Hanging With the Chanel Les Fleurs de Chanel Spring-Summer 2021 Collection

Maaan, I gotta hand it to Chanel. They have a knack for releasing righteous reds that are preternaturally easy to apply.

How do they do it?!

I didn’t even need a lip liner or lip brush for Pivoine Noire, the matte berry red I’m wearing in this look. It’s an LE shade in the new Les Fleurs de Chanel Spring-Summer 2021 collection, and yes, I can’t get over the fact that we’re talking about a spring/summer release.

I applied it freehand without much thought, straight from the tube.

Now I’m wondering if I could apply it while driving a car like Jessica Chastaine’s character does in Ava in the opening scene. She’s a soldier-turned-assassin, and with one hand she opens a tube of what I’m pretty sure is a Chanel lipstick and proceeds to flawlessly apply a layer of dark burgundy while racing down the freeway.

It’s impressive!

I wonder if I could do that… Survey says, “probably not!” LOL!

This new collection is inspired by spring blooms and warm pink, red, rose and coppery brown hues, and it lands on counters and the Chanel website next month (which starts this week!). There are lots of finishes — matte, metallic and satin — in various levels of coverage.

Here are some notes on the items I’m wearing…

The powder blush/highlighter duo

The coral-pink blush lays down a sheer flush of luminous color, so if you like blushes that don’t scream “Look at me! I’m obvious!” you might like it. I also love the finish on the peach highlighter. It’s a soft eggshell shine similar to the Hourglass Ambients. No bling-bling highlighter here.

The matte red lipstick

On the opposite end of the coverage spectrum is this gorgeously opaque matte berry red. Chanel’s Velvet Extreme formula applies flawlessly and glides along the skin without tugging, but it’s not too slick to easily control. Basically, it’s suuuper smooth, and it smells and tastes like rose hard candy.

The metallic mascara

The coppery bronze color actually shows up on dark lashes, which is super cool (colorful mascaras rarely show up on my lashes), and the Le Volume de Chanel formula delivers the thick, dramatic lash look the line is famous for. If you’ve got lighter lashes, the effect will probably be more dramatic and flattering than it is on me. On me, I think the color tends to make my eyes look smaller and more hooded than a standard-issue black mascara…

The Chanel Les Fleurs de Chanel Spring-Summer 2021 collection includes…

• FLEURS DE PRINTEMPS Blush and Highlighter Duo
  An Exclusive Creation powder duo with a satiny peach highlighter and luminous pink coral blush. Embossed
  with a floral motif. Use the included brush to sweep the blush onto cheeks and the highlighter onto center of
  forehead, tops of cheekbones, brow bones and Cupid’s bow. Limited edition. $70.00
• LE VOLUME DE CHANEL Mascara
  Now in a limited-edition rose-copper shade, the innovative mascara adds a colourful touch to lashes. The
  CHANEL-exclusive brush and volumizing formula help achieve greater length and thickness in a single stroke.
  $32.00
• ROUGE ALLURE VELVET EXTRÊME Intense Matte Lip Colour
  Introducing limited-edition berry red and warm coral shades of the extreme matte lipstick. The intense
  longwearing formula glides on smoothly and doesn’t dry out lips. $40.00
• ROUGE ALLURE LAQUE Ultrawear Shine Liquid Lip Colour
  The new ultra-intense, ultra-longwearing satin shine liquid lipstick in a limited-edition metallic aubergine shade.
  The creamy, fluid texture applies easily and wears comfortably, while the special doe-foot applicator ensures precise,
  even results. $40.00
• LE VERNIS Longwear Nail Colour
  The high-shine nail colour features carefully selected pigments for even application and lasting wear. Available in 3
  new shades: a soft peach, a light raspberry red and a metallic red. $28.00
• AVAILABLE ON CHANEL.COM AND AT CHANEL BOUTIQUES: JANUARY 2021
• AVAILABLE AT DEPARTMENT AND SPECIALTY STORES: FEBRUARY 2021

Adventures in bread making

So, I made my first 1-1/2 pound loaf of French bread in my new Cuisinart bread maker yesterday!

Isn’t the loaf cute? It was a test loaf. It’s pretty small, enough for about four sandwiches.

When we opened it up after letting it cool, Connor took a bite and said, “Mmmm! This tastes good!”

The instruction booklet that came with the bread maker has a bunch of recipes, and I think I’m going to try the brioche today.

I also want to try this one honey wheat bread, which looks like the delicious brown bread they have at The Cheesecake Factory.

CARBS FOR EVERYONE!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen