Chanel

Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 274 Codes Élégants

January 19th, 2017 by Karen 19 Comments

chanel codes elegants — Getting my glow on with the Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 274 Codes Élégants ($61, new for spring)

Between the new Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils, and this one I’m wearing now, 274 Codes Élégants, both of which are $61 each and new for spring, I’m convinced that Chanel is at the front of the pack when it comes to shimmery shades for ladies 30 and up.

Codes Élégants, like Codes Subtils, is $61, but unlike Codes Subtils, Élégants is permanent. And I kinda wish it was the other way around!

Not that this quad doesn’t have a lot going for it. It does! — like that glow, for one, and a silky, easy-to-blend formula. And the finish on that brown shade? SO GORGEOUS! Can I just get that on its own with the special sauce on the side? Please? The satiny finish shines on the down low. You can barely tell it’s there, but it’s there, and you know I live for that subtle sh*t, LOL! I’m so predictable… Yes, workhorse, everyday satins. I love ’em.

The thing is…the other three shadows in the quad — the two golden shades and the platinum — all look like slightly different versions of the same highlighter on my skin. They look very similar on me, so I don’t think I’ll be able to do as many different looks with this quad as I could with Codes Subtils, which has a more classic combo of one darker shade, two mid-toned shades and a highlighter.

I know that four shadows doesn’t seem like a lot in this world of 12-pan and 24-pan eye palettes, but you can really do a lot with four shadows if they’re the right four shadows, and if two of them are mid-tones. The mid-tones are totally key.

chanel elegants quad swatches — Swatches of Codes Élégants

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Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils

January 17th, 2017 by Karen 30 Comments

chanel codes subtils — Wearing the new limited edition Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils, $61 and available now

If you would, please direct your attention away from my hair for a moment (I know, it’s CRAY, but I just couldn’t deal with it this morning), and kindly observe my lids.

Don’t they look glossy and glowing in the best possible way? I think so.

That’s Chanel for ya.

Yeah, their eyeshadow quads are crazy expensive ($61, HOLY CANNOLI), but nobody does glossy glow like Chanel.

Well…Tom Ford gets pretty close with Nude Dip and Honeymoon, but they’re $82! In comparison, $61 for Chanel is practically a steal (at least that’s what I tell myself).

Behold the new Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils, and brace yourself for all the lusty eyeshadow thoughts.

ALL. OFF. THEM. 🙂

Limited edition… Why?

It’s really annoying that this quad is limited edition (it’s part of the Chanel 2017 Spring collection). I wish it was permanent, because all of the colors — the pale seashell pink, golden taupe, golden brown and khaki taupe — go SO WELL with the pink, nude and coral lip colors I love to wear in spring and summer.

A fabulous finish

All of the shades have varying levels of age-appropriate shimmer and almost look like wet gloss. And they’re absolutely perfect for mature lids. This kind of glow won’t age you.

chanel codes subtils swatches — Swatches of Chanel Les Ombres Multi-Effect Eyeshadow Quad in 278 Codes Subtils

Easy-to-blend, potent pigments

I don’t know how or why (it might be a miracle), but I don’t think you really even need to know what you’re doing with these because, despite them being highly pigmented, they also have a blurring effect that makes blending them drama-free. You can practically swipe your tapered eye brush back and forth a few times, and forget about it.

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Crushing Hard on Chanel Pink Rubber Velvet Nail Colour

November 30th, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

The name of this Chanel nail polish is Pink Rubber…

Dirty! I feel like a perv every time I say it. 🙂 Pink Rubber, Pink Rubber, Pink Rubber.

Pink Rubber (say it one more time) is from the Chanel winter collection, and it’s $28, limited edition and really friggin’ cool. I think it’s one of the coolest things Chanel has done in a long time.

So…why is it called Pink Rubber? Well, I think it’s because of the finish. From afar, it looks like a pretty typical matte, but if get up really closely, it looks like I dipped my nails in a vat of melted latex.

Not to take anything away from matte nail polishes, because I like wearing them sometimes, but some of them seem, I dunno…like they’re too basic. Like indoor house paint. Pink Rubber, though, has a slight sheen to it, so it isn’t completely flat.

And just in case you’re wondering, no, it does not feel rubbery.

Um…why did that also sound hella dirty? LOL! Get your mind out of the gutter, Karen. 🙂

I think the color looks like a baby pink in the bottle, but it looks more like a light pastel pinkish coral on my nails (I’m wearing three coats in these pics).

It kinda sorta reminds me of flamingo feathers, and you know how I am about anything related to flamingos. I love them.

As for wear time, I think it’s OK but not great. I applied Pink Rubber before doing my pre-Thanksgiving Cinderella chores and actually noticed a few chips the following day, so I removed it and re-applied the fresh mani I’m wearing in these pics. So far, so good after more than 48 hours this time, and I’m not using a base or top coat.

