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One Word: RED! Chanel Le Rouge Collection No. 1

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chanel le rouge collection no 1 lipstick swatches
Red, she said! The lipsticks from the fall Chanel Le Rouge Collection No. 1

Erhmahgawd, so much red! I mean…I love wearing red, but I can’t possibly be the only person out there who looked at ALL OF THE RED in Chanel’s fall Le Rouge No. 1 Collection and thought, “There’s absolutely no damned way.”

Red lips? Yeah, I’m totally downtown, Julie Brown, but red lipstick, red blush AND red eyeshadow…? Seems a little out there! At first glance at this collection, I came so close to whipping my ponytail and spinning in the other direction in my high-tops. I didn’t think there was any way this much red could be wearable.

But then I tried it on!

And had a revelation.

Red on the lids? YAAAS, QUEEN. Same goes for red on cheeks. And when you put ’em together with red lips? C’est magnifique!

chanel le rouge collection no 1
Wearing the quad, blush and cream shadow in Rouge Brule; liner in Agape; and lipstick in Rouge Charnel

My reaction to this release is a far cry from what happened a few years ago when I tried wearing red on my lids and was so traumatized by the incident that I didn’t want to do it ever again. Because man! — that sh*t was baaaaad. 🙂 I looked like a woebegon side character from a Dickens novel where it rains all the time…

Sad panda. 🙁

chanel candeur et experience
Chanel Candeur Et Experience Eyeshadow Quad ($61) and Rouge Profond Blush ($45)

But the collection’s quad, Candeur Et Experience, is a totally different scene. I mean, if these shadows were food, they’d be your cheat day. I’m talkin’ indulgent. They’re incredibly easy to blend — even the red, which hella intimidated me — practically melts into the delicious chocolatey browns.

And those three brown shades? Homie, they’re majorly key, because when you get them them up in the mix, they ground that red so that it doesn’t look as stark and disjointed on the skin. I was so, so TERRIFIED to try this quad, but trust — it all works. The pieces fall into place.

I think that crazy red blush is another standout in the collection. Again, I expected it to be like boarding a train to crazy town, but using it with the lightest touch of a blush brush — like a kitten nose tap — creates a healthy flush.

Of course, the Chanel Joues Contraste blush formula is also just as smooth, easy to blend and outright impeccable as it should be with a satiny red like this one, but I expected it to just be too much red when worn with the quad.

But it wasn’t. I think they look totally right together, like that time I saw Beyonce and Idris Elba in a pic from the Met Ball.

skitched-20160906-141025

I also love both of the silky cream shadows — shimmery copper Illuison D’Ombre in Rouge Brule and matte plum Illusion D’Ombre Velvet in Rouge Contraste (they blend like dreams) — and the Le Stylo eyeliners in Agape and Eros, which are so smooth that they practically moonwalk across your lids.

Ugh! So good it hurts…

The Rouge Allure Velvet and the Rouge Allure Lipsticks ($37 each) and the Illusion D'Ombre and Illusion D'Ombre Velvet ($36 each)
The Rouge Allure Velvet and Rouge Allure Lipsticks ($37 each), and Illusion D’Ombre and Illusion D’Ombre Velvet ($36 each)
chanel le rouge collection no 1 nails and liners
The Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliners ($33 each), the Le Crayon Levres Lip Liners ($31 each) and the Le Vernis Nail Polishes ($28 each)
chanel le rouge collection no 1 candeur ex experience
The Chanel Le Rouge Collection No. 1 Eyeshadow Quad
chanel le rouge collection no 1 blush
The Chanel Le Rouge Collection No. 1 Blush
chanel le rouge collection no 1 ombre eyeliner swatches
The two Chanel Le Rouge Collection Illusion D’Ombre Cream Shadows on the left and two Eyeliners on the right
chanel le rouge collection no 1 lip liner swatches
The two Le Rouge Collection No. 1 Lip Liners
chanel le rouge collection no 1 lipstick swatches
The six Le Rouge Collection No. 1 Lipsticks

As for the lipsticks, lip liners and lacquers — I mean, c’mon, it’s Chanel. We know they can do reds and do it well.

