Chanel's Rose Platine

Chanel's Summer 2011 Collection

Chanel's Summer 2011 Collection has arrived at most counters by now, and it has hit the ground running. Chanel already has a smash hit on their hands with their nail lacquer, Mimosa, and I believe they have done it again with  Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-lasting Eyeliner in Rose Platine.

Out of the three things I picked up from Chanel's Summer 2011 Collection, their eyeliner is hands down my favorite! I saw this today at Bloomingdale's and with one swipe on my hand, I loved it. I didn't buy it then, but instead picked up the Lilium Quad. The entire car ride home I stared at my hand (I wasn't driving), haunted by the fact I didn't purchase this limited edition eyeliner (for $29.00) as well. I had to right this wrong, so when I got home I called up my local Macy's to see if they had it - and they did! Yes! It had arrived in their store that day. I immediately placed one on hold and now I am the proud owner of this beautiful eyeliner; beauty crisis fully adverted.

The fact that this eyeliner is waterproof and smudgeproof is just an added bonus. It's perfect for those that want to still look camera ready while splashing around the pool on those dreadfully hot summer days. The color could be described as a shimmery rose gold in certain angles and then you see grayish undertones in another. I especially love how this eyeliner looks when it catches the light. I believe everyone would agree that this taupey rose gold is one gorgeous must have for summer!

I haven't even applied it to my eyes yet, because I was too excited to share with you all this beautiful eyeliner.  Isn't she lovely?

Rose Platine Swatched

Rose Paltine Eye Liner

I'm going to do a separate review on the quad 'Lilium' tomorrow.  

The worst thing you can say to a beauty blogger

Do you hear that? That is the sound of me weeping after hearing the worst thing you could tell this beauty blogging, self proclaimed cosmetic junkie...

I've been battling rosacea on my cheek area for a little over half a year now. I'm convinced it's rosacea way of welcoming to my 30's, really it's so kind of them to think of me I'm honored (NOT). So here I was sitting in my dermatologists office when what does she say to me? I believe the words were "you need to throw your makeup out, because it is junk."(Well, I never). My mind immediately jumped to my beloved makeup and my coveted Chanel. I wanted to get defensive and say "lady, you don't know what you are talking about". Besides, my makeup is far from being labeled "junk". I would rather not crunch the numbers on how much my collection has cost me thankyouverymuch, so the thought of throwing it away really got to me. When I told my husband what she said (being the optimist that he is) his reply was to embrace it and look at it as an opportunity to buy more makeup! Now normally, that phrase would have made me more giddy than a child on Christmas morn, but this face of mine was more reminiscent of a child who had just been told their dog had died. All I could think of was my well loved and well received La Mer foundation, my Le Metier Romeo and Juliet bronzer duo, and my Soho de Chanel. How could I just toss them in the trash? I just am not fond of being limited to my makeup selection.

I usually adhere to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy, but the thing is it is broken. My skin has been freaking out and I often experience bouts of flushing and redness. My skin has never behaved in this manner before, so something I'm doing isn't working. I am in no way pointing the finger at these various cosmetic companies as to the sole reason my rosacea is flaring, and I have no grandiose reason to believe that makeup alone could make my skin behave the way it is. I'm going along with my dermatologists recommendations for now. Aside from switching to makeup that is oil-free, she also set me up with a new skincare regimen, as well as, applying an anti-redness cream to the red patches only, and prescribed an antibiotic. (phew) For now, I'll play by her rules to see what lies ahead. Otherwise, my sister may about to be inheriting some truly awesome makeup. I truly hope that with all those changes I start to see a difference in my skin. How I long for how my skin used to look.

Look for future posts from me chronicling my battle with rosacea, this is one battle I am determined to win! Muhahahaha!

For those of you that experience rosacea, what has worked for you? I would love to have some tips thrown my way. Thanks!

Chanel's Mimosa

'Mimosa'

*Please note, I did not enhance these pictures in any way, because I really wanted to show the true nature of just how bright this color is.*

Chanel did not hit the head on the nail with 'Mimosa', I'm afraid. This limited edition Le Vernis nail polish is part of Chanel's 2011 Summer collection.

Only Chanel could get me to don this color - a vibrant lemony yellow. I am not one to shy away from color, but even this is a bit bold for my taste. I had seen this color previewed by other beauty bloggers and I thought the color that transcribed onto my screen seemed more neon that it was in real life. I was happy and relieved it wasn't brighter. I have to be honest, I'm just not feeling this color,  as I type up this review I am distracted from the brightness of Mimosa on my fingertips.

Unlike, Le Metier, Chanel's polishes require more coats and sometimes I fumble and muck it up trying to get even coverage. So was the case tonight with Mimosa. I found it needed 2+ coats (I stopped at 2 due to thickness and didn't feel like starting over) to look evenly applied.

At $25.00 a bottle, I feel this color will only be appreciated by die hard Chanel fans and not the typical woman looking for something "pretty". I was disappointed with how it applied and I felt I just didn't have the attention span to get the optimal finish. Since I do my manicures myself at home, that is all I have to go off of, but I don't doubt for a moment that if you were to go get a professional manicure that you would yield better results.

I feel this color would look stunning against someone with a darker complexion, but I feel my hands have a ruddy tone to it that the yellow just does not compliment. As my sister remarked, "this color does not flatter you." I have to sadly, agree.

