CHANEL

Chanel Fall 2012 – Ombre Essentielle Single Eyeshadow COMPLICE and Joues Contraste ROSE INITIALE Review and Swatches

September 23, 2012

I bought some makeup from the Chanel Fall 2012 Collection months ago including the Ombre Essentielle Single Eyeshadow in 93 COMPLICE and the Joues Contraste in 72 ROSE INITIALE and I finally got the time to play around with them. A bit of a delay..but with a somewhat busy work schedule, I have not been very prompt with reviewing the new makeup collections lately. I hope I will be more productive in the coming months.

The Chanel Ombre Essentielle Single Eyeshadow in 93 COMPLICE is a beautiful neutral eye shadow. It is a universally flattering champagne color with high shine micro shimmer. The luxurious Chanel packaging and the texture justifies the high price tag for a single eyeshadow – buttery soft, smooth and very finely milled. There are more budget friendly dupes in the market such as Stila Kitten, or MAC Naked Lunch. I can easily enlist at least 20 different brands that make the same shade, and yes I have them all! But I can never resist a timeless champagne colored eyeshadow that I can use everyday, especially since it is embossed with the legendary interlock C!

On Me:

The Chanel Joues Contraste in 72 ROSE INITIALE is a beautiful rosey pink blush with a neutral undertone. Mine is in the US version so as you all know – the texture is softer and more pigmented. It has a satin finish and it has a great lasting power on my combination skin. I would call this a grown-up pink that would complement any makeup look, and the subtle rosey hue appears to make my complexion look more energized.

Lastly, I wanted to give a special mention to my lip color! I suddenly developed an odd obsession for vampy lip color (which is totally not me) since I missed the Chanel PROVOCANTE. And I found this abandoned Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Rose Malicieux (bought here) lying in the corner of my drawer (bought it by mistake due to the incorrect online swatch) which I have not even opened. Then I topped it with Stila Lip Glaze in Majesty (another forgotten makeup item…). And voila..I got a nice deep rosey plummy color..though it’s not quite the vampy color. The moral of the story is..don’t throw out your old makeup unless they are expired 🙂 You never know when you will rekindle the love with them!

The Chanel 2012 Fall Makeup Collection can be purchased here in the US. International order is available here.

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Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL • EYESHADOW • FOTD • GUERLAIN • Stila

Chanel Les Twin Sets – LA DÉLICATE, L’INFIDÈLE and LA PROVOCANTE Swatches

September 11, 2012

Some swatches of LA DÉLICATE, L’INFIDÈLE and LA PROVOCANTE from the Chanel Les Twin Sets Collection. Pictures were taken using an Iphone at the Chanel Makeup Studio when I was shopping for the nail polishes (reviewed here). As mentioned in my post, I didn’t get any of the lipsticks but I am having a MAJOR regret moment of passing on LA PROVOCANTE!! All lipsticks come in the Rouge Allure Velvet formula, and the finish is velvety smooth, matte with a hint of soft gleam when it’s under the sun.

department store lighting

under the sun

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Labels: CHANEL

Twin Sets de Chanel – Le Vernis Nail Colors in DÉLICATESSE, INFIDÈLE and PROVOCATION Reviews and Swatches

September 6, 2012

Continued from last year’s tradition, Chanel has created 3 new limited editions Le Vernis nail colors (DÉLICATESSE, INFIDÈLE and PROVOCATION) for 2012’s Vogue Fashion Night out, along with three corresponding Rouge Allure Velvet shades which make up three limited edition Twin Sets de Chanel. I made sure I got my hands on the nail colors as soon as I could as they sell like hot cakes! Upon swatching the lip colors in the store I have decided to give them a miss. The new nail shades are as gorgeous as I expected from what I have seen in the preview, although I would say the colors from the preview pictures slightly deviates from the real products. I feel that with this release Chanel has done what they do the best – the colors are so on-trend, fashionable yet wearable.

Closer up shots of DÉLICATESSE, INFIDÈLE and PROVOCATION.

Swatches with 3 coats:

DÉLICATESSE: is a refined beige with a hint of brick brown undertone

INFIDÈLE: is a deep muted pinkish berry.

PROVOCATION: is a unique rich autumn plum shade.

My favorite? It’s gotta be PROVOCATION as I am always more in favor of dark and vampy shades, so I have repainted my nails with it.

Have you picked up any from the Twin Sets de Chanel or are you planning to?

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Labels: CHANEL • NAIL POLISH

LBD in leather

September 5, 2012

Still jet lagging and bang – caught flu as soon as I landed. I am still sniffling as I type, but I really wanted to update my blog so I thought I’ll do a quick aka “filler” post. These pictures were taken before I left for holiday wearing my favorite leather dress of the moment. It has a shift cut with the waist slightly tucked in which is a fool proof silhouette for my body shape. I have countless dresses in the same cut, but the fact that it’s in full leather brings a different vibe to the look.

Satch Leather dress (similar here and here. Faux leather version here)

Chanel 2.55 classic double flap

Hermes CDC in black with gold hardware

Zara Booties

Gucci Sunglasses (bought here)

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Labels: CHANEL • Fashion • HERMES • OOTD • ZARA

Chanel Bombay Express Makeup 2012 Collection Swatch Revisited

June 29, 2012

Hi everyone, I did a brief preview of the Chanel Bombay Express Makeup Collection about a week ago. And I felt my pictures did not do much justice for the collection, as they were all placed inside a glass box at a dark corner so there wasn’t enough light. Anyhow as I was doing my random Friday night shopping today, the testers of Chanel Le Vernis DIWALI and Des Indes De Chanel Illuminating Powder were out. If I have ever stupidly said I did not like the look of Chanel Le Vernis DIWALI in my previews post, then I take my words back! It is absolutely gorgeous!!I thought the color still looks quite gold from the bottle, but when swatched on the nails, it shows up as a beautiful gold and silver duo chrome with a beige undertone. It is totally to die for, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it when it is on sale!

