Les Pop-Up de Chanel:  Genial Rouge Allure

Chanel Genial Rouge Allure Lipstick ($29.00) is a brightened pinky-coral with a slightly glossy sheen. It’s a creamy, nearly opaque lipstick that offers lips in full-color coverage without a hint of shimmer. It’s creamy without being slippery and despite the bold color, lip lines aren’t emphasized. It’s a fun pop of color with the lovely texture of a Rouge Allure lipstick. It’s new and limited edition as part of Chanel’s summer collection, which debuted online this week.

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• Product: 28/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you love bright colors and the Rouge Allure formula, you should check out Genial to see if it’s the right coral for you.

Availability: Chanel

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Go Pretty in Pink with Chanel

Just in time for summer, Chanel’s Les Pop-Up de Chanel Collection (which is now starting to pop-up–pardon the pun–in stores) introduces two new and limited edition shades of Rouge Allure Lipstick — Super (rose) and Genial (coral). When I visited my local Chanel counter, Darling was also listed. Rouge Allure Lipsticks retail for $30 a pop. I picked up both Genial and Darling last week but I’ll show you those later this week–not to worry!

Super is a brightened pink subtly splashed with fuchsia with just a subtle blue-base to it–normally blue-based pinks can make me look a little corpse-ish, but this one has just enough to give it a cool edge (which also helps make my teeth look a bit whiter!). It has a naturally glossy sheen and semi-opaque color coverage. It looks pretty solid on my lips when pictured from a distance, but you’ll notice in the close-up that you can still see my lil’ lip beauty mark!

When I first swatched this on my arm, it seemed really vibrant and almost neon, but on lips it’s a lot more wearable. I think on more pigmented lips, this might read a stronger red-pink than as light as it is on my lips, and for those with very un-pigmented lips, I imagine you will find this looks a little brighter (more true-to-skin-swatch).

It’s a cute, perfect-for-summer shade with the fabulous Rouge Allure formula–smooth, moisturizing, and wears for a nice four to five hours. It’s almost a must-have, but it’s not quite there for me; perhaps if it was more opaque, I’d be totally loving it. But hey, it almost matches Riviera, so matching lips and nails… could be cute!

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• Product: 28/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation:  If you’ve always wanted a bright pink in Chanel’s Rouge Allure formula, you should definitely check this shade out.  If you’re looking for a totally opaque bright pink, this isn’t quite there.

Availability: May 2010

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Going Bronze with Style

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel ($50.00) is available in two different shades – Terre d’or and Terre Halee — and new for Chanel Les Pop-Up de Chanel Collection.  Every Summer, Chanel releases a limited edition bronzer (or two!), and this year is no exception.  It has a soft raised wave pattern across the surface, the illusion of summer sand.  Both shades are a finely-milled bronzing powder that apply naturally to skin.

If you take a swatch with a sponge-tip applicator (or finger), you’ll find it seems too much for a bronzing product, but when used with a brush, you’ll get a much softer, more natural look more appropriate to bronzing powders.  What’s nice about the underlying pigmentation is it can be built up to your preference, plus it works well for a variety of skin tones, too.

• Terre d’or is a lighter, more golden, peachy bronze.  It has a very soft, silky feel with a subtle shimmer-sheen.  This shade is ideal for light to medium skin tones.
• Terre Halee is a deeper, dirtier bronze with a subtle golden sheen.  It has the same feel an dfinish of Terre d’ore–a smooth, silken powder with a light shimmer and soft sheen.  This shade is ideal for medium to deep skin tones.

I’m on the lighter side of medium, but I’d definitely classify myself as medium in skin tone.  I find I like Terre d’or just a little more than Terre Halee on me, but I like a softer, lighter application of bronzer.  The sand pattern is cute without being too-beautiful-to-use or just a mist of overspray, too.

With a whopping 0.38 oz. of bronzer, this should last you all summer and then some.  At least Chanel didn’t skimp on product, even if this is a pricier bronzer (but the same price as other permanent shades of Soleil Tan de Chanel).

