N1 de Chanel collection

Where I got it

A few days after the New Years I started seeing Chanel.beauty IG account posting pictures of the red camellia and saying something is about to launch and I wasn’t really thinking too much about it. When new collections launch, I usually see it on my IG feed from the people I follow, or from YouTube videos. However, this time it came out of the blue!

On 6th January, I was scrolling in IG and saw pictures of the new collection, I immediately sent those pictures to my SA and asked her to let me know right away when this collection becomes available. Usually we (New Zealand) get new launches and collections in stores later than everyone else, but it looks like the 6th Jan launch date was worldwide. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Chanel website we can shop online so I had to order over the phone with my SA. Without knowing what the product smells like, what the texture is like, I ordered the Serum, the foundation and the lip and cheek balm.

 

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What I got

I purchased the Revitalizing Serum ($240 for 50ml or $185 for 30ml), the Revitalizing Foundation in shade BD21 ($130 for 30ml), and a Lip and Cheek Balm in 1 Red Camellia ($95 for 9g). I later also purchased shade 2 Healthy Pink and 5 Lively Rosewood.

First of all, let’s talk about the range. The new range focuses on the holistic and eco-responsible approach to providing an anti-ageing skincare line with the star ingredient- the Red Camellia. The formula also contains 97% of natural origin and up to 76% camellia derivatives such as petals and seeds to minimise waste age of the plant. Packaging has also been kept to a minimum, Chanel has ditched the cellophane wrapping, paper leaflets inside the boxes, glass bottles and even refillable jars (moisturising cream only).

Total of 9 products in this collection: Powder-to-foam Cleanser, Revitalizing Lotion, Revitalizing Eye Cream, Revitalizing Serum, Revitalizing Cream, Revitalizing Serum-in-mist, Revitalizing Fragrance Mist (L’Eau Rouge), Revitalizing Foundation (20 shades), and Lip and Cheek Balm (9 shades). The range is suitable for all skin types. It is hydrating and Revitalizing which is great for all skin conditions. The SA also said it is great for sensitive skin, but I cannot speak for that. However, I think it does sit between the Hydra Beauty line and the Le Lift line in terms of the function and age-range. I would say the Hydra Beauty line is hydrating and plumping, whereas the Le Lift line is lifting and smoothing fine lines and wrinkles. The N1 promises revitalizing as well as plumping, and provides radiance to the skin.

How I find it

Let’s talk about the packaging first. When I went in store and bought additional products on top of the items I ordered, I was simply offered 3 samples (hydra beauty skincare and perfume sample of choice), and a cute little Chanel paper bag to carry everything. When my phone order came in, with significantly more items including the skincare and foundation, it all came in a medium sized Chanel box, still with the holiday ribbon. I also received quite a few samples of the other products in the N.1 range as well as some additional skincare products and body products I requested (total of xxx samples).

Let’s look at the products. The only skincare product I bought from the line at the moment is the Revitalizing Serum which I think should be the main hero product because it contains a concentrated amount of the red camellia flower extract compared to all the other products. I might consider getting the cream or lotion next time if I like the serum. This range is not limited edition, so I don’t need to worry about things going out of stock, but I do need to worry about it sitting on the shelf/drawer for too long because they do have a shorter shelf-life compared to conventional products as the ingredients in these products are more natural. The serum comes in a red glass bottle (very sleek) with a black, plastic screw-top lid that has an auto-fill dropper dispenser. The dropper sucks up the correct dosage of the serum each time you unscrew the top and pull out the dropper. When you screw the top back down, the top goes back back down ready for the next time you use it. The serum has a translucent white colour to it and is watery light. It is fluid and super hydrating.

Now for the Revitalizing Foundation (BD21). I usually wear shade BD31 in the Les Beiges foundation and it fits me perfectly. When I ordered it over the phone, I told Julia that I think I am BD21 and she said she will put BD21 in a sample bottle and asked me to use that for testing instead of opening the bottle so I can get it exchanged if it didn’t suit me. The foundation is serum-type foundation, so the consistency is quite light and the coverage is also quite light (you need to shake this one up quite well, otherwise the consistency will be very watery). Therefore being 1-2 shades lighter or deeper, you can still get away with it. I love how it feels on the skin and I would say that it has a similar finish and coverage of the Les Beiges foundation. The finish is a bit more natural, whereas the Les Beiges is slightly more luminous. I don’t find the coverage builds up with this foundation (light), but it works great as a daily foundation as it does contain skincare ingredients and is not too heavy on the skin.

