Givenchy’s Summer Collection also featured Fleur de Frangipanier, which is available in two shades: Island Sun (No. 2) and Island Tan (No. 3). Each shade retails for $45 and contains 0.35 oz. of product.
I haven’t spotted Island Sun yet, but I know it is the lighter of the two shades available and also has a significant chunk of pink color to part of its flower, so I’d also presume it runs on the pinker/redder side while Island Tan is more on the warmer/orange side. Givenchy’s Summer Collection is slated to hits stores in May 2010, so you may see it creep onto counters any day now.
Island Tan is a warmed-up, but muted, orange bronze with very, very subtle shimmer. I swatched both heavily and sheerly (and blended out), so you can see the potential intensity along with under more normal usage. It’s a very soft shade of bronze that will certainly be flattering on warmer skin tones, but I definitely think it’ll have a tendency to turn orange on those with pink or red undertones. (I would recommend checking out Island Sun instead!)
The texture of the powder is incredibly silky–it’s fine-milled and smooth to the touch. It blends beautifully and wears well. The shimmer in it is sophisticated and just barely-there, so it’s great for many skin types. Not surprising for Givenchy is the palette itself is beautiful with the raised flower and color splotch pattern. The color splotches range from a bronzed nude to chocolate bronze to peach.
The compact also has a pull-out drawer under the powder that reveals a small face brush, which is usable and certainly a step-up from the majority of included brushes in palettes, but it’s not my favorite! I’m also pleased (and pleasantly surprised!) that Givenchy didn’t skimp on quantity either–you get plenty of bronzer for your buck.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: For those with warmer complexions and yellower undertones, I think Island Tan is a workable bronzer.
Availability: May 2010
Benefit Ultra Shines: Wild Child, Back to the Fuchsia, Spiked Punch
New Lipgloss in Town — Benefit High Shines
In June, Benefit will launch a new lipgloss called Ultra Shines Lip Shine, which will retail for $18 fo 0.17 fl. oz. There will be five shades available: Back to the Fuchsia (sparkling fuchsia), Dancing Queen (watermelon pink), Foxy Lady (diamond rose), Spiked Punch (juicy coral), and Wild Child (glimmering amethyst).
Benefit describes these as, “The newest, hottest beat on the gloss scene… back-to-the-disco drama! One gleaming stroke of our ultra-new pulse-pounding ultra shines will unleash your inner dancing queen. Loaded with bright patent-leather shine & sparkling crystal brilliance, these lip shines glide on smooth with the specially-designed custom brush for a gloss inferno pout. In a fevah of must-have vibrant shades so pumped up with pigment, you’ll be lettin’ loose in your boogie shoes… NOW!”
- Back to the Fuchsia is a sheer, lightened raspberry pink with fuchsia sparkle. The way it looked (but not the way it felt) reminded me of MAC Dazzleglass–maybe if Love Alert and Ms. Fizz had a baby. Smoother and non-sticky, unlike Dazzleglass, though.
- Wild Child is a semi-sheer, iridescent plum with a fuchsia shimmer and sheen. I think this one would be exceptionally lovely over lipstick. It also kind of reminded me of MAC’s Negligee, which is one of my favorite lipglosses (and it was limited edition).
- Spiked Punch is a slightly creamy, semi-opaque lightened apricot-pink with subtle silver shimmer.
My favorite of the three was Spiked Punch, because it packed plenty of color, had a glossy sheen, and still felt and looked like a gloss rather than a lipstick (or even liquid lipstick). Back to the Fuchsia and Wild Child were both pretty but on the sheerer side–I think Wild Child would be lovely over some in-your-face bright pinks. Back to the Fuchsia was the sheerest and added more of a dazzling, glossy look rather than a ton of color. As you can tell, pigmentation definitely varied from shade to shade!
Ultra Shines have a kind of fruity scent that’s noticeable but not overwhelming (and not at all noticeable once worn). The packaging is sleek in a plastic tube with a clear end and a shiny black cap. The gloss applicator is a stubby brush rather than a doe-foot applicator, which I liked. I also found that they wore a little longer than average for a gloss (about three hours), which was definitely an added bonus!
Benefit’s Ultra Shines are ultra glossy with either a shimmer or more glittery sparkle with sheer to semi-opaque color. They smell good, feel moisturizing, and last longer than the usual gloss, too. I like that they feel thick and jelly-ish but aren’t sticky. I definitely like the new Ultra Shines more than Benefit’s regular Lipgloss!
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you love a super glossy finish in your lipgloss, you might like Benefit’s new Ultra Shines. If you love pigmented glosses, though, you may want to look elsewhere, as these do run a bit on the sheer side.
Availability: June 2010 at Benefit and Benefit counters
NYX Paradise Nail Polish ($5.00) is a funky shade perfect for summer! It’s this blue-teal with flecks of gold-green shimmer. I thought it’d be a nice shade to feature for the upcoming warmer, summery season
The formula doesn’t standout, but it’s solid — it’s not too thick or thin, and it goes opaque in three coats (but you definitely need three). I get good wear out of this polish, too–it’s my first NYX polish–so I was pleasantly surprised by that. I used Zoya’s Color Lock System for the polish, just as a FYI!
