimmer in this little bottle, it looks different depending on how you hold it.
Here it is, 2 coats, and it’s pure love:
Compared to some other Chanel Pinkish Colors:
I am super picky with pink nail polishes. Chanel usually comes out with great pinks. I love other brands like OPI and Essie, but warmer pinks don’t always work for my skin. They end up looking too coraly or have some color in it that makes my skin look very yellow.
I was so smitten with this new color I went back and got a couple more for my sister and mom. It was available on neimanmarcus.com a week ago, but it appears to have sold out. Call your nearest counter – you might have better luck finding it in store. The color is also available at chanel.com as a limited edition color.
Today’s lips of the day features the new Chanel Rouge Coco in Sycamore #32 and Paul & Joe’s Lip Lacquer Magnifique #10. Both colors are in the plummy-brown category.
I also used Paul & Joe’s #2 lipliner (not pictured) which is a perfect match for both colors. The lipstick has amazing pigment and those who like darker plummy-browns will really like this. It’s like a more brown version of the Crazed Rouge Allure (which is another favorite).
Swatch of all 3 lip items used:
I attempted lip swatches, but they turned out more red and a bit washed out than it looks in real life. In real life, the lipstick is a pretty plummy-brown shimmer and the gloss deepens the color and adds shine. The swatch photos really don’t do the lipstick/gloss justice.
Check out swatches on other blogs such as Karlasugar and Temptalia to try and get a better idea of the color on different skintones.
Just the lipstick (looks less reddish and more plum in real life):
Lipstick & gloss (note the sun makes it look lighter, this is actually darker in real life):
Yes – I am a die-hard Chanel fan and went nuts over the new Rouge Coco Lipsticks. Even though I love the unique smaller independent brands, if I were pressed to pick only one brand to use, it would hands-down be Chanel for the color selection and quality.
When I heard the news of the upcoming lipstick launch, I initially thought, oh great, another brand revamping something just so they can charge $30 for a lipstick. But when my friend and I checked out the new lippies, we couldn’t contain ourselves. We were like kids in a candy store and bought way too many lipsticks – but at least we can feel like we look good.
Most of the shades are available at all Chanel retailers. The U.S. Exclusives I know of include:
Chanel.com – Teheran #56
Saks Fifth Avenue – Byzantine #28 (vibrant berry wine/almost fuschia color with slight shimmer)
Neiman Marcus – Gardenia #13 (featured one post below)
While swatching the colors at Saks and Bloomies, I started at #01 and swatched consecutively so I wouldn’t miss any colors. However I lost track after I ran out of space on my hand and I didn’t see 07, 12, 30 or 35 in the line up at any of the counters. So the investigator in me wonders if they simply skipped those shades or if those are exclusives elsewhere.
So far, to our knowledge, Nordstrom and Bloomies do not have exclusive shades. We didn’t even think to go check out Macys. In 2 hours we had literally shopped until we were ready to drop.
If anyone has details about the other major department stores exclusives, please let me know!!
Some of the colors I bought: Mademoiselle, Ruban Rose, Gardenia, Muse & Rose Comete. I swatched these today but failed miserably. It’s cloudy and rainy and the swatches were just very blah. The remaining shades I purchased will be featured at a later date.
Swatch fail, please don’t let these crummy swatches deter you – this is for the commenter who wanted to see how Gardenia compared to Ruban Rose.
Pigment: The pigment is excellent. Some of the colors are a bit sheerer than others – but they those are the ones like Perle, Ruban Rose and Rose Comete. They aren’t super sheer like Aqualumieres – it’s just some of the lighter colors have a more transparent finish.
Texture/Finish: I’ll reiterate that I think these are a great swipe-and-go lipstick. I loved the Peter Phillips videos featuring his discussion of these colors. La Chanel Phile is great for info and news (thanks to Leslieal for pointing this out to me). The formula is moist and creamy and easy to apply, yet lightweight. My SA said it’s like they took the Rouge Allure + Aqualumiere and mixed them together for a rich creamy moisturizing lipstick.
Scent: No overpowering scent. There is a subtle hint of a lipstick smell, but it’s nice and soothing. I can’t put my finger on exactly what that scent is though. I have one of the pickiest noses and only tolerated the Hydrabase Lipstick Scent simply because it was Chanel.
