Chanel Noirs Obscurs Collection features three shades of Rouge Allure Lipsticks: Maniac (deep black red), Hysteria (eggplant black), and Obscure (brown black).

Rouge Allure Lipstick ($30.00)

• Hysteria is a deep, dark cool-toned blackened, red-toned purple.  It goes on very opaque and layers well.  Applied with a lip brush and/or over a dark lip liner, this color is very intense and completely solid.  It has subtle violet-purple shimmer and a glossy finish.
• Maniac is a dark brown-based red–almost reminds me of a deep, dark blood red in a way.  Like Hysteria, it applies better with a lip brush rather than straight outta the tube (which is often the course you’d take with such a dark and bold lip color like this anyway).  This one has very subtle reddish shimmer that’s almost missed by the eye.  It has the same glossy finish as Hysteria.
• Obscure is a dark, terracotta-warmed brown.  It also has a glossy finish with just a slight bit of coppery orange shimmer.  This one applied the best straight from the tube, but it, too, applies better when you use a lip brush.

I’m a big fan of Chanel lip products.  Their eye products are often misses for me, but their lip products rarely disappoint.  I’m so pleased to see truly opaque, richly pigmented colors release from this high-end brand.  These aren’t imitations of bold, fall lip colors at all–they’re intense and well-pigmented.  My advice is to line with a lip liner and potentially fill in all of your lips with it (you can try a flesh-toned, lip-toned, or similar-toned shade) and then apply using a lip brush for precision.  Bold lips look best when they’re well-defined, so a lip brush for application is really necessary!

Rouge Allure lipsticks are creamy, silky, and are nearly always pigmented.  They wear incredibly well throughout the day (several hours and still hang on a bit after eating/drinking) and fade in such a way that doesn’t leave any funny rings or the like around your mouth.  They’re hydrating and just feel good on the lips.

What do you think?  Are these colors drawing you in?

• Product: 28/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation:  For luxe, long-lasting and intense bold lips, Chanel’s new, limited edition Rouge Allure shades are a top choice.

Availability: October/November 2009 at Chanel.

See swatches and close-up photos…

Chanel Rouge Allure:  Hysteria, Maniac, Obscure

Chanel Rouge Allure in Hysteria

Chanel H Rouge Allure in Hysteria

Chanel Rouge Allure in Maniac

Chanel Rouge Allure in Maniac

Chanel Rouge Allure in Obscure

Chanel Rouge Allure in Obscure