Lips

Many run-of-the-mill pinkish beige lipsticks appear to loathe my lips. They feel heavy, look thick, apply unevenly in patches, and leave my pucker looking creepy and very, very unnatural (concealer lips, ugh!).

For the record, Chanel’s pinkish beige Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Empreinte is not one of those lipsticks.

Instead, it’s one of those rare, magical pieces of makeup made from kitten kisses and fairy dust.

Okay, not really. The truth is, winged drag-queen fairy godmothers wearing Jimmy Choos and bedecked in dazzling sequined tutus made each one by hand, pouring the magic formula into each sleek Chanel tube. 🙂

Chanel Rouge Coco Shines in En Vogue (left) and Empreinte (right)

This limited edition $32.50 lip Lothario also has a dainty rose garden flavor and scent and tiny flecks of golden glitter that sparkle from time to time in the light. It glides effortlessly across my lips like a Pegasus soaring silently above the clouds.

It’s so slick and moisturizing that I was able to apply it without taking my eyes off of my iPhone while playing Bejeweled 2 this afternoon.

So what if it bails after two fish tacos? At least it sticks around for the horchata. We can’t all be annoyingly perfect, like that bubbly varsity cheerleader who sat right behind you in honors chem with her perfect hair and straight A’s…

No, I’m not bitter.
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Some products are fun to talk about, in part because of their names, like this new Rouge Coco Shine from Chanel. It’s sooo En Vogue. No I mean, that’s what it’s called. En Vogue. 🙂

It’s one of two new limited edition $32.50 Rouge Coco Shines released with the Summertime de Chanel collection, available now on Chanel counters and chanel.com.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shines in En Vogue (left) and Empreinte

Before my lips got En Vogue (okay, sorry — no more puns), just based on how it looked in the tube, I expected a brighter, warmer orange, but it applies more like a neutral pinkish coral.

I like it! And I also like the matte stain this lightweight, slick lippie leaves on my lips after it wears away (like the Laura Mercier Gel Lip Colours), which en Vogue’s case (was that a pun?) takes about three hours.

Well, the wear time varies… I get about three casual hours with it, or two if I’m just sipping coffee or tea. It usually won’t, however, make it through a meal.

Moisture and shine are two of the Rouge Coco Shine line’s shining achievements. All of the lipsticks I’ve tried from the line feel great, thanks to a hydrating formula (it has a light rose flavor and scent) that doesn’t dry out my lips.

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Sirocco! Calypso! Ah, yes. Gotta love Chanel Glossimers that 1) rhyme and 2) sound like the names of late-’80s pop duos, which reminds me…

…freshman year in high school, I sat next to a girl in algebra class who went to a Milli Vanilli concert one night and then gushed the next day at school about how “They were so amazing live!”

LOL! Live-ish. 🙂

It’s too bad the Glossimers aren’t less expensive. Both of these limited edition shades from the Summertime de Chanel collection are also pretty sheer, and at $29.50 a pop, they aren’t exactly a bargain in terms of pigment per ounce.

Even so, their sheerness is oddly what I like about them.

I can just imagine the summertime adventures I could have with these two. Touring wine country one Sunday with my friends, Jen and Cindy, peachy beige Sirocco on my lips.

The color is a little like MAC C-Thru, only less pigmented and more shimmery. Perfect for an easy nude lip. I’d whip it out for touch-ups between sips of Merlot and the grand revelations that come with being a boozy lightweight/cheap date (“Dude, Madonna’s Bedtime Stories CD was way ahead of its time!”).

Fun facts about “Sirocco”

• It’s also a North African wind that blasts across the Mediterranean to Southern Europe
• The title of a movie staring Humphrey Bogart
• The name of a parrot that once tried to mate with some dude’s hair

The second shade, Calypso, is a reddish coral with golden glitter. More pigmented than Sirocco but less opaque than similar shades like MAC Lychee Luxe, it’s the one I’d wear with friends to Bliss Spa, followed by lunch at the Samovar Tea Lounge (because tea with friends makes everything better).

Sheer and shiny coral lips + spa treatments * tea + good conversation = happiness. Add a bright floral dress, and I’m smiling from ear to ear. 🙂

Calypso (bottom) and Sirocco (top)

Sirocco (left) and Calpyso (right)
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