CHANEL

Chanel Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color Monochrome Swatch

September 5, 2016

I’ve finally got some time to paint my own nails (been having lots of shellac lately), and I picked Chanel Le Vernis Monochrome 522 (bought here in Australia) for this week. Since I always receive a lot of compliments on this nail color every time I wear it, I thought I’d post some swatch pictures on my blog.

It is from the newly reformulated Chanel Le Vernis Longwear line which has more superior consistency and finish than the previous discontinued line. Monochrome applies completely smooth and streak free (even for the first coat), and it gives a full opaque and glossy gel-like finish with 2 coats. Lasting power is about 5-7 days on me (with buffing the nail prior to the application which tends to extend the nail polish wear time significantly). It’s a very elegant pale dove grey color in cream finish that compliments my skin tone.

Swatched with 2 coats of Monochrome

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Labels: CHANEL • NAIL POLISH

Skincare products that I am loving lately

June 1, 2016

Sharing some of my favorite skincare products of late. I go through lots of products at the same time, and once in a while, I like to do a round-up post on some of the products that I enjoy using.

NARs Multi Action Hydrating Toner – A lovely hydrating and refreshing toner in watery gel consistency, with some brightening properties that help to combat the formation of pigmentation. I bought the toner because I really like its sleek and minimum packaging, and its’ reasonably priced for such a large bottle. I enjoy using it in hot weather when my skin is not so dry, and it feels refreshing, lightweight and it mildly hydrates the skin. It also helps to clarify and deep clean the pores – If I apply this toner with a cotton pad even after washing my face with cleansers, sometimes there is still dirt and makeup residues left on the pad. It reminds me of the famous Clinique Clarifying Toner, but this is an alcohol free, and a much gentler and hydrating version of it.

Jan Marini Age Intervention Retinol Plus: I was a little skeptical about introducing retinol into my regime. My dermatologist highly recommended me to incorporate this 0.5% retinol serum nightly to start with, after I complained that I noticed some pores on my face becoming raindrop shaped which is clearly a sign of aging. I finally started using it about a month ago, and all I can say is what have I been missing out on all these years!! It has made a huge difference to my skin texture, as it truly visibly refines the pores over a period of one week. My complexion is looking more even, refined and the pores are more cleared, which in a way has improved the appearance of the pores. Retinol is also great for anti-aging, so if you start to see fine lines this is also a great product to consider. Not much firming and lifting effect from using it. Next on my to-try list will be the Chantecaillie Retinol Intense +.

Sulwhasoo Activating Serum: Reviewed here! Love this super hydrating and soothing serum which also helps to boost the benefits of other skincare products. The high concentration of ginseng also helps with blood circulation for a more youthful and radiant complexion.

Chanel Sublimage Regenerating Mask: As the mercury is dropping drastically in Australia, I am starting to appreciate this ultra nourishing mask more and more. You can see my full review here. In short, it’s a lovely luxury ultra moisturizing mask with anti-aging and regeneration benefits. It’s particularly great for those who are seeking the convenience of just using one product overnight (as a sleeping mask), and it gives you radiant, fully re-charged skin the next day.

Chantecaille Fruit and Acids Mask: This is an oldie but goodie which I really like to use once a week for exfoliating, clarifying the skin for a clearer complexion. It contains grapefruit and flower acids which help to take off the dead skin cells and re-texturises. It’s very gentle, and the result is instant to a brighter, more even-toned, radiant complexion after one use.

Fresh Youth Preserve Serum: Last but not least, I can’t believe this lovely serum from Fresh is discontinued. It’s hydrating, lightweight and is absorbed into the skin immediately. Just a really lovely serum to use in the morning, and helps the makeup go on nicely. And the best thing about it is that it smells exactly like the Fresh Soy Cleanser – like heaven! I’m addicted to the smell of all Fresh skincare products!

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Labels: CHANEL • CHANTECAILLE • FRESH • JAN MARINI • NARS • SKINCARE • SULWHASOO

Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo Complete Lipshine Review and Swatches – 206 Histoire and 208 Roman

April 13, 2016

Today’s review is for the newly released Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo Lipshine which comes in 12 new shades (available online here in Australia). I picked up 2 colors – the 208 Roman and 206 Histoire. I wasn’t super excited when I first played with the testers, as I thought they were very similar to the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in terms of finish and texture, just packaged differently. Glad that I went ahead and bought some as once I tried them on the lips I felt the formula was definitely more superior than conventional glossy lipsticks and comparable to all the lip products from other premium luxury beauty brands of recent releases.

The Rouge Coco Stylo comes in a twistable pen style, so they are very easy to be carried around. One pet peeve is that the lipstick doesn’t twist back as with most pen style makeup products. It has a silky and melting formula that feels very hydrating and lightweight, and it glides on silky smooth with a slippery feel to the lips like a lip balm. My lips are in an extreme dry state at the moment during the transition season, and this lipstick pretty much conceals all the dry lines and flakiness and make them appear ultra pouty and plump!

