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Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick

July 13, 2015

There are three new cream blushes in the Chanel Les Beiges collection called Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Sticks ($45 each for 8 g / 0.28 oz). All three have this soft texture that feels cool to the touch. The sticks are easy to swipe on the cheeks and blend flawlessly. Coverage and pigment is quite sheer compared to what you see in the tubes, but they layer nicely to give the face a very natural glow with a hint of color. These blush sticks give the skin a youthful glow with the perfect amount of soft color. If you like color you might want to skip these although I do think they make a good base for powder blush. If you have super oily skin I think these are probably going to also be a skip for you. They stay put for a few hours on normal/combination skin but if you get oily and find blush tends to disappear on you, these will probably do the same.

The three shades have a very tiny hint of shimmer in them. On the skin the shimmer disappears but rather gives the cheeks a glow-from-within kind of luminous look:

No. 20 is a soft bronze with golden shimmer
No. 21 is a warm rose pink with shimmer
No. 22 is a coral with a hint of shimmer

I photographed and swatched these back in May before I left for vacation. Back then my skin was light to medium ranging from a Chanel Beige 20 to 30. Living in sunny Southern California means there is sun everywhere – there’s no avoiding it and I tan easily even with a high SPF sunscreen. On our Europe trip both my husband and I were in the sun a lot with tons of walking, outside tours, and the cruise. We both made the extra effort to re-apply sunscreen constantly, wore hats, and on some occasions I tried to wear long-sleeved tees to cover my arms but it was extremely hot and many days tanks and tees were the only option for me. I got quite a bit darker and went from a Chanel Beige 20/30 to the darker end of Chanel Beige 40.

Back in May, all three were perfect for my light/medium skin. Weather here was moderate but warm so lasting power was really good since my skin didn’t get oily. I went back and forth debating whether to bring one with me on the trip but opted for Tom Ford Pink Sand instead. Now that I’m a few shades darker I tested these again for the past two weeks to see how they wear on darker skin. I also wanted to see how long they would last on the skin now that the temperatures are warmer and a bit more humid. On my Chanel 40 skin, the Bronze No. 20 disappears on me after 1 minute of wear. It gives the cheeks a very soft contour but after I blend I can’t see much of anything. The Pink No. 21 and Coral No. 22 still show up on my skin, but I find I need to apply + blend + let sit, then repeat with one more layer for the color to show up. The effect is still similar – you get that very natural glow with a hint of color. Now that I’m darker the colors have more of a glow finish versus color. I have them swatched below and blended out on Chanel Beige 30 skin (from last month). To see how these look on fair skin you might want to check out Café Makeup for swatches of the pink and bronze.

Close ups of each shade:

Ingredients:

Comparison swatches to the Charlotte Tilbury Beach Sticks in Las Salinas and Ibiza (currently on Chanel Beige 40 skin). Below you can see the Chanel and Charlotte Tilbury colors are different. Concept is similar in the way they give the skin a natural glow. Charlotte Tilbury’s have a sweeter vanilla scent and more visible shimmer flecks. Chanel’s smells like their UV Essential Sunscreen and has a more natural glow with finely milled shimmer.

One last shot:

In warmer humid weather I find these fade within 2-3 hours on the cheeks. In hot summer weather I have a hard time finding any makeup that is truly sweat-proof (some eyeliners and mascaras have exceptionally good lasting power). In moderately warm weather they last at least 5 hours without fading. All three give a really pretty soft glow. They are easy to apply and if you’re timid with blush these are goof proof. I truly believe these are impossible to overdo because they blend out so nicely on the cheeks. My take is that the pink and coral are musts for me. I’ve been wearing the pink one a lot. The bronze performed better when I was lighter in skintone. Right now I’m too tan for it to show up. On fairer skins these will perform more like a regular blush.

You can find the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Sticks at all Chanel counters now. I bought all three of mine from Saks Fifth Avenue. Also online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdales and Chanel.com.

Have you tried these yet? Did they work for you? If yes or no, please chime in with your skintone!

