Beauty Obsessed

Ok.  There are a handful of spring products that everyone and their dog has posted about over the last month or so (helloooo Burberry Lip Glows!  Holy moly, I wanted them badly until I got on overload from exposure…I’m kinda done with them now, sadly), and I’m about to show you one of them.  This would be kind of a bummer, except I have been run off my ass this week and am clocking about 1 hour at home before bed and REALLY not energetic enough to do a thorough post, SO – this works out well, as all I’m gonna do is show you some pics to ogle and call it a night.  Sweeeet

I present to you: Chanel’s Poudre Signée de Chanel, from their 2013 Spring Printemps Precieux collection:

Check out that lovely glow in the last shot – so damn pretty!!  But, I would have still been able to resist, even though the glow is captivating.  After reading so many reviews about it, I tricked myself into believing it couldn’t really be that lovely – until I swatched it.  As mentioned in my sneak peek post, this powder is so insanely soft, as soon as I touched it, it was game over.  (Also – UPDATE: I DID NOT actually end up buying the Chanel Mouche de Beaute powder nor the nail polish from the Hong Kong collection; when the SA from Chanel called me back with the shipping details, it was going to be $40CAD JUST TO SHIP.  Ah, HECK NO.  Sorry Chanel, you’re awesome but not that awesome!  So…my spree wasn’t so bad after all )

One last test before I totally threw in the towel, was how it would look on my darker skin – would it be ashy??  Would it look harsh and obvious?  Well:

Direct sunlight

Direct sunlight

Indirect natural light

Artificial light

…Verdict is: Uh, no.  Of COURSE it looks fabulous on my skin!  Why did I even try to believe otherwise!?

What I love about this product is that it is probably the only powder illuminator I’ve come across to date that highlights the skin without obvious shimmer.  While you can clearly see it’s shimmery, note that even in direct sunlight, it’s more of a radiance that’s being put forth rather than even tiny specks of glitter that can be a bit garish in the wrong light.  It’s that finely milled.  I’ve actually tried this a multitude of ways, and beside wearing along my cheekbones etc., I find that I can get away with dusting it lightly all over and do not risk looking like a Cullen (*this analogy has been used before, I know, but it’s so damn apt!).

For your reference, here are some comparison swatches of other highlighters I own, plus one eyeshadow I thought may be similar (all taken in sunlight, with first a diffused then heavy swatch):

(Left to right): KATE Real Create Eyes Palette *white gold shade*; Chanel Poudre Signée; theBalm Mary Lou-manizer; Benefit Watt’s Up?

(Left to right): KATE Real Create Eyes Palette *white gold shade*; Chanel Poudre Signée; theBalm Mary Lou-manizer

In the last photo, you really can see how subtle the Chanel powder is, especially when compared to the other products.  For anyone who is looking for a lit-from-within-glow, I’d say you’d be hard pressed to get anything better than this! (Aside from Burberry’s Fresh Glow, which is a liquid and looks more obvious in swatches but ends up being barely detectable when worn).  However, I will say that the subtly is *almost* a drawback for me, as when I put it on, it’s barely discernible (which, if you recall, was my initial beef with the Burberry product as well!).  I guess I’m more of the flashy makeup wearer, and like to see the fruits of my labour in plain daylight.  However, I am trying to embrace the more ‘natural’ way of wearing makeup, at least when skin makeup is concerned, and this product is getting me there with absolutely no problem at all.

In all truthfulness, I couldn’t say one way or another if this is a ‘must-have’.  It really depends on your preferences.  If you favor a natural look and are in the market for an illuminator, you’ll get oodles of wear out of this and love every minute.  If you just plain need a luminizer and achieve a great glow, this would be a great bet for you as well.  If you like your makeup like me, a bit more flashy – I’d say maybe check it out and see if this does the trick first.  I’m not at all regretful I picked this up, and I suspect like the Burberry, it’s going to become a staple in my every day routine.  But could I live without it….probably

PS: If you’re looking for a more in-depth review on this product (it’s doubtful, but I’m sure SOME of you haven’t seen a billion posts on this yet!), Becca of The Beauty Sample has a great review with all the info you could want

In keeping with being (semi)brief – thoughts?