A Chanel Master Class workstation…
I am *so* hooked on those free Chanel Master Classes…
The one I went to last Saturday was at the Macy’s up the street from me. It was two hours of glorious makeup fun, during which time the other students and I (about a dozen of us) were able to gets some hands on experience with a bunch of Chanel makeup, all under adult (read: makeup artist) supervision, of course. 🙂
Check with your local Chanel counter if you think you might like to attend one. I think they’re a great way to unwind on a Saturday afternoon.
The classes really are free to attend, but the store does sort of expect hope that you make at least a small purchase while you’re there.
I left with the Sparkling Satins eyeshadow quad (LOVE!) and a slew of ideas and application tips like these:
1. Natural brows
I’ve attempted to use brow pencils before but never really liked my results. I always felt they made my brows look too severe, overdrawn and heavy.
But I guess that’s just because I never knew the secret. It’s actually pretty easy to get natural-looking brows with a pencil.
Start with a brow pencil in the correct shade.
How do you know the correct shade? Well, if you have dark hair like I do, opt for a brown pencil, instead of a black one; black pencils often look too severe. In class I used and loved Chanel Precision Brow Definer in Soft Brown ($28), a medium brown without red undertones.
And if you have lighter hair, Chanel just released a new shade of pencil for fall called Blond Clair, which the instructors said works great. Not too dark, it has just enough color to define lighter brows.
Chanel Precision Brow Definer in Blond Clair
Using the side of a sharpened pencil nib (not the tip), shade your brows. Sharpening extends the length of the usable edge.
To fill in your brows, place the side of the sharpened nib (not the point) parallel to an eyebrow, and fill using small strokes. Try to concentrate color in sparse areas, and use less where the brows are already thick.
Finish by combing the brows with a brow comb. It softens the color and creates a more natural look. Chanel’s Precision Brow Definer conveniently comes with a comb.
2. Buh bye, dark circles
One Chanel instructor suggested using a foundation brush instead of a concealer brush to cover up dark circles, strategically placing concealer into an area she called “the triangle.”
Concealer brushes have thin, pointed brush heads, but they can sometimes leave a caked-on look.
Foundation brushes, on the other hand, may deliver a lighter, more natural look thanks to their fluffier brush heads. They have more surface area with bristles not as densely packed as concealer brush heads.
I gave one a try on Saturday (I’ll describe “the triangle” in a sec), and it did a great job of covering my dark circles without looking caked on or obvious.
As for the triangle method, the instructor who used the phrase said to think of the lower lash line as the first side of the shape, the side of the nose as the second and from the nostril to the outer corner of the eye as the third.
With your foundation brush, fill the triangle with a light application of concealer. I think it really brightened up the area under my eyes. 🙂
She tried the trick on me using Chanel Lift Lumiere Concealer in Apricot ($45) and a Chanel #16 Foundation Brush.
3. Not into Nude? Try Praline D’Or
Last year I wrote about a Chanel bestseller called Precision Lip Definer in Nude ($28), a creamy brownish pink lip liner that works on a wide range of skin tones.
Chanel Precision Lip Deinfer in Praline D’Or
The shade has reached cult classic status, but some women still feel it’s too dark for their lips.
Swatches from left to right: Praline D’Or, Nude
For fall, Chanel released a similar but lighter shade called Praline D’Or ($28), a creamy, peachy pink; if Nude gave you trubs, Praline might be worth checking out.
Just another manic Monday
Thank gawd for random old school hip hop… Remember this song from Ghost Town DJs? This was the JAM back in the late ’90s!
I just got back from dance class, and now I’m nibbling on some edamame and mushroom ravioli for dinner. Exciting, huh?
How was your day? Is it Friday yet? 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
OH GEEZ, I had completely forgotten about that song! And now I’m having a mad urge to listen to Janet Jackson’s “Velvet Rope” cd. Thanks for the deja vu. 🙂
Hi Laura F.,
I LOVE that CD! Now I need to play Lonely, LOL!
Why does everything have to be so far away from me and why does it have to be Macy’s?!?!?!? Not all of we Midwesterners are fond of Macy’s. A lot of us (like me) want Marshall Field’s back, especially since the original MF is in Chicago and it doesn’t seem right to have it be “Macy’s.” Macy’s actually is doing quite poorly in sales here in the Midwest compared to the East and West coasts. There were some rumors last year or so that Macy’s was going to change all the stores in the Midwest back to MF to get revenue. I have fond memories of my first time in Chicago and going to see Marshall Fields with the granny smith green walls….:nostalgia: WHY DID MACY’S HAVE TO TAKE OVER?!?!
