Chanel Khaki Dore Le Crayon Yeux ($28.00) is a stunning shade of rich, metallic golden bronze. It’s just the hue that I’m totally nuts for – that antique gold, bronze gold… anything in that family, I’m game for. Khaki Dore applies evenly, smoothly, and opaquely. It comes with its own pencil sharpener, and the liner itself is dual-ended. It has an angled sponge tip on the other end for blending/correcting.

It’s the first Chanel eyeliner I’ve tried, and I’m pleased with it. It looks really lovely in natural or smoky looks. Sometimes I’ll even wear it alone on my lower lash line with just some mascara for a very quick look for running errands. I wore it in this spring look I did few weeks ago. I’d say the highlight of this eyeliner is really how precise it is; it really does define and apply in a thin, even line without much fuss. It lasts all day on me (eight to twelve hours) without smudging, budging, or fading–always a necessity in an eyeliner.

Bottom Line

I’m not over the moon with the formula, but I do like this shade and don’t have anything quite like it, so it’s a shade I knew I’d be drawn to. The price tag is daunting, and I don’t expect most people to make room in their budgets for this eyeliner. Surprisingly (and a little to my horror), $28 isn’t as outlandish as I thought — Dior is priced at $26, YSL is priced at $28.

With that in mind, if you had $28 laying around and wanted to give your money to Chanel, I’d recommend a lipstick or gloss over the eyeliner, just because they do those exceptionally well. This is still a quality product, but it doesn’t reign supreme over eyeliners from other brands.

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• Product: 27/30
• Value: 7/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation:  If you love antique or bronzy golds like me, this might be a must for you–if the price doesn’t scare you away.

Availability: Nordstrom

See more photos and swatches…

Chanel Les Impressions de Chanel Collection: The Roundup

OVERALL, I like, but I don’t *love* Les Impressions de Chanel. There are some great products, but there are also some good-but-not-worth-the-price-tag products as well. I think Chanel did a good job mixing a more neutral, softer color palette with edgy darkness (e.g. Imprevu and Kaska Beige).

My favorites out of the bunch were the lip products and the Kaska Beige eyeshadow quad (and hey, make sure you saw the look I did with it!). I think the lip products are prettily subtle; like they’re shades that work on a variety of skin tones and work with dramatic looks or for everyday wear. They also layer incredibly well; so far, I’ve fallen in love with every combination of glossimer + Rouge Allure I’ve tried thus far.

For those who aren’t Chanel fans, I don’t think too many of these products are “exciting” enough to induce you over to the double-C side of things, even though everything is incredibly wearable and looks lovely on. I just think if bold is what you’re after, this collection is not for you. On the other hand, if you’re looking for easy-to-wear shades that can be worn for a special occasion or to work in the same palette, this is a collection you may enjoy.

Temptalia’s Recommendations

Must-Haves: Futile Glossimer, Delicieuse Rouge Allure Lipstick, Kaska Beige Eyeshadow Quad

Nice-to-Haves: Maline Glossimer, Incognito Rouge Allure Lipstick

Skip: Tendresse Le Vernis (easily duped; Chanel’s formula is not so beyond-compare that it warrants a $23 price tag!)

Product-by-Product Reviews

• Empreinte de Chanel
  
• Glossimers: Futile & Maline
• Imprevu Joues Contraste
  
• Kaska Beige Eyeshadow Quad
  
• Nail Lacquers: Inattendu, Tendresse
  
• Rouge Allure Lipstick: Delicieuse, Impertinente, Incognito, Insouciante

P.S. – I ordered Particuliere from Saks, so hopefully that’ll arrive later this week, and I’ll review it then

Rustic Copper:  Chanel Imprevu Blush

Chanel Imprevu Joues Contraste ($42.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a coppery-toned blush from Les Impressions de Chanel. The spring launch is slowly heading on-counter and online, and I imagine most counters will have it in the next two weeks. I totally recommend buying from Saks right now, ’cause they have *free* express shipping. Have I ever told you how much I loathe paying for shipping? So, yeah, Saks = awesome.

