Chanel L'Été papillon summer collection 2013

The summer is coming up soon so let's talk about summer collections shall we?

The Chanel one is one of the few that I was excited about and the collection is called 'l'Eté Papillon' collection which basically means 'the Butterfly collection'.

And if you take a look at the collection, the name would make a lot of sense because of the bright summery colours that very much remind me of the colours of a butterfly.

Besides the usual lipglosses, nailpolishes and lipsticks Chanel came out with something new for this summer and they are the eyeshadow sticks (or crayons as I would like to call them) which was the main reason I have been eyeing this collection.

Personally I love eyeshadow stick and some of my favorites are the By Terry Ombre Blackstars, Kiko eyeshadow sticks and the one made by Topshop are very nice and are quite simular to the By Terry ones (for those who are looking for a cheaper and more accessible alternative).

Another eyecatcher in this collection are the coloured Inimitable mascaras to complete the butterfly look this summer.

So needless to say that my main focus is on the eyeshadow crayons and I got 4 of them. To my surprise when I was playing with the mascaras I found it to be very pigmented and easy to apply. So I decided to give one a try and purchased the yellow mascara as well.

The texture of the Chanel eyeshadow sticks is creamy, pigmented, quite shimmery and glides over your eyelid when you applied but they are not as buttery soft like the By Terry Ombre Blackstars.

They also contain a lot of shimmer in them but I haven't experienced any fallout so far (but I do suggest to use a good eye primer underneath). In terms of shades the Chanel ones are definitely more complex but the shade range is quite limited (only 6 colours in total) compared to the Kiko or By Terry eyeshadow sticks. 
The first one I got is called Pink Lagoon and as the name says, it's a cool bright vivid pink. Perfect for an easy wash on the eyelid when you have to run out the door in the morning.

Chanel Pink Lagoon

This collection wouldn't be called the Butterfly if there wasn't a green shade so Chanel created Jade Shore. A mint green colour for a pop of colour during the hot summer days.

Chanel Jade Shore

Chanel didn't forget those who love neutral colours to wear everyday to work so Moon River will fulfill that purpose without any issues. A gorgeous taupe with a hint of silvery shimmers in it will compliment any eye colour. 

Chanel Moon River

Last shade I bought is the black one and it's called Black Stream. It looks scary in the tube but the shimmers in them makes Black Stream a perfect shade to use as a base underneath another eyeshadow colour or as a simpel eyeliner that you can easily smudge out for a more natural effect.

Here are the swatches that I took side by side but the pictures don't do the shades justice to be honest.

Indoor lighting (from L to R):

Pink Lagoon - Jade Shore - Moon River - Black Stream

Same swatches in outdoor lighting.

Some people have noticed that Jade Shore is quite simular to Rouge Bunny Rouge 'Periwinkle Cardinal' and some have also wondered if it was any different from the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Rivière (which was an Asia exclusive shade from last year).

Since I own both of these, I swatched it side by side to see if they were identical and I'm pleased to say that all 3 of them are different enough to not be called dupes of one another.
Rivière is lighter and cooler while Periwinkle Cardinal is a tad darker compared to Jade Shore.

Swatches from L to R:

Chanel Jade Shore - Chanel Rivière -

Rouge Bunny Rouge Periwinkle Cardinal 

The yellow Chanel Inimitable mascara is called 'Zest'  and was quite easy to apply mainly because of the wand that is made from rubber and is designed to give your lashes volume and seperates them at the same time.

A quick look that I did using all 4 of the Chanel eyeshadow crayons and the yellow Inimitable mascara.

The Chanel eyeshadow crayons (limited edition) retail for  $34 USD / 28 EUR each and the Inimitable mascara for $30 USD / 28 EUR and can be purchased an any Chanel counter or online at the Chanel site.

Chanel #39 Raffinement quad (spring 2013)

First I have to admit that I wasn't really blown away with the Chanel collection for Spring 2013. It seems simular to their other spring collections that have been released so far.

But there were 2 things that I was curious about, the Raffinement quad and La Favorite Rouge Allure Velvet lipstick (which I will review another time) which I both got from this collection.