Packaging: These come in a new metal tube rather than the plastic. It definitely has a more luxurious feel. The Chanel design team did a great job giving this lipstick a higher-end feel in the material without changing the classic packaging – one among the many thing I really appreciate with Chanel. I really like the fact that they have kept the same classic packaging over all these years keeping the product true to their brand image and feel. I love that they are classic and trend-setters both at the same time.
The lipstick caps have a more snug fit to the lipstick itself. There’s no loose feeling when you push the lid down. The tube is metal like the Rouge Allures.
One more thing I am happy to report is that they have maintained the same product weight for the Rouge Coco as with their other lipsticks. They are still 3.5 g/.12 oz. Big YAY from me – especially when it’s a trend with other lines to revamp packaging and give us consumers less product.
Here are a couple of the Hydrabase tubes compared to the Rouge Coco Tubes, left to right: Lilac Sky Hydrabase, Rose Comete Rouge Coco, Rose Baby Hydrabase (Euro)
My friend and I just checked out the new Chanel Rouge Coco Lipsticks and we hit up all four major department stores near me to investigate on any store exclusives (yes, we went to all four). We found that only Saks and Neimans had exclusives and we both were delighted with the ones at Neiman Marcus: Rose Paradise Nail Polish and Gardenia Rouge Coco.
In addition to their full Rouge Coco display, Neimans also has a mini unit featuring:
* Rose Paradise #185 Nail Polish (Retails for $23) – a warmer pink rose frost
* Gardenia #13 Rouge Coco Lipstick (Retails for $30) – a soft warm pink base with & cool pink shimmer
* Bel Air #147 Glossimer (Retails for $27) – this is the second repromote for this shade, it’s a classic creamy pink-rose (pinker than giggle)
We both had to get the newer shades and I already had Bel Air from the Les Naturels Collection from last April/May 2009. All the Chanel reps were either wearing the exclusive Gardenia #13 or Mademoiselle #05 (featured on Vanessa Paradis in the Rouge Coco ad). Both colors were stunning on all the artists regardless of skin-tone and coloring.
To clarify – the lipstick is not an exact match for the gloss. It appears they simply decided to repromote the Bel Air to compliment the new lipstick. The artists told me they were also combining Pagoda Glossimer (another favorite of mine) with Gardenia Lipstick for their makeovers.
No flash, natural light:
It looks like Rose Paradise Nail Polish is available on Chanel.com, but it’s currently Out Of Stock which makes me think they might not have got it in quite yet. So perhaps these aren’t really “exclusive” as the little display showed. I’ll do a manicure post on this later in the next week or so, but here it is compared to a few other shades, Ming, Rose Blossom, Paparazzi. The Rose Paradise is a warm shimmery rose, similar to Tarte Love Child Cheek Stain in a nail polish form.
I am sad to see the Hydrabase go away, but the new colors and formula is amazing. I swatched as many as I could fit on my hand and ended up coming home with way too much. If you had or tried any Hydrabase colors you know that there was a strong floral scent and that some of the shades felt a bit dry to apply. Once on the lip they were perfectly fine, but the texture tugged the lips a bit upon application.
The new Rouge Coco Lipsticks have a creamy moisturizing formula that just glides on the lips without feeling too shiny or glossy. I find that it really is the best of all Chanel lipsticks – like if you mixed all three formulas from Aqualumiere, Hydrabase and Rouge Allure together. There is a slight scent, but I could barely notice it. I am thrilled with the new colors and formula. You really can just apply and be done in one swipe. No liner or gloss needed in my opinion.
MAC Metal Rock Mineralized Skinfinish (From 2005 Gold Play Collection) – One of the prettiest complex coppery-deep bronzey colors. I like to use this for eyeshadow rather than on the face. For my skin it’s too dark to use on the cheeks. The closest I’ve found to this is NARS Fez.
Bobbi Brown Penny Metallic Eyeshadow (From 2008 Bronzed Pink Collection) – Also limited edition. Gorgeous warm sandy copper shimmer. Highly pigmented. Blends like magic. Try Bobbi Brown Burnt Sugar as an alternative.
