Yesterday, on a quick "drive-by" shopping trip to Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland, I stopped by the Chanel home (it's really more than just a counter - it's a section) to see if the Holiday Collection for 2010 had arrived. It had, and I immediately started sampling with Georgia Marmaras, Chanel Beauty Specialist (I had left Loyd behind; he was working with a customer). I started with the Eye Shadow Quad in Tentation Cuivrée, selected it in a heartbeat, and then added one item after another. I found I "couldn't live without" more than half the collection. By the time I had picked out all of my new goodies, I had a little Chanel shopping bag full!This is a gorgeous collection. Need eye shadow? Chanel's got you covered. Need blush? Chanel's got you covered. Need lip gloss? Same. There's so much to love, I couldn't stop. So, over the next few days, I will be wearing, swatching, and sharing Chanel Holiday.
Tentation Cuivrée caught my eye instantly for a couple of reasons. I love Chanel's quads, and I purchase most of them. More importantly, it struck me immediately that Chanel had also bought into the pink and chocolate trend for fall and winter. I had seen the combination created by Dick Page for Shiseido and wrote about it. Then I saw the combination noted in Allure and knew the beauty world was onto a seasonless pairing of shades that's extremely flattering on most women.
My arm photo at right was snapped in full sun on a lovely, breezy day (our reward for sloshing though yesterday's storm). Remember that the sun adds a little extra shine to makeup
swatches. These shades do shimmer, but not quite as much as you might think from my photo.I swatched the colors starting at top left and moving clockwise. The two light shades both apply as pink on my skin, but on others, the second shade from the top may be more beige or nude in tone (as it appears in the compact). There is no mistaking the bottom shade as pink. It's even more intense than it appears here - a beautiful baby pink.
I haven't had enough time to mix up the shades to create my own. I love them as they are, but I won't be able to resist layering to create a third shade, or a fourth, or even a fifth. This is going to be fun! Will I save this palette for holiday? Not a chance. I'll be wearing it next week.
This is a great time to look for the Chanel Holiday 2010 Collection in the stores. It just arrived, and you will want access to all of the items before they start to sell out. It's Beauty Week at Saks too. A pretty python-print tote (with a few samples inside) will be yours with any $100 purchase in the beauty department. Some counters have gifts with purchase. If you prefer to buy online from Chanel, you will have to wait for the company to post the collection on its Web site.
Look for more Chanel Holiday features in the days ahead.
Photos by BTiB