I literally took these photos last year when the reformulated version of the Chanel Bronzing Cream was released, but alas, depression got in the way of my motivation and productivity and here we are. Better late than never as they say...




The Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel has been a cult product amongst beauty lovers. It was one of the first luxury cream bronzers so we didn't really have much choice but it truly is still a beautiful formula. The original formula is a soft, almost mousse consistency to the touch but has enough hold and firmness in the package that you never pick up too much. On the skin it would glide on and create a cream to powder finish but somehow leave behind a skin like satin finish. The only negative was that it came in one shade... "universal" and universal it was not. 


The original shade was a warm light-medium bronzer that wouldn't do much for anyone deeper than a tan skin tone. It was also extremely warm so wouldn't suit those with a cooler or very fair complexion. We have been dreaming for Chanel to deliver this flawless formula in multiple shades (and undertones) so that all could enjoy it... however they decided to do a complete reformulation when they released new shades.



The first new shade to be released was paler, more peach, so would suit those with a cooler complexion, I wasn't mad at this if it was an "addition" to the shade range as opposed to a replacement. Where my olive toned medium complexion could use the previous shade, I am only able to use the new one at my palest.


The disappointment lies, however, with the revamped formula. It is such an utter fail and during this age where we have cream bronzer formulas available from every brand, at every price point, there really isn't anything about this new formula that I would recommend.

The new formula is softer, creamier, however it feels much more silicone like. This, in theory, doesn't sound negative however I find that the product is so silicone heavy and slick that it does not want to adhere on to the skin or on top of makeup. It seems to deposit then either refuse to move from that position or blend in to a patchy mess. I have tried multiple bases, methods of application and have not found one sure fire and reliable method so can not recommend this new product.



The swatch application looks incredibly similar. The original (left) has a slightly more golden hue. However I think upon inspection you can see that the right swatch looks heavier on the skin as it sits on top of the skin as opposed to smoothing in to it.


Since these photos Chanel has released deeper shades. I bought the shade Deep, which, unsurprisingly isn't very deep. It has a more red undertone so is an improvement in terms of providing a variety of undertones in their shade range. However, as this shade is more pigmented I find the problems with the formula are even more apparent and this product looks incredibly patchy or just refuses to apply on to the skin. 

If you have the original, cherish it but when you're done with it, don't repurchase the new formula. This is no longer the Chanel bronzer we once new and loved. Luckily, there are some incredible new formulas for us to play with.

Cream Bronzer Formulas Similar to the Chanel

Colourful highlighters were all the rage a few years ago, blue, pink, rainbow and holographic highlighters made the rounds on the market until the industry adopted a softer, glossy and neutral look. I however would like to bring back the colourful highlighter, however a more subdued, interesting version that enhances your skin undertones.

 I have a warm olive skin tone, which means I have a lot of green and yellow in my skin, so a complimentary colour for my skin is pink. As my skin is more medium-tan, a soft petal pink blush can look quite ashy however I have found a selection of beautiful pink highlighters that compliment my skin tone and blend into blush colours beautifully. If your skin is more cool toned you may want to opt for more blue or purple highlighters. Now, am I suggesting we have stripes of metallic colours hovering on our faces again? No. The formulas I have found have a subtlety to them, don't have any caste to them and will gleam only when the light hits it. If you find the right colour for you, you'll see how these highlighters add dimension, warm up the skin and enhance the colour in your face. It truly is a beautifully subtle way to add more je ne sais quoi to your complexion.




 



April has been a beautiful month, we have had warm weather, the pubs have reopened, garden socialising and woodland walks have filled my heart with warmth and gratitude. With that. I have been enjoying either going completely makeup-less and just enjoying my day, feeling the sun on my skin (with SPF, of course!) but there have been other days where I have been relishing in playing with textures again. My go-to look this past month has been a sheer, natural base where imperfections show through but working on creating a glowy skin texture. With the skin so fresh, adding a lot of blush really livens up the face, making it brighter and healthier looking. I then finish off with a wash of colour on the lids, sometimes I match it to my blush for a monochromatic look, other times I go for a soft brown and most of the time I just tap on a sheer sparkling eyeshadow all over the lid so it can catch and reflect the light. It's super simple but this basic formula can produce many looks but always feels balanced and modern. The best part is, you can create and play with what you already own to create a similar look, using colours you love and feel confident in!