I was afraid of this collection at first — I admit it — but I hope you give it a go! I didn’t think I’d like it at all, but I completely changed my mind when I tried the products.

Now I love it. LOVE IT. You can find it now at Chanel counters and online.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Dear Chanel: I hate you. HAHA! Gah, you know I have a soft spot for Chanel AND red/pink shadow. I’m going to have to click away and think of something else. 🙂 Btw, thank you for the random pic of Idris Elba. It’s impossible not to love him. 🙂

    Reply

    • I recently saw him in this Lifetime Movie-esque film with Taraji P. Henson and it was melt-your-brain goodness! If I can remember the name of it I’ll let you know, LOL!

      Reply

      • Ah, No Good Deed? I only caught part of it but it’s on my list. I actually just saw him recently in Daddy’s Little Girls. Not a fab movie but he’s always watchable. 🙂 Btw, have you seen The Night Of on HBO. I thought of you because of the cat. My truly CCL friend was more concerned about it’s fate than that of the defendant. HAHA!

        Reply

    • Hiya Raph,

      You’re welcome! I’m so glad that you’re just as excited about this one as I am. It’s an unusual collection to see from Chanel and I’m loving it.

      Reply

  5. Except for the liner in Agape, one lipstick in Tentation and the opaque nail polish I passed on this collection. No matter what I tried (and I tried a few times, as did my local counter rep) this collection made me look like I had either been crying my eyes out or hadn’t sleep in weeks or picked up pink-eye somewhere. It just didn’t work for my coloring. I do love the eyeliner and the lipstick though. Ah well, money saved for another collection, because there’s always another one.

    Reply

    • I remember you mentioning that you weren’t too crazy about it. I’m glad you gave it a try, though, because you never know until you actually get the shades on your lids.

      That liner is amazeballs! Even though the Stylo Yeuxs are $$$ I think they’re some of the best liners out there.

      Reply

      • Stylo Yeuxs are really good. One of the few I can use to really get into the roots of my upper lashes without ending up looking like a raccoon in an hour or two.
        I’m already wondering if there are going to be any amazing holiday collections coming out.

        Reply

  7. I was just wondering if you were going to review this collection! I’m definitely intrigued by the eyeshadow quad, nice to see an all matte quad from chanel!

    Reply

    • Hi Jenna,

      The mattes in the quad are SPOT ON, too. They’re so buttery and easy to blend. It’s a splurge but it totally delivers.

      If you have any other questions about any of the other items in the launch, feel free to ask! 🙂

      Reply

  8. Three of the lipsticks, both liners, and the blush are where I think I can get in on the collection with my fair/cool skin. I may book an appointment at Nordies trend event to try the whole thing because I’m not sure any of them but the lipsticks will be a homerun or something I could blind buy.
    Erin recently posted … Juliette Has A Gun Mad Madame

    Reply

  9. “There’s absolutely no damned way.” Best. Quote. Ever. Idris Elba looks good with ANYTHING! I’d also love for him to adopt me. But since this is a beauty blog, I’ll stick to discussing makeup. You nailed that look, gurl. The lipsticks are gorgeous but that quad looks like it plays no games. And that’s a good thing! 🙂

    Reply

  14. This collection is a stunner! Well done, Chanel! I was going to get a few pieces when I was at Nordstrom a few weeks ago (otherwise I don’t have a Chanel counter anywhere near) but all the pieces that I wanted were sold out!

    Your look is gorgeous! It’s surprising how flattering and wearable this collection is.

    Reply

  15. Got the eyeshadow quad a couple of weeks ago and I can’t stop wearing it. I’m fair skin, green eyes, and that red just makes green eyes pop like nobody’s business. Got the two liners, and I’m really tempted to get a back up of Eros because it is SO hard to find a good red toned eye liner that doesn’t make me look like I’m dying. Karen, do you know if Eros is LE?
    I was so worried the browns in the eyeshadow quad would get muddy on me like browns tend to do, but nooooooo! They just melt into one another like a dream!!! I passed on the blush because I just thought it wasn’t different enough from other reds I have, especially with me being so pale and having to use such a light hand. Hope I don’t regret that…

    Reply

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