To its credit, the color doesn’t really show chips as readily as darker colors do, though, so that’s good.

Based on how it looks in its bottle, Pink Rubber (dirty!) seems like it would be basic, but the finish makes it much cooler. I’m not even usually into pale pink polishes because most of them bore me to tears (I wear lots of greens and blues), but I love Pink Rubber…

Haha, sorry, that name never gets old.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Get Ready With Me: A Chanel Winter Makeup Look

November 23rd, 2016 by Karen 9 Comments

Hello, is this thing on? Yes? No? Yes? I think I see the red dot…

It was a little weird filming this video because…I haven’t put my makeup on in front of the camera in a long time, and I had to re-remember all of the little technical/secret squirrel details like to check your nostrils before you turn on the camera because of renegade boogers…

Hey, just keeping it real! 🙂

So, this is a Chanel winter makeup look — nothing too fancy, but a little fancier than I’d wear to just chill on the couch. I did silvery blue eyes with a soft dainty wing, pink cheeks and nude lips.

The video is totally informal, and I glossed over some parts. It’s not a tutorial, but if you have any questions about anything I did, hit me up in the comments.

Makeup I’m wearing in the video

I used to feel that, especially if I’m going to sit in front of the camera for a video, I had to do everything in my makeup perfectly, but you know what? Life happens. This isn’t a perfect makeup look, but it’s realstic for me and what I wear now. I don’t have the patience anymore to layer three different shades of brown in the crease just to run errands around town. This is just a simple look that represents what I like right now, which is slightly polished makeup that isn’t too involved.

As always, thank you for watching, my friend! Talk to you soon. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Eyeshadow/Eyeliner Do You Wear the Most?

November 1st, 2016 by Karen 21 Comments

chanel 88 noir intense — I love you so hard, Chanel 88 Noir Intense!

I was talking on the phone yesterday to a friend who happens to be a Chanel-o-phile like I am, and we both went full-on crazy when got on the topic of Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner in 88 Noir Intense.

OK, it’s just a black twist-up liner — seemingly boring, right? — but babe, IT IS SERIOUSLY THE BEST BLACK EYELINER EVER.

I wear it almost every day and have for months, ever since I figured out that, basically, it’s the sh*t.

I have ventured out, though. I’ve tried different liners over that time because, you know, it’s just black liner, and there are so many black liners out there, but I keep coming back to Noir Intense.

I come to it because it 1) because it stays on my water line, and 2) because it glides like a silky gel liner but doesn’t dry out my water lines like one.

Like a gel liner, it feels super soft and smooth, but, unlike a gel liner, it doesn’t grip my water line with such preternatural force that it dries them out a little.

I know that sounds odd, but I can’t always wear gel liner. Noir Intense is more like a traditional eyeliner pencil, but it glides along like a gel.

It also lasts all day long. It doesn’t do that weird thing that some black eyeliners do where they start out just fine on your water line but begin to break apart and disappear within an hour.

chanel waterproof eyeliner 3 — Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner in 88 Noir Intense

Oh, and it also doesn’t smudge, either. You know how some black liners are already smudging on your upper and lower lash lines two seconds after you apply them, and before you can say, “Dammit!” they’re already transferring up into your crease?

Noir Intense doesn’t do that.

The Stylo Yeux formula, by the way, is waterproof, but I wouldn’t swim the English Channel wearing one and expect to crawl out of the surf with perfect liner on the other side. I have, however, cried many a tear with my 88 Noir Intense, and it still looks great.

It’s easy to remove as well. I don’t need a special hardcore waterproof eye makeup remover. Makeup removing oil works just fine (I like DHC Deep Cleansing Oil).

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One Word: RED! Chanel Le Rouge Collection No. 1

September 7th, 2016 by Karen 24 Comments

chanel le rouge collection no 1 lipstick swatches — Red, she said! The lipsticks from the fall Chanel Le Rouge Collection No. 1

Erhmahgawd, so much red! I mean…I love wearing red, but I can’t possibly be the only person out there who looked at ALL OF THE RED in Chanel’s fall Le Rouge No. 1 Collection and thought, “There’s absolutely no damned way.”

Red lips? Yeah, I’m totally downtown, Julie Brown, but red lipstick, red blush AND red eyeshadow…? Seems a little out there! At first glance at this collection, I came so close to whipping my ponytail and spinning in the other direction in my high-tops. I didn’t think there was any way this much red could be wearable.

But then I tried it on!

And had a revelation.

