Chanel Summer 2012: Le Vernis Holiday, Island, and Delight

Apart from Calypso, the only other items from Chanel's summer collection that dazzled me were its nail polishes. Chanel released three shades, Holiday, Island, and Delight, and I snatched them up gleefully. While I love the ubiquitous blue polishes that every brand seems to be releasing this summer, I have to admit these are a welcome change.

Chanel Holiday is a vivid orange. It is such a bright, jolly shade that I'm almost afraid to look at it for fear of hurting my eyes. They make your nails stand out and is a good alternative for red this summer. The formula for Holiday is a little thick (am I the only one having trouble opening Chanel's recent nail polish bottles?) and was not the easiest to apply. The first coat looked horrendous but the second smoothed it out. 

Chanel Delight, on the other hand, was marvelous to apply. It flowed on smooth and could have been a one-coater if I was diligent enough. The shade is a shimmering light gold, like the color of aluminium foil if it were gold instead of silver. While some say it is comparable to Graphite from last fall, I personally think it's more similar (and superior) to Gold Fingers.

Chanel Le Vernis Holiday, Island, and Delight retail for $26 and is available at all Chanel counters. I purchased mine from Chanel.com.

Burberry 'Sheer Summer Glow' Natural Highlighting Compact

I've been wondering for some time when Burberry was going to hop on the limited edition train. Apparently, the time is now. For this summer, the company released a well-edited collection of four Lip Mists (which I didn't purchase) and one limited edition highlighter palette, Sheer Summer Glow. I've been eyeing this ever since I saw the press release almost two months ago, and ordered it as soon as it became available on Nordstrom online (thanks to the heads up from Danielle of Bloomin' Beauty Blog).

The palette consists of four shades: a cream, light pink, honey brown, and dark brown. They all contain muted shimmer. When blended, the result is a light bronze. The palette has a strong scent - it is the same one they use in all Burberry powders, but it's a lot stronger in this one. While it doesn't bother me, it might be too strong for those with sensitive noses. The fragrance disappears on your skin a few moments after application. 

L-R: Blended, lightest to darkest shade

When swirled together with a brush, the palette works more like a summer highlighter than a bronzer. In the picture below, I applied it all over my face, with targeted application on the cheeks and jawline. Burberry Sheer Summer Glow provides a light veil of color to "hone" the face.

Light Application, swirled

That said, if you really want to, you can get more pigment out of the palette. As you all know, I am a fiend about cheekbones, so contouring is a huge step in my routine. I wanted to know if I could use Sheer Summer Glow for that purpose, so I used my contouring brush (Hakuhodo E0108) and swept it across the two darker shades of the palette and applied it on my face. Worked like a charm!

Concentrated application of darker shades with contour brush

Eyes: LMdB Chauvet Pont d'Arc; Lips: LMdB Cafe Creme

Will this replace my go-to contour shade Burberry Earthy Blush? Probably not. But this is a fantastic piece for summer that you'll be able to use into the winter months to give depth to your face. Burberry powders are some of the softest I've ever had the pleasure of trying. If the shades in Sheer Summer Glow are to your liking, I promise you won't regret getting this.

Burberry 'Sheer Summer Glow' Natural Highlighting Compact is a limited edition item that retails for $50 and is available at Burberry counters nationwide. I purchased mine from nordstrom.com.

Guerlain Sun Shimmer Highlighter in Sunny Pink 02 and Spicy Coral 03

Many a time I make rash spur-of-the-moment purchases only to regret it later on (which makes Nordstrom a fabulous shopping destination, though with a big slice of guilt on my part). The Guerlain Sun Shimmer Highlighters in Sunny Pink 02 and Spicy Coral 03 were one such purchase, though without the regret – I performed one of my 30-second speed checkouts after seeing Karla Sugar's amazing swatches of them. 

After the initial frenzy calmed, I realized these things were ridiculously expensive for the size, and almost canceled my order. But I didn't have liquid blushes in my arsenal, so I was curious to see how they differed from powders and creams. 

L-R: Sunny Pink, Spicy Coral

As it turns out, not very much, except I get a really pleasant cooling sensation when I place them on my cheeks. There's also the matter of learning how to blend liquid without sheering out the color too much, or not blending enough that they look like stripes on the cheeks. The good thing is I realized the unassuming size of the vials matters very little, considering that all you need is a tiny dot for your entire cheek (I made the swatches with just the amount shown above).

Sunny Pink is a orange pink, while Spicy Coral is a gold orange. Both colors feature a huge amount of shimmer (which I guess is where the term "highlighter" came from), but not so much after applied to the cheeks. You can apply it pretty much any way you like. I use a flat foundation brush, while my friend Larie from Eye Heart It uses a stippling brush to cut down on the shimmer. 

Sunny Pink

Cheeks: Spicy Coral; Eyes: NARS Ramatuelle Trio; Lips: Dior Orange Pareo

You can use these alone or as a layering product. One of my favorite things to do recently is to layer 3-4 cheek products so that the color lasts throughout the day, which you can see in the looks from these two posts (here and here). I also found it to be a good traveling companion since I can just use my fingers to dab on the color when needed. 