Okay, I’m done. Had to have my Marshall Field tangent at one point in time. I’m having a particularly hard (not really bad, just hard) day. I’m having a mountain-skyline-sick and Marshall-Field’s-sick day. The weather today reminded me of my summers in Colorado–warm but with a cool wind. I turned around to see the mountains and was greeted by flatness. I was tempted to go to the mall just so I could stare at what was my MF (now Macy’s, ich) but decided against it. What was I going to tell my mom? Drive me to the mall just so I could stare at the now Macy’s store in seething hatred and curse Macy’s so they switch all the signs and brands back to Marshall Field’s and then get Sbarro’s breadsticks? That wouldn’t go over too well.
Do you ever have one of those days?
Anyway, good tips! I’ll have to keep these in mind.
Hi Kate & Zena,
Sometimes I have those days. When it gets crazy I just concentrate on breathing in, breathing out… it helps to chill me out.
Ooh that looks like so much fun! I wish we had Chanel masterclasses here too but I don’t think we do… boo!
.-= Paris B’s last blog post… Banish the Panda with Undereye Concealers – Whats your fave? =-.
Hi Paris B.,
It was a lot of fun! Any chance to play with Chanel makeup constitutes a good time, LOL!
thanks for the concealer tip! i’ll definitely try that out tomorrow – i’m desperate for new ways to conceal my crazy dark circles well.
i hope you’re having a nice night! and i feel the same way, i wish it were friday already too…
Hi Connie,
You’re welcome. 🙂 I guess we’re both in the same dark circle boat. Have you tried using color corrector beneath your concealer? That might help, too.
I wish someone had pulled me aside when I was younger and told me how to pencil eyebrows. I feel like I have it down to an art now (combination of pencil and powder) but still, tips like these would have been nice!
Meanwhile, my sore feet (boo tennis in too tight running shoes) are being assaulted by the kittens. They say hi!
And I would LOVE for it to be Friday about now… Be that much closer to my birthday! 🙂
Hi Caitlin,
Happy early birthday! Got any birthday plans yet?
Give the kitties big hugs for me. 🙂
such a great post! too bad we don’t have such classes here 🙁
and I would get something after such class for sure 🙂
.-= Marina’s last blog post… How to Chose Best Sun Glasses =-.
Hi Marina,
Glad you enjoyed this one. 🙂
Hey Karen! Love the concealer tip, I will have to try that one soon. I, too, am ready for Friday!!!
Hi Tiffany,
I wish we could fast forward the week and get to Friday already!
Let me know how the concealer tip works for you. 🙂
“A lot of us (like me) want Marshall Field’s back, especially since the original MF is in Chicago and it doesn’t seem right to have it be “Macy’s.†”
Don’t even get me started on this one, Kate & Zena. Add the fact that Macy’s cards give you crappy rewards (as opposed to the awesome MF ones), and it’s bleh all around.
Thanks for the tips Karen! 🙂 I am so tempted to get some Chanel makeup…but I know I’ll start obsessing, and it will be downhill from there…
Hi Elle,
Wow! All of this Chicago department store drama! 🙂
Girlfriend, you gotta try some Chanel! Start slowly, with a tube of Aqualumiere lip gloss or Exceptionnel mascara.
Free makeup classes? I like in the wrong country. Tsk tsk. Thanks for sharing the tips.
Hi Meream,
Sure thing. 🙂 Hopefully someday you’ll get to attend a class like this in your hometown.
I’m way more pumped to try out the concealer trick than to do work this morning. Sigh….wish I could get paid for playing with makeup.
.-= Kajal Couture’s last blog post… How to be hair-free when traveling? Check out the Schick Intuition =-.
Hi Karen,
How do you find out where and when the Chanel Master Classes are being held? I’m about to go to school for Makeup Artistry and would love to get a chance to play with all of that Chanel!!! Thanks!
Tara
Hi Tara,
My fave MUA at the Chanel counter told me. I guess they keep a list of names/numbers of interested customers and then call them whenever there’s an event. You can ask your local counter if they have any coming soon, or check for local store events on the store’s website online. 🙂
“Girlfriend, you gotta try some Chanel! Start slowly, with a tube of Aqualumiere lip gloss or Exceptionnel mascara.”
