Chantecaille Rose Petals (Les Petales de Rose) Illuminating Face Powder Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:00:12 +0000

Chantecaille Rose Petals (Les Petales de Rose) Illuminating Face Powder

A Delicate Highlighter for the Holidays

Chantecaille Rose Petals (Les Petales de Rose) Illuminating Face Powder ($74.00 for 0.42 oz.) is described as a “sheer, flattering glow [for] all skin tones” with “light-perfecting powders [that] provide a veil of subtle radiance, while [being] long-lasting, comfortable.” It’s a pale pink with a golden shimmer-sheen; when it’s layered on heavily, it looks mostly pink, but when sheered out, you’ll see all of the shimmer, sheen, and luminosity come through. NARS Albatross has a similar sheen, but it has more of a creamy white base, rather than a pink-tinged one. MAC Lightscapade has more shimmer, less sheen.
Guerlain Cruel Gardenia is darker, less cool-toned. The general way it looked on the skin reminded me of the majesty of Guerlain’s Parure de Nuit.

There was something about it that caught my eye when I was browsing Nordstrom, and I impulsively purchased it (which is rarer than you’d expect). The beauty of this highlighter is in its finish; it’s soft as silk, extremely finely-milled, and melts against the skin to give a natural, luminous highlight that doesn’t accentuate pores but actually softens the overall texture of the skin. It wore for a full nine hours and hadn’t faded one bit. It came as no surprise that it was easy to blend on the skin, and it’s the kind of powder that gives off a glow, a sheen, but not shimmer or sparkle. Unfortunately, all that magic comes at a rather steep price tag!

One bright spot is that the powder contains 0.42 oz., which is twice the size of most blushes, though it’s only 25% or so larger than many highlighters on the market. For all its hefty price tag, the compact is made out of lightweight plastic. Typically, at this price point, you’ll see a packaging upgrade to metal or the like, but not with this product. If you’re familiar with Guerlain’s Meteorites (Pressed) Powders that retail for $56, it’s a similar feel (in regards to packaging) and resulting disappointment. Both are fantastic products and look beautiful on the skin, but for the price, the lack of heft was something I noticed immediately.