Imprevu is like a rustic, muted copper. Chanel describes it simply has copper, and it’s accurate… and yet I just want to throw the word rustic in there, too. It has little shimmer, a soft sheen, and is plenty pigmented for a cheek product. I found I had to tap excess off my brush before applying or else I’d end up with a very dirty look–so not sexy. I think this kind of blush color requires a light-handed application, and it can often look a bit dirty if you’re not careful. I actually think this would be particularly lovely on darker skin tones, though.

A part of me feels like this is out of place in the collection, because I wasn’t feeling it when worn with the Kaska Beige Eyeshadow Quad. I guess I have a tendency to want an entire collection work together. It also feels more like a fall or winter cheek color, rather than spring–which means it is first, surprising, and second, throws me off a bit.

I’m also not on board with the price for the amount you get (just 0.13 oz.!) — Chanel is one of the priciest blushes you can purchase (by the ounce). Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, and Givenchy are all equally high-end and often priced similarly to Chanel, but their blushes are all a better value than Chanel’s.  Don’t get me wrong — the quality and feel of the blush is lovely, but the price tag is inflated, even for high-end.

What do you think? Is Imprevu worth the splurge? Love the color?

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 27/30
• Value: 6/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you’re a Chanel blush fanatic, this is a nicely pigmented, copper-ish shade that’s not overly bronzy or shimmery.

Availability: Nordstrom, Saks

Check out more photos and swatches!

This is a quick & dirty look–seriously, like ten minutes or less–using Chanel’s spring collection. I love the lips more than the eyes, but what else is new?  I think next time I use this quad, I’m going to try a shimmery gold base.  Hmm.

Happy Monday!! (Yes, I’m sick and twisted… Mondays are my favorite day of the week!)

You will need the following…

• Eyes: MAC Soft Ochre paint pot (neutral beige base), Chanel Kaska Beige Eyeshadow Quad (fleshy beige, medium brown, dark plum-brown, medium tan-brown), Chanel Khaki Dore Eyeliner (antique gold), Dior DiorShow Extase Mascara (black)
• Face:  Kiehl’s Tinted Moisturizer (medium)
• Cheeks: Chanel Imprevu Joues Contraste (coppery-red), Empreinte de Chanel (peachy-gold)
• Lips: Chanel Incognito Lipstick (rosy pink), Chanel Futile Glossimer (sheer, silvery pink)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 214 (smudge brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Rose Blanc = Nylon

Directions: Start by applying MAC Soft Ochre paint pot as your eyeshadow base all over the lid with the 249. Using the 239, apply the fleshy-beige eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid. Next, apply medium tan-brown eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with the matte brown eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Next, define the crease by applying plum-brown eyeshadow with the 226. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep the fleshy beige eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Chanel Khaki Dore Eyeliner on the lower lash line, and then sweeping lashes with Dior DiorShow Extase mascara.

For cheeks, apply Chanel Imprevu Joues Contraste to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 129. Highlight cheeks with the 165 brush by tapping Chanel Empreinte de Chanel lightly on cheek bones.

For lips, apply Chanel Incognito Lipstick first, and then layer Chanel Futile Glossimer for a glossy look.

Check out more photos!

Chanel Kaska Beige Eyeshadow Quad

New Rouge Allures for Spring

Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick ($30.00 for 0.12 oz.) has four new shades added to the bunch with Chanel’s Spring Collection.

• Insouciante (81) is a pinky-beige nude shade with a bright sheen. It’s pigmented, but it’s not ultra pigmented as some of the deeper shades of Rouge Allures are.
• Incognito (82) is a muted medium pink that goes on semi-opaque with a nice sheen. On lips, it looks like a slightly flushed rosy pink with a glossy sheen and just the tiniest bit of gold shimmer.
• Impertinente (79) is a reddish-plum that goes on opaque and has a light sheen. On my lips, it seemed to lean a little more reddened plum than plum, as Chanel describes it, but it’s the darkest and deepest shade of the four.
• Delicieuse (80) is a medium coral-orange that applies semi-opaque and has a soft sheen. I liked how it looked on my lips, which is a little more of a muted coral shade than when I swatched it on my skin. It’s very wearable, perfect for spring, and did I mention, it looks beautiful with Futile? Oh, yeah, it does.

