Video Review: Chanel Summer 2011 First Impressions & Swatches

Though I’ve reviewed all of the collection that I have to review (you can check out all relevant posts under the Chanel Summer 2011 Collection tag), this is the video I shot when I swatched everything for the first time!

Chanel Summer 2011: Beige Petale

Chanel Beige Petale Le Vernis ($25.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is a sheer, barely beige tinted polish. Over my nails, it just neutralizes some of the natural pinkness of my nails, but honestly, that’s really a stretch–I could hardly tell if there was any color deposited after two/three coats (swatches are shown with four coats). The only way I knew I had polish on was that the ones with it were glossy! Maybe there is a slight milkiness, but this is really, really sheer. I found the formula a little thick and did not flow as easily as the other two shades from this launch as well, but since there was little color, it didn’t seem to impair the results.

There is certainly room for sheers–in fact, lots of lines do them–but based on my experience, it takes sheer to clear, rather than providing soft, delicate color.  It provides virtually none until you’ve slathered on four coats–and before that point, it’s the faintest hint of color that is only picked up in direct light.

The Glossover

LE	Beige Petale C+
	You may want to try this before purchasing, because I could see very little color, even after four coats (which is what is shown). This crossed that subtle line between "sheer" and, well, just clear.
	Product 8/10 Pigmentation 6.5/10 Texture 7/10 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 Beige Petale Le Vernis

Chanel Beige Petale Le Vernis

Chanel Beige Petale Le Vernis

Chanel Beige Petale Le Vernis

Chanel Beige Petale Le Vernis

Chanel Beige Petale Le Vernis

Chanel Beige Petale Le Vernis

Chanel Summer 2011: Gardenia

Chanel Gardenia Rouge Coco Lipstick ($32.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a medium-dark rose pink with subtle golden micro-shimmer and shine. The color applies semi-opaque–almost covering my lip freckle but not entirely–and deposits color evenly. Like many other Rouge Cocos, the finish is shimmery and borders on frosty.

It looks like it is slightly less pink than Camelia (part of the permanent range of Rouge Cocos), but I don’t own it, so I couldn’t compare.  For a more affordable comparison, you might try MAC Ramblin’ Rose, which may be noticeably rosier, though.

my thoughts on the formula: Rouge Coco is a slightly drier formula, because most of the shades are frost finishes, but I don’t find it drying–it’s just not moisturizing. It has a light vanilla-rose scent that’s rather faint but still detectable. It doesn’t seem to linger, though. On average, Rouge Cocos last four hours on me. I like the formula overall, and the shade range tends to be very wearable with a wide variety of colors from pinks to browns to reds.

P.S. – I already reviewed Sari Dore previously.

The Glossover

P	Gardenia B+
	There is enough warmth from the golden micro-shimmer to make it wearable on warmer skin tones but not so much gold that those with cooler skin tones won't find it equally flattering. This is the kind of pink that looks good across skin tones, because it's not too pale or deep.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 8.5/10 Longevity 8.5/10 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 Gardenia Rouge Coco Lipstick

Chanel Gardenia Rouge Coco Lipstick

Chanel Gardenia Rouge Coco Lipstick

Chanel Sari Dore (Left) / Gardenia (Right) Rouge Coco Lipstick

Chanel Gardenia Rouge Coco Lipstick

Chanel Summer 2011: Bronze Rose

Chanel Bronze Rose Soleil Tan de Chanel ($50.00 for 0.49 oz.) is the cool-toned companion to Bronze Corail in Chanel’s summer collection. Both variations are limited edition, and the biggest difference is in the last color: coral versus rose. After swatching and wearing the two, though, I noticed very little difference when actually worn!

In the pan, I see more noticeable variation in coloring, but when swatched, a lot of it gets lost. The first shade is a medium-dark tan with golden shimmer and sheen–it is slightly less warm than Bronze Corail. The second shade is an iridescent pinky peach with a icy white sheen, as compared to Bronze Corail’s shimmering beige (which I think is why when swirled, Bronze Corail can appear lighter–the lightness of the beige does more to lighten than the peachy shade in Bronze Rose).

The third shade is a reddened tan brown with a subtle gold sheen; it is lighter and more noticeably red compared to Bronze Corail. The final shade is a cool-toned bluish pink with a subtle sheen, as compared to the coral in Bronze Corail. When swirled together, Bronze Rose has a dirty, reddish tan look with a pale golden sheen. I found Bronze Corail to have a lighter overall appearance and more golden.

