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Glossimers

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Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

March 21, 2010


1. Paul & Joe Alice in Wonderland Fantasy Set – So cute, I can’t help but smile everytime I look at my P&J Alice sets. I wish I could take it with me in my purse, but it’s not really practical for toting around. The lipbalm goes on basically clear even though it has a pink tint. I haven’t seen the new movie – anyone who has, what are your thoughts?


2. Chanel Sillage Eyeshadow – From the spring collection, this is a lovely shimmery light highlighting color. It’s along the same lines of Lotus, Liberty and Island eyeshadows but has a bit more pink with slight peach to it. It gives a lovely glow to the lid.


3. Chantecaille Sel Eyeshadow – Yes, of course, I’m always loving at least one taupe shade every month. This month my favorite is Chantecaille Sel – a complex color that has shades of silver, taupe, grey, and gold making this very uniquely stunning. It looks different depending on what angle you hold the compact at. I have a hard time pulling off most silvers. Taupes I can do, but pure silvery shades end up making me look tired. On my skin Sel is more silvery but the gold in it makes it wearable for me which is a plus. I love this over Laura Mercier’s Platinum Metallic Cream Eyeshadow.


4. Giorgio Armani Maestro 23 – This color replaced the original Eyeshadow #4. It’s a deep navy-black with a satin finish that has a slight shimmer. There are definitely other similar colors, but I like that the Maestro 23 isn’t too harsh like most blacks or navys which are typically flat matte shades. The texture makes the finish a bit softer since you can blend and layer it to the intensity you prefer.


5. Lancome Pop Petrol 014 Nail Polish – See the full review plus some other views here. Such a lovely murky steel green blue shimmer. I prefer it on the toes rather than fingers, but I’ve never received so many head-turns, compliments and random women coming up to me to ask “what color is that you’re wearing?” just from a nail polish.


6. NARS Ophelia Lipgloss – Also from spring, this is a sheer healthy pink with shimmer. Looks lovely over the new Cruising lipstick or Tutti Frutti lipstick. (Pictured below, swatch is at the top.)


7. Chanel Maline 141 Glossimer – From the spring 2010 collection, it’s on the sheer side and basically goes on clear, but I love the sparkles in this. It looks great over lipsticks to add a pretty sheen. I really like this over nudes like Chanel Como Aqualumiere and MAC Marquise D. (Pictured above, bottom swatch.)

8. Chanel Gardenia 13 Rouge Coco – This is exclusive to Neiman Marcus. It’s a soft shimmery warm pink on me. I’ve already reviewed/featured this before, but here it is on me below again. It might be replacing my Chanel Waikiki for HG (holy grail) status.


Also check it out on Tali at The Gloss Goss here to see how it looks on a different skintone. It’s gorgeous on her!

9. Chanel Caprice Blush – This came out years ago in the US and is by far the prettiest pink blush I have ever seen. I was really sad that it was discontinued but luckily I have a back up! It’s like a soft pink version of Chanel Rose Bronze/Armani Blush #10 without the bronzey looking finish that these have sometimes. There’s no dupe for this that I know of and I’ve searched hi and lo through almost every high-end brand. No luck.


10. Chanel UV Essential – For the past week, I’ve been using this on top of my moisturizer, underneath foundation as a primer. It’s very liquid and has a thin texture so a little goes a long way. The recommended use is to apply it as the last step of your daily skincare regimen. It works really well for me to make my makeup last all day.

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Chanel Gardenia Rouge Coco & Rose Paradise Nail Polish (Neiman Marcus Exclusives)

February 27, 2010

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.

One last view:


You can see a swatch of Bel Air here.

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Ten Things I’m Loving Right Now

February 21, 2010

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Chantecaille Cheer Blush – Soft light peachy pink glow.
  4. Edward Bess Sunlight Highlighter – You’ve seen the review and swatch comparisons before. I love this for the perfect glow.
  5. MAC Beigeland Lipstick – Yay for B2M! Lovely light nude-gold shimmer. Not quite as pale as Gel, but pretty similar.
  6. YSL Rouge Volupte #26 Tender Peach – Also swatched/photographed before. This is such a lovely healthy fresh peach that doesn’t scream “loud.”
  7. 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.
  8. 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!

  9. 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:

  10. 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.

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Chanel Les Impressions De Chanel for Spring 2010

December 18, 2009

After a few iffy collection releases, I am happy to say that Chanel has gotten back on their gorgeousness track with the release of their Les Impressions de Chanel collection for spring (which seems more like summer, but still stunning).

