Posts Tagged Chanel
Top 5 Chanel Foundations
Posted by Wendy in Top 10 Lists on December 25th, 2009
…And the foundation countdown continues! After reviewing the feedback on TotalBeauty.com and Makeupalley.com, here are the Top 5 Chanel Foundations. Does your foundation make the list?
1= Teint Innocence Compact Makeup SPF 10 ($56)
Average TotalBeauty.com Rating = 9/10; Average Makeupalley.com Rating = 4.1/5
Product Description from Chanel.com: “Innovative compact foundation offers luxurious glide-on application, delivering greater colour purity for a natural, even, luminous complexion.”
*TotalBeauty.com reviewers loved how sheer this makeup looked while still providing adequate coverage and a luminous finish. Indeed, “luminous” seemed to be the catch-phrase in many reviews. The two greatest negatives were the limited shade selection and the fact that it didn’t necessarily control oiliness throughout the day.
2= Vitalumiere Satin Smoothing Makeup SPF 15 ($54)
Average TotalBeauty.com Rating = 9.1/10; Average Makeupalley.com Rating = 4/5
Product Description from Chanel.com: “Delivers a young, radiant look. Lines, wrinkles and imperfections seem to be erased. Ultra-gliding fluid provides buildable coverage. SPF 15 UV protection; nut extract guards against free radicals.”
*Those TotalBeauty.com reviewers who are fans of Vitalumiere often commented on how easy it is to apply and that it allows for sheer to medium coverage without leaving a heavy “makeup” look. A few of the older reviewers commented that they felt this foundation really helped their mature skin look “dewy” and youthful. The main negative for TotalBeauty reviewers seemed to be the price.
3= Double Perfection Compact – Natural Matte Powder Makeup SPF 10 ($50)
Average TotalBeauty.com Rating = 8.8/10; Average Makeupalley.com Rating = 4.1/5
Product Description from Chanel.com: “The flawless matte finish you want … effortlessly. Superlight, long-lasting wet/dry SPF 10 formula. Soft, smooth texture ensures easy application for a naturally radiant, matte complexion. Light-reflecting pigments minimize the appearance of lines.”
*TotalBeauty reviewers loved how well this lasted throughout the day. A number of oily and combination-skinned reviewers commented that this was the perfect foundation for their tricky skin types. The main deterrents seemed to be price and the fact that this foundation might accentuate dryness and fine lines on drier skin types.
4= Teint Innocence Naturally Luminous Fluid Makeup SPF 12 ($47)
Average TotalBeauty.com Rating = 8.7/10; Average Makeupalley.com Rating = 4/5
Product Description from Chanel.com: “Pure lightness, this new liquid makeup from CHANEL provides dream coverage. A unique formula allows skin’s natural glow to show through while it evens out skin tone and helps to conceal imperfections.”
*As with the Teint Innocence compact, TotalBeauty.com reviewers love how the fluid provides a sheer, natural and luminous finish. A few reviewers commented that they apply the Teint Innocence fluid in the morning, and they use the Teint Innocence compact for touch-ups throughout the day. The only drawbacks seemed to be – again – the price, as well as the bottle packaging (which makes it easy to over-pour).
5= Pro Lumiere Professional Finish Makeup SPF15 ($54)
Average TotaBeauty.com Rating = 8.2/10; Average Makeupalley.com Rating = 3.5/5
Product Description from Chanel.com: “This foundation provides you effortless perfection with professional looking results. This breakthrough oil-free formula imparts an unprecedented semi-matte finish that can be blended for a soft, natural look or built up for greater sophistication.”
*A lot of TotalBeauty.com reviewers loved that this foundation provided great coverage with a satiny finish. It appears that many find this foundation to be the healthy medium between luminous and matte foundations. However, some reviewers commented that this wasn’t the best choice for drier skin types (it might settle into dry patches and fine lines), and others mentioned that this foundation was “heavier” than they would have liked.
