Why two names? Because, as I’ve already told you in my post about Chanel Rouge Noir nail polish, there are two versions of it in the world. 18 Rouge Noir proper, and then in US there’s 18 Vamp, which is a little more purple take on the same shade. Or else, Vamp looks more purple in the bottle, but comes off more Burgundy on the nails, while Rouge Noir looks redder in the bottle, but comes off more plumy on the nails. They are very close.  Anyway, in Europe this collection is called Rouge Noir Absolument, in US it’s called Vamp Attitude, but whatever it’s called in your part of the world, it’s the same thing 🙂 Chanel makeup holiday 2015 collection. And all the items in it other than these two nail polishes, that share the same number 18, are the same.

 

Now, I usually push nail polish to the end of my posts about makeup collections, because manicure is this finishing touch to the whole look. But as long as this collection is all built and wrapped around this one cult, really, nail polish shade, let’s start with nail colour.

 

Le Vernis 18 Rouge Noir

 

Super dark red. Black cherry.

 

Do you like darker manicure? Black, navy blue, dark green, dark grey, chocolate brown, anything? If you do, you should know, that you owe the pleasure of wearing these shades to this one particular shade by Chanel. Because it set the trend for darker nail shades. It was the first one. Before it dark manicure was perceived as Gothic, not as vampy. Before it we didn’t really wear those shades you like so much now.

 

If you read my post about Le Vernis 18 Rouge Noir, you know the story. Back in 1994 right before the show the stylist painted the models’ nails with a black marker to create dried blood effect. Everyone spotted this dark manicure, that was a rather shocking thing back then. Then Uma Thurman showed off this shade in ‘Pulp Fiction’. And there it was. This shade went wild. It got so popular, the whole stock got sold out, and the dark manicure trend followed in its steps. Everyone started releasing dark nail colour shades. Now you see how and why Chanel Le Vernis 18 is a truly cult nail colour.

 

So, this shade is super dark and super hot.

 

Are you asking yourselves yet, if you have Rouge Noir nail polish already, do you even need this limited edition and how it’s different from the one in permanent range? If you are, here’s an answer for you. The shade is no different from the permanent range 18 Rouge Noir (or 18 Vamp, if you’re looking at US version of this collection). So, if you have it, shadewise, you’re all good 🙂 What’s different is its limited edition design. That is, the top flap of the nail polish box and its sides are rouge noir in colour, as opposed to typically Chanel black.

 

And the logo on the cap is rouge noir too,

 

not white, as we’re used to seeing it.

 

 

Honestly, this shade is a classic. I love it, I do wear it from time to time, I keep coming back to it, I don’t think I can ever get enough of it. I could never wear it every day, but then again, I don’t think there’s a nail colour in this world I could wear every day, I’d just get fed up with it, no matter how much I love it initially. From time to time though – absolutely, I need this kind of shade in my life.

 

The bottom line is, if you like darker manicure, and you haven’t really tried Chanel Le Vernis 18 yet, this collection is your chance to learn about it and to try it and, maybe, come to love it.

 

Le Vernis 18 Vamp

 

This one is super dark too.

 

And black cherry too.

 

It’s more Burgundy though, unlike Rouge Noir that’s quite a bit of plum shade.

 

Vamp is my personal preference of the two. If you like dark purple, then go for Rouge Noir.

 

This shade is very dark and very sexy too. The kind I really want to use at times. Very much so.

 

Please, see the comparison of the two. Rouge Noir is on the left here, Vamp is on the right.  In the very last pair Rouge Noir is on top, Vamp is on the bottom.

 

 

 

 

Le Top Coat Lame Rouge Noir Gold Sparkle Nail Coat 151.027

 

Ok, so I was SO excited to see a glittery top coat by Chanel – finally – and it looked soo awesome in the promo with a red colour to it and golden glitter, that I grabbed two 🙂

 

Now, for starters, the top coat doesn’t have any red in it. It’s transparent. Oh.

 

Second of all, it has a small bunch of very common golden glitter in it… and that’s it. I mean, we’ve seen so many golden glitter things like that by so many brands.

