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
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
Toki Doki
tokidoki for Sephora: Royal Pride Inferno Bronzer
tokidoki Royal Pride Inferno Bronzer
($22.00 for 0.37 oz.) is a warmed, golden-tan with champagne-gold shimmer bronzing powder. The powder itself has a heart and crossbones raised design in the middle, and there’s no overspray on it, it’s just the same as the rest of the product–which is nice, just because I hate being duped by those oversprays!
Though I was disappointed with the color pay off of Adios Star, I had no such pigmentation issues with Royal Pride. This swatched beautifully–pigmented, smooth, and gorgeous to look at. As far as bronzing goes, I think this will work nicely on lighter medium skin tones to deeper medium skin tones, but it may turn orange on some of the paler beauties. I’d recommend paler and very cool skin tones to swatch in-store if they’re able to.
tokidoki also has Diavolina, which is described as a “medium/tan with gold shimmer.” I felt like Royal Pride was a pretty deep bronzer, but it’s described as a “light/medium with gold shimmer.” I think Diavolina may be best for medium deep to deep complexions, but I haven’t seen it to be sure.
The packaging is made out of plastic, but it feels heavy and thick enough that I don’t feel like I’m using dollar-store makeup (which is always my fear whenever I see a non-beauty brand enter the beauty biz!). It’s solid, semi-clear, and should be sturdy enough to tote around.
You also get a whopping 0.37 oz. of product, which is rather hefty for a bronzing product. MAC Bronzing Powders are also $22, but you get 0.30 oz. I think tokidoki did a good job pricing themselves above mass, but they didn’t price themselves out of range, either. I wouldn’t go crazy buying hundreds of dollars over this without testing it first, but I can see myself picking a few items just to try and see (and if all else fails, take advantage of Sephora’s excellent return policy).
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- Product: 26/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 5/5
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a golden-toned bronzer, I think you may like Royal Pride. It’s quite pigmented, so use a light hand or a fluffier brush when you go to use it to keep from overdoing it!
Availability: Sephora
Top row: Red Nouveau, Tart Deco, Van D’Go
Bottom row: Pop Art Pink, Neo Whimsical, Lilacism
Spring for Pastels for Your Nails
Essie’s The Art of Spring Collection is a pretty-in-pastel six shade launch. They’re a nice bunch of colors that give you some color on your nails without being too bold, so they may work nicely for those who need to have more office-appropriate nails.
- Red Nouveau is a brightened red cream. It’s pretty, but it’s a shade we’ve seen before. It applies beautifully, though — very smooth, even, and nearly opaque in just one coat.
- Tart Deco is a peached coral cream. The formula was easy to work with, surprisingly. Though I’m wearing three coats in the swatch, you really only needed two for an opaque finish. The shade itself isn’t too thick, but it is on the thicker side, and I didn’t have any issues with streakiness.
- Van D’go is a lightened, milky pink with a peach cream finish. It took two coats to get an opaque look, but I went with three for swatching purposes. Like Tart Deco, the polish was thick but not overly so, and I didn’t encounter any streakiness with this shade either.
- Pop Art Pink is a milky, jelly baby pink. Even though I don’t do sheers often, this shade is exceptional because you can layer it with three coats for a near opaque finish. One coat will get you that softly pink-tinted look that’s cute and feminine without being bold.
- Neo Whimsical is a light lavender cream with a pink tint. I found this shade to be on the runny side, but three coats get you opaque color.
- Lilacism is a cool-toned lilac cream with blue undertones. This gave fairly opaque color with two coats, but I swatched it with three just to be sure. Like Neo Whimsical, Lilacism is a little on the more watery side, but it’s not a big deal, because it dries about average and still gives solid results.
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you love pastel creams, you may want to take a look at Essie’s spring collection. If, on the other hand, you’re not so into pastels or creamy finishes, this is not the collection for you. It’s an almost romantic collection with the color palette, which makes it very fitting for spring.
Availability: Essie
Get Your Blush AND Bronze on? Hmm…
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Exotic Bronzing Blush
($35.00) is a pressed powder bronzer and blush with a coral reef inspired design. Estee Lauder calls it a “Bronzing Blush,” and you can tell in the photo that it really is exactly that! It’s unrealistic to use the two shades separately, but once swirled together, they create a rosy-peach bronzed shade.
It’s peachy without really being too pink and not quite brown but more like a gilded champagne. The shimmer is fine enough that it doesn’t accent pores but is still noticeable. I found this worked mostly as a blush, as it did have enough peach and rose tones to it that it’s more a blush than a bronzer. It does give my cheeks that sunkissed glow, though.
I like that the packaging has a very modern look and feel to it–that coppery bronze that shimmers in the sunlight. The pricing is a little high, though, for a product that’s mostly a blush. I’d have preferred to see this at maybe a $28 or $30 price point–more in line with their normal blush prices.
You can check out other items from Bronze Goddess, too!
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: It’s a cute compact, and it works well on warmer skin tones for sure. On cooler skin tones, it may not be as lovely, since it does have a warmer undertone. I also think on deeper skin tones, it may work mostly as a highlighter rather than a blush. Light to medium skin tones should have no problems using this as a blush or blush-highlighter! It’s not the most unique blush shade, but it’s done well.
Givenchy New Impressions Collection: Parad’Eyes
Givenchy Parad’Eyes Eye Liner
($27.00 for 0.1 oz.) includes two new shades as part of Givenchy’s New Impressions Collection for Spring 2010. The two shades are…
- Mauve Impression (8) is more pink than move. It’s a clear base with lots of shimmering pink sparkle. It’s very pretty and spring-y, but it didn’t show up mauve at all on me! Sephora described the shade as “metallic lilac,” which is a little easier to get behind than “Mauve.”
- Nude Impression (9) is a metallic bronze with champagne and bronze shimmer. Like Mauve Impression, it seems like a clear base with colored shimmer rather than a colored base.
The Parad’Eyes Eyeliners come in square tubes with predominantly black packaging with the bottom of the top with Givenchy’s logo in blue and the bottom of the product in a bronzy-gold and the label. I find that these liners do stay on well, once they dry (which takes a little longer than the average liquid liner), but with these being more glitter/shimmer based, they look best layered over a solid-colored liner. These can also be fun on lashes for a little extra bling-bling over mascara. They stay on without budging or flaking, but they may be a little pricey just for a glitter/shimmer eye liner!
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you love a bit of added sparkle to your spring look, these certainly will do the trick! They’re sheer enough to be versatile and universal, but they have plenty o’ bling to give you that glitz and glam. They’re on the pricey side, though in line with high-end prices, so they may be more of an indulgence. Both shades should work nicely on both cool and warm skin tones, because neither is so warm/cool–though naturally Nude pairs the best with warmer skin tones and Mauve with cooler skin tones.