Which Chanel foundation have you worn most recently? What do you like the most about it?
Makeup Palettes (And More!) On My Holiday Wishlist
Posted by Wendy in Latest Obsessions, Makeup Collections/Launches on November 3rd, 2009
Is it just me, or are ALL the 2009 Holiday Palettes ridiculously tempting? After sifting through all the latest launches, here are the makeup palettes/gifts I’m adding to my own wish list this holiday season:
1. Laura Mercier “Color Wardrobe” Compact ($98) – The Laura Mercier holiday sets are always a fantastic value, and this one is no exception. The two-tiered compact holds 6 eye colors, 3 cheek colors, 6 lip stains, 2 lip glazes and a double-ended lip brush. The top palette contains: African Violet, Stellar, Café Au Lait, Sandstone, Celestial and Coffee Ground Eye Colors; Plum, Rose and Nude Cheek Colors (exclusive); a Double-Ended Eye Color/Corner Eye Color Brush and a full-size mirror. The bottom palette contains: Mocha, Scarlet, Melon, Mulberry, Nude and Rosette Lip Stains (exclusive) along with Brown Glaze and Pink Glaze Lip Glazes (exclusive). Also included is a double-ended lip brush.
2. Laura Mercier “Master Toolbox” ($65) — If the “Color Wardrobe” doesn’t fit your budget, Nordstrom also offers this exclusive palette. This two-tiered compact includes 5 eye colors, 3 lip stains, 2 lip glazes PLUS a mini lip-color brush and a double-ended eye color brush. The top palette contains Beige, Sable, Sandstorm, Mica (exclusive) and Gold (exclusive) Eye Colors, along with a mini Black Turquoise Kohl Eye Pencil. The bottom palette contains Shy Pink, Crimson and Raspberry (exclusive) Lip Stains along with Natural (exclusive) and Spice (exclusive) Lip Glazes (exclusive).
3. LORAC “Double Booked” Full-Face Collection ($55) — LORAC eye shadows are among some of the best I’ve used. I would rank their pigment intensity right up there with MAC, and their blendability is unparalleled. The holiday “book” opens up to reveal two “pages.” One page is compiled of 8 warm, color-coordinated eye shadows; the other, 8 cool shadows. Also included are two blushes, two lip glosses, one bronzer, one highlighter, one lip liner AND a double-ended eye color brush.
4. MAC “Magic, Myth and Mirth” Eye Palettes ($36) — So many choices to choose from!
Each palette contains 6 eye shadows.
-“Devil May Dare“ = Colors include Oh My Darling (pale frosty cream), Dare Ya! (light frosty peachy pink), Sorcery (blackened burgundy), Gold Tease (frosty midtone gold), Prankster (midtone frosted olive), and Devilishly Dark (rich brown with gold pearl)
-“Smoke and Mirrors” = Colors include Fire In Her Eyes (neutral beige), Wide-Eyed Wonder (gray taupe), Black Magique (black with gold pearl), Spell #9 (muted pink beige), Deception (frosty golden brown), and Smoke and Mirros (dark chocolate brown)
-“Sorceress” = Colors include White Rabbit (frosty soft white), Hold My Gaze (midtone cool green gray), Edge of Dark (charcoal with silver pearl), Magnetized (light frosted lavendar), Hypnotizing (frosted gray mauve), and Altered State (deep frosted blue purple)
-“Mystic Cool” = Colors include Cool Incantation (opalescent white gold), Blue Enchantment (dark frosted turquoise), Deep Scarlet (deep frosted indigo), Shhh! Don’t Tell (pale neutral pink), Rose Potion (midtone frosted rose), and Violet Vow (deep cool brown)
5. Felix Rey Cosmetic Case ($88)- If you’re going to be getting new makeup this holiday season, why not also ask for an incredibly cute cosmetic case to keep it all in? I am quickly becoming obsessed with this cosmetic case from Felix Rey. He also offers this larger case for $100 and this smaller case for $55. If these options are a little too girlie-girl, he also offers this great rocker-chic cosmetic case for $90.