I love the new stylos more than the Rouge Coco Shine because they are much more pigmented and long lasting, and it allows for different ways of application. You only need 2 swipes to achieve an intense full opaque glossy finish. As usual my preference is to just apply a wash of color, and it blends into the lips effortlessly until it becomes a stain-like finish in a satiny sheen. To my pleasant surprises, it lasts about 4-5 hours on me even with having drinks in between! Normal long lasting lipstick/lipstain tend to dry out the lips over a period of time, but this new formula (as well as the Tom Ford Patent Lip Color which also blew me away – reviewed here) are so intense and lightweight, and they can create the same effect whilst keeping your lips looking moist and supple.

206 Histoire is a bright coral with red undertone in a glossy cream finish. It’s a bright color but easy to pull off with most complexions. A full coat gives a more bold and glamorous color, or wear sheer for a youthful look.

208 Roman is a rosy fuchsia pink in a glossy cream finish. One of the most beautiful pink colors I found from this range. A very wearable pink that can be worn bright or can be toned down for a softer look.

Group swatch

The Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo Lipshine are available at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Chanel Online in the US, and David Jones in Australia.

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Labels: CHANEL • LIPSTICK

Two prettiest highlighters from Spring 2016 Collections – Chanel Perles ET Fantaisies Illuminating Powder VS Dior DiorSkin Nude Air Glowing Gardens Powder in Glowing Pink

March 13, 2016

This spring there are two must-have lust worthy gorgeous highlighters to collect – the Chanel Perles ET Fantaisies Illuminating Powder, and the Dior DiorSkin Nude Air Glowing Gardens Illuminating Powders in Glowing Pink. First of all the designs of both powders are to die for, as well as the quality and the finish are just flawless and look extremely flattering on fair to medium skin tones as you would expect from a premium beauty brand. Both products are limited editions, and it seems the Dior is already sold out everywhere in the US, but I think you can still find them in Australia. I am combining these two products into one post as they are quite similar in terms of finish.

The texture of Chanel Illuminating Powder feels buttery silky smooth. It is so creamy and finely milled that when I rub my fingers over the powders I don’t feel any grainy and powdery texture. Both the white and pink powders are pigmented enough with one to two swipes to show the color and give a glowing effect. It is not as intensely pigmented as some other highlighters such as the Nars and the Becca (reviewed here). I actually prefer this level of pigments, meaning I can easily create a soft glow effect without worrying of being overdone.

comes with a mini fan brush

The white powders applies to a translucent shimmery icy white color which also makes a great color to highlight in the inner corners of the eyes. The pink color is beautiful, when it is applied it actually doesn’t show up as barbie pink as it looked in the pan. It is a translucent shimmery baby pink that adds just a perfect touch of fresh color as a highlighter to the face. When mixed two colors together, the pink adds a touch of warmth to the white, and that gives a natural, lit-from-within glow without looking frosty. Highly recommend this illuminating powder if you are after a pretty luxurious product that gives a natural glow, and it works well on fair to fair/medium skin tones.

Swatches

The Dior Glowing Pink Powder gives a very similar illuminating effect as the Chanel. The texture is also superb, and the powder feels slightly more firm and not as moist as the Chanel. It doesn’t enhance pores, and also sets beautifully on dry skin. The color is a pale delicate pink with a hint of champagne pearl tone to it, so it would work better on warmer skin tones. The finish is a tad more shimmery than Chanel, imparting a radiant dewy glow to the skin.

comes with a mini kabuki brush

Swatch:

Comparison Swatch:

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Labels: CHANEL • DIOR • HIGHLIGHTER • POWDER

Chanel Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour Polish Review and Swatch – ORGANDI

February 10, 2016

Just wanting to share my initial thoughts on the new Chanel Le Vernis Long Wear Nail Colour formula. If you follow me on Instagram, you would know I’m currently on vacation in Hawaii and have acquired a lot of beauty products on my wishlist (yay!) that are not in Australia yet, including these new nail polishes that are only exclusive to Chanel.com and the boutique as of now.

I bought the shade MONOCHROME; ORGANDI; CAMELIA and ROUGE ESSENTIEL, and all of them are new colors for this range. I have worn the color ORGANDI on my nails for several days now. It applies smooth and streak free, but I don’t notice a significant difference to the old Le Vernis nail colors for application. In terms of finish, it is glossier than the older formula , but not as good as the nail gloss formula that was released for Sunrise Trip (reviewed here) as part of the Spring 2016 collection. I would still need a coat of clear gel topcoat to achieve the salon gel-like finish.

ORGANDI is an elegant nude dusty salmon pink color with no shimmer (my sort of color). 2 coats will give an opaque finish as swatched. It is not as nude so it doesn’t wash you out, and still giving you this clean polished look. This range is supposed to be more long lasting and nail friendly as it contains some nourishing ingredients to improve the quality of the nails. I have had it on for 4 days now and so far it is looking nearly as freshly applied with no chipping.

