Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara

I used to say that hell would freeze over before I’d buy anything but a drugstore mascara. Apparently it froze over about six months ago, which was the first time I purchased one of my new favorites (click here) but the permafrost has now formed since I discovered Chanel’s Le Volume de Chanel mascara! No way did I ever think I’d purchase a mascara from Chanel but I have and I love it! Read on for more!

As I’ve said many times before, the most important things (to me) are that a mascara doesn’t smudge (even on lower lashes) and it’s very volumizing and “lashy.” I’ll be honest---I was very skeptical when my local Nordstrom associate pointed me in Chanel’s direction for this mascara. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised as I found this mascara to not only provide incredibly lush lashes but I have had no smudges! YES!!!!! Now, one thing that I will say is that I did get a few clumps so a lash comb is a must. That also kept the mega volume from making my lashes “spidery,” which can easily happen with a volumizing mascara.

Please ignore the Ombre look to my eyebrows---I was testing a new pencil that apparently didn’t work on camera!

Truth be told, one coat of Le Volume will satisfy most of us. In fact, I’m wearing one coat in these pictures and on my lower lashes, I’m practically wearing less than one coat. All I did was lightly place the wand against my lashes and then I wiggled it. After that, I combed thru with an eyelash comb et Voila! The volume is that crazy!

Le Volume de Chanel Mascara is available $30 in four colors: Noir (which I am wearing), Bleu, Khaki Bronze and Prune. Click here to purchase it at Nordstrom.

Ages of Beauty rating: *****

Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Illusoire

 Who among us is NOT attracted to glittery, pretty soft things? OK…I’m not talking about wearing pink fairy wings and prancing around the office (although at some point in my life I was attracted to pink fairy wings so there’s that…). What I’m referring to are things that attract the eye and make a statement. In my case, my latest attraction is Chanel’s Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Illusoire. I’ve been “eyeing” (bwaahhhhh!!!) this shadow since it came out a couple of years ago but it was only within the last couple of weeks that I actually purchased it. Initially, I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to wear it in all its glittery, shiny splendor but I found a way to do it. Read on to find out more!!!

The Illusion D’Ombre line is full of beautiful, soft eye shadows that are of an interesting texture---a spongy, fluffy, almost whipped-like cream not only glides onto the eyelids effortlessly but is also long lasting. Illusoire appears to be a purple/brown in the pot but looks more taupe on the lids. It contains very visible but fine chunks of glitter that look transparent and sparkly at the same time (it’s an interesting effect). The biggest thing I worried about when purchasing this product was that I wouldn’t be able to wear it because of all the glitter and that I would waste the $36 that I paid for it (yes, it is definitely a beauty splurge). After playing with it for awhile, I was able to find a beautiful and simple way to wear it on my hooded lids (those of you with wrinkly lids will also be able to pull this off)!

See how sparkly (and beautiful) Illusoire is? Normally I would steer far clear of a shadow like this but it just killed me not to try!!! The only “rule” I followed (one of my “special” rules) is that I did not apply it anywhere near the brow bone or the “hood” that covers my eyes. So here’s what I did---I applied Illusoire over the lid from the outer edge to the tear duct. Then, I used a slightly darker matte shade from Mac (Brun) in the crease and up over the hood, blending well. Next I used a lighter matte shade (Urban Decay “Naked”) in the taupe range as a “transition” shade, blending it with the upper edge of the darker matte shade right under the brow bone. Last but not least, I applied a vanilla matte shadow (Mac Vanilla)  right under the eyebrow and a slightly sparkly version of the same color (Mac Crystal Avalanche) over the tear duct. See below for pictures.

The picture doesn’t really do the shadow justice but you can see the sparkly on the lid. The gradation in the color is due to the shimmery nature and you can see the darker matte blended in the crease along with the transition shade above. By blending the darker matte shade over the “hood,” you can see how the hood is helped to “disappear.” Below you can really see how my eyes are hooded and how the shadow helps. 

  

Illusoire makes this a really pretty eye look that is very do-able for women our age, despite our hooded or wrinkly lids (or both)! This shadow would also look great with purple or plum tones as well as layered with other shades for a smoky eye. I just may have to try that out!!! :)

Have you tried Illusoire? What do you think of it?

Chanel’s Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow is available at Nordstrom for $36. You can purchase Illusoire or any of the other available colors by clicking here.

Ages of Beauty rating: ****

Chanel Les Ombres Eye Shadow Quad in Seduction

Chanel’s Les Ombres Eye Shadow Quad in Seduction is a beautiful example of what Chanel eye shadows can be at their very best. In the past, I’ve been fairly disappointed in the pigmentation of Chanel’s multi pan eye shadow palettes but this one is an exception. Read on for my experience with this lovely quad!