6. Chanel Collection Essentielle de Chanel Multi-Use Palette ($85) – Created by the CHANEL Makeup Studio in Paris especially for the United States, this essential all-in-one makeup wardrobe now features three new must-haves: two cream concealers and one cream blush. The exclusive colour collection, named ‘Paris-New York,’ also includes two shades of lipgloss, one cream lip colour, three powder eyeshadows, a sponge-tipped applicator and a soft-bristled lip brush.
7. Bobbi Brown Chrome Palette ($75) — Early reports say that this palette is much more wearable than it looks in the packaging. Eyeshadows: White, Polar Ice Shimmer Wash, Storm Cloud Sparkle, Iron, Thunder Metallic, Moonlight Sparkle, Cyber Grey Shimmer Wash, Foil Metallic, Chrome Metallic and Charcoal Haze. Lip colors: Pink Mist Shimmer Lip Gloss, Winter Bronze Glitter Lip Gloss, Berry Glitter Lip Gloss and Chrome Pink Shimmer Lip Gloss. Mini lip and eye brushes are also included.
8. MAC Brush Bags ($49.50) — The holidays are always a good time to stock up on MAC brushes via their holiday brush collections. With each collection costing around $50, you’re getting top-quality MAC brushes for roughly $10/brush, and most of these brushes would cost between $15-$30 normally.
-“Morning, Noon and Knight” eye brushes include brushes #194SE, 204SE, 224SE, 266SE and 275SE
-“Do The Trick” buff and line brushes include brushes #168SE, 187SE, 209SE, 219SE and 252SE
-“Wave of a Wand” sweep and define brushes include brushes #129SE, 190SE, 212SE, 227SE and 275SE
What about you? What’s on your holiday makeup list?
-Images from nordstrom.com, sephora.com, felixrey.com and maccosmetics.com
NEW Rouge Allure Laque from Chanel!
Posted by Wendy in Makeup Collections/Launches on August 19th, 2009
New! Rouge Allure Laque from Chanel ($32) — a luminous, satin lip lacquer with intense pigment and patent-like shine that lasts up to 8 hours.
Current shades offered (left to right): Coromandel, Imperial, Dynastie, Dragon, Ming, Santal, Phoenix, and Mandarin.
Have any of you tried Rouge Allure Laque? What do you think?
-Images from chanel.com
Top 10 Chanel Rouge Allure Lipsticks
Posted by Wendy in Top 10 Lists on July 16th, 2009
Here is a list of Makeupalley.com’s Top 10 Chanel Rouge Allure Lipsticks (with 10+ reviews):
- Voluptuous Rouge Allure (11 reviews, 100% would repurchase) — One reviewer described it as a “beautiful cool red…a very wearable red even for ppps.” (pale porcelain princesses)
- Sexy Rouge Allure (13 reviews, 100% would repurchase) — Considered a perfect shade of berry red. One reviewer adds, “If you are fair, DON’T be afraid to give it a go and try it.”
- Prodigious Rouge Allure (12 reviews, 100% would repurchase) — One reviewer said, “It has just enough pink to brighten up your face, just enough red to make it stand out and not make you washed out, just enough sheen to make your lips look healthy and plump… .”
- Admirable Rouge Allure (12 reviews, 100% would repurchase) — Many reviewers call it the perfect light-beige, pink nude.
- Darling Rouge Allure (10 reviews, 100% would repurchase) — Considered a “beautiful, warm, rose-pink shade” with a touch of brown.
- Genius Rouge Allure (17 reviews, 94% would repurchase) — One reviewer said it was, “ the perfect balance of golden peach and warm pink with just a hint of coral.”
- Naive Rouge Allure (15 reviews, 93% would repurchase) — Noted for being, “a totally wearable pinky-nude–just a beautiful, “innocent,” clear color with the finest, softest gold shimmer that lights up my face, yet is subtle.”