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Chanel Les Beiges Le Vernis: Beige Rose, Beige Pur, Precious Beige and Lovely Beige

July 13, 2015

There are four new Le Vernis Nail Colours ($27 each) in this year’s Les Beiges Collection. The four beiges remind me of some of the classic sheer pink and beige colors Chanel had back in the 90’s – but in modern form and with better coverage (I remember the older ones being super sheer!). I picked up all four shades at the counter over a month ago – I know many of you have been asking for swatches, apologies for the delay! All are sheer in coverage with a super smooth streak-free finish. There is enough pigment that it will cover the nail entirely with two coats. Here’s a quick peek at the Chanel Les Beiges display:

Beige Rose is a sheer glossy baby pink, it has a bright quality to it so on my hands it actually looks pink even though it’s light in undertone. With this one two coats gives pretty good coverage but has a slight jelly finish.

Beige Pur is a sheer neutral beige. Out of the four this one is the sheerest on me. I think nude beiges can be hard to pull off sometimes with my skintone. If a nude nail polish color is an exact match or has too much warmth the color can make my hands look corpse-like or skin look sallow. I think your mileage may vary depending on your skintone with Beige Pur – I personally really like it on the hands. It gives them a neutral polished look.

Precious Beige is a warmer dark beige on my Chanel Beige 30 skintone (I was a Chanel Beige 30 when I swatched these last month, right now I have a tan and am more along the lines of Beige 40/50). It has a tiny bit of shimmer mixed in throughout but on the nail it looks more like a cream. The shimmer is still visible if you look at the nails up close.

Lovely Beige is the darkest of the four colors. This is a medium warm beige tan on me. I like that it’s warm but not too warm (like Intention was on me). There is the slightest hint of a terracotta pink undertone in Lovely Beige.

 

Swatch comparisons below (left nail wheel is from the Dior Summer Vernis post):

Based on the swatch comparisons, I couldn’t find a dupe for Beige Rose. It’s a few shades darker compared to other pale pinks that I own. Beige Pur resembles a more beige version of Chanel Jade Rose (discontinued). It’s also similar to Chanel Secret but the Beige Pur has more brown/beige undertone. For Precious Beige I think Tom Ford Toasted Sugar is the closest option (the Chanel is a bit warmer in undertone). Precious Beige is the closest dupe I’ve found to the long discontinued Sahara Beige Nail Polish. Chanel Lovely Beige is a warmer tan version of Dior Incognito.

Overall I find the four Les Beiges Le Vernis shades to be lovely polished classics. They offer good coverage with a slightly sheer finish making them easy to wear and apply. Texture is smooth and streak free which is a huge plus for pale nail colors (although Chanel almost always makes colors with good pigment and coverage). Being neutrals I do think there are other less expensive brands that have similar colors. My personal experience is that nudes and beiges need to have the right mix of white, cream, tan and beige to work on my olive skin. If it’s too warm it makes the hands look yellow. If it has too much grey or white it ends up looking like a pale white pink. Chanel, Dior and Louboutin do nudes and beiges the best in my experience – although depending on your skintone you may find other brands work just as well.

I give Beige Rose and Precious Beige a huge thumbs up for color. I could have skipped Beige Pur and Lovely Beige – they are lovely colors, I just prefer the other two. Bottom line is that they are definitely worth a look.

Several have asked about how to make Chanel polish last. I do believe the base and top coat make a huge difference in extending the wear. On several occasions when I have professional manicures and forget to bring my own base/top coat, I find tip wear and chipping occur by Day 2. For me the Chanel Nail Polish + OPI or Seche Vite combination just doesn’t work. OPI Top Coats doesn’t make the polish last and Seche Vite causes major shrinkage around the edges of both the cuticle and tips which makes tip wear occur much faster. Both are good brands but they work better with other polish brands.

