Unmistakably Chanel... Pre-Spring 2014

Perfect and beautiful for spring/summer.  However, nothing about this black dress is seasonal. This is the kind of a dress that will look relevant in any season.

Via Vogue Italia Pin It

Holidays 2012 with Chanel, Dior, Laura Mercier, Anastasia and Boots No7

A lot of my makeup purchases happen during the holiday season and this year was no different. 

First, I wanted to share with you absolutely perfect red lipstick from Dior collection Diorific, color #38 Diva.  This is very cheerful color which has not too much orange nor blue, just beautiful red and very comfortable formula to wear, as usual from Dior.


Then I thought I need to tell you about my new and wonderful Anastasia Brow Wiz pencil. Brow pencil on one side, brow comb on the other - quick and simple.


Another great product I discovered to myself is shimmer base cover for the eyelids Stay Perfect Eye Mousse from Boots No 7. I think it is perfect for the summer when I do not want to wear a lot of makeup, AND it is great for the holiday season for its festive sparkle.

Finally, I found the most perfect Illuminating Shimmer powder from Laura Mercier so I can highlight my cheekbones. This loose powder provides beautiful glow to the skin and looks very natural.  Another great thing about this loose powder is that I can mix it in with with any body lotion. Love it!

The other makeup you see on the picture that I use all the time is DiorSkin Nude foundation   Chanel black eyeshadow in Mirifique  Chanel eyeshadow in Taupe Delicat  and  Chanel blush in Rouge.

So here you have it. My perfect holiday makeup collection for 2012. 

Share with me your holiday makeup ideas! Pin It

CHANEL Cosmetics... Natural Finish Loose Powder

No matter how many Chanel cosmetics  I have had , every time I buy something new from this legendary fashion house, my heart skips a beat, just like when I bought my first CHANEL lipstick.  So, it was no surprise that when I ran out of my loose powder, I started my shopping at the CHANEL cosmetic counter.

I never had this product from CHANEL before.  However, knowing how beautiful their blushes are, I think that they are the best for its incredible subtle shimmer, I thought that finishing loose powder will not disappoint as well.

It did not take long for a sales person to help me with the right color, there is only three shades, and I walked away with a large 1 oz. jar of beautiful CHANEL powder.  As I said, it is a big jar with 1oz. of product in it, so I could easily justify the price of $52.  It will last me for a lo-o-ong time, and most important, my daily satisfaction of using this product with its great visual effect - priceless.  What can I say, CHANEL knows how to make your skin look beautiful and I absolutely love this finishing powder.  I use it on the top of my  Dior foundation

CHANEL finishing powder sets the makeup and at the same time my skin does not look "powdery."  Instead, it looks luminous and natural, perfectly finished and beautiful.  This product makes a difference, just the way it should be.  It must be some reflective secret ingredient that gives effect of soft focus and look of a beautiful, youthful skin.

See you on Thursday, December 13, 2012!





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Fashion Night Out 2012...Chanel Nail Polish in Delicatesse

As I shared with you before, I don't use many different colors when it comes to nail polish.  One of my favorite dark color for fall is  Chanel Rouge Fatal #487  The minute I saw Chanel's three new nail polish colors for Fashion Night Out 2012 that were posted all over the internet, I knew I wanted the Delicatesse.  Lately I was looking for a shade of new nude nail polish, but wanted something that is not boring, not "too nude," becasue it does not look good with my skin tone.  Chanel's Delicatesse looked interesting.  Even though it was hard to judge the color of nail polish by looking at the web photos, I though that Peter Philips, creative makeup director for Chanel, could not come up with boring nude nail polish and probably created the one I would love.  You can see how much faith I have in Chanel!  I ordered this nail color,  anxiously was waiting for its arrival and kept my fingers crossed that it will look good with my skin tone.

Now as I have it in my hands, can say this: this is exactly what I was hoping for.  Peter Philips - thank you for reading my mind and making Chanel's new neutral nail color that looks good on me. 

This color is not really "nude" but it is definitely can be classified as neutral.  I love the fact that it is much darker than you would think it is by looking at the bottle.  I would call this color "edgy" nude.  It has very balanced mixed of the prettiest dark caramel color and just a hint of dusty pink, which is not too pink but rather close to a mauve shade.  This color looks different from anything I saw before and does not look like same old neutral nail polish.  Perfect for the fall.  I know this nail polish will look good with a lot of colors we will be wearing this fall, but I absolutely love how it looks with charcoal gray color, one of my favorite color to wear.  Did you have a chance to try any of new Fashion Night Out nail colors from Chanel?