As part of Chanel’s fall makeup line, Seduction offers a mixture of beige, golden brown, rose/burgundy and a dark brown with some burgundy tones. Each shade is VERY pigmented, which is a far cry from some of the Chanel duos I’ve purchased over the years. The texture of these shades is soft but not powdery and they blend really well on the lids. I always wear an eye primer (my favorite is Urban Decay Primer Potion) so I usually get great wear from powder shadows (unless they are really not very pigmented/have a funky formula) and these Chanel shadows are no different. They last at least ten hours on me with absolutely no fading.

 Chanel Seduction Swatches

Color 1: The very lightest shade of the four is a slightly pearly beige with a hint of gray. Although it is a pearl shade and is rather light, I don’t find it too much of an issue.

Color 2: The gold color has a touch of pink to it and seems about as pearly as the lightest shade. This one looks especially nice in a neutral eye look and also seems to light up the eyes rather well. Very nice!

Color 3: This beautiful rosy burgundy shade is a bit of a chameleon. In some lights it looks intensely burgundy but applied a bit more sheerly, it comes off more as a rose. For those of you who like reddish tones in your eye makeup, this one is lovely. If you’re familiar with Mac’s Cranberry, it is similar. The Chanel shade has a bit of subtle, gold shimmer though.

Color 4: The darkest color is a lovely dark brown that can be sheered out easily. I’ve used this as a crease color and as a liner color with good results. It would also work well as one of the layers in a darker smoky eye. In the pan, this one looks like it has some shimmer but on the eye, it seems to have more of a satin finish.

For this review, I came up with two looks; one is more neutral and everyday-wearable and the other is a bit more dramatic, using all colors in the palette.

Look 1

Lightest shade in inner corner and inside half of lid; gold color on outer half of lid, darkest color in crease and lightest color on browbone

Look 2

Lightest color on inner half and tear duct, burgundy on outside half and into the crease, gold in middle of lid, darkest shade in crease and lightest on brow bone (please excuse the spidery lashes---testing a new mascara!)

Darkest shade under lower lashes at outer edge, gold shadow from middle of lower eyelid to tear duct

Chanel Les Ombres Eye Shadow Quads are available for $59 here at Nordstrom.

Have you tried Chanel’s Seduction Palette? What do you think of it?

Ages of Beauty rating: ****

Product Showdown: Best High End Black Eye Pencils for the Waterline

To set the stage, a few weeks ago I decided I wanted to try lining my lower waterline with black liner, like I have seen on many You Tube videos. Now you may think, “Wow, Denise! Get with the program! I have been doing that for ages!!!” Yeah, I know. I guess I am behind the times because I had never tried it on myself. So it was time! I decided to do a product showdown between high end liners and drugstore liners to see what I could find in each category. The lower waterline is really a special area---it’s wet, sensitive and some liners do not “transfer” well onto that area, leaving the color patchy or non existent. My objective was to find a black eyeliner that didn’t smudge, provided a deep, dark color and stayed put on the waterline at least four hours. Today’s showdown is on high end  liner pencils and after I finish testing all of my drugstore finds, I will post about the lower cost liners.

For each of these tests, I used the same eyelid primer (Urban Decay Primer Potion), mascara (Trish McEvoy—upper lashes only), gel liner on upper lid (Bobbi Brown), under eye concealer (Bye Bye Undereye, set with loose powder) and eye shadows that I find to be long lasting (Mac and Wet N Wild). None of these products smear on my eyes.

Top: Mac Smolder

Center: Chanel Ebene

Bottom: MUFE Aqua Eyes 0L

Mac Smolder

I was in Nordstrom when I remembered that Mac had a deeply black eye pencil that I should check out. The SA told me that the Smolder kohl pencil was the only one that was rated for the waterline and that it provides the best coverage and is long lasting. She said that she got about 4 hours of wear out of it and that it was the best on he market. Skeptical that four hours would actually be consider “the best,” I decided to take a chance and purchased it. True to her word, the color was the richest of the three high end pencils I’m reviewing. See below how great it looked when it was applied!

Mac Smolder upon application

Beautiful, right? Well, unfortunately, after one hour, I had smudging under the both eyes and virtually none of the liner left on my waterline. At four hours, the smudging was significantly worse and at eight, I had black eyeliner deeply down into the troughs of the eyes. For some reason, I am unable to find the pictures. It’s possible I was so disgusted that I didn’t take pictures, LOL! Beautiful pencil, but definitely a fail on the waterline. I will, however, try it on the upper lid and also use it in future smoky eye looks!

Ages of Beauty rating (for lower waterline): zero stars

Chanel Ebene Eye Pencil

This pencil has been in my collection for awhile and I’ve enjoyed wearing it, with good results, on my upper lid. It’s a nice, dark shade of black but not as intense as Mac’s Smolder. The pencil glides easily over the waterline and transfers color easily to that area. See the pictures, below, at application, after 4 hours and after 8 hours.