Out of all the base and top coats I’ve tested, my top two favorite base coats are the Deborah Lippmann Rehydrating Base Coat which seems to be discontinued (or maybe being repackaged?) and the Formula X Base Coat. For top coats Chanel Laque Brilliance Extreme and Rescue Beauty Lounge are my holy grails. With Chanel Fall there is a new base coat called La Base and a new top coat called Le Top Coat which is supposed to be a quick dry product. I just purchase both and will be testing in the next couple of weeks.

You can find the Les Beiges nail colors at all Chanel counters and boutiques now. Online at Chanel.com, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales.

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Chanel Les Beiges Glossimers and Healthy Glow Hydrating Lip Balm

July 10, 2015

Chanel launched a Les Beiges Collection earlier this summer. I picked up the items from the collection a couple months ago before I left for Europe, took photos and swatches but didn’t have time to edit (by now fall beauty has already started to hit counters!). I thought I’d share some quick thoughts on the lips and nails from the collection (nail polish swatches to be posted soon). There are three new lip items in this year’s Les Beiges:

All three are light in color without shimmer. Pigment and coverage is sheer to medium – not so sheer that they are invisible on the lips, but still pretty light. I’m in love with all three colors. They give the lips the perfect wash of effortless color. Polished and natural.

For the glossimers, you may find similar colors or dupes. I’m a sucker for the lush glossy sheen Chanel Glossimers give the lips. Beige Star is very pretty – it’s a your lips but better kind of gloss and covers the lip entirely. Rose Tendre is a sheer milky pink that goes on smoothly – many milky pinks tend to settle into my lip lines and are chalky looking (I have pigmented lips) but Rose Tendre goes on perfectly. It’s my favorite milky pink gloss to date. Right now it appears both are permanent, but I’m not 100% sure.

For the Healthy Glow Hydrating Lip Balm, I expected it to be transparent on the lips. On the back of my hand it looks really pale and usually pale lip balms wash out once they go on my lips. No. 10 however gives sheer to medium even coverage. It is lighter than my natural lip color so I find when it fades I have a pale rim on the outer portion and a darker middle. Lasting power can be extended by lining the lips and filling them in with a beige lipliner (I’ll have swatches below of some good light ones). In terms of hydration – it moisturizes the lips, but similar to the way Rouge Coco Shines do. It’s emollient, glossy and feels nice without sliding off – I’m not sure I can really tell if there are true moisturizing properties in it. The good thing is it doesn’t make my lips peel.

Two sets of swatch comparisons below, first to other glosses and then a few lipliners.

Bobbi Brown Illuminating Nudes Gloss in Almost Nude
NARS Lip Gloss in Guyane swatched here
Chanel Rose Reve Glossimer swatched here (discontinued)
NARS Christopher Kane Gloss in Nucleus review here
Zelens Lip Glaze in Rose swatched here (c/o)
Chanel Glossimer in Sweet Beige lip swatch here
Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi Shine in Pretty Thing review here (c/o)
NARS Lip Gloss in Belize

Chanel Precision Lip Liners in Natural, Beige Satin and Beige Innocent
Marc Jacobs (P)Outliner in Honeybun (swatched) (c/o)

If you’re a neutral lip lover, I think you will adore the Glossimers. The Lip Balm is lovely but given the size and pigment, I think it’s overpriced. That being said I don’t have anything like it in terms of the lightness of color but smooth coverage. Your mileage may vary depending on your skin tone and natural lip color. I was surprised at how much I liked it on the lips, but I don’t love it enough to feel the need to buy a backup.

You can find the Les Beiges Collection at Chanel counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales and Chanel.com.

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Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid No. 30

May 21, 2014

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid ($45 for 30 ml/1 fl oz) is a tinted cream that comes in a beige squeeze tube. It has been released in several shades similar to the Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Powders. There are currently five shades in the US in 10, 20, 30, 40 and 60 (not sure if we will get shade 50). The US version comes with SPF 15 with the active ingredients listed as Octinoxate 2.5% and Titanium Dioxide 6.4%. I swatched both No. 20 and 30 at the counters on my hand and fell somewhere in between. The artist at the counter matched me to the darker end with No. 30 – he described this as a glow product that was designed to give a sheer wash of tinted color to the face to make it look like it has more color.

