Chanel Summer 2015 Collection Méditerranée: The Climate Calls for Elegantly Understated Lips With This Summer’s Rouge Coco Shines

According to my well-worn copy of the Makeup Handbook for Fancy and Expensive Yacht Vacations, the Chanel Summer 2015 Collection Rouge Coco Shines are all 100% approved for traipsing around the Mediterranean.

It’s mentioned right there on page 212 in the chapter on Chanel. These sheer, shiny lipsticks are in the “Do” column.

Um…you know that’s not actually a real book, right? — although I wish it was, because where else am I going to find out what to wear when Bey finally asks me to babysit? 🙂

In the Chanel Summer 2015 Collection, otherwise known as Collection Méditerranée, lips are slick, shiny and sheer thanks to four Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Sheer Lipshines ($36).

The three shown here are re-promotes from the permanent line — golden pink Réveuse, shimmering violet Intrépide and pinkish coral Insoumise — while the fourth shade, coppery brown Amorosa, is limited edition.

If you’re new to the Rouge Coco Shines, they sure live up to their name, being hydrating, sheer and shiny at the same time. For me they last from 3-4 hours on my lips, depending on the particular shade, and have a barely-there rosy flavor and scent.

These three start out glossy (just shy of a mirror-like lipgloss shine), but fade to a soft satin over the course of about a half an hour.

How sheer each one is depends on the intensity of the color, with the mellower shades — Réveuse and Intrépide — being closer to traditional sheer lipsticks, where I can still see plenty of my natural lip color peeking through, while the deeper pinkish coral Insoumise is closer to medium coverage.

I think their special power is subtlety. While sheer, they’re still noticeable on the lips — even on mine, which are pretty pigmented, and sometimes sheer translates into not able to see any color at all.

I also like that when you look closely at them, you see little twinkles and sparkles, and it turns what could otherwise be a ho-hum sheer lip color into something more special, dainty and different.

Basically, when it comes to subtle secret shimmer, Chanel has that on LOCK.

Of course, there’s a catch for this brand of secret shimmer, and that’s price. These are pretty expensive at $36 a pop, and you can definitely find similar colors from other brands for less…but I can’t think of one that perfectly copies Chanel’s signature secret shimmer.

If you’re curious, you can find them now at Chanel counters and online.

PRICE: $36 each
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Chanel counters and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+/A-

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen