Chanel Spring 2011 Rouge Cocos Peregrina and Jersey Rose, Swatches and Review

 

 Algea and Diatoms

So I went back for seconds. Don't judge me. I bought the two Rouge Cocos from the Chanel Spring 2011 collection, 77 Jersey Rose and 78 Peregrina, after the holiday extravaganza. These were somewhat unimpressive when swatched on the back of my hand during the first go at the 57th St Boutique, which is why I was spared the expense initially. But after reading reviews, and looking at other swatches, I realized I should probably look more closely. So I dutifully went back to saks with my gift card and tried them on. When applied to the lips, these lipsticks go from being ho-hum to super awesome flattering seduction!!! 

 

Jersey Rose is a rose pink with a peach undertone that goes beautifully with my winter palour. It actually almost matches the natural flush on my cheeks, and not surprisingly, goes with most of the blushes in my repertoire. I've been wearing it non-stop since I bought it earlier this month. It actually hurts my heart to think I almost missed out on Jersey Rose. It's become my newest and most favorite my-lips-but-better shade. I should have known that a lipstick corresponding with a number like 77 would be heavenly.

Peregrina is a very similar color, since the hue value is almost identical. The swatch picture really speaks volumes to this effect. But instead of being rosey, Peregrina is just straight peachy. The sales associate said that this color would turn orange with my skintone, but I think I disagree. It stays pretty true peach, despite the amount of pink in my face. 

As for the formula, I'm actually not crazy about the Rouge Cocos generally speaking. I find them unfortunately drying, although the fragrance has grown on me. Thankfully, where these lack in moisture, they make up in lasting. In comparison to other lipsticks that I frequently wear, these rarely have to be reapplied throughout the day. I find these non-feathering, and precise enough that you don't have to use a lip liner. Granted I don't own any dramatic colors, which is obviously the true test.

 

Overall, I'm really glad that I looked at the Chanel Spring 2011 lipsticks in greater detail. Jersey Rose will always have a place in my british-in-heritage heart.

photo credit: Dr. Arlene Wechezak, submitted to the Nikon Small World Microscopy Competition

The Best Makeup of 2010!

2010 was such a banner year for cosmetics. So many beautiful collections, and so many new releases. These are the best items, in my opinion, of 2010. Starting with the lips,

Best Lipstick: Edward Bess lipstick in Night Orchid. I love this color, it compliments my complexion so well, and the formula is so creamy and hydrating. I also love the high quality metal packaging, although it appears that will be going by the wayside. Oh well. 

The best Lipgloss: Chanel Extrait de Gloss. I basically want every color from this line. The formula is gel like, and moisturizing. There are little speckles of microglitter, but these are far less blingtastic than the glossimer line. Score. 

Best Lipliner: Paul & Joe Lip Pencil Duos. These pencils are creamy and long lasting. I own 01 Melon, 03 Sepia, and 05 Scarlet, and between the three of them, essentially all of my lip lining needs are met.

Best Blush: Le Metier de Beaute Creme Fresh Tints. These are basically the best blushes I've ever used. As I've mentioned previously, I'm a sucker for any sort of cream product, and these are truly the cadillacs of cream products. The Creme Fresh Tints just melt into the skin for a completely natural flush. 

Best Eyeshadow: definitely the Rouge Bunny Rouge! Solstice Halcyon and Abyssinian Catbird have been on the menu a lot this past fall and winter. These shadows are just beautiful and easy to use. True love.

Best Highlighter: Tom Pecheux for Estee Lauder Pure Color Luminous  Powder. I was one of the lucky few to purchase this from Bergdorf Goodman this past fall. It's been my favorite highlighter ever since. Unfortunately the formula is so luxuriously soft and buttery, that there's already a crack through the powder! So no more travel for this palette, I love it too much to put into harms way!

Best Mascara: Dolce & Gabbana The Mascara. As I mentioned in the review for this product, I received this as a gift for purchase, and it's been a big hit.

Best Nail Polish: Chanel Khaki Brun. Are you as shocked as I am that I just said that? I was expecting to pass on Khaki Brun, because honestly, it's so damn ugly just sitting there in the bottle. But of course I had bought the other two khaki shades, so I was compelled to round out my collection and add brun. And it turned out to be my surprise favorite of the year. It's so beautiful once applied to the nail, that even my (very conservative) sister thought it was bangin'. I've already worn this color three times, twice in a row! That's nearly unheard of. 

Last, but not least, Best Collection of 2010: usually I'm all about fall and winter, give me crandberry, ochre, bronze and mustard, but this year I have to say that Dior Summer '10 was the best collection. I bought both the palettes, and I've really enjoyed them both.

That's a wrap. Happy New Year everyone!

Chanel Spring 2011 Black Pearl and Pearl Drop, Swatches and Review

For some reason I can't stop buying Chanel nail polish. They're like crack. I actually don't find anything that remarkable about them as a whole. The formula very rarely impresses me particularly, and I find that Chanel is far from being the trend setter, despite the accepted dogma. And yet, I lay down 23 green each and every time, Spring 2011 being no exception. 