Red on the lids? YAAAS, QUEEN. Same goes for red on cheeks. And when you put ’em together with red lips? C’est magnifique!

chanel le rouge collection no 1 — Wearing the quad, blush and cream shadow in Rouge Brule; liner in Agape; and lipstick in Rouge Charnel

My reaction to this release is a far cry from what happened a few years ago when I tried wearing red on my lids and was so traumatized by the incident that I didn’t want to do it ever again. Because man! — that sh*t was baaaaad. 🙂 I looked like a woebegon side character from a Dickens novel where it rains all the time…

Sad panda. 🙁

chanel candeur et experience — Chanel Candeur Et Experience Eyeshadow Quad ($61) and Rouge Profond Blush ($45)

But the collection’s quad, Candeur Et Experience, is a totally different scene. I mean, if these shadows were food, they’d be your cheat day. I’m talkin’ indulgent. They’re incredibly easy to blend — even the red, which hella intimidated me — practically melts into the delicious chocolatey browns.

And those three brown shades? Homie, they’re majorly key, because when you get them them up in the mix, they ground that red so that it doesn’t look as stark and disjointed on the skin. I was so, so TERRIFIED to try this quad, but trust — it all works. The pieces fall into place.

I think that crazy red blush is another standout in the collection. Again, I expected it to be like boarding a train to crazy town, but using it with the lightest touch of a blush brush — like a kitten nose tap — creates a healthy flush.

Of course, the Chanel Joues Contraste blush formula is also just as smooth, easy to blend and outright impeccable as it should be with a satiny red like this one, but I expected it to just be too much red when worn with the quad.

But it wasn’t. I think they look totally right together, like that time I saw Beyonce and Idris Elba in a pic from the Met Ball.

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The Day in Beauty Vol. 25: Chanel’s New No. 5, and a Hello From Redding, California!

July 30th, 2016 by Karen 25 Comments

chanel no 5 leau — The new Chanel No. 5 L’Eau

L’eau, the places, we’ll go! I’d love to take you to Paris or Hawaii, my friend…but for now, how about Redding, California? 🙂 That’s where I’m writing you from today.

Confession: I love me some Chanel, but I’m not really a Chanel No. 5 sort of girl. I’ve worn it many times over the years in the hopes that I’d fall in love with it because of its storied history and iconic past and, you know, because it’s Chanel, but it always felt like a pair of shoes that never quite fit me as perfectly as I’d like. Scent is such a personal thing, and No. 5 always seemed a little too serious for me.

I remember going to Filipino parties when I was young and being forced to hug aunties that I didn’t know, and they would always be wearing Chanel No. 5, and noisy jewelry, and they always had big hair, and when I hugged them, it would tickle my nose (the big hair AND Chanel No. 5).

No. 5 L’Eau is a new version coming to Chanel counters this fall — a reimagining of the scent — that will sit alongside the original, and I LOVE it.

With L’Eau, you definitely get the sense that you’re wearing No. 5, but it’s noticeably different. It still carries many of the original’s same notes, like May rose, but in a lighter elixir that seems more delicate and, dare I say, more fun.

Lemon, mandarin and orange stand front and center. To my nose, L’Eau seems airier than the original No. 5 and almost weightless, like a brush of tulle against naked skin.

Look for it this fall at Chanel counters. The 3.4-oz. bottle shown here is $132.

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, babes. It will be a hot one here in Redding, as it always is this time of year (over 110 degrees!), so my big plan for the day will involve finding the coolest spot in an air conditioned room.

I checked in with Tabs this morning over Skype, and he and his favorite petsitter haven’t thrown any ragers yet. Let’s hope they don’t.

What do you have going on this weekend?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Nail Polishes That Are Perfect for Summer Adventures

June 21st, 2016 by Carolina Braina 17 Comments

Summer Nail polish — Hugging some of my favorite summer nail polishes. Yes, we’re very much in love! 😉

As you know if you visit me on my blog at Carol in a Page, nail polish and I have had a rollercoaster romance, but right now we’re going strong!

After some recent purchases and some clearing out, I’ve decided on the five nail lacquers that will see me through summer 2016 and whatever adventures it brings.

Wanna know what inspired these picks?

1. The Nautical Style: Smith & Cult Nailed Lacquer in Kings & Thieves ($18)

Smith & Cult Kings & Thieves Swatches — I really like pairing deep blue Kings & Thieves with nude sandals

When it comes to the color blue in summer, I can’t help but think of one thing: nautical style.

But since I don’t have a yacht (or a striped dress, for that matter), the way I’ve been getting that nautical vibe is by painting my toes with Smith & Cult Nailed Lacquer in Kings & Thieves, an indescribably beautiful inky blue.

2. An African Safari: Zoya Professional Lacquer in Charli ($10)

Zoya Professional Lacquer Charli Swatches — Zoya Professional Lacquer in Charli reminds me of safari clothing

Some may argue that olive is more of an autumnal shade, but in my mind it evokes safari clothes and glimpses of an endless African savanna.

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