On my face it did not look impressive upon first application. It has a very sheer coverage and almost disappeared into my skin. However similar to the Sheer Colour Powders, you need to let this sit on the skin for a minute and then you will see it really give your entire face a healthy luminous glow (no shimmer, just glow). I’ve applied with fingers and the Chanel Foundation brush at home this week. My skin isn’t at it’s best right now so I find the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid doesn’t give enough coverage to cover imperfections. It does make a good natural base – I need to layer on concealer or a heavier foundation on the cheeks and chin areas. Once my skin improves I do see this as a good every-day tinted product.

I find this wears quite well, it
lasts all day and stays put without getting greasy or sliding off even
though it has a slightly dewy finish. I’ve been wearing this in
conjunction with the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum and Sheer Transformation Moisturizer. I then layer Tom Ford Foundation Stick and Cle de Peau Concealer on top and finish with Koh Gen Do Loose Natural Powder.

 More views of the packaging and size:

I usually fall within the Chanel 30 range for foundations. Swatching it
compared to other formulas shows that the Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid
No. 30 is quite a bit darker than the other No. 30s. The sheer texture
makes this formula more forgiving, blending it on make it match my skin
well. I probably could have gotten away with either 20 or 30, however as
warmer sunny weather approaches, the artist recommended I go with the
30 so I could wear it through summer. I did some photograph testing at
home, the Les Beiges Fluid photographs really well.

Comparing coverage and texture to other foundations, I would say the Les Beiges All-In-One Healthy Glow Fluid is most similar to Edward Bess Ultra Dewy Complexion Perfector (review here). If you have sensitive skin that can react to Chanel foundations or the SPF but want a good glow evening base or tinted product that isn’t too sheer, go with the Edward Bess.

Compared to other Chanel Foundations, the Les Beiges is more glowy with a more transparent finish. Others provide a lot more coverage and you can probably use this in conjunction with other formulas for layering. I definitely need to add other foundations on top of this for more coverage along with a dusting of powder.

Swatch comparisons to some other foundations I have. I don’t use all right now, some are from winter or earlier months when I was lighter in color. I’ll link previous reviews in case you want to read more about the formulas.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B30 (too light for me now), Perfection Lumiere Velvet B30 (good match for me now), Edward Bess Complexion Perfector in Medium 02 (perfect match now), Chanel Perfection Lumiere in 30 Beige (a tad too light for me), Tom Ford Foundation Stick in Natural 05 and Bisque 04 (I use bisque now).

I’ve been testing this since Saturday and so far no reactions or break outs from this. It does have a noticeable fragrance similar to the Les Beiges powders and the Hydramax skincare line. I don’t find the fragrance irritating for my sensitive skin but I know others have mentioned to me that their skins couldn’t handle the formula. Ingredients listed below. (Click for larger viewing.)

If I were to rate this on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the high), I would give this an 8.5. I love the way it gives a good healthy glow. I would have liked it to have a bit more coverage, a bit more olive for my skin or a better match. It does blend out to a flawless finish and the sheer texture makes the color more forgiving. The warmth in this is what helps give the skin a bit of healthy color for that perfect summer glow. Often times I end up purchasing two shades of foundation to mix for a perfect match, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to buy both the 20 and 30 since the coverage is so sheer. At this time I’m still undecided, I’ll investigate when I check out the lighter multi-color powder in person.
If you have near perfect skin or just prefer sheer coverage (but not invisible) this is a good everyday product for you to wear with a sheer dusting of powder. If you’re like me and don’t have perfect skin this is still a good base product to give a healthy glow. Layering this under other foundations will give your face a healthy natural glow from within look without the shimmer or frost that other illuminating products give (I love shimmer but I know many of you do not).
Did you purchase the Les Beiges Healthy Glow fluid or the powders? Do
you find they run dark or close to your normal Chanel shade? If you can
comment on your skin tone matches and experiences that would be awesome for those who can’t get to a counter easily to test in person.