Guerlain Sun Shimmer Highlighter in Sunny Pink 02 and Spicy Coral 03 retails for $41 and is available at Guerlain counters and Sephora. 

Le Métier de Beauté Blush Kaleidoscope

The latest Le Métier de Beauté offering is the Blush Kaleidoscope. It was introduced last year as a counter exclusive, but has recently been inducted into the permanent collection (yay!). The blush kaleidoscope contains four shades of varying textures: a matte apricot orange, a matte coral pink, a shimmering gold, and a light shimmering pink. If the Flawless Face Kit is all you need for a basic face, the Blush Kit is all you need for beautiful cheeks. 

L-R: First to Fourth Tier

It was difficult to photograph the nuances of tone when it's on the cheeks. This post by Cafe Makeup should give a good indication of how layering transforms the colors. I do think that even without layering, the colors in the kit are magnificent on its own and worth the investment.

Tier 1

Tier 1+3

Tier 2

Tier 2+3

Right Cheek: Tier 2+3, Left Cheek: Tier 1+3; Lips: Dior Orange Pareo; Eyes: NARS Ramatuelle Trio

I found this bit from the press release worth quoting, as it gives us some ideas on how to use differing textures to amp up our cheeks:

“In order to create dimension, there must be at least two pigments that are contrasting in tone or texture.  For instance, matte with sheen, satin with matte, pink with coral, or mauve with bronze. Layering multiple shades eliminates flatness while bringing vitality to the skin - this is true of color whether it is on the eyes, lips, or cheeks.” – Mikey Castillo

The textures of these powders are finely milled, super soft, easily blendable and (of course) layerable. It is the stuff of a blush fiend's dreams. 

Le Métier de Beauté Blush Kaleidoscope retails for $95 and is available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Recreating the Mystery Lipstick

Last Monday, I posted an image of a woman I found on Pinterest and called for an S.O.S. because I wanted to track her lipstick down. I didn't really expect to get "correct" answers, though I thought it would be fun to see everyone's suggestions.

If you've ever doubted that the Internet is a powerful resource, you only need to read the comments on that post to ascertain your faith. Thank you to every one of you who gave suggestions, obsessed with me, reposted the photo in various forums to widen the search, and miraculously, tracked down the woman. I don't know how or what kind of search terms you used, but I need your research skills!

Reader London Girl found a link that indicated the girl in the picture was a model, and another reader emailed me to let me know the exact show she walked in, with a link to the full makeup look. According to the Allure article, the model walked in the Dior S/S '12 show last fall. Unfortunately, the hue in question was not mentioned.

Not to be deterred, I set out to recreate the hue.

A few days after I saw that picture, I went to Bergdorf's and played around with some lipsticks. After trying a handful (and irritating a number of SAs with my nitpicking) to no avail, I went to the Le Métier de Beauté counter to mope. I looked at their lipstick selection and mentally started ticking the too reds and too pinks off. Nothing clicked, but at a whim I decided to try on Riviera. I knew from previous experience that it was a bright orange coral (the exact tone of Ken Downing's Kontagious Koral from last summer, except with sheerer texture) and it wouldn't fit, but I thought I might dab it on to my lips with a finger and see how it looked.

Riviera Color Core Moisture Stain Lipstick

This is applied directly from the tube

Therein lies the stroke of genius. Riviera did not fit the bill, but because I finger-dabbed it on, my original lip color (light pink) peeked through the coral and the resulting color was almost exactly what I was looking for. If the secret ingredient was a dash of pink, then all I needed to do was add it in, right? A smidgen of Mum's the Word later, and voila:

Riviera + Mum's the Word

It's not matte, but I think the shade is pretty close. Besides, it's now apparent that the model had been sporting that lip for some time (the picture looks like it was taken post-show), so chances are after four hours my lips would look exactly like hers, right?

Le Métier de Beauté Riviera Color Core Moisture Stain Lipstick retails for $32 and is available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue. But the whole point of this post is to say that you guys are the awesomest and I heart all of you!

Le Métier de Beauté Haute House Hues Collection: Two Lips and Mum's the Word Lip Crèmes

By now, Le Métier de Beauté's seasonal collaboration with NM Fashion Director Ken Downing should be old news to you. This spring's offering is titled Tickled Pinks and made up of a curated set of two lip glosses (Two Lips and Mum's the Word) and a hot pink nail lacquer (Snapdragon). I shied away from Snapdragon because it looked really similar to Solar Flare from the main spring collection, though Snapdragon is just a tinge redder. 

I'm a little confused as to why this set is called Tickled Pinks, considering half of it is... not. I don't think Two Lips can be passed as even a light pink. To my eye, it's all peach.

L-R: Two Lips, Mum's the Word

Two Lips

Mum's the Word

Combined

Wearing Mum's the Word

The main reason I purchased this set is for the hot pink Mum's the Word, but I was disappointed to find that it's an exact dupe of the bottom shade of the Aurora Lip Kit. While it's nice to have a portable version of my favorite color from the kit, it's still a bummer. (I won't reiterate my sentiments on this issue, as I only wrote a lengthy post about it yesterday.)

