Chanel Triomphal Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss

Chanel Triomphal Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss ($32.00 for oz.) is described as a “shimmering red,” and it’s a new–but limited edition–shade for the holidays. It’s a bright, blue-based pink-tinted red with pink and ruby red sparkly flakes. It applies evenly and yields mostly opaque color–there’s a slight translucency to it. MAC Driven by Love is redder, less pink. MAC Wicked Ways is brighter but closer in color.

The Extrait de Gloss formula is supposed to deliver rich color and intense shine with a gel texture that’s comfortable (and not sticky) and looks “luminous [and] full … for hours.” The English description of the name actually calls it out as a “Long Wear Lip Gloss.” I find the formula isn’t sticky at first, but it develops a slight tackiness over the first half hour that continues for the remainder of the time worn. It’s not overly tacky, just barely so. These wear three to four hours on me, which is about average, but nothing long-wear for me–Chanel’s Glossimers last three to four hours, so I would imagine these would have worn longer than that. Triomphal wore four hours well but looked faded by the fifth hour. The texture is smooth, gel-like, and it is comfortable to wear and not drying over time.

The Glossover

LE	Triomphal B+
	It's a great holiday red with an underlying pink tint that makes it look less like a really bold, in-your-face red. It's also cooler-toned, so it will compliment cooler skin tones; but the pinkness will enable it to work well on warmer skin tones, too.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9.5/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 7/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

Chanel Triomphal Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss

Chanel Triomphal Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss

Chanel Triomphal Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss

Chanel Triomphal Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss

Chanel Holiday 2011: Rouge Carat Le Vernis

Chanel Rouge Carat Le Vernis ($25.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is an intense, luxuriously ruby-shimmered red with blue undertones. The formula is lovely; the consistency is thin without being watery, so the polish flows evenly across the nail surface but still packs a lot of pigment in each coat. I only needed two coats for opaque color with Rouge Carat. I’ve had good luck with Chanel’s formula myself, as I don’t find it chips or bubbles and generally wears a week with minor tip wear.  Though the shade is surely gorgeous, red is such a common polish shade that most brands have half a dozen or more variations on it. You might consider these alternatives: Zoya Lisa, Zoya Carrie Ann, Milani Melt Down, or Duri Bombshell.

The Glossover

LE	Rouge Carat A
	The formula was a breeze to work with, and it was opaque in two coats (almost in one!), which made this a nice, fuss-free polish. The hue itself feels like it's been done before, though, so the Chanel price tag might not be justified here.
	Product 9.5/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

Chanel Rouge Carat Le Vernis

Chanel Rouge Carat Le Vernis

Chanel Rouge Carat Le Vernis

Chanel Rouge Carat Le Vernis

Chanel Rouge Carat Le Vernis

Chanel Holiday 2011: Empire Rouge Allure Laque

Chanel Empire Rouge Allure Laque ($32.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a pop of bright, summery watermelon pink with yellow undertones and gold shimmer. I don’t think of this shade at all when I think about holiday; it reads summery to me, though I wouldn’t let that stop me from wearing it in December. It’s mostly opaque, though there is a slight translucence that allows some of the natural lip color peek through. Initially, I was worried it might compare to Chanel Phoenix, but it’s not even in the same realm; Phoenix is a vibrant, deep pink with a hint of coral. MAC Speed Dial is lighter and a little cool-toned. Guerlain Gemma is fairly similar but a touch lighter and has more of a golden sheen than shimmer.

The Rouge Allure Laque formula is best described as liquid lipstick, because it feels more like a liquid lipstick than it does a gloss; it’s thin but pigmented. It glides on with enough slip that it doesn’t feather or bleed. I wore this by itself, and it wore for five hours before starting to fade.

The Glossover

LE	Empire A
	This shade could be a touch more pigmented, but otherwise, I have no complaints--it applies smoothly, evenly, and wears for hours. The yellow undertones in this pink will make it easy for warmer complexions to wear.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4.5/5
	Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

Chanel Empire Rouge Allure Laque

Chanel Empire Rouge Allure Laque

Chanel Empire Rouge Allure Laque

Chanel Empire Rouge Allure Laque

Chanel Holiday 2011: Beige Lame Ombre Essentielle

Chanel Beige Lame Ombre Essentielle ($28.50 for 0.07 oz.) is a medium-dark beige with multi-colored sparkles and a subtle hint of rose. The color payoff is nice with full color and true-to-pan color in one go. It translates exceptionally well on the lid–it really gives color and oomph without being over-the-top, smoky, or bright. You could wear it as a sheer wash of color or more opaque (which is how I wore it). I love that the multi-colored sparkle actually shows up on the lid and doesn’t end up all over your face, which was a bit of a surprise! The texture of Chanel’s individual eyeshadows is silky soft and very finely-milled; these two attributes combine to create an eyeshadow applies smoothly and blends out effortlessly.