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluids retail for $45 each. Available now at Nordstrom, Saks and Neiman Marcus.

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Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Multi-Colour No. 02

May 20, 2014

This spring-summer Chanel has launched an extension of the original Les Beiges line with two new color options of Healthy Glow Multi-Colour Powder ($65 for 11g/0.39 oz, limited-edition) and five new shades of the Healthy Glow Fluid ($45 for 30 ml/1 fl oz). These launched in Europe first and I’ve been eagerly waiting for the collection’s arrival in the US. I opted for the darker powder shade Les Beiges No. 02.

The new Les Beiges Multi-Color powders come in a three-color stripe compact. Similar to the original Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Color, the new ones come in a beige and black compact with a small domed brush. No. 02 which has three luminous powder colors of a light champagne, medium tan and warmer terracotta bronze. The three shades swirled together make a perfect glowy bronze. It’s visible on my medium olive skin for a subtle contour or bronzer. Although you can probably dust all over the face for warmth I think No. 02 will be too dark for those purposes (I have yet to try the lighter color No. 01). Each stripe is also wide enough for you to fit a smaller detail brush or an eyeshadow brush if you want to use the colors individually on the eyes or for contouring. My favorite way to use this has been to simply swirl a blush brush in all the colors and apply on the face as a blush or bronzer. I find the color pigmented enough and warm enough that I can wear this alone over my powder/foundation. It also layers well with blushes or cream highlighters. I’ve found it to be extremely versatile.

If you have the other original Les Beiges colors you might be wondering if you need the new No. 02. My answer is yes. The Multi-Colour No. 02 is more pigmented and more glowy but still very natural. The regular Sheer Colour Les Beiges have less shimmer but still give that all over natural glow if you buff into the skin. I’ve used both in conjunction with each other, using the Sheer Colour Les Beiges No. 20 as an all over setting powder, then the Multi-Colour No. 02 as a contour or bronzer on top. If you have dry skin you may want to use a sheer cream highlighter or bronzer underneath to help the color adhere better. I’ll show you swatches side by side below. First some more photos and close ups.

Chanel Les Beiges No. 02 swatched individually and then blended along with Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid No. 30 (review later this week)

You can see my review on the originals Les Beiges No. 20, 30 and 40 with comparisons and swatches here and here. Comparisons between the new Multi-Colour Les Beiges No. 02 with Sheer Colour Les Beiges 20, 30 and 40 below.

For a quick overview of how I use these:

  • No. 20 is used as a regular setting powder since I found the powders to run a bit dark (I’m usually 30 in the Chanel foundation lines), I use it all over the face with a fluffy brush after foundation or tinted moisturizer, I use either the Kabuki Brush or the Touch Up Powder Brush from Chanel (any powder brush will do, I just prefer the Chanel because I find they pick up color well)
  • No. 30 and No. 40 are used for contouring, they are close in color, you don’t really need both if you’re looking for a darker natural contour see my original review for more thoughts/swatch comparisons, I use any regular blush brush to apply these
  • No. 02 is used like a regular blush or bronzer (I haven’t tried the lighter option yet, planning to visit the counter this week and see if it will actually show up on my skin, it looked very light), the compact brush is good for touch ups but on the small side, I prefer using the Touch Up Powder Brush or Blush Blush to apply this to the face

Overall love. I really didn’t know what to expect based on promotional photos. Since I already own 20, 30 and 40 I was a bit worried Chanel might have just combined already released colors into one palette. I’m happy to report they did not. Although you can get a similar effect with the darker colors of Sheer Colour Les Beiges, the new No. 02 Multi-Colour Les Beiges option has a softer texture with a much more glowy finish. There’s a bit more warmth and red in the bottom color that helps brighten the complexion (I tend to avoid terracotta for the face but this one is lovely).

The Les Beiges Healthy Glow Multi-Colour powders are listed as limited-edition for $65 each. There are two colors, No. 01 and No. 02. I’m definitely getting a back up of the No. 02.

Now at Chanel counters and online at Chanel.com, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales.

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