- Desirable Rouge Allure (13 reviews, 92% would repurchase) — Considered a “lovely deep pink color with a touch of rose.”
- Delicate Rouge Allure (12 reviews, 91% would repurchase) — Described as a delicate “warm nude beige.”
- Lover Rouge Allure (20 reviews, 85% would repurchase) — One reviewer said, “[T]his slightly more pink shade of red is AMAZING! It makes my eyes pop, and it looks just as great dabbed on with my finger on top of some lip balm for a light colour, or for full on 40s va-va-voom style.”
-Image from Nordstrom.com
Top 10 Chanel Glossimers
Posted by Wendy in Top 10 Lists on July 16th, 2009
If you haven’t already gotten sucked into Makeupalley.com, you should pay it a visit. With over 1 million members, this beauty-networking site is the place to go for a thorough catalog of beauty reviews.
Here is a list of Makeupalley.com’s Top 10 Chanel Glossimers (with 50+ reviews):
- Pagoda Glossimer (75 reviews, 89% would repurchsae) — Described as a “beautiful medium rosy shade.”
- Unity Glossimer (143 reviews, 87% would repurchase) — Noted as being a “nice bronzy-rosey metallic neutral.” Many medium to dark-skinned reviewers say it is the perfect neutral.
- Sirop Glossimer (165 reviews, 86% would repurchase) — One reviewer said it’s a “gorgeous sheer watermelon pink.”
- Force Glossimer (119 reviews, 84% would repurchase) – Considered a “very sexy” deep berry/burgundy color with gold shimmer.
- Giggle Glossimer (138 reviews, 83% would repurchase) — Described as a pink gloss that is “plummy…with a bit of soft brown.”
- Spark Glossimer (a whopping 235 reviews!, 82% would repurchase) — Many reviewers call it the perfect berry color.
- Jaipur Glossimer (102 reviews, 79% would repurchase) — One reviewer described it as a “pretty pale pink/peach colour with lots of gold shimmer.”
- Blizzard Glossimer (233 reviews, 75% would repurchase) — Noted as a “neutral-cool frosty plummy mauve that works with many skintones.”
- Twinkle Glossimer (125 reviews, 75% would repurchase) — One reviewer described it as “a beautiful, pinky-peach gloss with a just the right amount of golden shimmer,” while another noted that it was “a very fresh, polished lipgloss for fair skinned ladies.”
- Pin-Up Glossimer (134 reviews, 73% would repurchase) — Considered by one reviewer as “a perfect ballet shoe pink with gold shimmer.” She adds, “It is just gorgeous. I can wear this on its own and actually prefer it that way, it just gives my lips a little something extra.
-Image from beauty411.typepad.com
Fall 2009 – Collection Venise de Chanel
Posted by Wendy in Makeup Collections/Launches on July 4th, 2009
As I mentioned in my last post, the moods and hues of Italy played a key part in the development of the Fall 2009 makeup collections by Laura Mercier and Chanel. The Chanel website notes that the “Venise” collection includes “makeup shades inspired by Mademoiselle’s fascination with the romance and drama of Venice.”
The Collection Venise de Chanel includes:
- Luminous Cream Quadra Eye Shadow ($65) – a quartet of gel-cream shades – pearl, gold, black and red black – that create a luminous sheen.
- Quadra Eye Shadow in “Murano” ($56) — a quartet of moss, pink, seafoam and green shimmer shades.
- Stylo Yeux Long-Lasting Eyeliner in “Espresso” and “Celedon” ($28)
- Poudre Douce Soft Pressed Powder in “Peche Caresse” ($50) — a creamy peach
- Les Tissages de Chanel Blush Duo Tweed Effect in “Tweed Sienna” ($45) — an earthy bronze
- Rouge Allure Lip Colour ($30) in “Instinctive” – a pink nude; “Comedia” – a pink rose; “Intuitive” – a pink brown; “Amusing” - a rich rosewood; “Captive” – a red brown; and “Clandestine” - a red brick.
