Le Blanc Délices Pastel de Chanel 2023 Spring Collection

 

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Where I got it

The new Le Blanc Délices Pastel de Chanel 2023 Spring Collection is here in New Zealand! My Chanel beauty sales associate has returned from her well-deserved holiday and as soon as she return she messaged me about the new Le Blanc makeup collection. Usually, Le Blanc makeup collections are launched in Asia countries and other countries would get some of the products. However, in recent years we are getting these launches worldwide and I am quite happy to see pretty much the entire range is available in New Zealand. I believe they launched on the 1st of March and are now available at the Chanel beauty boutique at Britomart Auckland, some Farmers and also at Smith and Caughey’s (only some products are available online).

 

The collection consists of an eyeshadow quad (LE), an illuminating blush powder (LE), 2 Rouge Allure Ink (LE shades), 2 Baume Essentiel (1 LE shade and 1 new shade), 3 stylo sourcils waterproof (eyebrow pencil existing shades), 1 new shade of stylo yeux waterproof (eyeliner), and two Rouge Coco Baume (2 existing shades). I picked up the Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow quad in 68 Delicies as well as the Fantaisie de Chanel Illuminating Blush Powder from my Chanel SA. Both are limited editions and they are $132 and $120 respectively. I also bought a Baume Essentiel in Drageé from my local Farmers for $85.

 

What I got

I picked up the Chanel Les 4 Ombres in 68 Delicies, Fantaisie de Chanel Illuminating Blush Powder and Baume Essentiel in Drageé. As we are here in New Zealand, we are just heading out of summer and going into Autumn (fall), but there are no hard rules for makeup and I can still wear pastel colours whenever I want. I usually shy away from pastel colours, especially for eyeshadow because I have a rather yellow undertone and my skin isn’t very fair so pastel shades could wash me out and look chalky.

I am starting to get around the different launches Chanel brings out each year and there are actually quite a lot. Chanel usually launches two Spring collections – the Le Blanc is one of them as well as the regular Spring collection and Fall/Winter collection. They also have Holiday collections near the end of the year for Christmas, and there are also special launches as we did for the Tweed eyeshadows last year. In the past, the Le Blanc collection is launched exclusively in Asia countries where the shades are quite pale and desMost of the time they launch a collection with limited edition shades and new permanent shades. They also put in existing shades as part of their collection as a recommended shade that you can use with their new collection. For example, they have two new Rouge Coco Baume in this Spring/Summer collection, but they are both existing permanent shades. Let’s get onto the photos of the products I bought.

Les 4 Ombres in 68 Delicies. LES 4 OMBRES DÉLICES is a soft, light new version of the iconic CHANEL eye palette. Composed of 3 fresh, sparkling pastel shades that contrast with a brownish, luminous matte mauve, these 4 eyeshadows form a harmony that combines lightness and depth. Embossed with a fabric-like design and the emblematic double C, the new palette gives eyes a more open, illuminated look with its shimmering, iridescent colours: a slightly pale, satiny purple, a matte powder pink, a brownish, luminous matte mauve, and a pearly, tangy pastel yellow.

Fantaisie de Chanel Illuminating Blush Powder. Inspired by the lightness of summer, FANTAISIE DE CHANEL EXCLUSIVE CREATION is an illuminating blush powder that leaves a shimmering veil on the skin. Embossed with a fabric-like design as well as the emblematic double C, the pastel fuchsia powder is the first exclusive creation by CHANEL to be designed using tie-dye technology, which makes every item unique. Enhanced with a hint of delicately rosy colour, the complexion is left looking fresh and radiant. The illuminating blush powder is the first exclusive creation by CHANEL to feature tie-dye technology, combining 2 shades, rose gold and radiant pink, to form a unique pattern.

Baume Essentiel in Dragee (8g). A moisturising highlighting balm to dab onto the face for a discreet radiance effect. Its texture melts onto the skin and reflects the light. BAUME ESSENTIEL creates a glimmering effect that sculpts the face, enhancing both sophisticated makeup and the most natural looks. With its on-the-go format and elegant, understated design, it is easy to use on the face, lips and eyes all day long.

How I find it

Initially, I was not expecting to purchase anything from this collection because pastel-shade eyeshadows are not my thing, but when I saw how beautiful the colours are when they are swatched on the hand and on the eyes, I thought this was definitely something I want to try. Chanel products are generally not highly pigmented, they are buildable formulas with very high quality so I am confident that the pastel shades will not be chalky or dusty. I am also missing lighter shades in my collection so I decided to try them.

Each colour of 68 Delicies (151.068) has a beautiful CC embossing over a tweed texture. The quad has 1 matte shade which is the top right corner – a coral shade. This is the one shade that did not have a lot of colour payoff and would require a bit of building. The other three shades are satin finish and we have a lilac-pink on the top left, a cool-toned champagne, and finally, the deepest shade in the quad is a pinky red colour. I’m not very good at describing colours, but that’s the best I can come up with.

