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Chanel Rouge Joues Contraste / Blush Review, Photos, Swatches


Chanel Rouge Joues Contraste / Blush

Chanel Byzance: Rouge Joues Contraste

Chanel Rouge Joues Contraste / Blush ($43.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a darkened scarlet red with a satin sheen. It’s very, very intense. You’ll need a light hand with this particular blush, because it is easy to go overboard. When you use a light hand, though, it does tone down to more of a medium-dark pink–it doesn’t look red–which looks like a soft flush.

For such a pigmented blush, though, I had hoped for more blendability, but I felt like I had to do quite a bit of buffing and blending to get it to look even on me. Buffing was absolutely essential here, because without it, my cheeks looked splotchy and feverish.  The texture is soft and smooth, just like other Joues Contrastes, but I did not find it as blendable as the others.   I normally find Chanel’s blushes extremely easy to blend out and apply, but the color seemed to “stick” once it was applied.  Joues Contrastes tend to fade after six to eight hours on me, rather than lasting a full eight to ten.

MAC Bite of an Apple is a little brighter, pinker. NARS Exhibit A is much more orange. It’s a brighter, more vibrant version of MAC Love Thing. It compares best with MAC Frankly, Scarlet but perhaps a little darker.

Rouge will be excellent on deeper skin tones, because of its rich color payoff, and it will also be good for anyone who reaches for dramatic blushes overall. If you are looking for more of a wear-and-go color, and ultimately, think you’d end up using this very lightly, you’d be better off picking up a product that takes less time to apply correctly.


Chanel Rouge Joues Contraste / Blush


Chanel Rouge Joues Contraste / Blush


Chanel Rouge Joues Contraste / Blush


Chanel Rouge Joues Contraste / Blush


Chanel Rouge Joues Contraste / Blush


Chanel Rouge Joues Contraste / Blush

42 Comments

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Victoria Avatar

How do you put panic on? I’ve been using a skunk brush, and am considering a fan, but I feel like no matter how light of a hand I use I still look like a clown! The colour is sooo beautiful though and it looks like I’m naturally blushing.

Bethy Avatar

Personally I lightly apply Panic to the apples of my cheek with a fan brush then buff the heck out of it with a clean blush brush. If it’s too intense after that I help blend it into my cheek color with the same blush I apply my powder with but I do not dip the brush in any powder, I just let the remnants of my original application do the work.

Lynn Avatar

What I have done with Panic for over a the past two years is to dip a fluffy yet dense blush (I use MAC129) into transparent powder, just hardly coating the tips of the bristles, then tapping it into Panic. The extra transparent powder will ‘activate’ the blush and blend it out well. I use Panic almost everyday for 2 years and it still looks relatively brand new. Hope it helps.

Rosie Avatar

It looks gorgeous on you! I have and love this blush (NC40 here). I just use a teeeeeny bit on my skink brush and it gives me a perfect flush – looks completely natural! I wish Chanel would make it permanent.

Stephanie Avatar

I was out to buy this the other day and reluctantly let the mua apply it to my cheeks before purchase. Unfortunately that was a mistake! I could tell by the way she was mashing her brush into the pigment that I was in trouble. After she was finished I looked either sunburned or like I had an alcohol allergy. (I’m very pale skinned) What I did like was the strawberry hue- very pretty. I picked it up despite the blush explosion I received and look forward to applying it with a lighter hand 😉

Amy Avatar

Omg this blush is so beautiful<3 I am very fair skinned (Lighter then NC/NW 15) but I tend to like slightly more dramatic blushes and I've been on a search for the blush that'll make me look like Snow White and this seems great for that<3

Nancy Avatar

I am an NW20 and I ordered this blush online because I had to see it in person. I was not sure it would work for me but to my surprise it does. It is so beautiful. I did not have any trouble blending it at all. I only used a very little bit with my fan brush and it went on perfect. Over the weekend I broke down and ordered Or Blush online I hope it will work for me

Jill Avatar

I tend to have rosy cheeks to but had to have it! I got a great tip from a MUA today that I thought I’d share. She said since I already have a bit of red in my cheeks to put a bit of bronzer on my cheeks first to cancel it out a bit and then apply the blush on top of that. I haven’t tried it yet, but it sound like a great idea. I do, however, sometimes apply a full coverage foundation with a yellow base to just my cheeks after my tinted moisturizer or other foundation to hide the red and then apply powder and blush from there and that seems to work well too.

Bethy Avatar

Those swatches are beautiful and it looks divine on your cheeks. Mmmm. I haven’t bought any Chanel yet but as I adore dramatic colors and am brown, I may have to whore away my Chanel makeup virginity when it comes to this brand after seeing this!

Jana Avatar

I love mine too. A very unique color and one that lasts for hours on me. Tried a few different ways on applying it and it really helps, if you set your foundation first.

Kelly Avatar

That blush looks gorgeous on you! 🙂
I’m in a constant battle with red cheeks, so I don’t think this is a shade for me, unfortunately.

Iliana Avatar

Is it just me or does it look like it applies a bit unevenly/splotchy? Maybe it’s just the way I see my computer screen right now but anyway, gorgeous color but I don’t think I’m ready to drop $43 when I know I’ve got much cheaper dupe options. 🙂

By the way Christine, I’ve been meaning to tell you (but keep forgetting) that maybe the reason why some commenters say a swatch looks “nothing at all like yours” despite their having the same skin tone as you is that computer monitors are all set differently. Graphic artists and photographers usually have to calibrate their monitors to get the color settings on their monitor right. Like for example, I am working in an office with white light so there’s a great chance I perceive the colors in my monitor differently from a person who is in a room with yellow light and casts a warmer tone on his or her computer. I know computer screens are backlit but even the tiniest shift in lighting calls for monitor calibrating. 🙂 Getting a calibrating gadget might help you in getting the most accurate color swatches (especially when you print photos). Phew! Sorry it’s so long but that’s how my boyfriend who’s a graphic designer explained it to me. I complained that one of his pictures was too pink in the screen but when we printed it out, the colors were set just right. Just in case there’s still any confusion here. 🙂

Trisha Avatar

Wow, looks amazing on you! Thanks for such great pictures… when I saw the eye quad on you I had to have it and now I’m thinking the blush and lipstick should come home with me as well 🙂

Sasha Avatar

I’ve been looking for a red blsh, and this looks unbelievably gorgeous on you, Christine. 🙂 Do you think it could work on NW20 skin with a very, very light hand, or too pale?

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