- Levres Scintillantes Glossimer ($27) in “Arlequin” - a nude gold; and “Courtisane” - a red pink
- Le Vernis Nail Colour ($23) in “Intermezzo” – a white pearl; and “Gondola” – a maroon shimmer
-Image from chanel.com
Trend Alert! — Red Lips…
Posted by Wendy in Latest Obsessions, Trend Alert! on June 25th, 2009
It’s been awhile since I’ve loved reading a magazine article so much that I dog-eared it to share with all my girlfriends, but April Long’s article — “Red Badge of Sexy”– for the July 2009 issue of Elle had me tagging, highlighting, and underlining. The overall jist is this — red lips are back. Big time. And women shouldn’t be deterred from searching for the perfect crimson shade. As Long infers, “Maybe it’s the influence of Mad Men, in which office siren Joan Holloway’s flaming red hair and red lipstick combo jumps from the screen like the last word in sex appeal, or perhaps there’s something to the oft-cited theory that when the economy hits a rough patch, women instinctively reach for a little mood-lifting war paint.” Her article then goes on to take the reader through the History of Red Lips 101. Some of my favorite facts:
- “The first known lip-painting kit (complete with color-imparting crushed red rocks) was found in the 5,000-year-old tomb of Queen Schub-ad at Ur.”
- “Egyptian women adorned their pouts with a salubrious concoction of henna, pulverized beetles, and ants, which was deemed so essential they packed a to-go palette for the afterlife.”
- “Elizabeth I and the ladies of her court powdered their faces a ghostly white so that their crimson mouths – stained with a coat of poisonous mercuric sulfide – appeared more dramatic.”
- “Even prim, makeup-eschewing Victorians smooched red crepe paper in hopes that the tint would transfer to their lips.”
- “[In the 1940s], the U.S. Director of Economic Stabilization ordered factories to provide [red lipstick] in ladies’ powder rooms in order to boost productivity.”
If hearing about generations of women’s devotion to the crimson pout has you thinking you might want to try it out this fall, here is Long’s list of the Top 10 Reds:
- Max Factor Vivid Impact Lipcolor in Ms. Right, $10; a bold blue-red
- Laura Mercier Creme Lip Color in Mistress, $22: a Mad Med on-set favorite
- Chanel Rouge Allure in Lover, $30; a creamy, cool-toned red
- MAC Ruby-Woo, $14; the Cure’s Robert Smith swears by it
- Shiseido Valentine, $25: a glossy coral
- YSL Rouge Volupte in Red Muse, $34: the YSL catwalk color for fall ‘09
- NARS Jungle Red, $24: retro true-red inspired by the 1939 film The Women
- Guerlain Rouge G in Gala, $45: a classic crimson in a luxe jewel-box-like case
- Revlon Fire and Ice, $8: a favorite since it’s launch in 1952
- Maybelline Color Sensational in Red Revival, $7: the star of the brand’s new 48-color collection
**I would definitely add MAC’s Russian Red, $14, to the list. It’s a beautiful “true red” that I have found compliments nearly every skintone. Additionally, my best friend absolutely loves Laura Mercier’s Lip Stain in Scarlet, $20. She says she feel glamorous every time she puts it on.
In Long’s article, she quotes Mad Men makeup department head Debbie Zoller as saying, “So many actresses sit in my chair and say, ‘I can’t wear red,’ I say, ‘Let me prove you wrong,’ Everyone can wear it; you just have to find the right shade.” Zoller’s shade-finding tip? “[B]londs are best with true reds or reds with blue undertones, brunettes should go with true red or coral, and redheads can do either coral or blue.”
So go on! Try some red lipstick! Generations of women dare you …
Images: Imaxtree, Elle.com, Elle Magazine