 

Is it just me or were all the new releases in past few months BORING?! Between financial strains due to Covid, production delays and the general declining mental health, it doesn't surprise me that beauty was placed on the back burner. However, April has dazzled us with sunlight, vaccines are being rolled out and dare I say it... hopefulness is in the air again. And I think that a combination of general contentment, alongside some clever brand release timing, has created a lot of excitement in me for some of the new Spring/Summer releases by many brands.


Ingenuity
Hindash, a professional makeup artist with a large online presence (IG: Youtube:) has released his own makeup line, his first release being a professional "pigment" palette that can be used on the eyes and face. Now, I know what we are all thinking... another warm-toned neutrals palette... yawn. 

However, this palette has a unique aspect in that each pan is a colour gradient, from one shade, into another. This may seem gimmicky initially, however the nuance will come from use of the palette as instead of having a row of  6 browns and beiges to blend out your eyeshadow, you can move along the gradient for the perfect shade to deepen or diffuse a colour. It is a compact palette with a wide range of depths within each shade. Plus, it can be used on the face and eyes. I haven't tried this yet but I would love to see if this can deliver  it's ease of use on a consumer scale as it does on an artistry scale.


More Blush, Please
It's fair to say that I am always excited for new cheek products, but cream and liquid cheek products are my ultimate weakness. The Hourglass Vanish Blush £45 Stick looks like a cream blush with a more powdery matte finish, they are extremely expensive so I'm interested in how these perform and what other cream blushes they are similar to as they remind me of the old (discontinued) Chanel cream blush that were a favourite of mine. The Surratt Artistique Blush £42 look like a lightweight, dewy finish which really appeals to me. I find Surratt to be a really unique brand, always bringing quality or innovation to regular makeup products. The last blush that has caught my eye is The Bare Minerals Blonzer £24 which claims to be a 'bronzer and blush' in one but I think it fits the "sun burn without the damage" blush look that I really do love in the summer time. I find that adding some warm colour with a tan can really brighten up the complexion in summer and I find this to be a surprisingly unique blush product and very on trend. Finally, Mother Pat has finally released a blush formula and I can not wait to get my hands on these!!! Everything I have tried from Pat McGrath, whilst expensive, has truly been exquisite. Her shades look nuanced and have a variety of depths and I'm looking forwards to seeing what type of formula she has chosen for her blushes.

Nourishing Lips
Gucci Beauty have released their Rouge de Beaute Brillant Glow & Care Lip Colour £35 which seems to be a glossy sheer lip colour which is my ultimate favourite type of lip product, easy to swipe on and go but incredibly comfortable! So far, I haven't found a Gucci lip product I haven't loved so I do have high expectations of there. Plus, their colour ranges are really unique and I find they some make beautiful orange and red tones that compliment my olive skin tone. However, they are quite pricey so I am going to hold off on purchasing some and try to use up some other lip products in my collection first! A different Gucci item is from Gucci Westman and her Westman Atelier Squeaky Clean Liquid Lip Balm £35. This is another brand that has outstandingly beautiful formulas (other than their mascara, let's not talk about that) so I am very excited to try their liquid lip balm formulas and to see how the shades work on my medium skin tone.

Anything Roen
Roen have released a new cream eyeshadow palette to their collection, the Mood 4ever Palette £41 which is the perfect warm, red toned palette. Roen eyeshadow palettes are the ultimate cool girl eyeshadow, they are a cream shadow with mixed textures, they do crease and wear in but create that ultimate effortless vibe that I kind of love for summer. Glowing, fresh skin, a tinted lip balm and some smudged on cream eyeshadow is such a punk chick meats beach babe look.

Natural and Affordable
I love me a skin tinted, a tinted moisturiser, a bb/cc cream, a light coverage foundation, all of it, I love it all. However, some of the best performing skin tints tend to be more expensive, I find many mid-high end brands do nourishing skin tints best, these are usually skincare infused with well considered shade ranges and a beautiful glowing finish. Now, most affordable skin tints I've tried are either too dry/greasy in texture, run way too pink/peach or don't provide a beautiful finish to the skin (which is really the main focus of a skin tint, it isn't to provide coverage but more a healthier/diffused finish to the skin). Nabla however has released their own version and I am eager to try this as I find their products are nuanced and sophisticated in a way that other brands at this price point rarely are. Hopefully, this too can exceed my expectations like many of their other products have...


Shop The Post

Contact

© Coquette Noelle
Design by The Basic Page