See you next Thursday, September 20!

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Chanel Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2012-2013... Simple Luxury

Another beautiful collection from great Karl. His latest Chanel Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2012-2013 collection is luxuriously simple: simple in silhouette, but luxurious in its intricate embroidery. For example, one of the long pink coats looks like it is made from tweed, but is it not. Tweed pattern is embroidered, which took 3,000 hours to complete. Beautiful pink and gray colors of the collection were inspired by the palette of Marie Laurencin. I enjoyed this making of Fall/Winter 2012/13 Haute Couture in Rue Cambon ateliers video, from Karl Lagerfeld's sketches to the show.

Chanel Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2012-13 Show Pin It

Chanel Nail Polish... Rouge Fatal #487

In preparation for the Fall/Winter season, I was thinking about expanding my limited color scheme of nail polishes.  Somehow I am stuck with just five colors,  like this classic red , this frosty neutral ,  this light pink , dark cherry and nice coral shade.  However, my obsession with burgundy color   in fashion for the fall season went not only to my  knitting DIY but spilled over to cosmetics as well and I wanted to find deep and dark nail polish with color that is dark burgundy without being too bright. 

After spending some quality time at the number of cosmetic counters, I decided that Chanel Rouge Fatal #487 Nail polish fits the bill.  What I like the best about this color is that it is burgundy without being too cherry and too bright.  Chanel artfully mixed in some brown color, and with the right proportion of brown this burgundy looks toned down and not too bright, but at the same time it looks dark enough to be dramatic.  It is perfect and exactly what I was looking for.     

With manicure tips and tricks and some time dedicated to make it nicely, here is the result.   

As far as application of this nail polish, it was easy to apply since this polish has nice texture.  I had no trouble at all making it nice and neat.
What is your latest favorite nail polish?

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Prized Possession... Chanel Burgundy 2.55 Bag

I think if I would hear my fire alarm go off and there was a fire in my house so I had to leave immediately, this is what I would grab first - my Chanel 2.55 burgundy handbag.  This bag is my prized fashion accessory AND my birthday gift from very special person from a couple of years ago.

Last Sunday I talked about big  return of burgundy color   for this Fall/Winter 2012, and the burgundy of my Chanel bag only helps to create striking outfit with monotone look of new must have color.  Although I have to say, this classic bag is always on trend, regardless of the color. Pin It

Body Skin Care... How Much it Cost?

Answering the question I put in the title - it depends.  Personally, I go through body lotions like a heavy smoker goes through packages of cigarettes.  I use body lotions religiously morning and night, after every shower, all over the body, regardless of the time of the year.  Considering how many tubes of body lotions I use per year, I had to find cost effective solution without compromising the quality of the product.  I think I found it.  For me it is Olay Quench Plus Firming body lotion.

What I like about this lotion is that it proved to be very good moisturizer and it also provides skin firming benefit.  I know how my skin looked before I started  using Olay and I like it much better now.  Another benefit of this lotion is that it gives to my skin very light golden shimmer, which looks good in any light, but especially I like it in the sunlight.  Perfect for summer to enjoy good looking bare skin!  So, this is my cost efficient solution to body skin care.  You can't bit the price tag under $10. 

Another my favorite and very special body lotion is on the other end of price line - Chanel #5 Velvet Body Cream.  It is not really "body skin care" to me, but pure indulgence, perfume, good mood, etc.  I use Chanel #5 perfume, and this perfumed body lotions is great addition to the "smell good" part of your beauty routine.  As it happens to all perfumed body lotions, they smell a bit different from originating perfume due to the lotion formulation.  This does not mean a bad thing though.  The smell of Chane #5 Velvet Body Cream is divine, and sometimes I prefer to use it instead of perfume.  It has long lasting smell and you need just a little to have the #5 scent follow you around.  As you can see, this is not the lotion you would use instead of all over the body lotion to firm up your skin.  These perfumed body creams has different purpose.  Keep in mind that if you put this Chanel's perfumed lotion all over your body, whoever will be hugging you will have the aroma of #5 on the skin as well, for a long time.  I am talking from the experience.  Just saying... Pin It

Black Eyeshadow.... Chanel Mirifique #85

I always wanted to be able to make dramatic eyes with a lot of black eyeshadow and somehow it never worked for me.  My eyes would look tired and sad, that's all.  After many trials and fails, I have decided that for whatever reason this black eyeshadow thing is just not going to work for me.