 

I’m disappointed big time. Chanel has waited so long to release a glitter top coat, and that’s what they do?

 

There’s nothing special about it. Why oh why? If you’re going to do it, why not do something extraordinary?

 

Given, it looks sultry, when you top Rouge Noir (like I did in the swatches) or Vamp nail polish with it, but… it’s just so ordinary. Pity.

 

Le Vernis 757 Rose Fusion

 

Here’s my first question. Where’s rose? Rose is pink, right? Where is any of it in this shade? The answer is – there is none 🙂 The shade is actually coffee and milk like beige. I mean, it’s a nice shade, it’s just not rose in any way.

 

Here’s more bad news. This shade is heavily pearly. You know, like Peridot. Or Intemporel. And if you’ve tried any of the two or any super pearly shades by Chanel, you already know, what I’m going to say now.

 

Chanel nail colour formula in general is so good, but Chanel very pearly shades formula is just not good at all.

 

To say the least. It’s streaky like crazy. It’s impossible to get smooth coverage. You absolutely need top coat, preferably, two coats of it, to cover up all the imperfections that are inevitable with these shades by Chanel. Every time Chanel releases shades of this kind, I go – they did make it better, they must have, hoping every time, but no… It’s very puzzling to me.

 

Maybe, it’s just me. Maybe, everyone else loves these shades, this formula and doesn’t have any issues with it? I don’t know. To me, it’s the second disappointment of the three nail shades in this collection. And the third shade – Rouge Noir – is permanent, that is not really new.

 

Well aware of the fact it’s probably not going to work, I still conscientiously try the top coat on Rose Fusion, as it’s part of the collection.

 

Nope, it’s not working. This top coat only looks good on really dark shades like Rouge Noir or Vamp.

 

Ah well, moving on.

 

Joues Contraste Lumiere

Highlighting Blush

 

12 Coups de Minuit

168.007

 

The scent is gone! It’s gone! Oh, the joy. There’s still some makeupey powdery scent lingering, but it’s nothing compared to what it used to be – this strongest possible flowery scent, that made it almost impossible for me to wear Chanel blush. At least, the scent is not present in this shade.

 

The brush is something you can actually live with. Which is a rare case, when it comes to portable brushes like this.

 

It’s my favourite kind of light natural beige with a distant pink sheen kind of blush. Pearly, with extremely fine sparkle. Love it.

 

Given I’m as much good at contouring as I’m at eyelining, that is, so-o not good 🙂 , this natural and easy shade is one of my two favourites in blush area.

 

And the quality is good. It’s soft to the touch. Luxuriously soft. Posh.

 

Getting to the eye colour here.

 

Illusion d’Ombre

Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow

857 Rouge Noir 189.857

 

Cream eyeshadow formula by Chanel is good. It’s all I want from cream eyeshadow.

 

The brush is portable, consists of two parts, which I like, because it makes it more efficient, the brush itself though I can only use for smoky eyes.

 

If I want to use this cream eyeshadow as an eyeliner, I’ll have to grab a different brush 🙂

 

The shade looks like it’s plum. It looks like it’s rouge noir. Well, it’s none of those. It’s ink purple with purple sparkle.

 

Yes, we all know how deep dark purple eye shades are supposed to be sultry and sexy. Here’s the thing though – they often look like bruises, like dark circles, like all the bad things.

 

So, to me, this shade is not the best option ever. Maybe, it will work better as an eyeliner? Speaking about eyeliner… There are two in this collection.

 

Le Crayon Kohl

Intense Eye Pencil

17 Rouge Noir

 

Wow, Chanel calls this kohl? It’s ever so firm to the touch, too firm to be kohl 🙂

 

A pencil sharpener. Good. I like it, when each pencil has its own sharpener. Less trouble 🙂

 

Just as in case of cream eyeshadow, it’s not really plum,

 

it’s dark ink purple.

 

Le Crayon Yeux

Precision Eye Definer

57 Or Safran

 

Pencil sharpener again 🙂

 

Guess what, it’s softer to the touch than kohl 🙂

 

A darker gold shade. Mustardy almost. And pearly. Nice, but it’s not like we’ve never seen anything of the kind before.