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

Recommendation:  For a very silky smooth bronzer, Chanel’s Soleil Tan de Chanel range is always a good choice.  Terre d’or is suitable for light to medium skin tones, while Terre Halee is more suitable for those with deeper skin tones.

Availability:  May 2010

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Who doesn’t love to see the double Cs?

Terre d’or

Terre d’or

Terre d’or

Terre d’or

Terre Halee

Terre Halee

Terre Halee

Terre Halee

Chanel Terre d’or, Terre Halee Soleil Tan de Chanel

Terre d’or, Terre Halee (used normally)

Soft Pink Lips for Summer

Chanel Les Pop-Up de Chanel Collection launches a new, but lonesome, shade of glossimer in Bikini Peach (#257). It’s a creamy, milky pink with yellow undertones and a soft, champagne shimmer with a glossy sheen. I can’t remember owning other creamy glossimers, so it’s an interesting shade for me. Despite its creaminess, it doesn’t settle too much into lip lines, and from a normal viewing distance, it just looks like a soft pink lip. I like that there’s enough color that it doesn’t read pasty on my warmer skin tone, as many milky pinks often do. It’s a fun, easy-to-wear shade that can be worn alone or layered over a lipstick, depending on what you’re going for.

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• Product: 28/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you love a dazzling, moisturizing lip gloss in a milky pink shade, you may like this one. It’s suitable for both cool and warm skin tones, because it is more of a neutral, if slightly warm, pink.

Availability: May 2010

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Chanel Bikini Peach Glossimer

Chanel Les Pop-Up de Chanel:  Gloss Fluo de Chanel

I admit, when I initially saw photos the new Gloss Fluo de Chanel ($27) from Chanel’s Les Pop-Up de Chanel Collection, I was pretty excited. Bright fuchsia AND coral? That’s so me. Of course I’d be drawn to them! But I am sad to report that they’re incredibly sheer. (This is why one should not get excited purely by looking at photos!) I was curious as to why they appeared fluorescent in their tubes but ultra sheer on lips, so I figured I’d better take a harder look at what they are *supposed* to be.

Chanel describes Gloss Fluo de Chanel as, “Hot colour and high-wattage shine. The electric effect of bright, sheer, light GLOSS FLUO DE CHANEL Brilliant Lip Shine mixes and matches with equally vivid shades of ROUGE ALLURE Luminous Satin Lip Colour and LE VERNIS Nail Colour — perfect for going from the beach to a night out.”

So, they had me. They suckered me in! Gloss Fluo is *designed* to be “bright, sheer, light.” Is it just me or is that description kind of confusing? Bright and sheer? What? The way I review and rate a product is always based on what the product is supposed to do, not necessarily what I think it should do. I’m going to give Chanel the benefit of the doubt and just go with these are supposed to be sheer, lightweight “glosses” rather than over the top, electric color. Okay, now that that’s out of the way…

Gloss Fluo makes an excellent lip balm. It’s one of the weirdest “glosses” I’ve played with, because it doesn’t have the texture of the gloss. It’s like a squishy jelly in a glossimer tube. They’re sheer with no real shimmer but have a fairly glossy sheen/look to them.

• Laser looks like a brightened fuchsia pink in the tube but applies more like a lightened baby pink with just a smidgen of fuchsia in it. On my lips, it just gives it that slicked pinked pucker look — a tiny bit of enhanced rosiness to my natural lip color with lots of pretty glossiness.
• Pop looks like an electric coral-orange, but when swatched on skin, it takes on a much pinker hue. It’s more like a pink-coral than orange at all. On my lips, Pop looks like I put on a clear lipgloss–seriously. It does less for me than Laser, unfortunately.