Chanel Ebene at application

Chanel Ebene 4 hours after application

After four hours, the Chanel pencil had slight smudging under each eye but nothing too serious. There was still a little bit left on each waterline.

Chanel Ebene 8 hours after application

After eight hours, Ebene left significant smudging but no where near as bad as the Mac pencil. the worst of it was on the right eye (the left side of the picture) at the outer corner. In real life, I would have cleaned this up at the first sign of a smudge so this wouldn’t have been that bad after a full day of wear, although it was completely gone from the waterline and definitely would have needed a refresh after four hours.

Ages of Beauty rating (for lower waterline): **

Make Up for Ever Aqua Eyes in 0L

This pencil is part of the famous “Aqua Eyes” line that was supposedly developed for synchronized swimmers. I have many of the cream eye shadows from this collection and they definitely stay put. The color 0L is a slightly muted black, making it the least intense, color-wise, of the three high end pencils I tested. It went on very easily and didn’t pull the skin upon application.

MUFE 0L at application

MUFE 0L 4 hours after application

Four hours after I applied the MUFE pencil, I experienced very minor smudging at the corner of the eyes but there was nothing left on the waterline. Since smudging is the bane of my existence, I was very pleased with this (if only it would have stayed on the waterline!!!).

MUFE 0L 8 hours after application

After eight hours, the smudging at the corners was only very slightly worse, making the Make Up for Ever pencil the winner of these three pencils, for lower waterline use. Since there was no color left on the actual waterline, this pencil isn’t a home run, but it is definitely what I would consider usable!!

Ages of Beauty rating (for lower waterline): ***

Interestingly enough, I tested one drugstore pencil in between these three and it performed better than all of these (I was shocked!!). Starting today, I’m testing a few more and should have a post on my drugstore results later this week!

I’ll keep testing high end brands as well and will let you know if I find anything better than the MUFE pencil for the lower waterline.

Do you use a black liner on your lower waterline? Have you found anything that doesn’t smudge and stays put? Please share!!!

Product Review: Soleil Tan de Chanel

Chanel’s Soleil de Tan (also known as “Bronze Universel” ) is a very light weight cream bronzer that provides a hint of color to pale to medium skin tones. It’s a product that has been recommended by many You Tube makeup artists, which is where I originally heard about this product.





Chanel’s website describes it as a “light cream-gel bronzer” with a “velvety finish.” That’s a great description as it is, indeed, light and velvety. I have used it as both a contouring cream under cheekbones and along my jaw line as well as a true bronzer to give my skin a hint of color. The staying power is excellent and it looks quite natural on, I believe, all but the very palest of skin tones, where it could look too orangey.



Since I’ve been using the St. Tropez Self Tanning Mousse this summer, I’ve found that this product is great as an interim “color booster” on my face. I typically use the Jergen’s Self Tanning Lotion on my body but not on my face so this helps as the St. Tropez fades. It works great for this purpose!

There are a couple of things that I really appreciate about Chanel’s Soleil de Tan. One is that I’ve never found another product like it and the other is that a little goes a long way, so it will last forever! That’s good, because at $48, it’s a pricey product. But again, I’m happy to pay that much for such a unique product that will last a long, long time.



This product will get year round use for me as a contouring cream in the winter and a bronzer during the summer. Check it out!

Soleil de Tan is available at Nordstrom.com and at Chanel.com.

Ages of Beauty rating: *****

Products I’m Loving Right Now

I have tons of things going on right now but thought I’d give a quick flash of some products that I’m currently using and loving. During the summer, my skin care, hair care and makeup needs change (as do yours, I’m sure) so most of these products are new to me. Detailed reviews will follow!

Mac Face & Body

S’well Bottle

Cetaphil Moisturizer SPF 50

L’Oreal Eversleek Sulfate Free Shampoo (and conditioner)

L’Oreal Everstyle Energizing Dry Shampoo

Skin Actives Formulation Kit for Beginners

DIY Hyaluronic Acid Serum with B5

Neutrogena Moisture Smooth Color Sticks

Chanel Soleil Tan

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream

Product Review: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation

I had always heard how wonderful Chanel's foundations were so a few years ago, I decided to take the plunge. Vitalumiere Aqua was the first Chanel foundation that I had ever purchased and I was anxious to see if it lived up to everything I had heard.

Face of the Day: A Simple, Chic look

I'm a big fan of Lisa Eldridge, a famous celebrity makeup artist from the UK. Not too long ago, she did a You Tube tutorial on a makeup look she called "Flawless and Chic," available here.

It's a look that can be worn during the day or for an evening out and I've worn it many times. Click below to get the details and the products I used.