Sometimes, you come across something new that not only jolts you out of a state of torpor, but worms its way into your heart. Nevermind that it may be impractical or a mess. Some things cannot be explained. This is how I felt about the brand new Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder.
When these dropped into my lap, I cast a wary eye over them. They looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on it. But what I will say is that these Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder lip products are a little strange.
Let’s start with the packaging.
The Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder comes in a rather strange squeeze tube. The colour of the tube matches the colour of the product. The cap is a twist-off cap and when you open it, you are greeted by the sight of a pristine white sponge applicator.
For a moment, I was left scratching my head. How on earth was I supposed to get the product out? Do I twist it? But no, you are supposed to squeeze.
And then this happens. The product itself looks like a gel. You can dab or apply it to your lips, and then use the sponge applicator to smooth it out.
The effect is that of a slightly blurred lip colour – a colour that is there but not entirely pristine. A colour that looks like you just dabbed it on, on the go. And I think that’s what Chanel intends this to be – a blurred, matte lip colour that isn’t too serious.
The name – Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder – tells you that the liquid dries down to a blurred, matte colour. I personally find it a little strange.
But even more strange is the fact that I rather like it! 😛
I like how the applicator does not give you a pristine line – this isn’t a serious lipstick. It is rather frivolous and fun. I like how the colour isn’t very opaque – it goes on a little sheer, which is great for a quick touch up, or light colour. But it is easily built up with the deeper shades.
I like the strange mechanism that I find quite unique – do let me know if there are similar products in the market. This is as if Chanel put a lipstick in a lip balm squeeze tube, but added a proper applicator, instead of the usual slanted plastic contraption.
The applicator is also strange. The feeling of the furry, spongy applicator on the lips is unusual. This is something you find in a concealer perhaps, or even a liquid eyeshadow. The diffused, blurred effect too takes some getting used to.
You may notice this rather odd effect in these swatches on my hand. You may notice how the colour is bolder on one side, and how it looks lighter and sheerer on the other. That is because of how the colour is dispensed. Once you slick the applicator over your lips a few times, it will even out.
You may also notice how the colour looks diffused and blurred, not a pristine swatch or line at all. As I said, it is at once unusual, yet intriguing.
I was afraid that the name – Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder – would mean that it would feel powdery, dry and matte on my lips. To my surprise, it doesn’t. My lips do feel a little cushiony, for want of a better word, and it does not feel dry or tight. It does not settle into lines on my lips, nor does it dry my lips out. I do not experience a lot of colour transfer either – there is some, but not significant. I also do find that it does fade a little unevenly, but leaves behind a tint of colour as it fades.
However, like all matte lipsticks, it can accentuate dry, flaky lips so you do have to ensure that your lips are plump, smooth and in the pink of health or you will hate these 🙂 I personally did not experience any issues with these at all.
I have 2 shades – 960 Avant-Gardiste and 954 Radical, and here is how it looks when I wear them both.
960 Avant-Gardiste is a deep berry that you can wear as a sheer tint of colour, or layered to deepen the colour. I love this shade, which is season appropriate for those easing into Autumn. Yet, it isn’t too deep that it looks out of place in a warmer setting. The cool tones make this flattering for most skin tones.
954 Radical is a shade I would not usually wear, as it is an orange toned red. Similarly, you can wear this as a light, sheer tint of colour, or full on. In this picture, I have layered it on so you can see how the colour looks. Fortunately, I rather like it. It brightens up the complexion, and perks you up, and looks good especially in warmer light.
You will find however, that the edges of the lip colour isn’t very defined. The sponge applicator will not allow you to get the sharp, defined edges that you will get with a traditional lipstick bullet or a brush. So my advise is to not take the colour too close to your lip line. Dab it in the center of your lips, then use the sponge to even it out, leaving the edges blurred. It is unusual, and a little more casual.
However, I can tell you this – the applicator will put off many people. Each time you use the product, the sponge will absorb and saturate with more colour. Eventually, it will be fully saturated. That may not sit well with most.
Also, if you are a germophobe, or someone who likes having things pristine all the time, you will not like this one bit. The Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder has a very casual, fun vibe. For some reason, it sat well with me.
I like that it isn’t too serious, nor does it make you take yourself too seriously. It allows you to have fun with a tint of colour, and it makes you look like you’ve snuck some kisses behind the door, and mussed up your lipstick 😉 And sometimes, I think that is rather fun, don’t you? 😀
IN A NUTSHELL
The Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder is a new lipstick product that comes in a unique squeeze tube packaging. The applicator is a sponge applicator, that comes white, but will saturate with colour as you use it. The texture of the product is like a liquid gel, that dries to a matte powder finish. It can be worn as a sheer tint of colour or built up to an opaque colour. The applicator gives lips a blurred finish, without defined lines around the edges. You’d have to appreciate that look to appreciate this.
PROS: Unusual, Not drying, Did not settle into lip lines, Colour can be built up from sheer to opaque, Quite longlasting colour but will not survive oily foods, Colour pigment is bold
CONS: Pricey, Fades a little unevenly, Does not give a defined lip line if that’s what you prefer, Sponge applicator can be offputting
WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who can appreciate the rather unique squeeze tube and sponge applicator packaging, Anyone who can appreciate a blurred, undefined lip colour
PRICE: RM133 | US$30
WHERE TO BUY: Chanel counters and beauty boutiques, Chanel online
Incidentally, the colours I own – Radical and Avant-Gardiste (Fr: Forward thinking) describes these lip colours very well. They most certainly are different and I have a sneaky feeling we might see other brands come up with their versions in time to come 🙂
Does this Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder intrigue you?