My nails were painted with Chanel Morning Rose, so I had to swatch DIWALI on my friend 🙂

2 coats of Chanel Le Vernis DIWALI

My thoughts for Route Des Indes De Chanel Illuminating Powder remains the same. It is a little too gold as a highlighter for my complexion, but the texture felt extremely luxurious and buttery soft.

Swatch of Route Des Indes De Chanel Illuminating Powder

What do you think girls? Will this change your mind?

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Labels: CHANEL • NAIL POLISH

Chanel Bombay Express Makeup 2012 Collection Preview

June 20, 2012

The Chanel Bombay Express Makeup 2012 Collection is on display in Sydney now, and they will be on sale from the start of July. I took some iphone pictures for you (please excuse the quality). For those of you who have seen the promo picture, the Chanel le Vernis DIWALI looks nothing like it in real life.

From left to right: Route Des Indes De Chanel Illuminating powder with shimmer, Le Vernis in DIWALI, Rouge Coco Shine in EMPREINTE 473

Promo Pic

This picture is taken with flash, so it looks more sparkly and glittery than in real life.

The highlighter is gorgeous, but I think I will give it a pass as I am not a gold highlighter person. And it looks similar to the Chane JC in OR from the Byzance Collection.

I was looking forward to Le Vernis DIWALI the most, however after seeing it in person my gut feeling tells me that it will pull too muddy on me. So I might take this off my shopping list as well. (Yay for my wallet!).

So what do you think? Is there anything in particular you have set your eyes on?!

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Labels: CHANEL • NAIL POLISH

Chanel Le Blanc 2012 Collection – Light Mastering Whitening Concealer Review

June 18, 2012

Chanel always excels in base makeup, and I personally enjoyed every base product I have used from them. When the new Light Mastering Whitening Concealer was released from the Chanel Le Blanc 2012 Collection, I immediately knew I wanted to have it. Thanks to the lovely Jen who helped me purchase it from Hong Kong as the collection is not available in Australia.

If you happened to have read this post, you will know I have quite an unnecessary amount of concealers, and I would say the Chanel Light Mastering Whitening Concealer definitely tops my favorites list. The texture is the winner for me. It has an airy and creamy moussy texture that goes on smoothly and feels very lightweight and natural on the skin. Two teeniest dabs of it is enough to conceal my mild dark circles completely and softly brightens my skin by about half a shade. I normally like to use the Becca extra small polishing brush (reviewed here) for application and it gives a natural yet flawless and luminous result. Once the concealer is settled, it dries down to a semi-matte finish with a hint of dewiness that is just needed for concealing and illuminating purposes. It doesn’t settle into any fine lines nor does it require any setting powder, and it doesn’t slip throughout the day.

It also has SPF30+ and PA+++ which is an added bonus for those of you who are very cautious with sun protection. I bought the shade in 10 Beige Clair which has a neutral undertone, and it works excellent with my skin.

Bottom Line: If you are after a concealer and a highlighter all-in-one product, and you have mild to moderate discoloration/pigmentation, I highly recommend this product!

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Labels: CHANEL • HIGHLIGHTER

Chanel Inimitable, YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils and Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express Waterproof Mascaras Reviews

June 13, 2012

Mascara is one makeup item that I am consistently impressed by with drugstore brands, and disappointed by high end makeup brands on many occasions. I have been using the Chanel Inimitable Mascara, YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils Mascara and the Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express Mascara Waterproof for the past two months. In summary, I am kicking myself that I spent a total of more than AUD$100 on Chanel and YSL mascaras, whereas the performance of Maybelline Falsies totally blows the former two out of water and only costs a faction.

Let’s begin with the one I am least impressed – Chanel Inimitable Mascara

For my medium length and volume, and deadly straight Asian lashes, this mascara did absolutely nothing to my lashes. It doesn’t add any volume and length to my lashes after several coats, and it instantly makes my lashes straight again after I curl them. On a good note, the formula is very thin so it defines the lashes beautifully without any clump. And it doesn’t budge on me for the whole day. Overall it is a very natural mascara, would be great for those of you who are blessed with thick and full lashes naturally. But it’s a waste for me.

Moving on to the YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils Mascara which I really wanted to love..but it didn’t fully agree with my lashes either

I had tried this mascara a long time ago, so I couldn’t remember how I felt about it and got persuaded into buying it again when the YSL SA swore by it. It makes the lashes instantly thicker, fuller and more black with one coat. You can achieve a more dramatic result with 2 – 3 coats without any clumps. Unfortunately it weights my lashes down instantly as the formula is quite thick and heavy. The walk-around is to apply a coat of mascara base (my HG is the Kate mascara base) to hold the curl, then apply this mascara on top of it, but it can make the lashes look too thick and clumpy. It also dries up very fast – I opened the three mascaras around the same time and the YSL mascara is already 90% dried whilst the other two are still going strong. I would love this mascara if a waterproof version of it was released.

Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express Mascara Waterproof is the cheapest and The BEST!!

It does everything I wanted from a mascara. It only takes one coat to volumize and lengthen the lashes, and holds the curl all day long. I have previously raved about the Japanese drugstore mascaras, but this one is just as good or even better. Unlike some waterproof versions which tend to make my lashes stiff, the Maybelline Falsies feels light and soft and make the lashes look like feather. It can also be easily removed with most two-phase eye makeup remover. Best of all – it’s dirt cheap. I will keep buying it as long as it’s available!