REVIEW | Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Color x Rouge Coco Stylo Complete Care Lipshine

Even though I don't like wearing lipstick on a daily basis, I still catch myself at times staring at the two Chanel lippies in my collection in adoration - the Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Color and Rouge Coco Stylo Complete Care Lipshine. Just holding a Chanel lipstick in my hand makes me feel a hundred times classier, and I just want to apply them on my lips all the time!

Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Color

$37USD at Chanel, Nordstrom

0.12 oz | 33 shades

Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo Complete Care Lipshine

$37USD at Chanel, Nordstrom

0.07 oz | 9 shades

440 Arthur | 212 Recit

Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Color in 440 Arthur |
This is a limited edition, mini-sized lipstick that I received after attending the Chanel pop-up event last year, and it's in the shade 440 Arthur, a medium red-orange shade with a luminous finish. (Fun fact - this is the exact color that Keira Knightley wore in the Rouge Coco ads, but unlike me, she looks effortlessly chic and put together.) It has great pigment and a smooth, buttery consistency that felt very comfortable on the lips. It pulls more coral than red on my pale skin, which I don't think is the most flattering, but I think this pop of color would look beautiful with a tan. Currently, I wear this shade lightly stained on the lips - a perfect popsicle-stained pout - and it manages to subtly brighten my face and complexion. The luminosity and shine disappears after about an hour - this stuff does transfer - but the color stays put for about four hours, even after eating.

Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo Complete Care Lipshine in 212 Recit |
My sister picked this out for my birthday, and for someone who isn't all that into makeup, I think she made a brilliant choice with this gorgeous berry shade. These lipshines claim to have "the intensity of a lipstick, the shine of a lipgloss and the comfort of a lip balm" with a hydrating formula that includes apple seed extract, jojoba oil and coconut oil. It's in a twist-up style (but beware - you can't twist back down so don't be too ambitious!) and this color in 212 Recit is a beautiful berry plum shade with a pearlescent finish, and has teeny tiny gold flecks of shimmer in the tube that (thankfully) doesn't translate on the lips. It is considerably more lustrous and glossy - like a lipgloss - than the lip color in Arthur, but not as opaque upon first swipe. It's buildable from a light mauvey berry shade to a deep plum color. This truly felt comfortable and hydrating like a lip balm, with a very emollient and buttery formula. I also enjoy wearing this lightly dabbed on for an everyday look, as opposed to smeared on at full opacity. This has around the same lasting power - around four hours - but the glossy effect stays put for almost as long. Just like Arthur, Recit does transfer as well, but when it wears off, it leaves behind a beautiful mauve, MLBB stain.

440 Arthur | 212 Recit

So far, I'm impressed with the performance of these two Chanel lip products (but perhaps not as much by the price), so holler in the comments if you have any favorites or holy grails from the brand, as I'd love to check them out in the future!

SAMPLE SUNDAY | Chanel Le Blanc Light Creator Brightening Makeup Base SPF 40 x Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey Body & Hand Wash

Chanel Le Blanc Light Creator Brightening Makeup Base SPF 40 |
Remember that Chanel beauty event I attended back in June? (Yeah, the same one where I failed miserably and took one measly photo for the blog.) The gift bag I received included a mini sample of the Le Blanc Light Creator Brightening Makeup Base in 10 Rosée, which Chanel claims can immediately correct imperfections and improve radiance for up to 8 hours with light-reflecting pearl extracts derived from Akoya pearls. Oooooh. The shade Rosée has a pink tint that brightens dull skin, and has a lightweight, watery consistency that dries down surprisingly fast - I had to work quickly with a stippling brush to buff it evenly over my face - and leaves a semi-matte finish that isn't tacky or heavy. It isn't a particularly hydrating base though, as I noticed it had dried out my foundation in several areas, especially around my nose and chin, as the day went on. The shade is very light on me, which I guess in turn did brighten my complexion, but I didn't find it too noticeable after foundation was applied over top. While I do enjoy the initial finish and the SPF 40, my nose did not agree with the intensely floral scent and I observed no striking improvement in radiance and longevity to justify $55 USD for the full size.

Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey Body & Hand Wash |
Ever since I hauled my Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser, I've been keeping an eye out for covetable body washes from other brands. I remember receiving this Body & Hand Wash sample last fall when I repurchased my second bottle of the Nectarine Blossom & Honey cologne. Out of all the perfumes I own, Jo Malone fragrances have the best longevity hands down. This Body & Hand Wash has a lightweight gel consistency that works up a gentle lather and isn't particularly drying nor moisturizing. Just like the cologne, the smell of this is seriously long-lasting and lingers on the skin for hours. When I first poured this into my hands, the scent was so potent that it felt like I was emptying out the perfume bottle instead. If you're already a fan of the Nectarine Blossom & Honey cologne and want to enhance its longevity and intensity, this would be a great addition to your routine. For me personally, the scent was just way too overpowering and I actually felt a tad nauseous after constantly getting a whiff of it as the day went on. Next time I'll ask to try a sample from a different range, but for now it's a pass and I'll be sticking to my trusty Aesop.

Chanel Rouge Coco on Tour in Hong Kong | JUNE 2016

Last week, I was invited to attend the Chanel Rouge Coco on Tour beauty event here in Hong Kong. I'm so fancy, you already know. Okay not really - this was my first beauty event and I was pretty stoked.

Image from Chanel Rouge Coco On Tour

The Chanel Rouge Coco On Tour pop-up store was located in Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay, and the interior was stylized like a Rock 'n' Roll video set, complete with a keyboard and drum set corner, minibar, and photo-booth. And let's not forget the most important part - the makeup! The event was catered towards the launch of a new lipstick formula, and new nail polish shades with a reinvented formula. Everyone was having a swell time mingling, taking pictures, and trying on the new makeup products.

Image from Chanel Rouge Coco On Tour

Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo Lipsticks | 
This new formula has the "intensity of a lipstick, the shine of a lipgloss and the comfort of a lip balm", and contains Apple Seed Extract, Jojoba Oil and Coconut Oil to nourish and hydrate the lips. There are a total of eight shades in the range including nudes, pinks, corals and reds.

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colors | 
The newly reinvented nail colors now have a long-wearing formula that is not only 5-free (meaning it doesn't contain carcinogens including formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde resin, and camphor), but is also formulated with bioceramics and ceramides to help strengthen and improve the quality of your nails.

Upon leaving the event, I received a limited edition Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Color in 440 Arthur, a medium red-orange with a luminous finish, and two Rouge Coco badge pins. I was also notified the next day to pick up a gift bag from one of the Chanel Beauté boutiques. Oooooh. The gift bag included a perfume sample of the Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Toilette, mini samples of the Hydra Beauty Micro Serum and the Le Blanc Light Creator Brightening Makeup Base, as well as a dainty Chanel Hydra Beauty bracelet. Pretty sweet!

Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Color in 440 Arthur

Overall, it was a really fun and new experience for me, and I thought Chanel did a great job at marketing their new product launches. As a complete newbie, I was a bit overwhelmed with the whole ordeal and completely forgot to snap pictures of the event! Except for this selfie. Sorry guys.

Lesson learned for next time - keep calm and take pictures.

If all of this has peaked your interest, be sure drop by one of your closest Chanel counters and check out the new Rouge Coco Stylo Lipsticks and Le Vernis Nail Colors!