Urban Decay Spotlight is cooler-toned and doesn’t have the sparkle. MAC Moleskin is similar in the base color but doesn’t have the sparkle either.

The Glossover

LE	Beige Lame A+
	The texture, color payoff, and application are excellent with Beige Lame! So soft and easy to use--it blends like butter and feels like silk when applied.
	Product 10/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4.5/5
	Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

Chanel Beige Lame Ombre Essentielle

Chanel Beige Lame Ombre Essentielle

Chanel Beige Lame Ombre Essentielle

Chanel Beige Lame Ombre Essentielle

Chanel Beige Lame Ombre Essentielle

Chanel Beige Lame Ombre Essentielle on lid

Chanel Holiday 2011: Tweed Brun Rose Les Tissages de Chanel

Chanel Chanel Tweed Brun Rose Les Tissages de Chanel ($45.00 for 0.19 oz.) is pop of coral-orange with a surprisingly level of brightness. It looks more muted in the pan, but it can be rather vivacious when swatched. The golden shimmer woven on the top is just that, an overlay, so you won’t find the larger golden shimmer particles throughout the powder. What you will find is more of a pearled sheen; not too frosted but certainly not matte. It reminded me of MAC Ripe Peach, actually, though this has less pink, which means it can also compare to MAC Marine Life, which has more of a golden sheen.

Like most Chanel powder products, it is very soft and finely-milled, so it can be easily blended out to a softer color as well. I did find that the texture, despite its softness, leaned on the powdery side, which did translate when worn (less of an issue if you have oily skin, but if you have drier skin, it may be problematic). It wore for around seven hours and looked a bit faded by eight, though still visible.

The Glossover

P	Tweed Brun Rose A-
	Though powdery, the effortless blending balances it out so the overall rating is still a B+. The color payoff is good with true-to-pan color that can be built upon or sheered out.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 8.5/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4.5/5
	Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

Chanel Tweed Brun Rose Les Tissages de Chanel

Chanel Tweed Brun Rose Les Tissages de Chanel

Chanel Tweed Brun Rose Les Tissages de Chanel

Chanel Tweed Brun Rose Les Tissages de Chanel

Chanel Tweed Brun Rose Les Tissages de Chanel

Chanel Tweed Brun Rose Les Tissages de Chanel

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder ($72.00 for 0.46 oz.) is an intricately embossed illumatinating powder that “gently highlights the skin with a sheer blend of tender pink and pearlescence.”  Of all the products I purchased from the holiday collection, I figured this was the one readers would be most interested in.

On me, it swatches as a pale beige with a soft shimmer and sheen–but it’s so light against my skin tone that it reads powdery. It applies much lighter than it looks in the pan.  When applied on cheek bones, I felt the powderiness of the product was further emphasized. I had to use either an extremely light hand and barely dust on product or blend, blend, blend it away so it looked less ghost-like. It catches the light well and seems to photograph better than it looks in real life, which emphasizes my pore size and just seems to sit on the top of skin, rather than really melt into it.

For lighter complexions, it would work better–as compared to my medium skin tone–because it will be similar to your natural skin tone and will highlight without lightening. I don’t like the powdery, almost chalky appearance it has on my skin. It wore for six hours before beginning to fade, and by the eighth hour, it was no longer noticeable.

The powder itself is soft and finely-milled, though the larger shimmer is merely an overlay, so underneath is a more refined, less shimmery, more sheen kind of finish. Because of the silkiness in texture, it is easy to blend but just doesn’t seem to lay as well on the skin as other Chanel powder products have in the past.  It’s soft but powdery and kicks up a fair amount of excess product when you go to use it.

It reminded me of a lot of the lighter highlighters I’ve come across, like MAC Lightscapade, Chanel Beiges Ombres Tissees (significantly more metallic), and MAC Too Chic.

The Glossover

LE	Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder B-
	The texture of this may be soft, but it's also powdery and looks that way on the skin. Despite the fine shimmer and sheen, it emphasized the pores on my cheeks.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 7.5/10 Longevity 7/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder on cheek bones (Chanel Tweed Brun Rose on cheeks)

Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel Highlighting Powder