The Libre de Chanel Holiday 2016 collection draws inspiration from the urban style but it is the colours that shine

Chanel has a new creative director in Lucia Pica and she’s doing some interesting things that bears watching. Her first collection was the Le Rouge collection, with an interesting take on a Fall/Autumn collection and her first Christmas, or as some will have it, Holiday collection, is similarly different. The Libre de Chanel Holiday 2016 collection is a departure from festive reds and golds.

Like the Dior collection, I received this late, but I know it’s still available at the brand new Chanel Beauty boutique at Pavilion KL if you’re interested. (you’d want to visit, because there’s this amazing highlighter I’m going to show you that’s only available there!)

I’ll take you quickly through the few items I have here, and show you the beautiful limited edition Camelia de Chanel highlighter, that apparently isn’t yet available in many places. I’m not sure why, but it’s available here, and quite likely, flying off the shelves as we speak! :P

Chanel Architectonic Eyeshadow Palette (Limited Edition) – RM215 | US$80

Chanel does these amazing reformulated eyeshadow quads in their permanent line (the round pans) but if I’m to be honest, the quality of their limited edition palettes tend to fall a little short of expectations. From experience, if you judge a Chanel eyeshadow palette by their limited edition releases, odds are, you’d be disappointed.

The same is true of the Architectonic eyeshadow palette.

The shades in the palette tend to the cooler tone of the spectrum, warmed up only by the medium brown. From what I can tell, the shimmer shades, (deep grey, medium grey and silver) are lovely. They have a beautiful shimmer and they apply easily to the skin. The deep blue, as is wont with blues, is rather dry and patchy, and dull on skin. The medium brown is a satin shade that is better than the blue, but tends to apply a little muddy.

Personally, I’m not a fan of this palette, as I did not find the application to be particularly smooth, and I find the colour combination a little too tricky for everyday wear. You can work it, I’m not saying you can’t, but it will pose a challenge. I’d skip this one, sorry Chanel :P

Chanel Joues Contraste Blush in Hyperfresh – RM160 | US$45

I’m a fan of the Chanel Joues Contraste blushes. I have so many from past collections and permanent ranges, that it’s embarrassing LOL!

Hyperfresh however, makes a worthy addition to my collection. It reminds me of Tumulte, except that’s it’s brighter. A very bright, matte pink that needs only the merest touch of a brush on the surface to pick up product. On skin, it’s a very fresh, pink that brightens up the complexion. If you have medium to deep skintones, you’d love this one because it’ll show up so prettily on your skin as a beautiful flush.

For those with lighter skintones, use a softer, fluffier brush and a gentle hand and you too can benefit from the kiss of pink on your cheeks. So pretty! So fresh! It’s HYPERFRESH! :D I believe this may be a permanent item. It wasn’t marked limited edition on my release.

Chanel Rouge Allure Ultraberry & Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss Super Nude – RM115 | US$37

There are 2 shades in each of the Rouge Allure and Rouge Allure Gloss items for the Libre de Chanel collection. I received 2 of the more interesting shades.

In tube, the Rouge Allure Ultraberry looks like a deep burgundy plum. It’s very deep. But as you will see, and as is wont with shades like these, it applies a more flattering reddish plum. It’s a pretty colour, but unless you absolutely LOVE the Rouge Allure formula (I do actually), it’s not hard to get a similar shade in other lines. The plus side is that there is no scent, so in a toss up between Ultraberry and the Diorific counterpart I showed you a while ago, I pick Ultraberry, purely because it’s unscented.

I told you recently too that the Rouge Allure Gloss is one my favourites. It’s not so much a gloss as it is a pigmented liquid lipstick, and I love that! However, I’m not a fan of nude lip products, so when I saw the name – Super Nude – I cringed.

However, as you will see from the swatches below, Super Nude is anything but nude! It is instead, a pigmented medium toned pink-beige, that is neutral, without making you look washed out. It is actually wearable, and I’m thankful for that!

Here are the swatches of all the items I’ve shown you above.

I love how the Rouge Allure Gloss in Super Nude looks, mostly because it’s fairly pigmented, so it gives your lips a nice neutral colour. The Rouge Allure Ultraberry lipstick, as you can see, isn’t as deep as it looks in the tube – both a boon and a bane, depending on which side of the fence you fall on.

The Joues Contraste blush in Hyperfresh is a thing of beauty, if you love blush! It’s matte, which I know appeals to many (and in my dotage, is starting to appeal to me!) and the colour is so fresh and refreshing! The disappointment, I’d say, is the Architectonic Eyeshadow palette, which I felt was too inconsistent in quality to justify calling a buy.

I’m afraid I was unable to show you how it looks when I wear it, simply due to my wanting to get this out before it sells out, and not having the time to doll up. But you get the idea right? :)

If you’re interested in getting just one item, get Hyperfresh blush. It’ll last you forever and a day!

Camelia de Chanel Highlighter – RM230

Or you can get the very limited edition Camelia de Chanel highlighter.

The Camelia de Chanel highlighter is a thing of beauty. The moment I clapped eyes on it, something tugged at my heartstrings and whispered in my ear “BUY THIS MASTERPIECE!” I have resisted thus far, purely because I’m not big on using highlighters.

“But this is a collector’s piece! Who talks about USING this?!” whispered the devil on my shoulder. While I tended to agree, I am also a user as opposed to a collector, so I regretfully tore myself away from the counter. But not before swatching it, and swooning over the beautiful embossed pattern of Chanel’s signature camelia flower, and the soft, champagne gold shimmer that this translates to on skin. A thing of beauty, both to look at, and to wear.

In Malaysia, the Camelia de Chanel highlighter is only available at the new Chanel beauty boutique at Pavilion KL, so you’d want to head there before it’s all snapped up. While the price is a little heart-stopping, I was amused to note that compared to its competitors, it is actually a decent price! Well, relatively speaking of course :D

Does anything from the Chanel Christmas 2016 collection catch your eye? Are you drooling over that beautiful Camelia de Chanel highlighter?

Hell, I am, so I don’t blame you if you’re drooling over the highlighter too! :D Who knows if I’d “accidentally” walk into the store and pick it up some day. These things happen haha! :D

Paris B