Edward Bess Sunlight Highlighter – You’ve seen the review and swatch comparisons before. I love this for the perfect glow.
MAC Beigeland Lipstick – Yay for B2M! Lovely light nude-gold shimmer. Not quite as pale as Gel, but pretty similar.
YSL Rouge Volupte #26 Tender Peach – Also swatched/photographed before. This is such a lovely healthy fresh peach that doesn’t scream “loud.”
Chanel Seashell Glossimer – The perfect sheer glowy pink. It’s better than topping lipsticks with clear gloss because it just makes everything look better with a subtle shimmery glow.
March Issue of Lucky Magazine – This was a surprise for me, normally I don’t really find many things in this magazine that appeal to me, but in this issue there are so many cute outfit and shoe ideas in this issue. Definitely a good read!
Pottery Barn Vintage Milk Bottles – Couldn’t find the individual ones online, but they have them instore. So cute to store pencils or small flowers. Online they have a set of 6 with the labels on the sides.
These are the ones from Pottery Barn Online:
Michael Bublé – I love his music. He has such a great voice. His songs Some Kind of Wonderful and Just Haven’t Met You Yet make my heart skip a beat.
I’m not sure if purple is “in” this season (with the exception of a part of MAC’s upcoming Spring Forecast collection) – but I’m not always one to follow the trends. When I think of spring, I think of soft colors and I love using purple on one feature for the face at a time (to avoid that purple overload look). I pulled out my soft purply colors and was surprised to find how much lilac and violets I own.
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Part 1: Eyes
For eyes, I can’t pull off all purples – some lilacs make me look like I have pink-eye but these are the ones that work for me. I would have to say my favorites are the Armani Maestro Single #10 because it has some slight gold sparkles and the new Paul & Joe Purple Clover from spring (waves to Josie for her wonderful swatch and review here).
1. Giorgio Armani Maestro Quad 6 Mineral 2. Giorgio Armani Maestro Single 10 3. NARS Duo Eyeshadow Violetta 4. MAC Violet, Dear (discontinued) 5. Laura Mercier Luster Eyeshadow Dusk (mini size from GWP) 6. Paul & Joe Face & Eyecolor CS in Purple Clover 066 7. MAC Eyeshadow Pro Palette in Crystal 8. Laura Mercier Mineral Eye Powder in Crushed Amethyst 9. Trish McEvoy Eyeshadow in Haze 10. Paul & Joe Eyeshadow Velvet Ribbon 06 11. MAC Pigment in Kitchmas 12. MAC Pigment in Lovely Lily (l/e) 13. MAC Pigment in Circa Plum (l/e)
* Please note, I’m not a fan of that Nars Violetta swatch, the lighter matte shade doesn’t always go on as muddy dark as it did on my arm
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Part 2: Lips
For lips, I can’t wear straight purples or lilacs for the lips. Most of these are either sheer or have some pink pearl in them to give a soft cool pink lip. My favorites are Laura Mercier’s Violet & Lilac Lip Glaces.
1. Bobbi Brown Brightening Lipgloss Pink Lilac 2. Laura Mercier Plumping Lipgloss in Wild Berry 3. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Violet 4. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Lilac 5. MAC Lustreglass in Morning Glory 6. MAC Lipglass Nico Now (l/e) 7. MAC Lipglass Fast Friends (l/e) 8. Nars Chastity Lip Gloss 9. Nars Sweet Charity Lip Gloss 10. Chanel Glossimer in Delight 11. Laura Mercier Stickgloss Lip Color in Purple Haze
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Part 3: Nails
I’m not the biggest fan of purple nails. I got a few of these as gifts yet can’t bring myself to regift them or give them away (because often times it’s the thought that counts). I desperately wanted to love Chanel’s Rodeo Drive (gorgeous violet purple) but it was simply too bright for my comfort. Chanel’s Lilac Sky is much more doable for me. I do like lighter purples for the nails, I also have a photo/swatch of Le Metier Phlox here, but it’s currently MIA.
Pinkie to Thumb: Sephora by OPI Call Your Mother, OPI Parlez-Vous OPI?, MAC Love & Friendship, Chanel Violette (euro exclusive), Chanel Lilac Sky