I wouldn’t let the skin swatches fool you, though — even though they seem only semi-opaque, they look nearly opaque on my lips. It seems like your natural lip color ends up blending seamlessly with the lipstick shade, so the color looks very natural, effortless, and beautiful on. Rouge Allures are very smooth, soft, and feel utterly lightweight on lips.  Sometimes they’re insanely pigmented (a la Noirs Obscurs), but often, they’re just good pigmentation; not the ultra bold shades, but color that covers and you know you’re having on but the color looks effortless.

My favorite shade was Delicieuse, but I am a coral fiend, so obviously that makes me a bit biased. Like the new nail lacquers, I don’t think these shades are totally original, but they’re lovely in their own right.  They are incredibly fitting for spring, though.  The quality of the lipsticks is phenomenal but whether they’re worth $30?  That’s more for you to judge!

What do you think?  Worth the splurge?  Meet your expectations?

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 28/30
• Value: 7/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: For easy-to-wear shades combined with the silky formula of Rouge Allure, Chanel has you covered.

Availability: Nordstrom and Saks

See more photos, swatches, and lip swatches!

Rouge Allure Lipstick: Insouciante (81), Incognito (82), Impertinente (79), Delicieuse (80)

Rouge Allure Lipstick: Insouciante (81), Incognito (82), Impertinente (79), Delicieuse (80)

Rouge Allure Lipstick: Insouciante (81), Incognito (82), Impertinente (79), Delicieuse (80)

Rouge Allure Lipstick: Insouciante (81), Incognito (82)

Rouge Allure Lipstick: Impertinente (79), Delicieuse (80)

Chanel Insouciante Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Insouciante Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Incognito Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Incognito Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Impertinente Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Impertinente Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Delicieuse Rouge Allure Lipstick

Chanel Delicieuse Rouge Allure Lipstick

Hot–No, Lukewarm–Springs with Empreinte de Chanel

Chanel Empreinte de Chanel ($65.00  for 0.49 oz.) is the signature product (and limited edition, of course) from Chanel’s Les Impressions de Chanel Collection for the spring.

Chanel describes the product as a “radiant glow highlighting powder” designed to brighten cheeks and brow bone with shades of rosewood, beige, and brown. It also includes an angled brush (the size you’d typically find in a compact, not a full-size brush), which is surprisingly soft and usable–though I’ll still use my full size brushes myself.

The compact has these lopsided circles in creamy white-gold, bronze, and peach outlined in the bronze. Then there are, of course, the two signature interlocking Cs in a shimmering, gilded gold (not quite a true gold). I was trying to furiously swatch away anything that would be an overlay, and though it seems like the circles seem to fade away, the color remains the same regardless. The Cs seem to be shimmery (as far as I could tell without destroying the compact) to stay shimmery as well.

Empreinte de Chanel is a warmed-up, peachy gold. It’s surprisingly pigmented, and it’s definitely something that would lovely as an eyeshadow as well as on top of cheeks. It reminded me of a more pigmented, way more shimmery version of Lancome’s Sparkling Cherub; Empreinte is also warmer and less brown (more gold).

Bottom Line: It’s soft, silky, and certainly looks beautiful on, but it is definitely a shimmery highlighter; so if you prefer a more subtle highlighter, you may want to test this in person first! The price is steep, and Chanel fans won’t be surprised, but if you’ve never considered Chanel, this probably isn’t the best product I’d take the plunge on (they have better; including Kaska Beige Eyeshadow Quad, if you are jonesin’ for spring).  The only thing that compensates for the price is you do get 0.49 oz. of product, which is quite a bit for a blush/highlighter product (typically 0.20 oz. or so).

P.S. – The entire Chanel Spring collection is now available at Nordstrom and Saks. You’ll probably have to search by name or click through the Chanel categories, but they’re up there. I just purchased Particuliere through Saks ’cause Saks has FREE EXPRESS SHIPPING (!) right now.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 26/30
• Value: 7/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: Chanel fans will likely enjoy this piece, but the price tag is a little steep for a product that’s good, but not great.

Availability: Nordstrom and Saks

See more photos and swatches!

Chanel Empreinte de Chanel