Then one day, at Chanel cosmetic counter, I came across Chanel Illusion D'ombre, Long Wear Luminous eyeshadow #85, Mirafique, and because my dream of having gorgeous black  eyeshadow on my eyes never dyed, I decided to give it a try one more time.

After a little bit of experimenting, practicing with handy brush that is included and getting down my technique applying this creamy texture eyeshadow, I realized that FINALLY, it worked!  My eyes looked beautiful and exactly how I always wanted - dramatic, huge and alive.  It does not hurt to say that I got a lot of compliments on this look too.  

When my first excitement faded a little bit, I  asked myself, why is it worked so well this time?  This is what I think: some people are fortunate enough (aka MODELS) to have faces on which any black eye makeup just works.  As for me, I had to work harder and find a product that works for my type of face.  The difference between black eyeshadow I tried before and this one is in its strong shimmer.  CHANEL is known for making makeup products with the right shimmer, strong and visible, that lights up the face, but does not look vulgar or only teenage appropriate.  This is exactly what makes the big difference between looking gorgeous and..."trying too hard and it is still not working for her."     Pin It

How to Wear Blue Eyeshadow...Chanel #92 Bleu Celestes

I had this Chanel  Eye Shadow #92 Bleu Celestes  for awhile and I love it.  There is an opinion that blue eye makeup sometimes is hard to pull off.  This is why when I came across the article written by makeup artists Robin Black, who has worked with Chloe Sevigny, Eva Mendes and Olivia Wilde,  about how to wear  blue color on your eyes without looking 1980s girl, I thought it will be useful to share her suggestions with you.  Via LifeStyle Mirror!

Here are Robin's suggestions on how to wear blue eyes:

1. Ditch your usual black liner (liquid, gel or pencil) and recreate your favorite shape in blue. For a cat eye, I love a bright neon blue: It’s unexpected and looks gorgeous on both dark and light eye colors.

2. For a night on the town, switch your typical smoky eye (comprised of shades of black, gray or bronze) for an elegant navy version. A navy smoky eye looks great with nude lips or for the bold, with a bright pop of color (orange red or pale pink look modern).

3. If you prefer a more natural look, why not try blue mascara? Start with dewy skin, flushed cheeks, a nude lip and then a thick coat of bright blue mascara on both the top and bottom lashes. Curl and flutter for the full effect.

As a final note, Robin Black urges you to remember, “Keep the color on your eyelid. Blue up to your eyebrow will read as 1980s Valley Girl.”

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Perfume...Which One Is Your Favorite?

Perfume counters at the department store are so appealing to me!  Beautiful perfume bottles, alluring scents... every time I am tempted to stop by and try something new.  Even though I stop by very often, rarely I find something that smells as good as I thought it would be after 15 -20 minutes of me wearing this new perfume.  Most often than not,  I would want to get rid of that new fragrance as soon as possible.  This is the reason why I even don't dare spraying any of new scents on my hand any more, paper stick only.  I am not convinced yet that I want to smell like newly unwrapped MacBook, a new perfume Fashionista reported on recently, so... search is on.

Now you understand why I have hard time changing perfumes, even if I want to.  Currently I use Chanel #5, Prada Infusion D'Iris and Jo Malone Amber & Lavender.  You can say that those three scents cannot be more different and I totally agree with you.  This is exactly why I like it.   I like wearing different perfumes depending on my choice of clothing for the day.

I wear Chanel # 5 when I feel like wearing classics.  Prada Infusion D'Iris has very light floral scent and  I like wearing it when my look is natural and simple.  Jo Malone's Amber & Lavender I associate with fashion looks that is minimalistic and straight lines. 

Tip for sensitive noses:  The smell of Amber & Lavender is pretty strong compared to other two I use.  To make it easier on my senses I use the trick I learned from one French lady: I spray it on the BACK of my neck.  This way I have the scent I like but smell it "from the distance." 

