Chanel Spring Collection for 2014

Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Diapason and Glossimer in Sonate

On my last day in Hong Kong I happened upon a Chanel beauty boutique and thankfully they cleared the shelves of their rather yawn worthy Winter 2013/14 collection to make way for Spring 2014. 

Photo credit: Scott (my stealthy husband)

I practiced some restraint and selected two items from Chanel's 14 piece collection -- Illusion d'Ombre in Diapason was scooped up first and then with toddler-like grabby hands I grasped ahold of Chanel's Glossimer in Sonate 178.

Diapason

Swatch of Diapason

Comparison swatches from left to right: Chanel's Illusoire, Chanel's Diapason, Estee Lauder's Electric Orchard, Armani's Eyes to Kill in shade no. 3 and Le Metier de Beaute's Tapestry (from their Silk Road quad)

Diapason is a brown based plum with glints of silvery/gold shimmer. I immediately gravitated toward this hue because purple plays up my eyes really well -- think peanut butter and jelly, it just works. Diapason's complexity lends itself to the myriad of ways it can be worn; alone, smoked out, or paired with woody browns. To reiterate, your options are endless.

I won't bang on about how lovely Chanel's Illusion d'Ombre formula is, but if you'd like to know more, search for my reviews on Mirifique, Illusoire, Destination and Apparition. Yes, I'm making you work hard for it, honey.

Sonate

Swatch of Sonate

Swatches of Sonate alone (left) and layered over Shanghai Suzy's Miss Claire (Fire Engine Red)

Sonate is a translucent watermelon red and is certainly nothing to write home about when worn on its own. Yet, with that in mind, my desire for buying Sonate was due to its aforementioned translucency and knowing full well it would look fantabulous over any of my red lippies.

Cue Shanghai Suzy's Miss Claire!

Wear time is pretty average for Sonate, definitely plan on frequent touch ups throughout the day.

Wearing a smattering of Chanel - Sonate on my lips and Diapason on my eyes (paired with a few UD Naked 2 shades)

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Chanel's Illusion d'Ombre Diapason and Glossimer in Sonate 178:

• Diapason: $36.00 USD / $48.00 AUS
• Sonate: $29.50 USD / $45.00 AUS

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 8 out of 10 bags — pleased with my cherry picking skills.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• La Diva reminds me of MAC's Candy Yum Yum. Must. Swatch. Now.

Swatchophile: NARS Limited Edition Final Cut Collection

NARS Final Cut swatches from left to right: Love, Final Cut and Sex Fantasy

Earlier today I snuck over to Mecca to take a closer look at NARS' Final Cut capsule collection.

For some reason I'm a huge sucker for NARS blushes. Comes with the territory, I suppose.

Which colours intrigue you? My personal favourite is Final Cut, a soft peach/coral.

Mecca also has the following in stock:

• Illuminator in Adelaide (comes in a squeeze tube)
• Satin Lip Pencils in Descanso, Stourhead, Torres del Paine and Villa Lante. These shades are almost an exact match to the blushes. 

There's a fourth blush called New Attitude, but it was nowhere to be seen.

Nordstrom also has the Final Cut collection available for purchase.

Happy hunting :)

Edit..

So, I went back to Mecca Cosmetica and swatched the Lip Pencils and the Illuminator. I've officially fallen for Descanso and Villa Lante.

Harumph.

Swatches from top to bottom: NARS Illuminator in Adelaide and Satin Lip Pencils in Torres del Paine, Descanso, Villa Lante & Stourhead

Close up of NARS Satin Lip Pencils in Torres del Paine, Descanso, Villa Lante & Stourhead

A glimpse at the lips: MAC's Huggable Lipcolour in Out for Passion and Feeling Amorous?

Hugs and kisses!

Twelve colours round out MAC's limited edition Huggable Lipcolour collection, which promises to deliver high shine (and colour) for up to six hours.

Erm, six hours? Not so much. 

Try three. Tops.

Huggable Lipcolour shades in Out for Passion (left) and Feeling Amorous (right)

Inspired by Asian trends, MAC injected loads of emollients in order to achieve patent leather-like shine --however, the gel-ish texture has proven to be MAC's achilles heel. While the colours are pretty, albeit not unique, they fail to last. It's summertime on your lips and the neighbourhood kids are playing on the Slip n' Slide. Whee?

My full lips might look a tad fuller and feel pillow-y soft when pursed and puckered, with that said I'd definitely trade this feeling (just a little bit) for long-lasting colour.

Out for Passion - "soft warm cream rose"

Feeling Amorous? - "midtonal fuchsia cream"

Swatches of Feeling Amorous? (left) and Out for Passion (right)

Wearing Out for Passion

Wearing Feeling Amorous?

Final Thoughts..

Skip these. There are far better and cheaper options out there. And if you're looking for lots of shine, pick up a cheap clear gloss from Maybelline and layer it over your most-loved shade of lipstick.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC's MAC's Huggable Lipcolour in Out for Passion and Feeling Amorous?:

• $20.00 USD / $40.00 AUS

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 2 out of 10 bags — buyer beware.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Have you heard the news? Kelly and Sharon Osbourne have their own MAC collection coming out this June!

Beauty in a tick: MAC's Extra Dimension Blush in Autoerotique

MAC's Autoerotique

Where's early 90's Madonna to help soften the blow for this particular topic, yeah I'm talking about you, Autoerotique.

*Blushes*

I guess it's a fitting name, because that's what I do [blush] whenever I flip the compact to check the spelling. And giggle too, because I am that >< mature.

Autoerotique, one of three Extra Dimension blush shades MAC released within the Magnetic Nude Collection earlier this month, is the perfect healthy flush you get -- say, post-workout?!

Hey, I'm just trying to keep things PG here because my parents do visit from time to time :)

Swatches of Autoerotique - sheer wash (left) and applied with a heavy hand several times over (right)

Autoerotique (dirty (whatever that means!?) coral rose) is the median satin shade, falling smack dab between hues At Dusk (midtone rose) and Pleasure Model (soft terracotta with pearl). To my eye, colour-wise, Autoerotique is the most diverse blush of the bunch for its ability to be subdued for a gal looking for a touch of coral. Or, it can be amped up with a few extra brush strokes for that "Addicted to Love" look.

Wearing Autoerotique on my cheeks and YSL's Gloss Volupte Fuchsia Oran on my lips

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC's Extra Dimension Blush in Autoerotique:

• $25.00 USD / $52.00 AUS

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 9 out of 10 bags — if I picked this blush up in Australia, I would've given it a lower rating for the outrageous price.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Currently testing MAC's Huggable lip colour in Out For Passion.