 

What I like though, is this mustardy golden shade is much more noble and rare than all the shiny golden stuff we get every holiday in luxury market makeup collections.

 

Oh, and on the other side of the pencil, there’s this sponge, that doesn’t exist in Kohl. I sure hope this sponge helps someone out there in their eye makeup, because it doesn’t do anything for me 🙂

 

Here’s are two eye pencil shades by Chanel for this holiday season back to back:

 

Chanel Signe Particulier

Quadra Eyeshadow

151.380

 

Eyeshadow quad. I look at the box, and then I look closer, and its design gets me right there and then. Guess what, it’s a classically Chanel black box with white lettering, but… each of the four sides of it is its own colour.

 

White

 

Light grey

 

Violet with some greige in it

 

Gold

 

I love all the trouble that’s gone into doing this. The result is worth it. Truly limited edition.

 

I can’t say I’m really into these shades at the first glance. But I understand, where the four colours of the boxing sides come from 🙂

 

The brushes are spongy eyeshadow brushes. There are two of them.

 

The eyeshadow is textured in this square and diamond Chanel kind of way. And topped with Chanel logo. Nice.

 

Once I swatch the shades though, I warm up to them immediately. They are just so becoming. So calm and yet holiday like. So sophisticated.

 

Let’s see them up close.

We have white, that’s pretty much matt and has this nice medium kind of coverage, not too loose, not too thick.

 

Then there’s this silvery satiny light grey. It’s luminous and pretty. Not pearly. Very noble. If you have to go for grey, this is the kind of grey you want to go for.

 

Deep violet shade. Vampy. This is the rouge noire or vamp shade – deep plum red – that the whole collection is built around. Sultry.

 

A beautiful pearly mustardy gold. Shiny, but not too shiny. Not too light, not too dark. A truly luxuriously golden shade. Spectacular.

 

Please, see more swatched of the shades.

 

 

Well, if my starting point with promo photos of this palette and my first impression was – it’s boring, my conclusion, once I’ve tried it is – it’s beautiful. Stunning holiday look is what these shades are promising, and it’s a promise to take them up on.

 

Then there’s mascara in Rouge Noir. It’s all about this shade in this collection.

 

Le Volume de Chanel

27 Rouge Noir

 

If you remember, there was Chanel Inimitable in Rouge Noir at some point. Or Chanel Inimitable Intense. I’ve had it. I’ve made a post about black mascara versus brown mascara once already. So, I’m just going to say it again. As much as I love make up, these off black shades of mascara are of no use really for me. I mean, it’s kind of cool to think you’re wearing mascara, that’s red J , although it’s not really red, it’s deep Burgundy, but you might just as well wear black mascara.

 

If you’ve had Chanel Inimitable in Rouge Noir, by the way, which was Bordeaux, mind that this shade here might have just a a touch more purple or plum in it. Or so it seems, at least.

 

I love Le Volume formula, by the way. It’s great.

 

That’s all there is in this collection for the eyes. Now we’ll see what they’ve got for the lips.

 

Rouge Allure

Le Rouge Intense

 

Luminous Intense Lip Colour

237 Vaporeuse

 

It’s so light I had to swipe it like sixty five times over my arm to get any colour out of it. Okay, okay, not sixty five, but it was close.

 

It’s an ever so light pink purple shade. It looks shiny and pearly in a delicate way when swatched. But once on the lips, it turns into this ultimate nude lip shade. It’s nude lip shade done the right way. You know, so that your lips don’t disappear altogether off your face, but get to be this neutral colour and a great match for intense eye makeup. Which makes total sense within the context of this collection.

 

I love this Rouge Allure package. Just like all those ever so thin lipstick tubes, this sleek packaging is ever so hot. There’s something about it.

 

Rouge Allure Velvet

Le Rouge Velours Lumineux

 

Luminous Matte Lip Colour

347 La Merveilleuse

 

Matt lip colour has been a global trend in makeup world for a while now. Matt nail colour is kicking in now to support the whole matt lip colour frenzy 🙂 Well, Rouge Allure Velvet is a good way to do matt lipstick.

