Chanel Perfection Lumiere Long-Wear Flawless Fluid Makeup

Image from Chanel.com

Chanel has introduced a new foundation formula, and at the same time, finally expanded its color range!  It has been a long time coming.  According to the website this is foundation is

"effortless to apply, with seamless blendability for a naturally flawless effect, this breakthrough foundation is the ideal all-day, everyday formula – suitable for all skin types in a diverse range of 20 shades."

The product insert adds,

"A perfect complexion requires controlled light.  This is why the CHANEL Laboratories have developed the patented CHANEL Perfect Light Control complex.  This combination of  two hemispherical powders (one transparent and one coated with mineral ceramic pigments), perfectly corrects all imperfections while bringing gorgeous radiance to the face.  The skin is smooth and luminous and the complexion even."

I was pleased with the color, finish and performance.  The coverage is good, it evened out my complexion as promised, and dried to a natural, slightly dewy look.  It did not break me out (though I don't tend to break out anyway).  I forgot to wear it for 15 hours (oops!), but it lasted for 11 without any sign of fading. Choosing a color was a little difficult:   There were two colors that blended in well where applied on my jaw, but looked quite different when applied to my entire face.  While both looked good, one color lived up the promise of luminosity better than the other.  So if you can, test a few colors on your entire face.

Samples, full-size bottle in the background.

Pump bottle.

Here a few swatches of the darker colors.  My local Nordstrom had all of them except #54 and 114).

The Perfection Lumiere line also includes a range of pressed powders and correctors, which weren't available at my Nordies yet, but are on the Chanel website.  I'm eager to try those.

Perfection Lumiere Long-Wear Flawless Fluid Makeup probably won't replace my favorite Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint in the summer time when I need a water-resistant product, but will become my second favorite along with Le Metier de Beaute Classic Flawless-Finish Liquid Foundation.

Nordstrom National Makeup Artist Event: Chanel Prelude Makeover

I skipped yet another annual Nordstrom Trend Show this morning.  Eight o'clock is just way too early for a Saturday morning.  I scheduled my Chanel makeover for noon instead.  (And even so, I woke up at 11am - eep!) 

The promise of the trying out the new Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation made me haul a__ to get dressed and out the door.  Though many companies make foundations in colors for women of color these days, it can still be hard to find the right one, depending upon your skin's undertones.  To be fair, I already have a couple that work well for me - by Jouer and Le Metier de Beaute - but since high school, when there was virtually nothing for "us,"  I've been driven to look at new products designed for women of color.

The beauty lines at Nordstrom bring in a number of makeup artists (MAs) including national makeup artists for this annual event.   Each customer was assigned to a makeup artist, while one of Chanel's star national artists, John Fussell, oversaw each application, made recommendations, and gave useful new tips.  I asked that they use Perfection Lumiere as the foundation, but gave them free reign over everything else.  I'll save the foundation review for later after I've had a chance to see if it lives up to its long-wear promise.

In addition to applying Perfection Lumiere to my face, Mr. Fussell directed the MA use it also as an eye shadow base, and to apply it to my lips, which allows the true shades of the lip color to show and evens out any color variances that may exist around the edges of the lip.  She used Fandango on my cheeks, an excellent color for me and one one I already have.  Next, she applied colors from the "Prelude" quad on my eyes, which I also already own, so I was intrigued to see what she might do differently. 

Wash of color #1 over the entire lid below the crease.
A dot of color #2 in the center of the lid, just above the lash line.
Color #3 in the crease, and lining under the eye from corner to corner.
Color #4 under the brow.

Though using liner on the waterline is common, it's new for me.  The MA encircled the entire waterline, top and bottom, with Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof eyeliner in black.  It gave me an entire new look. 

My brows were filled in with the Crayon Sourcils Eyebrow Pencil in Brun Naturel.  What an improvement over the old one!  It's much softer and applies far more easily.  And it's waterproof, a real bennie in this humid Washington environment.

Mr. Fussell finished my brows by lightly dipping a very thin, flat eyeliner brush into color #4 of the Prelude quad, then followed the line of the underside of my brows, giving the eye a much more finished look. I added a little more for the photo when I got home - you will blend better than I did, of course! I am really pleased with this intense smokey eye look.  Just as if he knew I had some doubts about the cool tones of Prelude on my warm complexion, Mr. Fussell said that using cool-toned eye shadow colors brings out the hazel colors in brown eyes such as mine.  I didn't see any green in my eyes, but they did appear to be a richer brown.  Finally, the MA lined my lips with Aqua Crayon "Chocolate," and filled in with Rouge Coco Shine "Deauville," a neutral pink, then topped it with "Meteore" Glossimer.  The fall looks feature both a strong eye and lip this season, but I may keep these anyway. 

My makeover was completed with a complimentary nail polish application.  It was a nice service, but I was surprised that the nail technician didn't have base or top coat to apply.  Fortunately, the color I chose, Graphite, dried quickly and shows no nicks.