Swatch: 2 thin coats of ORGANDI with no top coat

Bottom Line: The Long Wear Nail Formula and the original line are not hugely different, but if you want to go for some cult favorite Chanel nail colors such as Particuliere, and Pirate etc that exist in both formulas, then I would definitely go for the newer version as they are more long lasting.

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Labels: CHANEL • NAIL POLISH

Chanel Sublimage Regenerating Mask Review

February 1, 2016

Today’s review is for the supremely luxurious Chanel SUBLIMAGE Regenerating Mask. I don’t use skincare products from Chanel as much as with their makeup, as I always prefer brands that are specialized in skincare rather than generic beauty brands that do everything. However after trying out several samples from the SUBLIMAGE series, I was totally blown away by the performance.

One of the products that wowed me the most was the Sublimage Lotion (it just made my skin look so good!), but I didn’t buy the full size version as I had way too many serum lotions to get through. I was convinced to buy the Regenerating Mask as I was in need of a wash-off type mask and the SA claimed this was more intensive than the lotion, and it could also be used as a sleeping mask.

As with most high end masks, it comes with the most luxurious packaging that makes you feel very pampered every time you apply this over the face. It has a set of standard tools such as a mask brush, a scoop, and a small pamphlet with massaging techniques included to make a prestige skincare product.

It has a thick and heavy cream texture that moisturizes even the driest skin, and smooths out the dry lines within few minutes. Different to the gel mask, this is much more nourishing and anti-aging. Since it’s so expensive I always use it a as sleeping mask so I can get optimum results. The formula is very rich, so I only need a very small amount to cover the whole face and I leave it on my face for at least 30 minutes before I go to the bed. It has quite a strong signature Chanel floral rosey scent that makes it smell enchanting. My skin feels extremely supple and smooth with a radiant glow the next day similar to having an intensive moisturizing facial. It takes away all the dry patches and makes my complexion look fresh and rejuvenated. No brightening, lifting and repairing effect observed.

Overall I recommend this product for those of you who are short on sleep, and are wanting your skin to look at its best the next day; or if you don’t have the time for a long skincare routine and just want to use one product at night that gives you the similar result as with 10 products. For people with oily skin, this mask may be too rich for you.

I bought the mask here in Australia. It is available on Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus Online in the US.

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Labels: CHANEL • MASK • SKINCARE

Chanel Nail Color Sunrise Trip 683 Review and Swatch

January 27, 2016

This spring Chanel has released a limited edition nail color 683 Sunrise Trip in a newly reformulated gel formula! I am absolutely smitten with the exclusive formula to this spring collection, and it got me very excited about the upcoming nail polish collection in a newly renovated formula by Chanel. The new collection is called Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color available in 15 shades (some are new, some are the classic shades) will be launching very soon worldwide. Note that Sunrise Trip is actually labelled Nail Gloss on the packaging, which suggests to me it might be of a different formula to the new collection.

The Sunrise Trip (bought here in Australia) is a bluish purple color with no shimmer. It has a fluid gel consistency and it glides on very smoothly and applies streak free. It is more opaque than the regular Chanel Nail Color, and with 2 coats it gives a full opaque and the glossiest gel-like finish. I have had the color on for 2 weeks and there was only 1 tiny chip thus far (without any nail base coat), so I am very impressed with the longevity of this new formula. The shine also lasts about a week before it starts to fade. Last but not least, it is also easy to remove with any regular nail polish remover.

Here is a preview picture of the new nail collection from Collection that I shared on my instagram. More information can be found on Chanel.com.

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Labels: CHANEL • NAIL POLISH

Chanel LA Sunrise Spring 2016 Makeup Collection – Sunkiss Ribbon Blush Review, Swatch and FOTD

January 19, 2016

The Limited Edition Chanel Sunkiss Ribbon Blush from the LA Sunrise Spring 2016 collection is definitely the item to look out for this season (available online here in Australia). It looks gorgeous in the pan, and just as equally pretty on the face. As for the other items from the collection, I have only picked up the Le Vernis Sunrise Trip, and passed the rest.

It has an ultra buttery creamy texture and is smooth to apply. In terms of pigmentation, it is one of those ‘rare’ blushes from Chanel that offers extremely intense color payoff, and it even puts a Nars blush to shame when I did a quick comparison. Each of the color strips are equally pigmented (not one color significantly more pigmented than the other), so when they are mixed together, you get an even blend of color. There is a small amount of shimmer in the blush, and once applied it translates to a cream finish with a soft glow on the skin.

What I love about this product is that it contains all sorts of colors for a blush – there is the cool fuchsia, a soft pink, an orange, a rosy pink, and a soft brown color, which makes it very fun and versatile to apply. You can mix all the colors together for a base color, and it translates to a complex peachy pink color with a coral undertone. Since each color is highly pigmented, you can also layer another single color on top just to make the color pop a little.

Swatch clockwise

All colors mixed

Comparing it to Nars Orgasm

FOTD (picture was taken with the CASIO Selfie Camera TR35!)

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Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL

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