All that being said, Black Pearl is so completely worth the money it crosses over to the ridiculous. This is one of the most singularly beautiful nail polish colors I've ever used. Difficult to put into words, Black Pearl is truly unique. I've been disappointed by Chanel nail polishes in the past, especially those with this particular shimmer formula, but Black Pearl delivers both in beauty and in quality. (although it still started chipping within 24 hours. but I'm unusually hard on my hands.)

So, I got this very suggestive email from Chanel. I was already  expecting to succumb to Black Pearl, but I realized I must have Pearl Drop as well!!! And make this a reality!! Black Pearl manicure, and Pearl Drop pedicure!!

Close up to show the sparkle. I used two coats to reach opacity with Black Pearl.

Pearl Drop is the sort of color that I rarely go for. I definitely didn't need this color, and there's nothing particularly unique about it, but at least the formula is also the same high quality as Black Pearl. I think a white frost manicure is typically considered a faux pas, so I wasn't sure how I should use this pearly gold white until I got that email. And I'm really loving it on my toes. Since the usual mani/pedi combination is a light/dark, not a dark/light, I think this combination is more visually interesting.

It took three coats to reach opacity with Pearl Drop

One of my recent disappointments with Chanel was the release of Riva, which looks so exquisite in the bottle, but translates terribly to the nail (thankfully I was able to resist that nail polish purchase). But as you can see below, the bottle color of both Black Pearl and Pearl Drop translates very well to the nail. 

All in all, I'm very happy with these nail polishes. Black Pearl is definitely a must have, whereas Pearl Drop completely isn't. I would advise anyone to run right out and buy Black Pearl as soon as possible, before it sells out forever. 

Chanel Spring 2011 Ombres Perlées de Chanel Swatches

Can we please talk about how much I hate Chanel for doing this to me? Please, release Spring '11 in January after Christmas, for crying out loud. But of course since this is the most elegant and cohesive collection I've ever seen from Chanel, I ran right out and gouged a huge hole in my wallet, which I might add has already taken an epic beating in preparation for the holidays. Because god forbid I miss out on anything. Jeez. 

Anyway, the products are really what you're here for, so I'll stop complaining. Today I bring you the star product, the Ombres Perlées de Chanel. Obviously I haven't had much time to really play with this palette, but it just about knocked my socks off when I first spotted it in person, and I wanted to quick share some pictures and swatches. I love love love cream products, and the moment I heard Chanel was slated to release a pearl themed cream eyeshadow palette for Spring, I was all kinds of excited. And Ombres Perlées de Chanel does not disappoint. 


The moment I got this home, I put on the golden cream and light pink shades on my lids. I must say the formula far surpasses similar cream products in quality. After having these on my lid, I may never look twice at my MUFE cream shadows ever again. I didn't even hesitate to apply primer in my mad dash, and so far the formula is lasting well also. It's not the most rigorous of tests to wear eyeshadow around the house for a couple of hours, but it's nonetheless encouraging that there isn't even a hint of creasing yet. 

The two lightest shades are the least exciting, but will probably get the most wear because they create a sophisticated sheen on the lid that looks very natural and flattering. They can also double as highlighters. 

The rest of the colors are a series of complex shades that really do reflect the luminosity and variation of fresh water pearls. Unfortunately they didn't photograph that well, because the sparkle is too complex for my dinky camera to capture. The middle shade is a beautiful near duo-chrome plum, the fourth shade is a murky gasoline-on-water green, and the last shade is a pearly dark grey with a distinct green note. All of the colors look beautiful together, and also compliment the rest of the collection very well. 

My favorite color is the last one, the black pearl. It's definitely a very unique shade. It doesn't compare to anything in my current collection, and I can't think of any similar colors available on the market. The impact of dramatic or dark shades is softened when they come as a cream, so I think it'll be very wearable, especially for the holidays. I'm looking forward to combining this palette with the Ellis Faas eye lights I got back in September for a festive look. 

With Flash

In Natural Light

Overall I think this palette is very much worth the $65 price. I might not have been able to pull the trigger if I hadn't looked at it in person, but seeing the high quality texture and uniqueness of the colors was very convincing.


I bought a few more items from the collection so more reviews are coming soon. I'm doing a manicure and pedicure using two of the new nail polish colors tonight!

Chanel Extrait de Gloss, Swatches and Review

So I'm throwing my hat into the Chanel Extrait de Gloss review arena. There are already much better pictures and much more comprehensive reviews (most notably by Amy at cafemakeup.com), but hopefully I have something valid to add.

