Product Reviews

A few days ago I made a wish, and this week it came true. I wished for a new purse gloss, and it appears a genie was listening.

What’s a purse gloss, you ask? It’s a gloss that’s worthy of permanent residence in your purse. You keep it close for touch-ups and other beauty emergencies…like when you randomly run into your ex and his new lady love at the mall (she’s cute, but you’re cuter), or when a TV crew asks you for an impromptu sidewalk interview about hot dog street vendors (yep, that really happened).

With a tube of Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Genie ($32) in your purse, you’ll be tough to catch off guard. One of two Rouge Allure glosses in Chanel’s limited edition Le Perles de Chanel collection for spring 2011, it’s a shiny but wearable coral with golden micro glitter and comes in Chanel’s trademark Extrait de Gloss formula. Non-sticky, luscious, hydrating, and lacking any potentially bothersome scents or flavors, it’s ready for drama AND flexibility. With a four-hour wear time, it’s also designed to laaaast.

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I’m supposed to be battening down the hatches right now to brace us for a big storm, but I’d rather play with the new Chanel Rouge Coco in Peregrina ($30) and daydream about sunny skies (let’s hope I don’t regret that later tonight…).

Forget dark clouds. I see myself wearing this warm and creamy peachy pink on a leisurely stroll through Golden Gate Park in the springtime. I’m wearing a shimmery bronze and khaki eye look, a peachy golden cheek and sheer, creamy peach nails (ya know, to match). At one point, just to complete the fantasy, Ryan Reynolds and I stop at a park bench to discuss the finer points of mens grooming. Oh, and I’m also about six inches taller. 🙂

For more on the Rouge Coco lipsticks (texture, wear time and all that good stuff), click here.

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Every girl remembers her first…Chanel eyeshadow quad. 🙂

Mine was Garden Party. Ah, Garden Party… Just saying the name brings back memories (and a warm, fuzzy feeling) of the first time I laid eyes on that mix of green, peach and pink.

I still love that quad so much that it’s the first thing I thought of when I saw promo pics of the new Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow quad in Regard Perle ($56). I was kindasorta hoping Perle would look more like it in person.

It’s not a Garden Party dupe, but I think it’s very pretty in its own right, particularly if you have a thing for glowy skin.

Each of its four soft powder shadows shine with a mirror-like finish that lights up eyelids when when they’re applied. Chanel channeled pearls this season — or rather the way skin glows when you’re wearing pearls — and here they got it spot on. The chai latte I had last night right before dinner screwed with my sleep, and it was evident all over my face this morning. But a few swipes of Regard Perle today, and my eyes looked visibly brighter and more awake.

Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow in in Regard Perle

Ladies who kneel at the altar of the glitter gods may want to take a look at the shimmery grayish green and peach shades on the quad’s left. Both of them burst with the cutest flecks of silver micro glitter. Be prepared, though, to deal with serious fallout from both of them. They’re kinda powdery and don’t adhere to my skin as well as the other two colors in the quad, so that might be something to keep in mind.

The light beige and salmon pink on the right are the more pigmented of the four. Speaking of that, the beige in the lower right really surprised me. When the light hits it just right, I see subtle flashes of gold and green. The shimmery salmon pink in the upper right may not have the same wow factor as the beige, but I think it’s still a nice complement to the other three shadows.

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Who among us hasn’t crossed paths with her share of craptacular liquid foundations? — the runny ones that leave streaks, the heavy pore-suffocating ones, and, oh, how about the ones with the open-mouth bottle…like the one you accidentally spilled on your buddy’s white shag carpet back in school (so sorry, Shell!).

I know it’s asking for a lot, but I would love a great, preferably inexpensive medium-coverage liquid foundation that I can wear every day (something I can throw on before I run out for a chai latte). That said, it’s with great joy, and a little pain, that I type these words: Chanel’s $54 Mat Lumiere Long-Lasting Soft Matte Makeup SPF 15 just might be the best liquid foundation I’ve used in years.

But…it’s $54.

At the Chanel counter a couple weeks ago, while I was taking a look at the Rouge Allure Extrait de Glosses, a friendly makeup artist made me a sample jar of Mat Lumiere in Soft Honey and predicted that I’d “be ba-aaack!”

Guess what (she was right).

One of five liquid foundation formulas in Chanel’s permanent line, medium-coverage Mat Lumiere is available in 12 shades. It’s oil-free, designed for combination skin, and has been around for a while.

I treated my combination oily/dry skin to it for two weeks until the sample ran out. I couldn’t believe how natural the finish looked and how it felt as light as a feather on my skin.

Even though my heart stopped yesterday when I handed my credit card over to the sales associate, I still went through with it.

The texture? It’s so smooth that it’s almost like a gel. Blending away imperfections with it is a breeze, and it never leaves any weird patches or streaks behind.

As for the finish, it’s matte, but not so matte that it makes my skin look flat, artificial or severe (not mannequin-ish at all).

On top of everything else I like about it, it’s practically weightless, like I’m barely wearing any makeup at all.

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