Comes with a black plastic lid and frosted glass bottle and a pump for dispensing. I like to use a dense kabuki brush to blend it out, but you can absolutely use your fingertips, but if you use a sponge, it will be even less coverage. There is a slight scent to it which is really pleasant, but it doesn’t linger for a long time. Personally I prefer the Les Beiges scent, but that does linger for a longer period of time. As for wear-time, my skin looks luminous and beautiful for the duration of wear and I have been wearing this for over 4 hours at a time. It doesn’t create a flawless, perfect-skin look, but it evens out my skin tone and gives me this brightened skin look (probably from the lighter shade?). It doesn’t wear off patchy, but just fades off evenly and I don’t get foundation sink into the pores as well.

I would say this would be ideal for people who doesn’t have a lot of skin issues to cover up, or prefer their own skin to shine through with light coverage. It is not oil-controlling and it does contain camellia flower oil therefore is not an oil-free formula. If you have oily skin or combination skin, you would want to lightly powder over this to prolong the wear of this foundation.

Now to the Lip and Cheek Balms, I understand that there are similar products out there, but you really buy into the brand as well as whatever skincare ingredients in it. I think the colour options are beautiful and very wearable and versatile. I picked up a true red colour, a coral-nude shade and a rosy shade. These are lip and cheek products so you can use them as a tinted lip balm and a cheek colour. Now the texture of these balms are not thick and glossy and I was quite surprised how nice it turns out on my cheeks!

After applying my foundation and let it settle for a few minutes, then I go into the balm with my fingertips. I like to wear the same shade on my lips and my cheeks when I use these so I apply the balm to my lips first, blend it out and then pat the rest on my cheeks. Layer on if I want more colour as well. 1 Red Camellia is quite pigmented and bright so I would be really careful to blend this out entirely. It looks great on both the lips and the cheeks and it gives that really beautiful flush of pinky red colour. 2 Healthy Pink is more nude than coral when applied to my lips, but looks quite coral on my cheeks. As for 5 Lively Rosewood, this looked really good on both my lips and my cheeks and it looked really natural.

These are absolutely buildable and they look amazing on the skin as well. The balm doesn’t leave a stickiness on the skin or a gloss on the cheeks or the lips actually, but more of a gentle sheen. If I use fingertips to lightly tap, it doesn’t mess with my foundation at all. I was also surprised of the staying power on the cheeks because usually cream blushes would wear off quite easily, but this stayed on my cheeks for the entire day if I don’t touch it. It almost acts like a tint and deeper shades like the Red Camellia stay longer than lighter shades like Healthy Pink.

 

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Overall

Price-wise, as you can see it ranges between NZD$85 – NZD$185 ($240 for the 50ml serum), and that is not cheap. It is more of a mid-range and you with the type of products it contains and the texture, etc. I would say this would be in the market for people around 20s-30s. The powder-to foam cleanse is a good example. You don’t usually see a powder or foaming cleanser in a premium skincare range or a more mature skincare range, it is more common in skincare line focusing on oily or combination skin types. The serum and cream in this range is also quite lightweight and not thick. Hopefully you get what I’m trying to convey. The foundation and lip and cheek balm is on the relatively higher price range for similar products in Chanel. The Les Beiges foundation is just over $100, but this one here is $130 which makes it the most expensive Chanel foundation I own right now. Chanel does not currently have a lip and cheek balm, so this is a new one, but at $95 for 9g of product, this is more expensive than a lipstick, but similar to their powder blush. It is a multi-purpose product so you can give credit to that.

I think the other item I would pick up from this range would have to be the Revitalizing Cream or the Lotion. I already have the Le Lift Lotion and have yet to start using it. Otherwise, I don’t think I would use my money on the serum-in-mist, and would repurchase the serum instead because the serum has the highest concentration of the camellia extract. I don’t really care about and eye cream, so I have no considered that at all. I also wouldn’t want to spend $85 for a powder-to-foam cleanser, because I already love other foaming cleanser from Chanel and they lasts a very long time. As for the fragrance mist, I love the scent, but smells more alcohol at the first sniff than fragrance and it is not long-lasting at all. Hopefully Chanel will launch a more intense version of this in the future.

Final note, I would definitely either order over the phone with my SA, or make an appointment with my SA before going in because she really looked after me in regards to samples and GWP offers. I really appreciate the samples she gave me and how she went to pour product into a little bottle for me to try because they ran out of samples.

Have you tried any of these new products from Chanel? Follow me on Instagram (@kittiemui) to see more updates!