Chanel Nightfall Rouge Allure Velvet Lipstick ($37.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a muted, dark red with subtle, cool undertones and a satin finish. It had very subtle pearl–the kind that yielded more of a noticeable sheen than a true frost or shimmery finish. The texture was lightweight, thin without being clingy, and velvety so it never tugged on the lips and was comfortable to apply and to wear. It had nearly opaque pigmentation, and the color applied evenly and smoothly on the lips. This shade lasted for six and a half hours and was neither drying nor hydrating on my lips.
The Rouge Allure Velvet formula is supposed to be a "non-drying matte lipstick" with "intensely rich, long-wearing colour" and has a "velvet matte finish." Over time, I felt like the formula has improved and is actually non-drying (the original launch did not wear well on me) to lightly drying (seen more in shades that have lasted six to eight hours). The pigmentation varies from shade to shade but is usually semi-opaque to opaque with a semi-matte to satin finish. The texture had a velvety, glide-on feel that doesn't feel particularly creamy or wet, yet the lipstick is comfortable to wear over the four to six hours it typically lasts for. Like most Chanel lip products, they have a rosy scent but no discernible taste.
Chanel Experimental Rouge Coco Lipstick ($37.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a bright, medium coral-red with warm undertones and a natural sheen. It had semi-opaque pigmentation that covered the lips evenly with thin, lightweight color that was comfortable to wear and easy to apply. The lipstick was smooth, creamy without being slippery, and lasted for four hours on me. It left a very faint stain behind and was lightly hydrating.
The Rouge Coco formula is supposed to have "full coverage with a creamy yet lightweight finish" that is also hydrating. The coverage was semi-sheer to semi-opaque with the occasional shade being closer to full coverage, but it would not be a formula I'd recommend to someone looking for truly opaque pigmentation out of their lip color. Where the formula excels is in the more luminous finish--a soft sheen without the slipperiness of a gloss--that often is forgiving on the lips. The texture is lightweight, smooth, and comfortable to wear and to apply. The formula ranged from lightly hydrating to lightly drying with most somewhere between non-drying and lightly hydrating. The lipstick lasted two to four hours on me but reapplies well. They have a rosy scent but no discernible taste.
Chanel Urban Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow ($36.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a blackened navy with cooler undertones and fine lighter blue and silver pearl. It had semi-opaque pigmentation in a single layer, but the more emollient consistency made it difficult to build up coverage. The problem with such a deep shade having a cream base and being less than full coverage was that it always looked patchy and uneven. This might work as a base under other deeper shades or more shimmery eyeshadows, but on its own, it looked disastrous on the lid. That disaster lasted for a solid 14 hours on me and looked the same across that length of time, but it lacked the blendability necessary to m ake this type of color work as a standalone product.
Chanel describes the formula as a “smooth-textured cream shadow [that] glides on effortlessly” and is “long-wearing.” Overall, the consistency has moderate slip–emollient but not greasy or overly wet in feel–and feels more like a traditional cream eyeshadow than Chanel’s Illusion d’Ombres. They go on as a thin layer but have fairly good pigmentation. The formula dried down quite quickly leaving little time for blending or diffusing edges, even when working one eye at a time, which was where I struggled. I think some of them tended to work better as lid colors and using something else for a more diffused/blended out crease color. They did, however, wear impeccably for as long as fourteen hours on me–no creasing, fading, or flaking.
Chanel Lost Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colour ($37.00 for 0.20 fl. oz.) is a soft, medium peach with warm, orange undertones and a natural sheen. This particular shade seemed to apply (or at least, look) much lighter on my lips than swatched, and that might have had something to do with the medium coverage of the formula. It did not apply as well as I had hoped, as the color gathered in my lip lines and made my lips appear slightly more textured as a result. This shade wore well for three and a half hours but was comfortable to wear.
The formula is supposed to be a “long-lasting” liquid lipstick that “glides on like a gloss and sets with a luminous, velvet-like finish” and is hydrating. In my experience, they had semi-opaque to opaque coverage, while the wear time was between four and six hours (about the same as similarly hued-lipsticks) but was comfortable to wear and definitely non-drying. What I liked most about the product was actually the applicator, which was very smooth and easy to work with on the lips, as it had enough flex to maneuver naturally across the lips and made it easy to get crisp lines on the edges with it.
These are not for someone who likes a truly matte, flat finish that wears all day long, doesn’t budge or transfer, because these never quite dry down. They take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes to “set” to a velvety finish–a light sheen but not glossy–and aren’t transfer-proof; I get closer to transfer-proof wear after several sips of coffee or blotting it down (which is true with the majority of lip products) but will not make it through a meal fully intact. They do reapply well, and they wear down evenly, so for someone who likes a semi-matte finish, longer wearing lip products, and finds traditional matte, liquid lipstick formulas too drying, these might be worth checking out. They are housed in a frosted glass tube with a glossy black cap and are lightly scented with rose (I’ll say it is subtler than usual for Chanel). All swatches were taken 30 minutes after initial application.
Chanel City Lights Les 4 Ombres Eyeshadow Quad ($61.00 for 0.07 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette for fall that features three neutrals and a soft, pale pink. As much as I liked the idea of this, the shades did not mesh as well together as I expected based on past experience with Chanel’s quads. I can see it working well for someone who tends to use one or two shades but found the undertones to be a little competing instead of harmonious when using three or four shades together, personally (this subjective observations had no impact on rating). The quality of three shades was quite nice–pigmented, easy to use, long-wearing–while the light pink was rather sheer.
Chanel Road Movie Les 4 Ombres Eyeshadow Quad ($61.00 for 0.07 oz.) is a new, permanent palette featuring a beige, golden copper, bluish teal, and a blackened blue. It had a murky, smoky vibe with pops of color. It was decent but for someone who wants really rich, intense pigmentation, I think they would be happier with another brand, while those who prefer more buildable, softer, and more muted smoky hues, this might appeal.