So, they’re some of the sheerest lip products I’ve used that weren’t actually lip balm, but Gloss Fluos are ridiculously moisturizing without being heavy. I’d wear this to bed! For those who love glossier, thicker lip balms but hate that most of them are only available in pot-form, this might be something to consider. Since they apply straight out of a tube with a doe-foot wand, it makes it easy to apply, travel with, and use on the go. Not to mention, the sheerness makes it easy to apply without making mistakes. Gloss Fluos feel like a slippery jelly on lips–non-sticky, thick without being heavy or goopy. They did remind me a bit of MAC’s Tendertones, but in a gloss tube instead.

I want to reiterate that as far as I can tell, Chanel wanted these to be sheer. They will work well with the lipsticks from the launch, as those are more vibrant (I’ve tried only one, but the other two seem promising), and designed to be more pigmented. I think these work as a moisturizing lip balm with a glossy finish, but I’m not sure I’d put my $27 towards a Chanel lip balm. It’s heaven on the lips, but I’d probably opt for one of Chanel’s Glossimers or Rouge Allures for the price and opt for a cheaper lip balm.

Don’t get me wrong, though, because these made my lips sigh in relief after a round of lip swatching. They were instantly hydrating, smooth, and wore for hours and kept my lips moisturized all afternoon.

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: If the idea of a clear but glossy, ultra moisturizing lip balm in a tube gets your engine running and you don’t mind paying a little extra to get Chanel, you may like these.  Not a must-have if you’ve found a solid balm that doesn’t break the bank already!

Availability: May 2010

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Gloss Fluo de Chanel: Laser / Pop

Gloss Fluo de Chanel: Laser / Pop

Gloss Fluo de Chanel: Laser / Pop

Gloss Fluo de Chanel: Laser / Pop

Laser Gloss Fluo de Chanel

Laser Gloss Fluo de Chanel

Pop Gloss Fluo de Chanel

Pop Gloss Fluo de Chanel

Chanel Les Pop-Up de Chanel:  Nouvelle Vague

At $23 a pop, Chanel’s Le Vernis Nail Lacquer is a decadent indulgence for your hands. Some love ‘em, some hate ‘em. I’m in the camp of love the product, hate the price (but who loves to pay more? seriously!). I’ve personally haven’t had any issues with formula or wear on the Chanel shades I own. In Les Pop-Up de Chanel (Chanel’s summer collection), Chanel is releasing three new shades of Le Vernis: Mistral (soft pink), Nouvelle Vague (turquoise), and Riviera (intense pink).

I literally just received Nouvelle Vague this afternoon, and I was thinking about holding off to post until tomorrow, but I just can’t resist. Nouvelle Vague is a beautiful shade of aqua-blue. It’s turquoise, but it’s not a brightened turquoise. It’s pastel without being light and sheer. There is the finest dusting of icy, aqua-blue shimmer laced throughout the aqua-blue. It’s a very stunning shade of turquoise. It’s one of my favorite polishes by Chanel, ever.

For those who find Chanel out of their price range (or fear their bank account murdering them in their sleep if they purchased this…), don’t despair, because China Glaze For Audrey is so, so close. Chanel’s Nouvelle Vague is just the slightest bit lighter and it has shimmer, whereas China Glaze’s is a pure cream.  Check out the swatches to see just how similar they are.  Personally?  I would have bought Nouvelle Vague anyway.  In a heartbeat.  I wouldn’t even think twice (barely once!).

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

Recommendation: I think for those who love their polish, there may be the need to own both, but for those who are simply lusting after the shade, For Audrey might be a little lighter on the wallet.

Availability: May 2010

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China Glaze For Audrey vs. Chanel Nouvelle Vague
Thumb & Pink are For Audrey; the rest are Nouvelle Vague

Chanel Nouvelle Vague

China Glaze For Audrey vs. Chanel Nouvelle Vague
Thumb & Pinky are For Audrey; the rest are Nouvelle Vague

(Natural Light) China Glaze For Audrey vs. Chanel Nouvelle Vague
Thumb & Pinky are For Audrey; the rest are Nouvelle Vague