In the past I used Chanel #19 and Coco Mademoiselle, which I liked a lot.  Probably I will get back to them if nothing else will catch my attention.  I would love to find THE one I don't know about yet.  What perfume do you love?  I need something new!

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Chanel... Eyeshadow Duo #20 Taupe-Delicat

My latest "go to" eyeshadow palette is Chanel duo in color #20 Taupe-Delicat.  The Delicat color is exactly what I needed to make the look Pat McGrath created for  Dolce and Gabbana show  which I absolutely love.  This light color gives me nice and clean nude tone and a touch of mascara makes my eyes look fresh and rested without looking too made up.  I like wearing this look with my  Dior red lipstick   or  Chanel red lipstick   because red lips is intense enough and I don't need more eye drama when keeping the focus on my RED lips.  Although I have to say that there are many ways I like wearing red lips, including the look with dramatic eyes, but with nude eyes it looks like I used lipstick ONLY and was not trying too hard.  Dark taupe color from this duo is great too.  I use it when need to define my eyes a little bit more and still keep "soft" look to it.  I noticed that some eyeshadow from taupe color range can give my eyes tired look, but not this one.  If I need an evening look, this eyeshadow duo works perfectly as well, I just use more of the Taupe eye shadow to make it look dramatic. Pin It

Chanel... Blush in Rouge

Have you ever ordered color cosmetics on-line?  I am not talking about re-orders of products you used before and not talking about something that was recommended to you and you decided to try it.  I am talking about completely different situation.

When I saw this limited edition Chanel Joues Contraste powder blush in Rouge on Chanel.com, I was mesmerized by it's color alone, even without knowing how it will look on my skin or if my computer monitor shows exact color of the product.  I was looking at that intense color, saturated with red, dark pink and burgundy with just the right amount of sparkle in it and thought: "I have to have it, before it is too late, since IT IS limited addition, when it is gone - it is gone.  Even if this will not work for my skin tone and I will not be using this blush at all, I will be looking at it and be happy."  If this sounds weird to you, I totally understand, but that was my true feeling at that moment.  I need to clarify here that this compact was not available in stores to try it on, I checked, on-line only offer.

I received it by mail and the color was THAT color I fell in love with.  To say I was excited would be understatement.  As an added bonus this blush had very light and wonderful fragrance to it.  Until now, every time I open this compact, there is a whisper of beautiful smell that immediately brings smile to my face. 

Then was the test time and hope that it would look right on my skin.  I read before that very often bright colored blushes, when used correctly, look much more natural on your skin than light colored hues.  It was true with this one.  The color shade was so natural on my skin tone that it looked like I pinched my cheeks a little bit.  I don't know if it was just happy accident that this color was perfect for me, or this blush formula adapts to your skin tone, who knows!  The only thing I know is that it worked.  Later, when I bought my   Chanel Byzantin red lipstick this blush was the perfect color to use it with as well.  People who wear red lips probably aware of the fact that finding the blush shade that does not clashes with different shades of red lipsticks can be very tricky.  You know how it may look, especially in bright sunshine - coral undertone lips with cool undertone blush?  Yeh, I know, been there, done that!  When I realized how tricky color matching can be, my next question was - am I supposed to buy different blush for different red lipsticks?  This is why I was so exited to find out that with this one no need to worry.  Since my cheeks look just naturally "blushed" I can use any red lipstick no matter what undertone it has.  What can I say -  match made in Heaven. 

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Super Size in Parisian Boutique

Oh, no! This is FOR DISPLAY PURPOSES ONLY. Yes, I know,  I would buy it too. Would you? Pin It

Monday... Rue Cambon and red lipstick

I LOVE this address: 31 Rue Cambon.  When I visited Chanel's boutique in Paris for the first time,  it was Sunday, and as I captured on my picture above, it was closed.  Yes, in Paris most of the stores closed on Sunday and now I know it.  Oh, well, I came back on Monday and had FUN $$$ shopping there.  One of the items I bought was their limited addition red lipstick that has some gold sparkles in it - Byzantin.  It's bright cherry red color with blue undertone that makes your teeth look whiter.  What can I say,  it is beautiful.  I have to mention though, even with Chanel quality lipsticks, I still have to use lip base product to insure lipstick stays on my lips without "sinking in" and loosing true color.  I use Guerlain KissKiss Lip Lift primer and it solves this problem.  Is it my lips or other people has the same issues with red lipsticks? Pin It