I’ll be the first to say that I think many will give me a quizzical look when seeing these, and I’m quite sure also that most will wrinkle their nose at the applicator. But it grew on me in terms of application, texture and formula, and I’ve grown to like it a lot. That said however, I do have a more casual style these days, which might explain why I may be more comfortable with these 🙂 Reckon you’d try it? 🙂
Paris B
I believe many Korean makeup brands have already come up with the squeeze tube, furry applicator thing for lip colours, but it’s refreshing to see Chanel follow the trend too. 😉 I believe it’s more to appeal to a wider audience, especially the younger ones who started out with K-makeup but are now looking to dip their hands into higher end makeup. Personally, I feel the furry applicator is to achieve the diffused lip colour look that is popular in Asian makeup trends.
Thanks Laura 😀 I don’t pay attention to Korean makeup which explains why it hit my blind spot so thank you for pointing that out! Could you share a brand that has packaging like this so I can look it up?
Indeed, with the K-wave still going strong, I’m sure Chanel is just tapping into the hype and along the way, they net people like me, who think it’s new and innovative haha 😀 Yes, the sponge applicator serves to give the diffused appearance, which I think is very refreshing, in the world of defined lips 🙂 I do tend to pay more attention to Japanese makeup, which is a little more detailed and defined around the lips. I think we can expect more popular western brands to jump on soon 🙂
Yes, I agree, it’s originally K-Beauty, but was already picked up by Givenchy. https://www.givenchybeauty.com/int/en/p/le-rouge-liquide-F20100051.html
At the moment I am very much into L’Oréal Color Rich Shine Lipstick. It’s similar to YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick, except for the price tag. 🙂
Ooh thanks for the heads up! Didn’t realize Givenchy had something similar too. They were quite quiet about it weren’t they? It’s quite a low key brand here so I tend to overlook it. I’m not sure if we get that L’oreal lipstick here. We tend not to get a lot of the good stuff based on my past experience. And it’s unsurprising that they’re similar to YSL – Same parent company! Hehe…
Unfortunately, we don’t get Givenchy make up in Switzerland at all. But as you may already know, I travel quite a bit. I love Matissime Velvet Foundation for my combination skin (satin matte, excellent oil control without clinging to dry spots) and I’m eyeing the lipsticks, not least because of the gorgeous packaging, especially for limited editions (the magnolia blossom edition… sigh).
I’m surprised by the quality of the L’Oréal lipstick. I was a little arrogant about that brand, hadn’t bought anything for years. Which is stupid because I had a sample of L’Oreal’s True Match foundation and got compliments for my complexion. Instead I bought GA Luminous Silk (terribly expensive, but oh so good!). Recently I realized that L’Oreal’s True Match is considered an excellent a dupe for GA LS. 🙂
I’ve tried the Interdit one, with the leather case. That one is lush! Which reminds me I should dig mine out and use it more often LOL! I bought it in a strange nude shade, which is very not me, which might explain why it’s been in cold storage all this time. I haven’t tried their foundations. I think the prices do put me off quite a bit (close to Guerlain prices here, which are already quite choking) which is why I tend to overlook the brand. Haha To be honest, L’Oreal makeup is quite decent. Back in the day, when I was just starting out with skncare, I used to use the L’Oreal Paris range too and their Revitalift range was a fave. It was pretty good. But I confess I have overlooked the brand in recent years. Now you have me curious to check out True Match again! I wonder if we get the same version as you do in Europe. We sometimes get Asia versions for skincare and makeup, which aren’t as good as the Europe versions. I never understand why.
Oh! I bought a similar Korean one a few years back from a brand called 3CE. I believe Sephora stocks them now. The colour pay-off was amazing and the staying power was good. I didn’t like how it dried my lips out later in the day though. I always ended up switching to a coloured lipbalm after a few hours to try to mask some of that moisture loss.
Thanks for sharing Nicola 🙂 It does seem like this was made popular by the Korean brands a while ago – I’m a late adopter LOL! 😀 I do find that most matte lipstick, especially liquid lipstick tend to dry my lips, so I avoid them. I tried this one out of curiousity, and am happy it didn’t dry mine. So I guess if you like the formula and format, this is one to try 🙂
I like the look of these! In the photos where you are wearing them, they look waaaay more pigmented than I expected… Maybe I’ll try and get my hands on one or two 🙂 In November though 😉 Are they permanent?
I like these for the same reason as you – they aren’t meant to be precise and perfectly applied. I think I like this way of thinking because it goes against the Instagram ‘look’ which is; apply A LOT of makeup and make it PERFECT.
It ain’t perfect and I don’t care 😛 I don’t even know if I remembered that line correctly, LOL!
You do have to layer them a little Sylvia, to get the pigmentation more intense, but it layers easily I find. Yes, I believe they are permanent, so there’s no hurry! 😀 Oh and I so get your disenchantment with the perfect style of makeup we keep seeing today. In all honesty, I don’t see those sort of looks in real life at all. I like a little smudgy look, because it looks real and human – cos we’re not perfect 😀
I’m surprised that they are not drying. Great to know that dry-lip girls still have the option to wear matte lipsticks. Thanks for trying and sharing.
Yup! From my experience, I’ve only been able to wear Chanel matte lipsticks so far because they aren’t drying, unlike most matte formula. It’s not my favourite formula, as I prefer a glossy, creamy lip, but sometimes, it is nice, because it lasts longer and isn’t so messy LOL 🙂