Hi after a small break *waves exhaustedly*.
I was counting on posting this a few days ago together with a "Happy Christmas" post that I planned before I left home for Christmas visits. Unfortunately right on time on the 23rd of December I caught a nasty cold and spent most of the time in bed during our stay. I had fever and sore throat to start with. We had to drive back a little earlier than planned as I managed to preserve the sore throat and added an evil cough on top of that!
Needless to say I am hoping that all of you had a better Christmas than I did, especially health wise.
A little delayed but today I would like to share two of the blushes from Chanel Spring Collection with you. Chanel Joues Contraste has been one of my favorite blush formula ever since I started loving makeup. I am always excited to try newly released Joues Contraste. This time around Chanel also released a second blush with a gorgeous flower pattern. It must have quickly became one the the most attention taking products in the last months right after the sneak peak photos became available.
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| Chanel Jardin de Chanel Blush Camelia Rose & Joues Contraste #190 Angelique |
Jardin de Chanel Blush Camelia Rose is the cooler option between the two blushes. It has mauve pink tones as Joues Contraste #190 Angelique is a neutral coral for those who prefer their blush shades warmer or to combine with your neutral to warm lipsticks. Angelique is going to join the permanent line. As I purchsed the items in the states, my Joues Contraste #190 Angelique is a powder/non-baked formula. I believe Europe will be getting the baked formula as usual.
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| Chanel Jardin de Chanel Blush Camelia Rose & Joues Contraste #190 Angelique |
Chanel Joues Contraste #190 Angelique is a very pretty easy to wear coral with decent pigmentation. If you like your blush pigmented or if you have deeper complexions, you have to check out Angelique. The finish is almost matte with a tiny bit of satin feel to it, so it is also great for mature skins as no shimmer would accentuate the fine lines. I personally like matte blushes but sometimes I find myself preferring something with a tiny bit of lit within glow.
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| Chanel Joues Contraste #190 Angelique |
Angelique is a neutral coral blush, which doesn't pull too orange nor too pink. I like it especially if I am wearing a cool eye with a warm lip as a transition between the two, to complete the look. I personally prefer the baked formula of Joues Constraste which are less powdery and they have longer shelf lives. This particular one was not too powdery though and it was generously pigmented. If you are light to medium, you need a light hand with Angelique.
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| Close-up: Chanel Joues Contraste #190 Angelique |
I pulled out the closest Chanel Joues Contraste to compare with Angelique. Chanel JC #71 Malice is warmer, a little redder as Angelique pulls pinker. Chanel JC #76 Frivole is more orange and warmer. Both of those blushes have more sheen than Angelique. The closest shade I have in my stash is my beloved go-to blush for warmer lip colors, Tom Ford Flush. Flush is a tad more pink than Angelique but the difference is very subtle. Tom Ford Flush has tiny bit of a sheen which looks natural on the cheeks. Comparing these two, I have to admit, I like Flush more. It may be because Tom Ford Blush Formula is right now my all time favorite, it is very pigmented and the sheen is just right. I find Flush does apply and blend a bit better than Angelique does.
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| Comparison with similar shades: Chanel Joues Contraste #190 Angelique |
Now coming to THAT blush. Oh Jardin de Chanel Blush Camelia Rose, how pretty thy flowers!
Chanel managed to find a way to work with powder like as if it is a piece of paper. The design is suggestive of a pressed powder which is then glued on a surface before the next layer is pressed. Or it might be my wild imagination? No matter how it is done, it must be an expensive process since the blush contains only 3 g of products, half of usual powder Joues Contrastes (6 g) and it costs around 25% more.
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| Chanel Jardin de Chanel Blush Camelia Rose |
The first reaction when I opened the compact, which is exactly the same as their regular blushes was "Oh this is so tiny!". I was expecting to get the same amount, especially since the price is higher than Joues Contraste. After I came over the fact that I had purchased a mini-blush, I started to enjoy the pattern, which is really to die for. First few days I couldn't touch it. This type of layered patterns are more robust to swatching so I could gather some courage by the day three.
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| Close-up: Chanel Jardin de Chanel Blush Camelia Rose |
Upon swatching I noticed that Camelia Rose was not as pigmented, soft nor buttery as I expected it to be. It is a rather muted and less pigmented shade, which would only shop up on light to medium or lighter skin tones. If you are deeper or if you like pigmented blushes, remember this fact before you can't resist the pattern.
As I compared Camelia Rose to other shades, I have seen that Rose Initiale is cooler, Rose Glacier has more sheen and is brighter. The closest shade to Camelia Rose in my stash is Innocence, one of my favorite Joues Contrastes. Innocence is more pigmented and also a tad brighter.
You can see my wearing Camelia Rose in this post.
Upon wearing Camelia Rose once, I though why ruin the unique design, which is apparently what I paid for, by using it although I have a similar shade in my stash anyway. Since then, I put it on my make-up museum corner and went on using JC #160 Innocence instead.
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| Comparison with similar shades: Chanel Jardin de Chanel Blush Camelia Rose |
Final thoughts: I was very excited about the blushes in this collection but none of them turned to be loves for me. I would prefer Tom Ford Flush to Angelique and if you own Chanel Joues Contraste #160 in Innocence, you may not like to invest 25% more money in half the product Joues Contraste offers. The flower pattern is still very pretty though, you may want to have it, just to watch it. Camelia Rose is also not very pigmented so if you are deeper than medium, it may not show up all that well on you.
Would you buy a product just for the design? Are you eyeing any of these blushes?