While I was pleased with my makeover, I was disappointed that Nordstrom didn't coordinate the timing of the Trend Show and National Artist Event with the release of the Holiday Collections.  The Chanel Holiday collection is due out next month.  It would have been nice to have gotten a makeover and nail application with the new products.  It was a great event nevertheless.  I always enjoy learning new things from the pros.

Sleek Au Naturel i-Divine Palette from the Nude Collection

The reviews of Sleek's eye shadow palettes have been uniformly good, and the price was right at $10 per palette, so I jumped at the chance to get this palette of what would be neutrals for my skin tone.

I was surprised at the size of the palette.  It looked so much larger in photos.  It is actually the size of two Chanel quads, and not as thick.  No big deal - makes them easier to travel with. 

The colors looked promising.

The first five colors in the top row are matte, and look flat and chalky when applied to my arm as you can see below, but have a little more interest on the eye.   They work well as bases for the shadows in the row below it.  The last shadow has some shimmer, but little pigmentation so it just looks ashy with little of the peach color you see in the palette.   I think this one may be totally useless unless I can use it to blend the matte, pale shadows in the top row with the darker ones on the bottom.  The shadows in the bottom row are are richly pigmented with a bit of shimmer.  While they spread on my arm smoothly, they applied with a bit of a drag on my eyelid, and the shimmer disappated somewhat.  I'm still on the fence about this - I'm accustomed to using eye shadows with more shimmer.  There was a bit of fall out during swatching - eta:  with a sponge applicator.

I bought two palettes; the other one is Storm, which I will review later.  Postage from the UK was $10, so these were $15 per palette.  Delivery only took about a week.  I'll let you know how these shadows wear in the Storm review.

Sleek products are available on Sleek.com.  The site doesn't say whether these are limited edition or part of the permanent collection, so I assume they are permanent. 

What has your experience been with these palettes?

Fashion Night Out with Le Metier de Beaute, Silk Road Kaleidoscope

I couldn't resist going to Neiman's for Fashion Night Out when I heard that Le Metier de Beaute's Lisa Lingis and Erin Lockard would be there to do makeovers.  I met Lisa when I won the Neiman Marcus' Beauty Shopping Spree in September.  She gave me a fantastic makeover and introduced me to Peau Vierge, which I've used every day since.   And I had read so many good things about Erin on the blogs that I couldn't resist making an appointment. 

Lisa cleaned my face, applied moisturizers from their new skin care line (heavenly), Peau Vierge, and finally Classic Flawless-Finish Liquid Foundation in color #10.  She applied the foundation with a kabuki brush, which gave me an airbrushed look that I have read so much about.  I was surprised at how soft the brush was - it didn't prick my skin or didn't shed - and at how evenly the foundation went on.  Then Erin did my eyes with the Silk Road Kaleidoscope.

Erin first applied Tamarack Dualistic Eye Pencil as a base, then using the 'Couche de Coleur' technique, layered one color over the other, using each of the four shadows from the top of the kaleidoscope to the bottom, then applied River Stone shadow in the crease and Revive Eyebrow and Setting Powder under the brow.  She created a winged eyeline, first using the point of a black Precision Liquid Liner to fill in the spaces between the lashes, then sketched the liner on, beginning at the outer corner of the eye, working in toward the center, finishing at the inner corner of the eye.  Erin is also a great teacher:  that was a new technique for me, which I will use from now on.  She then added purple Anamorphic Lash Mascara, and Brow Bound Eyebrow Pencil in Sequoia.

The photos don't do justice to the beautiful satiny finish of these layered shadows.  The colors don't become muddied as you layer them.  Rather, on my skin tone, they become a gleaming copper with tinges of gold and purple.

Erin finished with Classic Flawless Finish Concealer SPF 18 in shade 11 under my eyes, Radiance Powder Rouge in Rumor, and lip gloss from the Fall/Winter Kaleidoscope Lip Kit. 

I was so pleased with the look Erin gave me!  The look was subtle and sophisticated.  The winged eyeliner gave it even more interest.  The black eyeliner may be a little much for the office, but I can totally see wearing brown winged liner for professional day look.  Lisa created a cheat sheet for me, so that I can recreate the look later. 

I bought the Kaleidoscope, Rumor blush, and concealer.   I'll probably buy the kabuki brush later.   I own one but it sheds when used to apply foundation.  Ugh!  I think I spent 5 minutes picking bristles off my face this morning when I used it.

I have to add that it was a treat to be made over by two really nice, engaging women.  They have such positive energy, which lightened and brightened my day.  There are photos of Erin and Lisa at Best Things in Beauty, with Lisa Corsina, the Le Métier de Beauté representative at Neiman Marcus Tysons, who's sweety too.

If you live in the Washington, DC Metro Area, Erin will be at Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie Saturday, September 10th for the NM Fall Beauty Event.