Chanel Summer 2014: Rouge Allure in Conquise no. 144

It's hard to wear summer make-up trends when you're a pale, pale gal with cool undertones. Warm copper shades on the eyes = a crazed rabbit with a violent case of rabies and pink eye. Tanned bronze goddess = Oompa Loompa overdosing on self-tanner. And lastly, orange lips = I stole this lipstick from an unsuspecting friend/relative because it looked so awesome on them. Uhm... just not really on me.

So yeah, oranges are few and far between in my lipstick drawer. But when I swatched the new limited edition Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour in Conquise no. 144 ($34 for 0.12 oz/ 3.5g), I was well, conquered *snickers childishly*. It packed enough punch to brighten the face, and the tone looked just right - not too aggresively orange, slightly muted for daytime. Having never tried the Rouge Allures, I succumbed to the secret agent feel of the tube with its clicky release mechanism and the impressive pigmentation and luxurious slip of the formula.

 

My previous experiences with Chanel make-up haven't been so absolutely memorable to justify the price tag, so I found myself rather surprised to be picking up Conquise and one more item from their Summer 2014 collection, which I'll be reviewing very soon. In the end, I sold my first Chanel lipstick (Rouge Coco in Sari Dore) in a blog sale, very rarely reach for my only tube of Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo, and can never get a decent shade match in their foundations. But I don't know, I was in the moment, I felt inspired by the shades compared to what other brands had on offer, and I just went with it. Oh, and I also had the rare coupon that could be applied to beauty purchases.

Chanel Conquise is a muted coral shade with a fair dose of rosy pink and some subtle shimmer that translates into a luminous satin finish on the lips. I'm sorry that my shots are not super color-accurate; I think orange shades are pretty notorious for not coming through properly on camera. As you can hopefully see in the swatches, it's slightly warmer/ less pink than my almost finished tube of Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Soft Coral, which I'll be replacing with Conquise. It's similar in tone but much more pigmented and slightly softer than Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in Coral 301, and a lot more orange than MAC Lustre Lipstick in Jest.

In terms of formula... it hasn't topped my current favorite high-end lipstick, which is Guerlain Rouge Automatique (here's my review of the shade Shalimar). Rouge Allure in Conquise has very good pigmentation and feels soft and velvety going on, but tends to dry out and settle in a couple hours, requiring a touch-up - and it doesn't quite survive a meal in full strength, but does leave a pretty peachy stain behind. It's also not quite as masterful as a Rouge Automatique in perfecting any unwanted texture like lines or dry patches on my lips. So... yet again, I'm not completely blown away by Chanel's lipstick formula. But Conquise is a lovely shade, and it wears well enough to warrant keeping.

Here's an easy summer look to compliment Conquise: warm pink and peach shades on the eyes with a subtle dark brown eyeliner flick (Urban Decay 24/7 in Whiskey), peachy pink cream blush on the cheeks (NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink) and two swipes of Conquise on the lips, slightly blended out with a finger towards the edges of my mouth for a more effortless feel. It's all very monochrone, but pretty in the peaches & cream kind of way, and elegant - or more grown-up than the stuff I usually wear. Also, this is what my skin looks like the morning after using Dr. Wu Intensive Renewal Serum with Mandelic Acid 18% (not bad, huh? My pores do *seem* smaller).

All in all, I'm happy that I took an actual trip to the Chanel counter and swatched their Summer 2014 collection - I liked some pieces way more than I expected from just looking at the promo pictures from the comfort of my own home. As much as I dislike the make-up counter experience and prefer shopping online for most of my cosmetics, it's nice to get out there sometimes and discover new products. Have you picked anything up from the new Chanel release? What is your favorite summer collection so far?