Chanel Imperial (73) Rouge Allure Lacque

The Sultry Season: Chanel Imperial (73) Rouge Allure Laque

Chanel Imperial (73) Rouge Allure Laque ($32.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a rich shade of rusted red with just a touch of berry.  Rusted berry sounds weird, but perhaps that’s a more apt description than rusted red!  It has subtle pink and gold micro-shimmer.  It’s completely opaque, and it makes lips look lush — it has the color payoff of a lipstick with the shine of a gloss.  Rouge Allure Laques are one of my favorite products, and I’m reminded of that every time I put one on.   I get around four to five hours of wear with shade in particular–plus a residual stain.

Is this the right berry for you? Would you wear it?

The Sultry Season is a series of posts featuring deep, rich shades of brown, berry, plum, and wine lipsticks and lipglosses — just right for autumn — that runs through October 2010.

See photos and swatches…

Guerlain Ombre Perlees — Matte Eyeshadow

I did this look over the weekend with Guerlain’s Ombre Perlees Palette. Even though the shades look like they have a hint of shimmer, they’re near-matte, particularly when used over a matte base. This is such a fall look, though, ha!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot (neutral beige base), Guerlain Ombre Perlees Eyeshadow Palette (pale white-pink, darkened coral-brown, dark taupe brown), Shiseido Brown (BR 602) Smoothing Eyeliner Pencil (brown), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Guerlain Parure Gold (Beige Naturel #03)
• Cheeks:  Benefit Sugarbomb (peachy pink), Guerlain Beige Tint Meteorites (highlighter)
• Lips: Chanel Imperial Rouge Allure Laque (darkened red), MAC Desire Lipglass (dark red-purple)
• Brushes: 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: N/A

For eyes, start by applying Soft Ochre paint pot as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply the light white-pink eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid. Next, apply the coral eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with the taupe brown eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Lightly blend the taupe brown eyeshadow, with the 239, on the outer corner and lid. Lightly tap and brush the coral eyeshadow directly above the crease to soften. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep a mix of the light white-pink and coral as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Brown eyeliner on the lower lash line. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Sugarbomb blush to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116. Highlight cheekbones with Beige Tint Meteorites with the 165.

For lips, apply Imperial Rouge Allure Laque first, and then layer Desire lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Chanel Imperial Rouge Allure Laque ($32.00) is the second up in our seven days of Chanel Rouge Allure Laque feature.

Imperial is a slightly warmed-up, muted red-coral. It’s not quite the coral that comes to mind when I think “coral,” but it’s certainly not the “deep rose” that Chanel describes it as. I always find the descriptor “rose” to mean something pinky, but this has more red in it. It’s like a wearable version of a red with a touch of coral. I suppose if we think of red roses, maybe this is “deep rose.” I would say this is one of the harder shades to describe, because it’s beautiful, but I can’t find the words to aptly describe it! The shade has a dusting of slightly rosy-gold shimmer and the same glossy sheen as others in the line-up. It applies evenly without a fuss and goes on full-color right away.

Since I don’t want to just re-write what I say about the formula (since it is the same–if there are any variations, you can be sure I’ll call them out), here’s a quick bullet-point summary.

Pros

• Satiny, creamy lip color that hydrates
• Opaque color in one layer–very pigmented
• Lasts for hours and even through eating/drinking
• Glossy sheen
• Looks like a lipstick AND a gloss
• Easy to travel with
• Sleek packaging

Cons

• Pricey at $32 each

• Product: 29/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 5/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation:  For a more muted, but still opaque lip look, consider Imperial.  Not too warm or cool, it can easily be worked into your lip wardrobe.

Availability:  Nordstrom

See more swatches…

Coromandel (#72), Imperial (#73), Dynastie (#74), Dragon (#75)