Here is my “omg, I can’t believe I spent so much, but I’m so happy” haul:

* Empreinte de Chanel Poudre Eclat Illuminatrice
* Joues Contraste #59 Imprevu
* Les 4 Ombres #18 Kaska Beige
* Eyeshadow Single #85 Sillage, #86 Trace
* Nail Polishes #503 Inattendu, #505 Particuliere, #507 Tendresse
* Rouge Allure #79 Impertinente, #80 Delicieuse, #81 Insouciante, #82 Incognito
* Glossimer #139 Futile, #141 Maline

Part 1: Face and Cheeks

It seems like the star product of the collection is their compact highlighter Empreinte de Chanel Poudre Eclat Illuminatrice – this has a multi-colored base powder with an embossed crossing C logo on top in a gold shimmer powder. The shimmer goes all the way through, the Cs are definitely more pigmented, the base powder shows up, but is more sheer.

The new blush #59 Imprevu is probably the most shimmery Chanel blush I’ve seen. It’s a peachy-tawny-nude that will probably be too dark for fair skins. Right now, I have medium skin (check My Foundation Shades Here) and it gave me a bronzey-peach look. It doesn’t go on as shimmery as it looks in the compact and is just a tad lighter than Fandango but very similar.

Part 2: Eyes

These are definitely my favorite pieces. See MORE VIEWS HERE. The eyeshadow quad #18 Kaska Beige is very natural with a unique combination of colors: pale cream, medium pink-brown-beige, shimmery dusty plum, shimmery beige-gold.


Equally stunning are the new eyeshadow singles #85 Sillage (shimmery pinky shell) & #86 Trace (sparkley warm bronze). Sillage is more pink and less pale than Lotus and Island. Trace is warmer and more sparkley than Le Bronze and Cinnamon with the gold shimmers being more visible.


Part 3: Lips

The lipsticks come in the Rouge Allure formula. The colors, L to R are #79 Impertinente (dusty rose pink), #80 Delicieuse (soft coral), #81 Insouciante (nude beige-grey), #82 Incognito (neutral nude pink).

The glossimers in this collection are both sparkley and sheer but still really pretty. #139 Futile is a super pale pink and #141 Maline is a pale gold. If you have colors like Rose Sand, Seashell, Pink Crystal, or Bronze Crystal, you probably won’t need to get these unless you’re a die hard Chanel fan. I believe both are Limited Editions.


Part 4: Nail Polishes

I posted pictures and swatches of the nail polishes already a couple days ago here, so today I’ll do comparisons to other similar shades I have.


#503 Inattendu comparisons
L to R: Chanel Jasmine, Chanel Inattendu, OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy


#505 Particuliere comparisons
L to R: OPI You Don’t Know Jacques, Chanel Particuliere, OPI Over the Taupe


#507 Tendresse comparisons
L to R: Paul & Joe #10, Chanel Tendresse, Chanel Rose Satin, Zoya Jessika


Also in the collection (not purchased):
* #68 Khaki Dore Le Crayon Yeux (olivey-gold shimmery eyeliner)
* #100 Ombre D’eau (a khaki-greenish fluid eyeshadow)
* #36 Beige Le Crayon Levres (pale beige lipliner)
* #110 Beige Claire Poudre Universelle (a luminous setting powder)
* #68 Sand Eyeshadow Single (repromote)
* Soleil Tan de Chanel (Sunkissed – reformulated version of their Brilliance Pur)
along with a few other items I didn’t catch since everything was still in boxes.

Overall thoughts . . .
Winners = Eyes: To me, the must haves are the Kaska Beige Eyeshadow Quad and Sillage/Trace Singles.
Face/cheek: While I love all the Chanel JC blushes, the new Imprevu didn’t wow me as much after I saw how it compared to my other Chanel colors (if you have Fandango or Enchantresse I don’t think you need this new one). I must admit the store lighting made me gasp when I saw the new blush though. The highlighter powder is really nice, but I think YMMV on this one. It shows up on me, but I was a bit disappointed that multi-colored base is sheerer than the rest of the powder.
Nails: The nail polishes are amazing in the formula, but not so unique with the colors. I really wish they had some pearl or shimmer to them to give them that extra unique Chanel-touch. Particuliere (the grey/taupe) can be easily duped with OPI Over the Taupe – the only difference is that OPI OTT is more warm/brown where Chanel Particuliere is a tad more greyish/cool. If you like grey/taupes but want something lighter with a pearl finish, check out Zoya Pasha.
Lips: These are great if you like natural wearable colors. I think Chanel always does a great job with their lipsticks and glosses.

*Commentary deleted*

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Chanel Holiday 2009: Cage Doree de Chanel

November 11, 2009

The Chanel Holiday Collection finally arrived at Saks last week so of course I rushed over to check everything out.

I featured 2 of the Holiday Sets that came out in September, check out these posts for details and photos: First Look at the Chanel Holiday 2009 Gift Sets and Chanel Holiday 2009 Glossimer Duo.