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 5/5
Recommendation: If you love duochromes, Paradise is a nice mix of blue, teal, gold, and green. Perfect for summer!
Availability: NYX Cosmetics
Chanel Nail Lacquer: Black Velvet + Illusion d’Or (thumb), Black Velvet (pointer),
Illusion d’Or (middle), Gold Lame + Illusion d’Or (ring)
Chanel Noir et Or Collection: Gold Lame, Black Velvet, & Illusion d’Or Le Vernis
Chanel Noir et Or Collection is a very limited edition, hard-to-get-your-hands-on collection that is only available in select Chanel Boutiques (it officially launched April 1st). It includes three shades of nail lacquer: Gold Lame (copper gold), Black Velvet (matte black), Illusion d’Or (clear with gold sparkle).
- Gold Lame (440) is a metallic yellowed gold. Like the majority of metallic finish polishes, there are noticeable brushstrokes. It went opaque in about two coats, but I did three to see if I could minimize the brushstroke-effect. I loved the layering effect of Illusion d’Or on top of Gold Lame, because it camouflaged the brush strokes but you could still see the metallic finish of Gold Lame peeking through. This shade really does a number between different light sources–it goes from like a golden bronze to a gilded gold. Pretty but a pain in the butt to photograph!
- Black Velvet (430) is not quite a matte black. It’s nearly matte, but it never dried completely matte for me. It had this weird, almost like a vinyl sheen to it. I wish I could describe the finish better, but I’m at a loss! Maybe like a rubbery look? They’re not really glossy or shiny, but they definitely catch the light a bit. The color itself is a very inky black with an almost velvety burgundy-brown cast.
- Illusion d’Or (450) is a clear glossy base with large particles of gold, bronze, and amber glitter with larger iridescent pinky-purple glitter. This won’t go opaque in three or four layers, but it does look pretty as a sheerer shade. It is even prettier when layered over either Black Velvet or Gold Lame.
Overall? I love. But I love the effect of them together, not so much alone. I’m not sure how many of you will be swept away by the combination of two to shell out $46 for it. There is just something about Chanel’s way of doing lacquer. If it’s not already a known secret, I most definitely have a thing for Chanel lacquer.
Like I died a little inside when I saw how Illusion d’Or popped over Black Velvet. If I had seen that online, I would have been like, “TWO PLEASE!” Illusion d’Or also looks pretty-in-gold over Gold Lame. I think if there was one must-have shade here, it would be Illusion d’Or, if only because it makes the other two really POP!
I still can’t get over the finish and look of Black Velvet, and it really annoys me that I can’t put my finger on it enough to give you a good description of it! It’s matte and yet not. It’s not flat, but it’s not really shiny or glossy… and yet it still (obviously) catches the light.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If Chanel lacquers weren’t so pricey, it’d be so much easier to say, “YES, BUY THESE!” without guilt. If you dig interesting blacks, Black Velvet might be that. If I had to pick one of three to get, Illusion d’Or, because it does amazing things when layered.
Availability: Select Chanel Boutiques
Chanel Super Rouge Allure Lipstick
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
Chanel Le Vernis: Mistral (517), Riviera (537)
Chanel Les Pop-Up de Chanel: Mistral & Riviera
Along with Nouvelle Vague, which I reviewed last week, Chanel launched two other shades of lacquer ($23) in their Les Pop-Up de Chanel Collection.
I bought these at my local Chanel counter (in Nordstrom) today, so if your Chanel counter hasn’t gotten stock in yet, I imagine it should be soon–I had done a pre-sale on these, so my favorite Chanel artist gave me a call when these were in (funny enough, her name is also Christine!). She said they only got fifteen Nouvelle Vagues in! Unfortunate for my pocketbook, along with my Chanel items, I also bought just as much in headbands… including one that matches Nouvelle Vague!! I couldn’t resist! Anyway…
- Mistral is a baby petal pink with champagne micro-glitter It goes opaque in three coats and looks kind of squishy on. I had no issues applying this shade–standard fair for Chanel in my experience.
- Riviera is a darkened bright pink cream. It’s opaque in two coats, though I swatched it with three. It was easy to apply and looked flawless on.
Neither Mistral nor Riviera is as eye-catching (or unique) as Nouvelle Vague, which I fully expect to sell out and see on eBay for triple digits at some point. I don’t have previous nail shades memorized, but I’m sure you could dupe Mistral or Riviera without too much trouble–hopefully our lovely nail fanatics can chime in with their dupe recommendations! That’s not to say that these aren’t fun, feminine shades, because they are, but typically when I shell out $23 for a Chanel polish, I do so for the uniqueness of the shade!
By the by, I actually asked both my parents (who are so not beauty mavens!) if they could tell the difference between the $3 and $23 polishes (China Glaze For Audrey vs. Chanel Nouvelle Vague), and they both immediately pointed out the Chanel-shaded fingers as the $23 one. My boyfriend, on the other hand, was boggled by it, because he couldn’t, even after scrutinizing!
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: Nouvelle Vague is the most unique shade of the bunch, even if it similar to China Glaze’s For Audrey. Mistral and Riviera are pretty and have no formulation issues, but they’re less “ooh!” shades.
Availability: May 2010