I can safely say I don't have another polish similar to this color, though, I have seen other yellow polishes in my local Target for instance. I'm not sure if this color could be easily duped, but I suspect if you are a fan of yellow then it is worth a shot. But if you need those interlocking CC's in your life, this can be purchased from any Chanel counter or online.

Full view of 'Mimosa' 

'Mimosa' compared to a real lemon

Clutching 'Mimosa'

Does Mimosa speak to you at all? 

Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine 'Boy' Review

'Boy'

'Boy' on swatched hand

'Petit Peche'

'Petit Peche' layered over 'Boy'

'Petit Peche' & 'Boy'

'Boy'

I'm going to say it...I'm not a big fan of Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine lipstick. It's not even a knock against Chanel. I feel like the only beauty blogger who isn't in love. It's just that after the anticipated arrival of the Coco Shines (I know I couldn't wait for them to debut after reading glowing reviews from our UK beauty bloggers who got the release sooner than America) I had a makeup epiphany. It dawned on me after swiping shade after shade on my lips trying in vain to find a color, I liked that it wasn't the admittedly nice array of colors or even the formula. It was the simple fact that it was a lipstick. I'm a gloss girl! I have more glosses than should be allowed and I don't plan on stopping.

I had the same conversation with the nice MA artist at Chanel, who wasn't wearing a Coco Shine lipstick (despite the fact that it is Chanel's newest baby), she was proudly wearing a gloss. She didn't make that admission until I pressed her a little inquiring about the gorgeous shade adorning her lips. I asked her what she thought of the shine's and she basically said they were nice, but just "ok". She and I bonded over the fact that we like love glosses. My poison of choice(?) Chanel Glossimers -  they are to die for!

With the resolute of walking out of Macy's with a new (or 3) Coco Shine lipstick, I eagerly began swatching the shades. I was practically counting down the days until April 6th arrived for their release. Being a mom to a bubbly toddler, it isn't always easy to go makeup shopping with her. I knew I really wanted to take my time at the counter and play around. So it wasn't until the weekend that I could get to a counter (while the hubby entertained said bubbly toddler). When I got there, they were already sold out of about half the colors (the MA did say they were selling like hot cakes). I swiped a couple pinks on my lips and I started feeling like the Goldilocks of lipsticks, one was too bright, another too dark, and another that reminded me too much of Mimi from the Drew Carey show. So I did what any other self proclaiming lipgloss lover would do, I proceeded to the Glossimers where with my swipe of 'Petit Peche' I felt like Goldilocks where it was "just right"!

I fell victim to Facebook's presale of Coco Shine and I ordered 'Boy' sight unseen. I had seen enough reviews to know that I would like the color. It arrived today on my doorstep and this may seem like a surprise but I like it. The color is very pretty and out of all the shades I think this one would suit my coloring the best. I'm just surprised that I didn't go as crazy as I previously thought I would, I'm perfectly content with my one Coco Shine and about two dozen Glossimers (yeah, I like that ratio).

Le Metier Beaute's Wango Tango Review

Wango Tango - isn't it adorable?

Size comparison

The brush

Overview

Whole Hand

I've really gotten into nail polish lately and have been on a bit of a streak with my polish posts. I'm personally loving the slew of colors available in stores. As you can see from previous posts, I am not one to shy away from color when it comes to my nails. From a bright cobalt blue to hot pink I like brights, now it's time to try orange. Orange is being hailed as the 'it' color of the season and I cannot think of a more appropriate way to usher in the season's hottest trend then with Le Metier De Beaute's 'Wango Tango'. This color is stunning and when gazing at the array of colors in their display case, 'Wango' is a definite attention grabber. I find the color to be vibrant and fun. One thing that jumps out to you and seems to be the main criticize about the polish is the size. The polish is  4ml and is tiny, this is roughly a third of the size of a Chanel polish (which is 13ml). Their lacquers retail for $15.00 vs. Chanel's $25.00. The way I see it is I have never used up an entire bottle of nail polish before it expires. The size of Le Metier and the fact that it is $10.00 cheaper than Chanel, for instance, is fine with me. I understand not every one will agree with me, but I  do think their polishes are a nice treat and I adore the bottle - it is a heavy glass. This brand and formula being compared to other high end brands (Dior, Chanel, etc.) is right on par. The brush as you can see is also very small, so it is a bit awkward to apply the polish. Once I applied it however, I was pleasantly surprised with how easily the color glides onto your fingertips. The color in the bottle was true to how it applied to my nails.

It is worth mentioning that just like Butter London, Metier's nail lacquers are free from formaldehyde, toulene, and Dibutyl Phthlate (DPB) an aspect I really appreciate. The polish glides in easily, and I get the coverage I covet in one coat (something I cannot get out of Chanel) -- which means I use less product.

I give myself manicures at home to save the expense of having someone else do my nails. Being a mom and housewife, I am hard on my nails. I typically find that my nails chip after only three days of wear, so I like to have nail polish on hand for touch-ups. Doing my nails myself helps in justifying the price of certain polishes (a girl has to do what a girl's got to do, right?).

So if you are a fan of orange and want to give an orange polish a whirl, I think you will adore Metier's 'Wango Tango', I know I did!