 

Do you like purple lip shades? If you do, check out this one. Or you know what, check out both Rouge Allure and Rouge Allure Velvet shades from this collection. If Rouge Allure is all tender and light and nude, this is a medium ever so nice mauve. I mean, it’s like we’re all of a sudden off holidays and Rouge Noir and Vamp theme and into a romantic spring collection 🙂

 

I like it. It’s a pleasant surprise and counterpoint. And these shades do match the vampy side of the things too, so, it’s not like it’s random. It’s always good, when a collection is well rounded. I’m all for it.

 

There’s powdery old fashioned lipstick scent to both Rouge Allure and Rouge Allure Velvet, not too strong.

 

Here’s Rouge Allure and Rouge Allure Velvet swatched together.

 

Rouge Allure Gloss

Colour and Shine Lipgloss in One Click

 

24 Expressive

 

I’m not a big fan of these intense glosses. They aren’t really glosses, they are liquid lip colour. And yes, they shine. But to me it’s like – make up your mind, if you like shine, go for lip gloss and lighter texture, where shine works better. If you like fuller coverage, go for lipstick. So, to me, this product in general is not too appealing. Still, Chanel formula is good. Has this distant powdery scent to it too. And the packaging is Rouge Allure like, which I love, but… this tiny hole, that you’re supposed to hit with the brush to get it back in, is ridiculous, in my opinion. I mean, it’s too much trouble 🙂

 

The shade is dead on purple. Medium leaning to dark. Another shade to check out, if purple lip colour is your cup of tea.

 

Finally, we get to the lightest lip texture. Lip gloss.

 

Levres Scintillantes

Brilliant Extreme

 

Glossimer

477 Rose de Lune

 

Wow. I pull out this lip gloss, and it’s like I’m back to the nineties all of a sudden 🙂

 

Remember those super pearly super light pink lip shades? Here it is. The kind that almost gives no colour on the lips, just all this pearl. It’s packed with ever so small sparkle, so, it shines and shines and shines. This is the shade that teenage girl tried to wear hoping no one will be able to tell they’re wearing lipstick 🙂

 

So, what’s happening? Are we back to romance here? I don’t think so, I think, this shade is designed to go with all those darker eye shades or to work on top of darker lip shades in the collection to make them sparkle.

 

Levres Scintillantes

Brilliant Extreme

 

Glossimer

487 Enticelle

 

Dark vampy purple. It’s almost ink purple.

 

It looks so dark in the tube. But it’s ever so loose, sheer, it’s nearly impossible to get the shade you see in the tube on your lips. I swiped it more than once over my hand here, and this is all I got. There’s some golden sparkle in it, not much though, just like there’s not much colour 🙂

 

Chanel lip gloss is not scented.  Please, see both lip gloss shades here.

 

Here are all lip shades from Chanel for holiday 2015. Left to right here we have:

Rouge Allure 237 Vaporeuse, Rouge Allure Velvet 347 La Merveilleuse, Rouge Allure Gloss 24 Expressive, Levres Scintillantes 477 Rose de Lune, Levres Scintillantes 487 Enticelle.

 

Finally, there’s also a limited edition brush set, you know, Chanel comes up with those every holiday season. I have several of them already, and the brushes in them are only Ok, in my opinion, so I’ve taken a pass on this set this year. It comes in a round case with Chanel lettering in rouge noir colour. As usual, there’s a mirror and five brushes inside.

 

That’s the whole Rouge Noir/Vamp Attitude right there. It’s a good shade and a good collection. I appreciate, when brands go back to their DNA, their cult items and honour them in their collections, making them contemporary. Reminding us of what they are all about.

 

The other thing I like about the collection is that it’s off the beaten track. It’s not all red and gold, which is a typically Christmas and holiday choice for luxury brands.

 

This collection is vampy, hot, femme fatale like. It’s like a warm breeze surging through the cold and wintery holiday collection territory.

 

There’s a femme fatale somewhere in every woman. So, all of us can benefit from these eye, nail and lip shades at some point in our life. Or, at least, we can try it out with this range here.

 

Holidays are going to be very hot this year with Rouge Noir Absolument/Vamp Attitude by Chanel.