Chanel

An Island Holiday Would Be a Delight: The Summertime de Chanel Le Vernis Nail Polishes

May 4th, 2012 by Karen 11 Comments

summertime de chanel les vernis nail colour

High up on my list of things to do this weekend: 1) pluck my brows and 2) paint my nails.

This morning I found one of those scary long stray hairs sprouting out of my left eyebrow that just sort of showed up today like a mushroom, BAM! If it gets any longer, I’ll be able to wrap it ’round my finger.

Oh, but look at that — my nails, they’re not much better. We’re talkin’ chip city.

I plucked and painted early last week, but somewhere between here and Kauai, all hell broke loose.

Needless to say, I’ve got some beauty catching up to do, and I’m starting this weekend with the three Le Vernis Nail Polishes from the new Summer de Chanel ($26 each; available now at Chanel counters and chanel.com).

Have you peeped this launch in person yet? It’s pretty hot. 🙂 Every year, I look forward to Chanel’s (almost always) fabulous summery shades. Thirteen toasty bronzes, pinks, corals, peaches and golds for eyes, lips, cheeks, faces and nails, all inspired by our very own celestial sol-mate, our great giver of warmth in the sky, the sun!

After these swatches, I’m still undecided as to which colors to wear on my fingers and toes, but I know this much: barely three days back from Hawaii, and I’m already itching for another seaside vacation.

Something about these colors is speaking to me, and I think it’s saying, “Amalfi…”

Italy’s Amalfi Coast

I can see it now… I’m walking down a cobblestone street in a crisp white linen dress, peer down at my toes and see Holiday, a creamy reddish orange, peeking out from my gold, t-strap flats. I stop and buy a fresh lemonade from a street vendor, wrap my fingers around the paper cup and see Delight, a shimmery bronze, shining on my fingertips.

I guess that’s it for my weekend mani/pedi then. Delight on my fingers and Holiday on my toes. 🙂

chanel holiday

chanel delight
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With the Four-Piece Las Vegas de Chanel Collection, Coco Is Gambling on Gold

February 27th, 2012 by Karen 36 Comments

las vegas de chanel collection

It’s Vegas, baby! 🙂

One of the things I’m trying to pull together this year is a trip to Vegas with my childhood friends.

The mission? — to eat at some of Sin City’s yummiest restaurants and visit a fancy spa (or two), because a well-fed Karen plus deep-tissue massage equals one happy camper.

While I’m there, I’m also hoping to stop by the newly remodeled Chanel boutique at the Bellagio hotel.

To build some buzz around the new store, which opened earlier this year, Chanel recently released a four-piece collection of mostly golden baubles for lips, eyes, nails and cheeks called Las Vegas de Chanel, and this afternoon I tried my luck with three of the four pieces from the release.

las vegas de chanel lucky stripes
Lucky Stripes Iridescent Powders for Eyes and Cheeks

las vegas de chanel gold fingers
Le Vernis in Gold Fingers

las vegas de chanel vegas gold
Le Crayon Levres in Vegas Gold
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New Glossimers Are Growing at Chanel in the Roses Ultimes de Chanel Collection

February 20th, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

Wearing Chanel Roses Ultimes de Chanel Glossimer in Jalousie on my lips

Quick! — what’s the first flower that comes to mind when you think of Coco Chanel? If you said “camellias,” there’s a good reason for that. They were her signature bloom. Now, whenever I see one I think, “How very Chanel!” 🙂

This time, however, for Chanel’s latest makeup collection, camellias take a bow, and roses take center stage.

Glossimers and nail colors are blooming in the 10-piece, limited edition Roses Ultimes de Chanel, available now at Chanel counters and online. It features six thick, sticky Glossimers ($29.50 each) and four Les Vernis Nail Colors ($26 each) in springy shades of pink, peach and coral.

For the record, I have a thing for Glossimers. I’ve fallen for many of them before, and like those, these have that same thick, sticky consistency and unscented, unflavored formula that lasts from 3-4 hours.

Lately, I’ve been supervising visits between my lips and four of the six Glossimers from Roses Ultimes de Chanel, and so far everyone’s really getting along. 🙂

These vary in coverage, but I like how springy they feel without going down the typical spring pastel route.

For daytime errands, I’ve been grabbing the two lighter shades, creamy, peachy pink Plaisir and creamy coral VoluptÃ¨. Both are semi-sheer and oh, so easy to wear.

If you prefer more dramatic Glossimers and don’t mind having to do some light maintenance (may need to use a lip liner and do frequent check-ups), look for shimmery pink DÃ¨sir (has the most prominent glitter of these four, and I can just barely feel it on my lips) and the potently pigmented fuchsia Jalousie. Both seem to take a little more babying than Plaisir and VoluptÃ¨, but WOW! — what an impact.

Glossimers from the left: Plaisir, VoluptÃ¨, DÃ¨sir and Jalousie

Swatches form the left: Glossimers from the left: Plaisir, VoluptÃ¨, DÃ¨sir and Jalousie
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Next Stop: The Chanel Knightsbridge Collection’s Pink, Coral and Fuchsia Lippies in Chelsea, Kensington and Hyde Park

January 18th, 2012 by Karen 37 Comments

Pink, coral and Chanel. Three little words that when spoken together trigger my drool resthponthe.

Oh! — there I go. Got a little drool on my chin. 🙂

The lovely lippies in the new five-piece Chanel Knightsbridge Collection, an online-only exclusive, are enough to make this grown woman quiver in her tweed jacket and pearls. Oh, and pip-pip, cheerio! The gossamer Glossimer and three saturated Rouge Allure Lipsticks in pink, coral and fuchsia are named after some of London’s most iconic neighborhoods.

Today, I tantalized my senses, trying on two of the lipsticks and the gloss…

Clockwise from the blush: Poudres TissÃ©e Highlighting Powder and Blush in Brompton Road, Rouge Allure in Hyde Park and Rouge Allure in Kensington

The Glossimer in Chelsea

Swatches from the left: Chelsea, Kensington and Hyde Park
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Chanel Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow Quad: An Unsung Makeup Hero

January 4th, 2010 by Karen 19 Comments

chanel-sparkling-satins-unsung-makeup-hero

Sometimes, when I rifle through my makeup, I feel like a deep-sea explorer — like the Jacques Cousteau of cosmetics 🙂 — discovering new species of lipgloss and learning more about the many products that inhabit my personal makeup world, LOL!

I get a big kick out of rediscovering great products that I haven’t worn in months, like the Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow quad from Chanel ($56).

You see, I have a chronic case of makeup ADD. It’s almost debilitating, and Chanel’s stunning limited edition quads always make it worse.

When I recently reconnected with the cool-toned Sparkling Satins quad (comes with four powder shadows; I’d picked it up a few months ago at a Chanel master class), part of Chanel’s permanent line, I suddenly realized how lost I’d been without her.

Each of the four shades — a buttery gold, a light blueish gray, a silvery pink and a gunmetal gray with silver glitter — can do for eyes what only a two-week tropical getaway with a shirtless Ryan Reynolds could do. In other words, they do a lot.

ryan-reynolds-needs-concealer-yo

When I’m in the mood for more color than something like the NARS Kalahari can give me (big on the neutral shades), I’ll reach for something like the Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow quad.

chanel-sparkling-satins-unsung-makeup-hero-2

How to fake REM sleep

Here’s my favorite way to wear Sparkling Satins…
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