Chanel Summer 2012 Makeup Swatches

Chanel Summer 2012 makeup - a mix of beige, peach, coral, orange, rose, bronze & gold gorgeousness…

I’ve swatches some of my favourites from the collection to give you an idea of how they look on the skin.

Bronzer

Sable Beige & Sable Rose - beautiful silky smooth compacts that apply to the skin like velvet.  Beige, a soft golden caramel; Rose, a peachy pink toned golden bronze.

Lips

For me, Calypso Glossimer - a bright orange with gold shimmer is the stand out lip product, but En Vogue Rouge Coco Shine is the one that I think suits me best as it’s more of a pinky toned coral, despite looking quite orange in the bullet. 

Sirocco Glossimer is a very pale gold shimmer, a bit blah on its own but makes other shades pop when layered on top and shimmers beautifully in the sunlight.  Personally I wouldn’t invest in something like this - I’d much rather pay for colour and find a cheaper dupe for something so subtle.

Peche Kohl is a peachy toned bronzer eyeliner, which is really lovely, but a little bit too subtle to justify the price for me. Not that I like my makeup to be garish, but if I’m splashing out on a luxury product I’d like it to add something to my face!

The same swatches in a slightly softer light, which shows En Vogue (left) in particular more true to the actual colour.

 

                   Indoors                                                                                     Outdoors

In these pics I’m wearing the Sable Rose bronzer and I don’t think it suits me at all.  The beauty assistant applied it quite heavily as a blush and I was shocked at how orange toned it looked on me.  (I was secretly quite relieved!)

What do you think?

Have you purchased any of the 2012 Chanel Summer makeup collection?

 

December Favourites

My first ever monthly favourites post… I always love reading these on other blogs and have been asked to do them on here, so despite being halfway through January, I thought I’d share my December favourites!  I’ve included makeup, skincare and hair products. (I used a separate set of suncare products while on holiday but I’ll do a separate post on those).
First up, makeup…

I totally meant to number these pics, but I’ll talk you through them instead and link to any previous review posts I’ve done.
Face - left hand pic (clockwise from 9 o’clock):

• Laura Mercier Starlight Mineral Illuminating powder, Translucent - gives soft focus effect with delicate gold sheen when under the light
  
• Laura Mercier Crème Smooth foundation, Warm Ivory - medium to full coverage (detailed review coming soon!)
  
• Top Shop cream blush, High Five - gorgeous doll pink blush, a little goes a long way {review}
  
• Chanel Illusion D’Ombres, Illusoire - heather-grey metallic shadow which I adore!
  
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer, 01 Light - long lasting, non drying or caking creamy formula - love this. {review}

Eyes & Lips - pic on right, from front left:

• Eyeliner pen by AH Francis, #31 - user friendly felt tip style eye liner in a rich Royal Navy shade {FOTD}
  
• Kate Moss for Rimmel lipstick, #01 - the perfect red. Get so many compliments on this. {swatches}
  
• Bobbi Brown Lip Color, Brown - the perfect everyday lipstick {review}
  
• Lavera Glossy Lips, Magic Red - a lovely subtle berry toned gloss that’s very moisturising and comfortable to wear {FOTD}

Nailpolishes:

• Orly Mineral FX Nail Lacquer, Rococo-A-Go-Go - the most striking shimmering rich purple polish on the planet. Fact. {swatches}
  
• Mavala Sparkling Bronze #230 - big bold glitter polish, fabulous as a pedi (wore this on hols, lovely with faux tanned feet)

Skincare
 
Nip + Fab Sheer Make-Up Fix  Described as a BB (Blemish Balm) I view this more as a primer product. It evens out skintone, refines pores and provides a great base for foundation. If you have fabulous skin it may well give you the confidence to go au naturel… sadly that won’t be me! It does help my foundation apply, look and last better though and is great value for money. NB it’s a completely clear gel.
Vichy Liftactiv Retinol HA Night  This was a 2011 hero product for me.  I hadn’t used Vichy products for years and this totally blew me away. First of all I adore the presentation of the product. The conical lid comes off to reveal a slimmer version underneath, which you press to ‘foam’ the product onto your hand. It feels and sounds like mousse when it’s dispensed, but applies like cream. This feels divine on the skin and really does make my face look refreshed and ‘plumped up’ in the mornings. The Liftactiv range contains hyaluronic acid and retinol (meaning spf must be used by daytime) the products feel really gentle on my skin and didn’t cause any irritation at all.
Vichy Liftactiv Retinol HA Eyes  The accompanying eye product is equally lush.  Like the face cream, I love how this product applies, by pressing the long skinny nozzle to release the perfect amount.  It feels ever so slightly waxy and really moisturising around my eyes.
La Roche Posay Redermic+ (sensitive skin) This anti wrinkle firming moisturiser contains complex anti ageing ingredients including 5% pure Vitamin C. It temporarily plumps up the skin and fills in fine lines making it look temporarily firmer and smoother - I do tend to top it up and reapply makeup if I’m going out for the evening. This product also has long term anti ageing benefits, and feels rich but not too heavy on the skin. I have big respect for the science behind the La Roche Posay brand and have liked all of their products I’ve tried.

Left to right: each product applied, then lightly blended: Nip+Fab, Vichy Liftactiv Night, Vichy Liftactiv Eyes, La Roche Posay Redermic+
Hair

Label M Organic Moisturising Lemongrass Shampoo and Conditioner smell beyond gorgeous and for some reason seem to keep it clean twice as long as normal. They are paraben free and contain an organic blend of Lemongrass (obvs!), Echinacea and Jojoba oil; the packaging is sleek and I love the user friendly pump bottles. More than anything I love the smell, but in all honesty these products didn’t make my hair feel as moisturised and nourished as expected considering the price point. They seemed to make my hair quite big & puffy, so may be better suited to someone looking for volume. (Also available in Orange Blossom which I think sounds gorgeous!)
Label M Organic Lemongrass Shampoo is £12.45 and Conditioner is £15.95 for 200ml at Beauty Booth 
Sleek Blow Out Cream is one of the best styling products I’ve tried in a looong time. I really struggle to find a styling product that works well with my hair. It smells beautiful, quite sweet like vanilla. It fights frizz and coats my hair in nourishing cream which seems to hold the style well without weighing it down at all.  I’ve used it with my Babyliss Big Hair and when blowdrying my hair straight and it worked great both ways - it even seemed to cut down on drying time (always a bonus!). 
Label M Sleek Blow Out Cream costs £13 for 150ml at Beauty Booth and I’ll definitely replace this when it runs out!

Hair & skincare samples