CHANEL Blush Horizon de Chanel & Rouge Coco Baume (Spring 2012)

I know it's not even Christmas yet and Spring seems a long way off but I was lucky enough to sample some of the Chanel Spring 2012 collection that will hit stores in the new year. I have fallen in love with duo that came in the gorgeous white case pictured above. 

In the case is the beautiful peachy pink 'Blush Horizon de Chanel' and a 'Rouge Coco Baume' both of which are beautiful products and perfect for a glowing and dewy Spring look. 

The blusher is just so beautiful to look at, of course coming encased in a velvet wallet and packaged in the classic Chanel way. I love the colorful stripes going across the product, and the Chanel label embossed into the powder - it just makes for such a timeless and elegant product. The pay off of the blush is simply gorgeous (see below) and it just blends into a shimmering and glowing dusky peach pink. The formula is finely milled so it feels so silky upon application and just naturally blends into the cheek leaving a healthy and radiant finish. This product was used on the catwalk for the S/S12 show and the models looked so effortlessly and naturally beautiful. A product perfect for the Spring months. 

The balm also comes in equally beautiful packaging, the height of sophistication for a lip balm that is for sure! This for me was an eagerly anticipated product, as I had heard about it previously and wanted to see how it faired against the amazing Rouge Coco Shine formulation, and I was not at all disappointed. The balm benefits from restorative properties and it really helps to keep lips hydrated and moisturised. I love that it has a thick formula but doesn't leave any residue and doesn't feel sticky. It keeps lips soft and supple.

These two wonderful Spring time products are part of Chanel's full Spring collection 'Les Harmonies de Printemps' and are due for release early next year. Watch this space.........

CHANEL Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow

As a part of their eyeshadow range, Chanel have a collection of individually packaged shadows that come in a great variety of shades. The two featured here have since made their way into the Chanel holiday 2011 collection which is available on the counter now. These two have a particularly festive and warm appeal to them and are gorgeous for creating a festive party look.

The shadows are well pigmented and blend brilliantly because the shadows are finely milled to create the soft and velvety feel of them. I found that because of this, a lot of product gathers on the brush so a little goes a long way with this product, so I find myself tapping off excess shadow otherwise it would shed down my face!

They are beautifully packaged in the classic Chanel style which is sleek and sophisticated, the product itself is quite small and the packaging is compact, yet they have made it bigger than the product which enables a perfect sized mirror to be put in place which is always handy. The range of the shadows is quite large for Chanel and because of this are available in iridescent, matte or satin effects so there is plenty to choose from. The two here are both beautifully shimmery and eye-catching, a perfect choice for the holiday collection.

Left - Blazing Gold

Right - Tigerlily 

The shadows are very luxurious and are quite expensive considering you are only purchasing a single shadow, but you do get the sophistication and beauty that is Chanel. Perhaps that is a strong enough allure....

CHANEL Perfection Lumiere

With Chanel taking one of my all time favourite foundations out of production (Pro Lumiere), I was waiting with high expectations for what they would replace it with. I was not disappointed when I got to try the eagerly awaited Chanel 'Perfection Lumiere' - the foundation had the instant luxury appeal with the classic Chanel packaging and immaculate and sophisticated presentation, so I hoped the foundation matched up. And indeed, the foundation itself is lovely, it has a velvety feel and glides on the skin silkily and blends in beautifully. I love the finished appearance it totally evens out skin tone and gives the face warm and luminosity, Chanel have done it again and brought out another fantastic foundation.

Chanel have defined the 'perfection' of the foundation in 3 words.

1. Universal - a respond to a universal desire for simple perfection

2. Invisible - the invisible structure of beauty on the inside

3. Infallible - Impeccable exactness, hold, balance and harmony

It does live up to these statements, Chanel wanted to make this product available to everyone, and with the huge colour range, it is. Chanel has never had such a wide range of colour variety and this foundation comes in a fantastic 23 shades. They come in 4 'harmonies' (beige, beige rose, beige ambre and beige ocre) depending on skin tone so you should be able to find your perfect match.

I completely love this foundation and it provides just the right amount of coverage in my opinion, however Chanel states that it is buildable but my only set back is that with more and more application of the product I found it can begin to look powdery on the skin, but this is probably because it has such a silky and soft formula and is only a minor complaint. Otherwise it is completely beautiful, and even if you prefer a more heavy look, it doesn't appear thick or feel uncomfortable on the skin. It works really well with a brush, or just with fingers, when applied with fingers it has a melt-away texture and just glides on so straight forwardly and it lasts all day. It has a matte finish but simultaneously makes the skin feel nourished and soft which is a great advantage to this product.

Definitely worth sampling, it is quite expensive at £36 but Chanel foundations do tend to last a good while and I think it is important to get foundation right, so if this suits you then go for it!

The foundation isn't available until 13th January so keep your eyes peeled!

LUMIÈRE SCULPTÉE DE CHANEL

Chanel will be releasing this limited edition highlighting powder as part of their 2011 holiday collection. I am really in two minds about this product - on the one hand I am head over heels for the timeless, sophisticated packaging which exudes glamour. However, although I anticipated this product would give a festive glow, I was left disappointed as the colour pay off wasn't very strong (see swatch below), and only after quite a bit of product it left a very subtle sheen on my skin.  I also found the tone quite frosty rather than pearly and festive but this is down to my skin tone and may not be the same for everyone. The texture of the product is lovely though, and has a gentle and velvety feel which makes it blend into the skin well. 

In light of this, it may be best used for a hint of daytime radiance rather than the rich, warm and glamorous look that I predicted it would offer. Despite my disappointment in the appearance of the product upon application, I absolutely adore the pattern imprinted on the surface of the powder which is so elegant and sophisticated, adding a luxurious touch to anyone's make up bag.

The powder is coming to counters soon.....

Review written by Kate Gowing. 

To give you an indication of skin tone Kate wears 40 in Chanel foundation and NW35 in MAC. 

In conclusion, This product is much more suitable for light skin tones. On my skin (NC25) Lumiere Sculptee has a pretty subtle pearl/golden sheen. As Kate said, it has more of a daytime payoff.

Une Promenade Chanel Installation at Harrods

Yesterday I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peak at the Chanel exhibition in Harrods. This is an absolute must for Chanel fans.
I took plenty of pictures but you will have to trust me that pictures will never be able to do the installation justice.

 To enter the installation you walk through a curtain of pearls and into a beautiful garden room with a fountain at the center and miniature trees with chamilia flowers around the edges. The quilted Chanel watering can and gardening tools were a highlight.
The next room was too dark to photograph but replicates being inside a Chanel 2.55 handbag. There is a giant zip on the lined wall and another wall shows video footage of the bags being handmade.

 The third room is a playroom. The miniature replica of the Chanel store on Place Vendome, Paris is utterly mind blowing.

 I also clocked this doll dressed from the Byzantine collection

The fourth is the Couture Room. The walls are mirrored just like the stairs in Rue Cambon that lead up to Mademoiselles apartment and Karl Lagerfelds offices.

The fifth is Karl's Office. A huge cut out of Karl adorns the book covered walls and his voice can be heard.

And finally into the Fragrance Room. This room is dark and atmospheric and probably the highlight for me was a gigantic bottle of No.5 through which the advertising history of the fragrance was being shown. I filmed a short clip but it is a little shaky.

Then, I realised that the book that I had been given upon exit was the most delightful pop-up addition to this wonderful experience.

I honestly cannot recommend this exhibition enough. It is on until the 24th of September so get your skates on, guys.