For the collection, the standouts to me were the aqualumiere lipglosses and lipsticks, although they seemed to be more of a spring resort theme rather than a holiday theme. The lipsticks are unique enough that I couldn’t find dupes or similar colors in my Chanel collection.

Pictured left to right:
Aqualumiere Glosses: Canari, Hirondelle, Colbri
Aqualumiere Lipsticks: Grenada, Tasmania, Galapagos, Maldives
Nail polish: Trapeze


Here are the comparisons to some other Chanel Aqualumiere Glosses and Glossimers within the same color families + swatches:

Left to right – Canari Aqualumiere, Candy Glow Aqualumiere, Coral Reef Glossimer, Hirondelle Aqualumiere, Courtisane Glossimer, Diamond Rose Aqualumiere, Colibri Aqualumiere, Wonderland Glossimer (LE), Whisper Glossimer (d/c)

* Canari Aqualmiere gloss has more pinky-coral in it compared to Candy Glow and Coral Reef
* Hirondelle Aqualumiere is not as frosty/sparkley and more natural than Courtisane and Diamond Rose
* Colibri Aqualumiere is more white than Wonderland (more sparkley) and Whisper (more beige)

Here’s a repeat picture of the Trapeze Nail Polish compared to Golden Sand and Antilope:


For the actual holiday collection, there have already been some great posts and pictures published on various blogs, so I didn’t want to do a rehash of everything. For more great photos/swatches/reviews, check out Makeup and Beauty Blog, Karlasugar, My Makeup Reviews and Beauty Moogle Zone (all linked to the actual Chanel Holiday articles for your convenience!).

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Chanel Holiday 2009 Glossimer Duo: Les Deux Levres Scintillantes

September 26, 2009

US girls who have been eyeing or wishing for that elusive Euro/Canada Praline Glossimer – you are in luck because it is one of the glosses in the Chanel holiday sets! I went back to check on a few things and found out more details about this set which has:
* Glossimers in Spark & Praline (not Giggle like the SA had assumed and told me)
* Mini Nude Lipliner
* Retails for $50 (US)

The three sets I have seen were spotted at two local Nordstroms in Southern California but I have not seen the product is not yet online. As of yesterday, no spottings of the Noirs Obscurs or the Paris-New York Palette although I have seen the palette pop up online at a few places.

Close up of Spark (red gloss), Praline (nude pink gloss), and Nude Lipliner:

Praline comparisons:

Left to right: Chanel Giggle Glossimer, Chanel Praline #46 Glossimer, Chanel Bel Air #147 Glossimer, Chanel Glass Quartz Aqualumiere Gloss #69, Laura Mercier Blush, Laura Mercier Rose Flush, Bobbi Brown Pink Beige, MAC Full on Lust

Same order, different view:

Same order for swatches:

For the Chanel Glossimers, Giggle is the most nude, Bel Air is the most pink, Praline has slight brownish tones compared to both. Check out some more natural pink lipgloss swatch comparisons here Nordstrom Beauty Exclusives Haul Part 1.

I have a few reddish glosses but will have to dig them up. Check back for this post to be updated shortly.

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Chanel Fall 2009 has arrived at Saks!

June 20, 2009

Stopped by Saks today to pick up a few Armani items and was surprised to see the fall collection for Chanel out! The product rep wasn’t there, and there were a few empty slots (mainly 1 duo eyeshadow or single eyeshadow slot and a few pencil liners), but most of the collection was there.

Collection includes:
* 6 Rouge Allures in Clandestine #73, Comedia #74, Amusing #75, Captive #76, Inuitive #77, Instinctive #78
* 2 Glossimers in Arlequin #136 and Courtisane #138
* 1 Le Crayon Leveres in Praline D’Or #35
* 2 Le Vernis in Gondola #499, Intermezzo #501
* 1 Poudre Douce in Peche Caresse
* 1 Les Tissages de Chanel in Tweed Sienna
* 1 Jous Contraste in Fresque
* 1 Quadra Eyeshadow in Murano
* 1 Eye Gloss Quad (forget the name)
* 1 Irreelle Duo in Acqua Alta

Also featured are 2 waterproof eyeliners, 1 brow pencil, mascara.

Left to right Rouge Allures in Comedia #74, Intuitive #77, Instinctive #78, Glossimer in Arlequin #136 and Courtisane #138:

Murano Quad:

Tweed Sienna & Fresque Blushes:

Tweed comparisons:

Fresque comparisons:

Nail Polishes in Cosmic Violine (from the Celestial Collection) versus Gondola:

Also, not pictured is the new Lip Liner which is a gorgeous light peachy nude (did not photograph well). The other rouge allures were in the red family, all gorgeous. The other nail polish was a iridescent opal white color. The eyeshadow duo was a crystal white shimmer with a charcoal grey.

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