Chanel Holiday 2023 Makeup Collection

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kitty (@kittiemui)

Where I got it

As usual, I purchased my Chanel products from my Chanel beauty SA based in Britomart Auckland. Julia looks after me well all the time, letting me know about the latest launches, VIP events, samples, etc. I have been ordering from Julia for about 2 years now and I mostly choose to purchase from the boutique instead of stalls within Farmers or Smith & Caughey’s because I want to build up that relationship. It is from these relationships that I get invited to special events, first dips on securing new products/launches, etc. Julia did say I am one of her VIP clients, but I don’t think there is a specific, official list of VIPs, she must have a list of clients who spend a lot with her throughout the year.

Honestly, I am still in love with the brand, but sometimes I don’t absolutely love the colours, or products they have so I don’t pick up a lot of products for every single launch. I used to feel worried that I would “fall out” of the VIP list, but now I am more relaxed. I have been to VIP events, received VIP gifts, etc. I have built a good relationship with my SA and I’m sure not picking up anything from one collection would destroy that.

Anyway, let’s get back to the collection. The Holiday 2023 collection includes the Duo Lumière Illuminating Powder Duo, Rouge Allure L’extrait, Lumière Graphique, Le Vernis, and Rouge Allure Laque. I decided to only pick up the illuminating powder and two nail polishes. I skipped the eyeshadow palette because of the smokey eye look and any palettes with black I’m just not interested. The lighter shades are also very shimmery and sparkly, which is not something I wear often. If you are looking for a review of the entire collection, check out Sabrina’s blog, she has amazing reviews with beautiful pictures.

What I got

I ordered the Duo Lumière Illuminating Powder Duo ($120) and two Le Vernis nail polish in 167 White Silk and 169 Tuxedo ($53 each). The collection is inspired by the opulence and magic of the Roaring Twenties. The highlighter and eyeshadow palette are embossed with a sequin motif. All packaging are black, white and gold – very festive and glam.

Duo Lumière Illuminating Powder Duo (7.5g). An exclusive creation, inspired by the opulence and magic of the Roaring Twenties, developed for the HOLIDAY 2023 Collection. A duo of illuminating powders embossed with a sequin motif, which echoes Gabrielle Chanel’s sparkling 1920s creations. Sensual and ethereal shades—pink champagne and crystal white—light up the face with a silky sheen.

Ingredients: CALCIUM ALUMINUM BOROSILICATE | CETEARYL ETHYLHEXANOATE | SILICA | GLYCERIN | CAPRYLYL GLYCOL | POLYSORBATE 80 | SQUALANE | ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN | 1,2-HEXANEDIOL | CALCIUM CHLORIDE | TIN OXIDE | PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE | C12-20 ACID PEG-8 ESTER | CHONDRUS CRISPUS EXTRACT | XANTHAN GUM | DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE | SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE | TOCOPHEROL | [+ / – (MAY CONTAIN) | CI 77007 (ULTRAMARINES) | CI 77491, | CI 77492, | CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES) | CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE) | MICA] | BS000160A

Le Vernis (13ml). Protective and long-lasting, LE VERNIS by CHANEL is designed to make vibrant colours dazzle, for beautiful nails. A new formula—featuring a higher concentration of pigment and enriched with camellia eco-ceramides, a naturally derived ingredient developed for CHANEL—provides an ultra-shiny, perfectly even lacquered finish with every fine, long-wearing coat. A new flat, wide brush makes for easy and precise application.

How I find it

Every Chanel holiday collection, the highlighter is always the star of the show (IMO) and this year, it is no exception. This year Chanel has created a duo highlighter – Duo Lumière Illuminating Powder Duo. The sequin embossing on the highlighter is also seen on the sides of the box. The overall design is very festive. It comes with a small flat brush complete with it’s own velvet pouch. The highlighter also comes in a velvet pouch and as usual, the CC logo on the compact is gold instead of white.

The top shade is a shimmery champagne pink and the bottom is a cool-toned sparkly white. Both colours are designed to be used together, not really on their own, because when applied on the skin, they both look pretty much the same. The shimmer/sparkles are chunkier than Chanel’s usual highlighters/illuminators, it is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. Personally, I do prefer something more subtle, but I also like to use a shimmery highlighter when the occasion calls for it – party, event, night out, etc. The base champagne colour teams very well with the cool-toned shimmer and the overall look is whimsical and dreamy.

Picking this up with fingers would achieve a more pigmented swatch/application, but if you pick this up with a brush it would be more diffused and would require a little bit more layers to achieve an even coverage. It can get a little messy with the shimmer, so I would use a smaller, more precise brush instead of a fluffy brush.

This year Chanel has skipped the usual festive red for the Le Vernis shades and focused on the shimmery and smokey glam look and gave us 3 nail polish shades – 167 White Silk is a sheer, off-white shade that needs to be built up to a creamy white without any yellow tones. 169 Tuxedo is a brassy gold with shimmer. I did not pick up 171 Sequin but it is black with silvery shimmer.

Overall

Honestly, I think this collection has not been the best from Chanel. The highlighter seems to be the only “highlight” (pun intended) of the collection with the eyeshadow palette to be “boring-looking” and the lip products are quite ordinary. There just so much hype around this launch and I can see why.

Anyway, I really like the highlighter as it is bright and illuminating. Whilst there are shimmers, it is not chunky or sparkly so upon application to the cheeks, it doesn’t accentuate pores and texture. I also love the two nail polish shades I bought which are very easy to wear and very easy to match your outfits without getting too much attention (which I like on a daily basis).

Extra: I did a quick comparison of some nude shades in my collection against the new White Silk shade. The new shade is obviously creamier and more opaque than my existing shades which are sheer pinky-nudes.