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Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush Review, Photos, Swatches

Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush
Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush

Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush ($45.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as “rosewood.” It’s a muted, medium pink with subtle warm, yellow undertones and a semi-matte finish. Makeup Geek Spell Bound (P, $9.99) is lighter, more shimmery. MAC Cheeky Bugger (LE, $21.00) is a touch lighter. Hourglass Radiant Magenta (P, $35.00) is warmer. NARS Love (LE, $29.00) is darker. Urban Decay Overexposed (LE) is a touch lighter. MAC Royal Sunset (LE, $21.00) is warmer, lighter. NYX Peach (P, $5.00) is brighter. NYX Mauve (P, $5.00) is cooler-toned. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

I was surprised to find the texture of the blush to be incredibly thin and somewhat stiff. It’s quite sheer and really requires three to four layers to get visible, more true-to-pan color on the skin (both in the swatch and applied to cheeks). Normally, Chanel’s blushes are very soft and silky, sometimes bordering on powdery, but this one was thinner and drier. It didn’t feel genuinely stiff, yet little color was coming off of the pan when I was trying to apply it with a blush brush. Even the process of blending the color was challenging, as the color didn’t blend easily, so it had a tendency to look uneven and splotchy. The color lasted for seven hours on me before turning patchy and faded.

See more photos & swatches!

Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush
Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush

Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush
Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush

Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush
Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush

Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush
Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush

Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush
Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush

Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush
Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Powder Blush

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Guerlain Parure de Lumiere
  • Urban Decay Naked Loose Finishing Powder
  • Chanel Innocence (160) Joues Contraste Blush
On eyes:
  • Chanel Sensation
  • Palpitation
  • Heesitation
  • Exaltation
  • Pulsion
  • Admiration Eyeshadows
  • Marc Jacobs Beauty Blacquer Highliner Gel Eyeliner
On lips:
  • Chanel Rose Reve Glossimer

55 Comments

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wendy Avatar

hi christine! thankyou for your super review!! i’m definitely saying goodbye to chanel….well, at least for awhile. i’ve been very disappointed with their collections for a long time. just not worth the money. although, you looked very pretty with the look. my local nordie’s just put a small armani counter up and there’s a new fabulous artist at shiseido. trying something new……xo.

KJH Avatar

omg! I hope you got a dud! Chanel blushes are usually to die for. Unless you’re a confirmed Chanel addict, who does not read blogs, I don’t see this as getting a lot of takers. At that price point, it’s unconscionable. Why would anyone buy it, when there are so many good dupes? Spend a lot, then fight with it? Maybe a batch missed the quality control. It doesn’t even rate highly on imaginative. If you’re a fan of a certain brand/formula, you probably already have something close in that brand. No offense to nos amies francaises, but they seem to be missing the banana boat this summer.

Wednesday Avatar

Oi!! Love the subtle colour, but it looks a bit patchy in your photo probably because you had to work to get product on. I am always excited about Chanel Joues, but now not this one. I’m not at all impressed. Not sure this is exactly unique from my stash standpoint so I may just pass altogether. Hmm..looking at swatches again and wondering how close this is to that GA blush which also disappointed me. Will use the handy dandy swatch tool to compare. Thanks for the heads up.

Aside note: I do have one Joues dud which I find super still and difficult, Rose Petale. It is also a lighter more muted shade. Never use it. Who wants to fight with their makeup?

Christine Avatar

Well, at least we’ve both found duds… the formula has been fairly reliable, at least terms of being a softer, silkier formulation – sometimes leaning powdery (but I’ll take powdery vs. stiff/dry so long as it doesn’t look that way on the skin!).

And who wants to fight with their makeup at $45 a pop?!

Diane Avatar

My first thought was, “Oh, what a beautiful color!” Then, I read your review, and I’m going to skip this. I refuse to pay $45 for a blush that you have to mess around with to get any color payout.

Brenda Avatar

The colour is really nice, the type of colour I reach for as an easy everyday blush – shame about the texture and D report card! Esp. for Chanel’s prices 🙁

(It reminds me of NYC Central Park Pink Cheek Glow, not in the swatch but once on the skin)

Elizabeth Avatar

I just received mine from chanel.com and it is wonderful. I had no issues as you experienced. It is a great everyday type color. Perhaps you should consider returning the one received and exchange for another one? Just as MAC mixed up the labels on their recent release of the mirror and gold mirror lip gloss. Mistakes do occur, and I have found Chanel and MAC provide excellent customer service, when such things do take place.

Eliz Avatar

My compact of Innocence arrived from chanel.com today and it does feel less silky than my Joues Contrastes in Rose Initiale and Rose Ecrin, but very similar to both Star Dust and Rose Petale, which are more on the dry side. The “less silky” versions remind me more of a DiorBlush kind of texture which do tend to feel a little dry. Thankfully, I did not have any significant issues with application, but I do think Innocence tends to be more sheer. Since I am extremely fair, I didn’t need to build it to get the desired color, but I can see how this would be an issue for many. I am seriously in love with the color though – it’s such a lovely rosy pink that just makes me feel girly and pretty. I actually think it looks amazing on you Christine, but I totally understand your frustration and disappointment with the texture and application. At this price point, you need to love it. Thank you for the honest and thorough review.

Andrea Avatar

I have this blush and I really like it. I am fair and don’t care for blushes that pack a ton of pigment. Plus, I’m oily and blush really grabs. I’d much rather build up the color than have to fix clown cheeks. I have 3 of the Hourglass Ambient blushes and I think this blush is much easier to work with than those. So, everyone is different and it’s best to try it out for yourself if you like the color.

Carol Rutz Avatar

Hm. I tried Innocence at the counter and even had my face done with that blush. It looked great on my skin (NW40). I bought it as I do not have such a color and I am hoping for a good batch.

Gail Avatar

I received mine from chanel.com yesterday and love it! No texture problems at all, it is just like all my other JCs. Sorry you got a dud!

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