I ordered two colors from the Chanel website: imaginaire and confidence. Imaginaire is a slightly peachy pink color that looks killer with my pale complexion. Confidence is a slightly darker and more "nude" pink that boarders on "rosewood." And that really was the main surprise for me, the fact that confidence ended up being darker. It's even noticeably darker on my lips. Like whoa, even after being described as a light nude pink. They're both beautiful colors, but going on the descriptions, I would have thought that imaginaire was confidence and confidence was imaginaire.

They are both very similar colors, so you definitely don't need both. I wanted both because I'm really into these types of colors, but someone who doesn't need every natural pink lipgloss could definitely skip one. I would recommend imaginaire to fellow ghosts like myself, and confidence to people with a deeper skintone.

Top: Imaginaire Bottom: Confidence

As for the controversial applicator, I hardly even noticed it was different, so if you're considering ordering one sight unseen, don't sweat it.

Now for some swatch pictures!

Left: Confidence Right: Imaginaire

Left: Confidence Right: Imaginaire

Both glosses have that subtle and enchanting Chanel glimmer. Yes, the depth, yes, the sheen. These are words that are used over and over again to describe Chanel's classy use of . . . all things. The verdict: these glosses lived up the hype and the Chanel reputation. Extrait de Gloss is definitely a welcome addition to their permanent line.

Chanel Soho Story Collection Picks

So this past week I finally decided that I had to take action. The Chanel Soho Story collection came out for new york fashion week, and more specifically debuted on fashion's night out, which was almost exactly a month ago. I went to Bergdorf's that night, and like a total loyalist, had a makeover at the Paul and Joe counter. In other words, I did not go to the Soho Boutique. I've been trying hard not to think about the Soho release, trying hard not to read the essentially rave reviews from other bloggers (especially Amy at CafeMakeup) but alas, I was overwrought. I am a new yorker after all. I have to show some loyalty, just like how I bought the Absolut Brooklyn. So I trotted on down to Soho after work, and did the damage. I chose the "Soho de Chanel" Highlighter/Blush and the Rouge Coco in "Stunning."

Soho de Chanel really is super awesome. I like the brick red blush portion particularly well. I just don't know how Chanel does it, to be honest. The simmer is so sophisticated. When I put it on my cheeks, it's all glowing and nice. I usually reach for matte shades for my cheeks, but I have to admit that this type of shimmer is so seductive. The highlighter portion is less exciting, mainly because it's difficult (for me) to get just that bit on my brush. But I have a feeling that my skillz are not up to par with the experts.

All pictures taken in bright sunlight . . . said captain obvious.

I don't really know how I managed to get my hands on the Rouge Coco Lipstick in Stunning, considering how late it is in the game. But this particular lipstick was a return, from just that very day, and the sales associate told me that I was a very lucky girl. I think it takes more than getting your hands on a lamely limited edition product to make a girl lucky, more like living to see another day and all that, but whatever. This is actually the one item out of the collection that I wanted the most, so why am I complaining? This is my first Rouge Coco, and I'm not that impressed with the formula. It's drying and smells too much of . . . flowery cosmetics. But the color is super nice. See for yourself:

Bright sunlight swatch

As for the rest of the collection, all I can say is "ehh." The nail polishes didn't really rock my boat. And neither did the other lip items. I swear, if Chanel comes out with another baby pink lipgloss with sparkles, I'm going to lose my shit. Oh wait, I already must have lost it when the released freaking "Charming" for the Holiday collection. Oh well.

Chanel Hydromax Active Teinte in Sunlit, and some thoughts on SPF

This past summer I finally invested in the Chanel Hydromax Active Teinte tinted moisturizer in sunlit. And what a worthwhile investment it was. Unlike lot's of other tinted moisturizers, Chanel's is very low coverage. I'm sure that's a deal breaker for most, but since I don't wear foundation and would rather my natural complexion come through, it's perfect. I find that the Hydromax Active Teinte gives me a very slight tanned look, and evens out my skintone even further. It has a very nice finish that sort of glistens in natural sort of way, and is a good base for cream blushes.

I also like it because it has an SPF of 15. Most people these days feel that SPF 15 is not enough, but that's mostly due to SPF being such a heavily used marketing tool. It's more the ingredients that protect, rather than the level of SPF. The active ingredients in Hydromax Active Teinte are octinoxate

which is liquid sunscreen, and an excellent protectant against UVB, and oxybenzone

which is also a liquid suncreen, and a UVA and UVB protectant. To put things in perspective, this is a graph showing the % UV protection as a function of SPF:

There is also evidence to suggest that any sunscreen above SPF 30 is not exactly healthy to be slathering all over the body. Look to the review by U Osterwalder and B Herzog (2009) for a more in depth look (1). And okay, fine, slather your face with SPF 1000, because none of us want to get wrinkles. But on the body, you want to get a few photons through, because after all, it's the stuff of life!

(1) U. Osterwalder B. Herzog. Sun protection factors: world wide confusion British Journal of Dermatology Nov 2009; 161:13-24

*Sorry, I couldn't find a full text article, so this is just a link to the abstract.