Like Bronze Corail, it wore fantastically–twelve hours of wear–and it’s a brick of a bronzer at 0.49 oz. It was a touch powdery but less so than Bronze Corail, though the texture itself was very smooth, silky, and felt soft against the skin. The included brush is great for using shades individually, because of the narrowed brush edge, while I liked a regular blush brush (I used the MAC 116) for blending all the shades together.

The Glossover

LE	Bronze Rose B+
	This one seemed darker than Bronze Corail, though they're both rather subtle when worn. I don't see these bronzers working as bronzers on deeper skin tones, but they should work nicely on lighter complexions. It's quite difficult to overdo the color here as well.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 8.5/10 Texture 8/10 Longevity 10/10 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 Bronze Rose Soleil Tan de Chanel

Chanel Bronze Rose Soleil Tan de Chanel

Chanel Bronze Rose Soleil Tan de Chanel

Chanel Bronze Rose Soleil Tan de Chanel

Chanel Bronze Rose Soleil Tan de Chanel

Chanel Bronze Rose Soleil Tan de Chanel

Chanel Bronze Rose Soleil Tan de Chanel

Chanel Bronze Corail Soleil Tan de Chanel

Chanel Summer 2011: Khaki-Discret

Chanel Khaki-Discret Eyeshadow Duo ($42.00 for 0.09 fl. oz.) is a new (and permanent!) combination of a really deep, dark forest green with subtle khaki brown undertones and gold and emerald green micro-shimmer paired with a much softer, lighter pastel green with yellow undertones. I found the darker shade to be beautifully pigmented–very rich and intense with little product required to achieve that result–while the lighter shade was sheerer. Lighter and softer shades will always look light, but they can still suffer from sheerness (which you can identify by how much skin you can see when the eyeshadow is swatched on top). The formula itself is very soft and smooth; easy to apply and effortless to blend out.

I found interesting how this duo compares to the Lilium palette–the green is warmer, rather than bluish, it is distinctly green and pulls yellow, while the lighter, pastel green is even lighter in the duo than in the quad. The darker green shades certainly differ enough that I wouldn’t say they’re really similar to each other, but the lighter shades do compare a lot more closely.

The $42 price tag is seemingly painful, but it is to be expected within the Chanel line–a single eyeshadow retails for $28.50, while the quads are the best bang for your buck at $57 (for four shades, of a total weight of 0.24 oz.). The average eyeshadow is 0.05 oz., so this duo is just under the expected size for two eyeshadows–except that Chanel’s single eyeshadows weigh in at 0.07 oz. Overall, the pricing is: $407/oz. for singles, $467/oz. for duos, and $238/oz. for quads. (MAC single eyeshadows are $290/oz. for a comparison against a mid-end brand.) Keep in mind, though, that while we all want more for our money, we have to think realistically whether we’ll actually use all of it!

The Glossover

	Chanel Khaki-Discret Eyeshadow Duo Review, Photos, Swatches B+
	I wish the duos were more of a value--I just feel they should be a little less (by the ounce) than singles, but still more than quads. If you were waffling between a duo and quad, I'd opt for the quad, since it is a better value.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 8/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 9.5/10 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 Khaki-Discret Eyeshadow Duo

Chanel Khaki-Discret Eyeshadow Duo

Chanel Khaki-Discret Eyeshadow Duo

Chanel Khaki-Discret Eyeshadow Duo

Chanel Summer 2011: Morning Rose

Chanel Morning Rose Le Vernis ($25.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is a warm, rosy pink with gold glitter. It’s a really nice yellow-based pink, and for warmer skin tones, it’ll be a lovely shade for spring and summer (since I know not all of us are feeling like summer is right around the corner!). It reminded me of Chanel Mistral, but warmer and more golden glitter. The formula was good; not too thick or thin, flowed evenly, and applied opaque in two coats. I typically get a week of wear using a base/top coat with Chanel’s Le Vernis.

The Glossover

LE	Morning Rose B+
	I see this being a popular shade, just because the color is easy to wear but contains fun gold glittery flecks to give it a little more oomph.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 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 Morning Rose Le Vernis

Chanel Morning Rose Le Vernis

Chanel Morning Rose Le Vernis

Chanel Morning Rose Le Vernis

Chanel Morning Rose Le Vernis

Chanel Morning Rose Le Vernis

Chanel Morning Rose Le Vernis