I got a bottle of Vamp nail polish back whenever “Interview with the Vampire” came out (yeah, I was a weird little kid who liked vampires)–I bugged my mom for it because I had read about it in “Us Weekly” (before it went all neon and tabloid-y)–and haven’t been back to a counter since. It’s probably time to return. 🙂 The eyeshadow quads look redonkulously awesome every time I read about them here!
Hi Elle,
Oh gawd — Us Weekly is like candy for my brain. I read it in line at the supermarket or at Barnes, LOL!
The eyeshadow quads are AWESOME. I think you’d really love Sparkling Satins! All you need is one quad… that’s all it takes to get hooked.
I’ve been using a foundation brush to apply mineral concealer for ages. For some unknown reasons, it works a whole lot better than the tiny concealer brush. And as you said, it’s not cakey at all. Pretty amazing discovery, I must say!
.-= Dao’s last blog post… Rubenesque Paint Pot: Golden Peach Shimmer Goodness! =-.
Hi Dao,
It’s a great trick. Do you apply powder to set your concealer afterward?
Pretty! I’m always looking for a pale blonde brow pencil without much pigmentation so I can ever-so-subtly define my red-blonde brows.
Kate & Zena, I understand what you mean by looking for the mountains and being greeted by flatness… My family is from the Catskills Mountains in upstate NY and moved to central Florida aka pancake land. When we get real homesick, we stare at the giant trees and clouds and pretend they’re the gorgeous snow-topped peaks of old… Sorry, gettin’ all nostalgic on ya 😉 I’m SO moving to NY ASAP. It has such fantastic performing arts programs and opportunities for me! Plus, the shopping ain’t half bad, ha! My only quibble is with the weather, but that can be solved with some hot cocoa, a parka and a kid going driveway-to-driveway wanting to shovel snow for a dollar 😉
Hi Redhead,
You might really like the Blond Clair pencil. It’s supposed to really be great for the light-haired ladies!
brows are always so tricky–great tips, as always Karen!
.-= tanya’s last blog post… silent witness. =-.
Hi Tanya,
Sure thing! 🙂 What are you using on your brows right now?
Hi Redhead,
Ha ha, lol. I look at photos I have when I get that mountain-sick. I’ve lived near two mountain ranges–the Bavarian Alps (I was born in Bavaria) and the Rockies. The Rockies were in my backyard practically for 9 months when I lived at Fort Huachuca, AZ and they were about an hour away when I lived at Fort Fitzsimons, CO. I don’t miss the freak six-foot snow blizzards in October, but I do miss the skyline! I live in suburban Illinois so you can imagine the skyline–flat as a pancake and rather wheat fieldy and the lake is about a ten minute drive. I used to have the lake when I lived at Great Lakes Naval Base. The only thing that separated me from the lake was a wire fence and a big, down sloping hill full of scratchy weeds and poison ivy. I took the long way to the lake on base to avoid hives!
Elle,
Marshal Field’s Supporters Unite!
I didn’t know that the perks were different as I never owned either card. I refuse to go into Macy’s as the entrances to the one by me reeks of perfume from a hundred feet away so I steer very, very clear (migraine capital, anyone?). I don’t even want to know if Macy’s painted over the Granny Smith Green walls at the original Chicago location. The thought makes me too sad! I loved those walls!
I am going to have to go to the next one. I have been to MAC seminars but they aren’t hands on.
.-= Marisol’s last blog post… Kindle me this… =-.
Great tip, I sure will be trying this out! I don’t have dark eye circles though, just horrible “bags” beneath my eyes. Darn.
.-= Marcela’s last blog post… MAC Double Dazzle – Reseña y Fotos =-.
Hi Marcela,
Le sigh, there’s always something to contend with, right? Thank goodness for concealer…
Hi Karen,
Thanks for sharing the “triangle” method. Glad you had fun at the masterclass.
Cheers,
K.
Pretty sure that the Chanel peeps wouldn’t have to worry about me spending money but they would have to worry about me running off that that awesome mirror! I want to try one of these classes!
.-= meg’s last blog post… You’ve read Pride and Prejudice, but have you read it on Facebook? =-.
Whenever I remember, I apply the mineral finishing powder all over my face to cut the shine. But most times I forgot *guilty look*
.-= Dao’s last blog post… Third Giveaway Winner =-.
Karen- the Praline D’or looks pinkish on your hand, it actually looks like the pink ive been looking for in a lipstick so i was excited, hoping i could create some concoction out of the liner, but when i clicked the link it looks brown??
I know this is an old post, but I had to chime in, Chicago was indeed upset about the change over from Fields to Macy, doesn’t seem as authentic.