L-R: Aurora Lip Kit (bottom shade), Mum's the Word, Ladurée Rose Macaron that I now crave

L-R: Two Lips, Mum's the Word, Aurora Lip Kit (bottom shade)

L-R: Peche Crème, Two Lips, Papaya Crème (apologies for the lighting difference: I swatched those in store)

Both Two Lips and Mum's the Word feature the lip crème formula, which I love. I did find that at first use, the texture of the crèmes are a little heavier than what I'm used to, but I think it's just a matter of a couple more uses for the formula to become "normal." LMdB lip crèmes feature a heavy burnt caramel vanilla scent that I fortunately enjoy - it's like having creme brulée on your lips for a few minutes! 

Le Métier de Beauté Haute House Hues Tickled Pinks Lip Creme Set retails for $65 and is exclusively available at Neiman Marcus.

An Open Letter to Le Métier de Beauté/On the Coast Eye Kit

As you probably know, Le Métier de Beauté recently released a few exclusive kaleidoscopes to celebrate their debut at Saks Fifth Avenue. Out of the three, I purchased the saks.com exclusive On the Coast. 

You all already know I am a die-hard fan of the company. I've heard three people in the past weekend telling me that I cover Le Métier de Beauté too much on Messy Wands, and I defend my choice of doing so because frankly, I can't help it. The quality of the eye and lip products (and skincare! but we haven't had this conversation) are simply fantastic, and I haven't had anyone contradict me on that front before. And well, if something is working well, why try to fix it?

That said, as a consumer I sometimes get peeved about the abundant exclusives that the company doles out. (If this sentiment triggers comments, I hope everyone will be level-headed and respectful about it. What I hope to facilitate is a discussion, not finger pointing.) It's perfectly understandable to want to celebrate a debut, or a once-a-year event, or anything justified at all, really, but as someone who owns perhaps two-thirds of the kaleidoscopes they've created (this is not factual. I don't actually know how many kaleidoscopes they've made), the exclusives usually make me feel a little sore. I would purchase it thinking it looks amazing, only to get it and find out why I thought so: there are usually a few dupes of existing colors I already own in those new exclusives. If this was a one-time mishap, I wouldn't think much of it. But I've had this happen to me on four different occasions by now. 

I know the logical next step is to be level-headed about exclusives, maybe wait a little for swatches, but it's difficult with these things, knowing how limited in amount they are. I mean, On the Coast was sold out in mere hours after it went online! As a fangirl, I would have hated missing out on Smoldering Embarkment and Antiquité Poupee (to this day I get emails from readers asking if I know of a way to get one), both of which were produced in limited quantities, and the latter was sold out a day after it reached counters. I don't blame the company for the tiny amount. Sometimes I forget that Le Métier de Beauté is an independent company and relatively new to the beauty market. But if budget was really the issue, why make so many exclusives in so many spots? 

I have to bite my own tongue for saying that, because I realize some of my favorites are exclusives curated by Dustin for Bergdorf's (full disclosure: I purchased and fell in love with Smoldering Embarkment even before I met him). Though in my defense, in the past his exclusives are released in conjunction with the year-end holiday season. I also realize that many people won't have my problem encountering dupes, since they don't own something like 18 eye kits and counting. It's just that the company has set the bar at an utmost high regarding quality and creativity, and I just wish it were applied to every single one of its creations. I also understand that the company maintains that it's the interaction between the color that counts, and even if some colors are dupes the layered result might be different. But I'll just put it this way: hypothetically, would you prefer getting three exclusive kaleidoscopes containing some dupes, or just one with never-before-seen shades? 

Clockwise: On the Coast (1st and 2nd shade), Cherry Blossom (1st shade), Splendid Frost (1st shade)

L-R: On the Coast (3rd shade), Devotion (first shade - it looks darker irl), Capitol (3rd shade)

*I don't have an exact dupe for the third shade of On the Coast.

In the end, I know it's a marketing strategy on the company's part, one that I can't fault if I look at it from the business end of things, since it seems to work extremely well. As a consumer, however, I wish for quality over quantity (and by this, I mean less kaleidoscopes that end up looking same-ish and more experimentations with color – the eyeshadows in every kaleidoscope are on par with their usual excellent formula). It pains me that every time the company releases an exclusive collection they receive so much flak and backlash from loving customers because they weren't able to get their hands on the kaleidoscope. Then after all that, I receive the kaleidoscope only to be disappointed with it because I already own the exact same colors. It's the kind of thing that slowly whittles away your love for a brand, and I hope this does not persist with the one company that made me want to start a blog in the first place.


All that said, since I own three out of four of the colors of On the Coast, I decided there is really no reason for me to hold on to it. I was going to return it to saks.com (it is completely unsullied. The only thing I did was take it out of the box and photograph it), but I thought maybe one of you might have wanted it and missed out when it was available. If you're interested in purchasing On the Coast, send me an email at messywands [at] gmail [dot] com and we can work out the details. For swatches, visit Creature of Design's post here.