CHANEL Les Fleurs D'été De Chanel - Summer 2011

Available on counter from May 2011

Soleil Tan De Chanel - £32.50
Bronze Rosé suitable for fair skin tones
Bronze Corail explores the warmth of olive and tanned skin

Les 4 Ombres - £37.00
Lilium
Pink Champagne with golden sparkles
Soft pale yellow/green
Deep iridescent green
Grey with bronze reflections

Levres Scintillantes - £20.00
Pink Peony - Perfect pink with soft lilac reflects
Aurore - Tender peach with gold and pink reflects
Pensée - Deep coral (not pictured)















Also available Stylo Yeux Waterproof (long-lasting eyeliner) in Rose Platine - £18.00
Ombres Contraste (Eyeshadow Duo Powder and Cream-powder) in Khaki-Discret - £30.00
and Le Vernis (Nail Colour) in Morning Rose, Beige Pétale and Mimosa - £17.50

Les Tentations De Chanel - Holiday Collection

Look what landed on the desk at Pixiwoo Towers yesterday, we have the Les Tentation De Chanel 2010 Christmas Collection.

Chanel say it's 'A palette with warm tones, dashed with joyful pink, compliments coppers, and bronzes swept over eyelids. On cheeks, lips and fingertips, the radiance of ultra-feminine fuchsia is a playful weapon of seduction'

We say 'Oh it's another collection of browns'
Then we say 'Oh my god, this palette is divine'

Yes, this is an incredibly wearable collection. Infact I will wear every single item in it but don't be fooled into thinking it's boring.
The Tweed Fuchsia blush is a wonderful amalgam of matte pinks and shimmering gold, which gives a subtle glow to the cheeks but can be applied with more intensity if desired.
The Les 4 Ombres shadow palette is a collaboration of warm iridescent pinks and browns. It follows in the footsteps of the Enigma palette in that the colour payoff is immense. The dark brown (Rouge Noir Cuivré) is an absolute dream to work with. It is the colour of the deepest rich mahogany with shimmer, the colour is so rich that it looks like it would taste nice... does that make sense?

Other products that I love in this collection are the fuchsia nail polish in Pulsion and the fluid iridescent eyeshadow Ombres D'eau in Splash which is another highly pigmented deep and luminous bronze.

Enjoy. Out on counters from 5th November 2010

Chanel - Rouge Allure Extrait De Gloss

Available from 1st October 2010
Chanel - Pure Shine Intense Colour Long Wear Lip Gloss - £22.50
These glosses come in 9 shades of which I have 7 (shown below).

In the past month I have been swapping between Insolence and Imaginaire because I can never get enough of pink gloss.
These glosses feel absolutely lovely on the lips and because they are Chanel the packaging is typically simple and stylish.
They come in a weighty opaque black square glass tube with a unusual 'V' shaped wand which makes application easy and somehow luxurious.
I wanted to keep applying it but there was no need because the product itself is very long wearing.
Totally recommend.

Note: I was wearing Imaginaire in the Waterproof Mascara video.
Posted by Sam

CHANEL Les Trompe-L'Oeil de Chanel

Nic and I had a little play with these last night. The results are currently being uploaded onto YouTube.

If you are a fan of tattoos but not prepared to make the lifelong commitment then you cannot go wrong with these. They are both stylish and easy and are sure to sell out. 

Contact Selfridges or any Chanel Boutique now!

Chanel SS10 ...

The new Chanel Spring Summer 2010 Campaign featuring Baptiste Giabiconi, Freja Beha Erichson and Claudia Schiffer ! How Pretty! I am really liking the whole look and look forward to seeing what more is to come! What do you think?

Images from yvy mag where you can see the rest of the images.

A piece of Chanel history.

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971)
Quite a few years ago while working for Chanel I had the great privilege of being invited to visit the apartment of Gabrielle Chanel.
Located above the Chanel boutique at 31 Rue Cambon, Although she lived at the Ritz she kept this apartment "as a place to house her own clothes and host dinner parties"

Many influences from the Chanel collections can be seen inside the apartment. For example, a small birdcage in her sitting room was the inspiration behind the 1992 Chanel commercial with Vanessa Paradis. Many Chanel ads have been shot here including the Keira Knightly 'Coco Mademoiselle' commercial and the Shalom Harlow 'Coco' fragrance campaign (below)

Click here for Vogue's tour of the apartment.