Chanel Raffinement quad

For those who don't know, there are 2 version of Chanel quads. The baked European version and the regular powder version that is sold in the USA.

I have the baked version of Chanel Enigma and hated it which makes me decide to get the US version to see if it's really that much better.

Chanel Raffinement quad- back

And yes I came to the conclusion it's 1000x better than the baked versions. I will swatch both of them to see how they differ in texture and pigmentation at the end of this post.

Now about Raffinement, this palette contains the typical Chanel neutral shades with taupes, browns and plums and reminds me a lot of the popular Kaska Beige but not as warm.

Texture is smooth, buttery and quite pigmented which I didn't really expect. It was almost too powdery and left a bit of a residue when I swatched it.
But it applies like a dream and blends heavenly on the eyelids. No need to say I'm in love with the US versions of the Chanel quads and will definitely be investing in more of them in the future.

Chanel Raffinement- close up

Although it looks dark and warm in the pan, it swatches surprisingly a bit cooler than I expected.

So I made swatches of some other quads that I think would be helpful. One of them is the baked version of the Chanel Enigma quad and the other one will be the Tom Ford Enchanted quad which I heard was kind of simular .

Chanel Raffinement swatches

Chanel Enigma quad (baked EU version)

As seen on the pics above, the baked Chanel quads lack pigmentation and the texture is so dry that you really have to pack the colour on your eyelids.

But since they are baked, it's possible to use them wet (which I really suggest) to make the colours more vibrant and long lasting.

Tom Ford Enchanted quad

The Tom Ford Enchanted palette is a slightly cooler version of Raffinement although the texture isn't as smooth as the Chanel one.

Best part is that Raffinement is not limited edition (thank you Chanel!) and will still be available for those who are thinking of getting this quad at a later date.

Chanel Raffinement quad retails for $59 USD/ 49,50 EUR and can be purchased at any Chanel counter and online on their website.

Chanel Eclats du Soir de Chanel Holiday 2012 collection!

This year Chanel came out with a festive but rather uninspired collection for this holiday season called 'Eclats du Soir'.

Although this collection is luxurious with that touch of elegance which is so typical for Chanel, it pales in comparision with other holiday collections out there.
I know many of you might disagree with me but this has not been their best collection so far.

Chanel holiday 2012 collection

The eye shadow quad is called 'Harmonie du Soir' and it looks simular to Topkapi which was released in the holiday 2011 collection.

These colours are softer and more muted compared to the original Topkapi. It created a pretty everyday look but none of the shades gives enough dimension that I'm looking for in a great eye look. The colours of Topkapi seem to work more harmonious together than Harmonie du Soir which is the reason why I decided not to get it.
The 2 items I did get from this collection is the #307 L'Impatiente Rouge Allure Velvet lipstick and the #637 Malice nailpolish.

L'Impatiente is a very dark berry red colour that doesn't go as black on the lips when it has been build up. The shade looks darker in the tube than in real life which makes it shade really wearable compared to the oxblood lip shades that have been so popular recently in the make up world.
Texture is not as creamy as the regular Rouge Allure but still comfortable on the lips with a matte finish. The colour really is gorgeous but hardly unique. It wasn't drying on my lips but I heard some people who have issues with the Rouge Allure Velvet texture so test it first before buying it.
For those who wants a wearable, not in your face dark vampy lip shade; L'Impatiente will be right up your alley.

Here are some swatches of L'Impatiente itself and compared with other simular lip shades.

Chanel L'Impatiente RAV swatch

From L to R: Chanel L'Impatiente, Chanel Rouge Noir

and Tom Ford Black Orchid.

Next item I purchased is the Malice nailpolish. At first I thought it would be very simular to my beloved Rouge Noir nailpolish but afterwards I saw that I was wrong.

Chanel Malice nailpolish

Malice is darker and is more of a burgundy red on the nails. Like all Chanel polishes, a base coat is needed to make it last longer. The practical brush that comes with it makes application really easy and since it's so opaque, 1 coat would probably be enough.

Texure is creamy and rich and with very subtle ruby sparkles in it that catches the light and like most Chanel polishes it gives a glossy finish on the nails.