If you are familiar with Chanel eyeshadows, you would know that they are not your Natasha Denona products. They are not pigmented products, they are soft and would need to be built up. Especially these pale shades and particularly the matte coral shade. Bearing in mind the colour story is designed for fair skin, it would be hard to show up on deeper skin tones. If you are looking for something pigmented and bold, I don’t think this palette is for you.

However, I am pleasantly surprised with the combination of these shades and they go together beautifully. I would usually shy away from pastel shades, especially the cool-toned champagne. However, when I apply it to my eyes, it is not chalky or powdery. The illuminating blush from this range compliments this eyeshadow quad perfectly.

Let’s move on to the Fantaisie de Chanel Illuminating Blush Powder. There is no shade name for this blush, but there is a code (151.788). The box for this blush has coloured sides corresponding to the shade of this blush, which is a sign that this is a limited edition. The CC logo and tweed embossing to this blush appear to have a light overspray of this silvery sheen over the top. The blush shade is sort of a marble shade so it’s not an even coral colour, but you get a little bit of deeper coral and pinks mixed in. The satiny sheen is quite beautiful and some might see it as a hint of shimmer, but it is not obvious on the skin at all. In fact it is very flattering on the cheeks.

The pinky coral compliements fair skin and gives a youthful flush of colour. The stain sheen is very natural-looking and not at all sparkly on the face. The powder is not densely packed so it is really easy to pick up with my fingers or with a brush. The compact comes with a brush in a separate velvet pouch which is quite nice to use, but I prefer a rounder brush instead of a flat brush for blush. Any type of brush would pick up the product easily so I don’t need to run through the product a lot. Chanel blushes are a lot more pigmented compared to their eyeshadows.

Next we have the Baume Essentiel in Dragee. This is a balm highlighter in a stick form and this Le Blanc collection has two new shades – Dragee and Lilas. I belived Dragee is a limited edition shade and Lilas is a new permanent shade. Both shades are very Spring and complementary to fair skin tones. Dragee has a sheer pink tone with a light pearlescent sheen. It looks beautiful on bare skin and can be worn on its own without a blush when you want to look very effortless and glowy.

Lilas is also a beautiful shade – a lilac shade with a cool pearlescent sheen. This would give fair skin, this ethereal glow. I would say if you have Perlescent from a previous collection, you would find Lilas quite similar. While Perlescent has a clear undertone, Lilas have a lilac tone. They both have that similar pearlescent shimmer finish. However, the lilac doesn’t really show up quite well on my yellow-undertone skin. Therefore, I did not purchase this.

I did also compare Dragee with Printanier (previous limited edition colour). Printanier is a sheer pink with a glossy glow finish. It does not have that pearlescent shimmer so that is basically the only difference between these shades. I love how Dragee looks on bare skin and I can use this as a glowy blush.  As you can see below, Dragee looks a little rosier than Printanier.

Here are some of the other products in this launch. I believe the eyebrow pencils and eyeliners are not limited edition and are quite standard, classic shades.  The Rouge Coco Baumes are also existing shades to complement the overall makeup look. Nothing too bold and bright, we have a clear lip balm as well as a gentle pink and a natural nude shade.

If you want a more pigmented look, we have the Rouge Allure Inks in 236 and 238, which in all honestly, look very similar. 236 is a pinkier red and 238 is more of a deeper red. Allure Inks are pretty versatile to wear as you can apply this lightly and sheer out the pigment to create a stained look, or you can apply full layers to achieve a pigmented, opaque look. When fully dried down, this liquid lip colour will leave a soft matte finish. It is not a budge-proof lip colour, but it is medium-wear leaving a stain on the lips.

Besides all the makeup products, Chanel repackaged the Coco Mademoiselle Hair Perfume. Previously, Coco Mademoiselle has a rectangle bottle with a white lid, but now the bottle resembles the classic No.5 bottle with a translucent pink bottle and a white and gold collar. If you like Coco Mademoiselle, this might be nice to add to your collection for $92.

Overall

As I said, I was pleasantly surprised with this launch and I am glad that I picked up the products that I did. The colours are really gorgeous and the pigmentation and quality of the shadows and blushes were exactly as I expected. This is my second Le Blanc makeup collection purchase and I have been quite happy with both collections. I am Asian, but I do not have a very fair complexion. I’m more of a light-medium with a warm undertone, but I do like that fair skin tone look and anything to brighten up my complexion. This is just a personal preference for me.

I actually do have my eyes on the actual Spring/Summer makeup collection which are these large eyeshadow and blush palettes. The collection also has another baume essentiel in a brighter, shimmery red shade along with some red nail polishes, lipsticks, mascara and eyeliner. The general colour theme is red and it honeslty looks gorgeous. I definitely want to pick up a palette, and maybe the eyeliner. I’m still on the fence with the baume essentiel and the nail polish.

How have you found this Le Blanc makeup range? Or will you be picking up the Spring/Summer collection instead?