Les Symboles de Chanel collection 2023

 

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Where I got it

As usual, I always get my Chanel makeup from my SA Julia. We only have one Chanel beauty boutique in New Zealand. This Les Symboles de Chanel collection also came out with the Les 4 Ombre Byzance eyeshadow quads (only the quads, not the other items?). The quads were $140 each and this oversized highlighter is $170 each (yes, very expensive).

This collection comes in 3 shades and 5 different designs. Pearly White, Precious Coral, and Warm Gold. Designs are: Les Perles, Le Camélia, Le Lion, Le Comète and Le Chaine. I picked up only one in the Les Perles design in Pearly White.

What I got

This is the Les Symboles de Chanel Les Perles in Pearly White (14g). This is also called the Oversize Illuminating Face Powder. Chanel.com: “LES SYMBOLES DE CHANEL. A personalized illuminating powder embossed with the House symbol that represents you, in the shade of your choice. A generously sized Exclusive Creation.”

THE PEARLS. A symbol of radiance. Coco Chanel played with strings of pearls boldly and freely, wearing them close to or draped around her neck, during the day as well as in the evening, in the city, and even at the beach. Capturing both warmth and light, pearls illuminate the complexion and reveal the radiance of those who wear them.

THE LION. A symbol of strength. It represents Gabrielle Chanel’s zodiac sign, which she fully embodied with her radiant, untameable personality. It also recalls the Lion of Venice, an iconic city that fascinated Mademoiselle. The lion is a true inspiration, lending strength and pride to those who choose it.

THE COMET. A symbol of luck. “I wanted to cover women in constellations,” said Gabrielle Chanel in 1932, while presenting her first and only high jewelry collection, which is sprinkled with celestial motifs. Superstitious, she put her faith in the stars and surrounded herself with good luck charms, which adorned the walls of her apartment and guided her through life.

THE CAMELLIA. A symbol of harmony. Typically worn on jacket lapels, the camellia became Gabrielle Chanel’s emblem in 1913. It has been featured in many of her creations, where it continues to flourish, still today. As beautiful as a rose, but without the thorns. This perfectly symmetrical flower that never loses its leaves embodies a form of beauty that is steadfast, harmonious, and serene.

THE CHAIN. A symbol of style. In order to free up women’s hands, Mademoiselle broke with the rules of her era and added a chain to her handbags, inspired by the straps of military bags. Hidden inside the lining of CHANEL jackets, chains are also the secret to creating their structure and ensuring that they fall perfectly. Chains, which symbolize a unique style, are an integral part of the House’s legacy.

Warm Gold mimics the brightness of sunlight and the flattering glow of candlelight, Precious Coral lends a perky touch of radiance to wake tired skin up, and Pearly White is an extra dewy finish to the cheekbones no matter your shade.

How I find it

The packaging of this palette is no surprise, standard black with white and gold lettering. The colours on the sides are the 3 shades of this illuminating face powder – so cute! This highlighter is the same size as the LES 4 ROUGES YEUX ET JOUES (face and eye palette), without any brushes or velvet pouch. It does have the standard mirror and a plastic cover to protect the surface.

The pearl CC looks gorgeous and the raised pearls give this illuminator extra dimensions. Besides the pearl embossing, the rest of the illuminator is pressed with a very small grid texture.

I mustered up all my strength to dip my fingertip into the product and rub, I only rubbed this small area under the CC embossing to swatch these images, but I will use this with a brush to evenly use up the CC embossing. Super-smooth in texture, a light back-and-forth rubbing picked up a wash of cool-toned sparkly glow. I wouldn’t say this Pearly White is a subtle highlighter, but it catches the light like a glossy glow on the skin instead of looking like I rubbed glitter on my face.

I am really glad that swipes with a brush picked up the product evenly and lightly so I can build up the glow IF I wanted to. A couple of swipes would brighten up my cheekbones regardless of what undertone I am or what colour blush I am using.

Overall

We all know Chanel makeup can be a hard hit for the wallet, and there are more budget-friendly products out there that could do exactly the same look. At NZD$170 for 14g of product, I was close to not purchasing this. It’s not like I don’t have something similar in my makeup collection, but as a Chanel lover, I want to be able to own one of these for the collection’s sake. If I am able to afford it, who’s to say I shouldn’t?

Anyway, I shouldn’t need to justify why I bought it, but I wanted to bring out that I have found a similar product (not dupe, because it’s Dior) that is NOT a limited edition, it’s less expensive, but still from a luxury brand – Dior Forever Couture Luminizer in 03 Pearlescent Glow (NZD$106 from Dior.co.nz). Dior has a more solid base colour – cool white, almost silver sheen with that similar sparkle. Chanel, on the other hand, is less “solid”, and in different angles, you can only see a shimmery glow without a “base colour”.