Malice polish on my nails.

Chanel nailpolishes are not my favorite in term of texture and longevity but the colours really do make up for that.


L'Impatiente retails for $32 USD or (30,50 EUR) and Malice for $26 USD (or 22, 50 EUR) and both can be purchased at any Chanel counter and online.

Review: Chanel Notorious Joue Contraste.

Chanel came out recently with a limited edition contour shade in the form of a Joue Contraste, called Notorious. 

No need to say I was quite greedy to get one excited about this when I heard about this and decided to purchase one and give it a try and see if it lives up to the hype.

Before this has been even released, Chanel was already using it on their models on the runway which caused a lot of publicity as well for this product.

Before I start, I just want to say that I got Notorious awhile back (around 2 months ago I believe) but I wanted to give this a good try before doing this review.

Notorious JC

Notorious is definitely an unusual shade for a contour product since it's more of a greyish taupe colour with a hint of purple. What came in mind when I first saw it was that this colour will not suit all skintones for sure.

Like most of the Chanel Joue Contrasts, Notorious is baked like most of the EU versions of their products. 

Despite of that there was no issue at all with the colour payoff. In fact it almost leans towards powdery to the point where a light hand is needed to apply it.

Close up of Notorious JC

The greyish shade can look a bit unnatural on the skin (esp. when you're pale) compared to the usual brownish contour powders. Nonetheless with the right amount and application, this will give beautiful defined cheekbones.

Using a contour brush like the Hakuhodo 210 and Yachiyo or the Ray Morris Small face kabuki would work best with this product.
But honestly any soft squirrel brush would do the trick and won't deposit too much product onto your cheeks.

Here are swatches of Notorious compared to other contour products that are kind of simular in shade. Yes some of them are eyeshadow but this is just as a reference for the shade.

Notorious compared to other shades.

1. Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Medium
2. Catrice Starlight Espresso eyeshadow
3. Catrice Grey's Philosophy (discontinued)
4. Chanel Notorious
5. Addiction Concrete Jungle
6. Lunasol Sheer Glossy eye EX 01 Nuance Gray (LE)

As seen on the picture, the closest dupe would be Catrice Starlight Espresso in terms of undertone. 


From the ones mentionned above, the only other contour powder besides Chanel Notorious is the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting powder which is more brownish compared to Notorious.
This would look the most natural on most skintone and the texture is very smooth and silky which makes this one of my favorite contour powders out there.


Chanel Notorious retails for $43 USD or £31 GBP if you're in the UK and can only be found online or at the Chanel boutiques.
As mentionned above, this is a limited edition product so it will be sold out very quickly.

Comparison: Chanel Fleur de Lotus JC vs. Malice JC.

So I have been asked to compare Chanel Fleur de Lotus JC to Malice JC since most people believe they are simular.

This post will hopefully answer that question for those people who were wondering about the difference between these 2 JC blushes.

I will take this oppurtunity to show the difference between a baked JC blush and the one that has been made the regular way.

Chanel Fleur de Lotus was released as part of an Asia exclusive collection. Due to the huge succes in Asia Chanel recently has decided to rerelease that same collection exclusively at Nordstrom in the US and it will a limited edition item again just like in Asia.

It's described as a coral/pink color that turns more pink once applied. Fleur de Lotus does contains tiny shimmers but they are not visible at all on the skin and gives a very natural flush to the cheeks.

This blush is a baked JC (the swirls in the blush gives it away) so the texture is harder but still smooth. Pigmentation is decent but not as good as the regular non baked JC blushes.

Malice is one of the newest JC blushes that has been released this year. It's one of the US versions so this means the blush has not been baked.

Texture is smooth and more powdery unlike the baked JC's and it definitely more pigmented than Fleur de Lotus.

Malice leans more to the peachy pink shade and the perfect color to give a fresh glow to your face. I haven't seen Malice released in Europe or Asia yet so I can't say for sure this blush will be readily available everywhere.


Here are some swatches to show you how they look like on the skin.

Hope this was somewhat helpful and I'm curious about your opinions on these Chanel blushes.

Do you like them in general or not? I would love to know your thoughts on them.