Chantecaille Les Delices Lip Gloss Palette

Chantecaille's lip gloss palettes are pure joy for those of us who love mixing colors and playing with brushes and shades until we get that perfect hue. Of course, each of the colors in the set is gorgeous by itself and can be worn alone- I actually own a full size pan of Campari. But it's more fun to dip and blend, right?

Chantecaille lip glosses are soft, smooth and moisturizing without ever being sticky. They might be sheer, but still rich in pigment and their shine (and shimmer, when applicable) is understated and elegant. Les Delices is the darker of the two palettes available (Les Sorbets is focused on pink), but you can lighten up any of the heavier colors by mixing it with the shimmery gold Cristal. You can also build the color and coverage by using the three darkest ones together, and each one of them can also be worn over a lipstick.

The gloss brush that comes in the sleek compact is excellent, and as far as I can tell it's a short-handle version of their full size, $30 brush. It adds quite a bit of value to this palette.

Bottom line: Beautiful and versatile.

Chantecaille Les Delices Lip Gloss Palette ($69) is available from most top department stores, online and at the counter. I bought mine from Neiman Marcus.

All photos are mine.

Chantecaille Les Delices Lip Gloss Palette

Chantecaille's lip gloss palettes are pure joy for those of us who love mixing colors and playing with brushes and shades until we get that perfect hue. Of course, each of the colors in the set is gorgeous by itself and can be worn alone- I actually own a full size pan of Campari. But it's more fun to dip and blend, right?

Chantecaille lip glosses are soft, smooth and moisturizing without ever being sticky. They might be sheer, but still rich in pigment and their shine (and shimmer, when applicable) is understated and elegant. Les Delices is the darker of the two palettes available (Les Sorbets is focused on pink), but you can lighten up any of the heavier colors by mixing it with the shimmery gold Cristal. You can also build the color and coverage by using the three darkest ones together, and each one of them can also be worn over a lipstick.

The gloss brush that comes in the sleek compact is excellent, and as far as I can tell it's a short-handle version of their full size, $30 brush. It adds quite a bit of value to this palette.

Bottom line: Beautiful and versatile.

Chantecaille Les Delices Lip Gloss Palette ($69) is available from most top department stores, online and at the counter. I bought mine from Neiman Marcus.

All photos are mine.

Chantecaille Les Delices Lip Gloss Palette

Chantecaille's lip gloss palettes are pure joy for those of us who love mixing colors and playing with brushes and shades until we get that perfect hue. Of course, each of the colors in the set is gorgeous by itself and can be worn alone- I actually own a full size pan of Campari. But it's more fun to dip and blend, right?

Chantecaille lip glosses are soft, smooth and moisturizing without ever being sticky. They might be sheer, but still rich in pigment and their shine (and shimmer, when applicable) is understated and elegant. Les Delices is the darker of the two palettes available (Les Sorbets is focused on pink), but you can lighten up any of the heavier colors by mixing it with the shimmery gold Cristal. You can also build the color and coverage by using the three darkest ones together, and each one of them can also be worn over a lipstick.

The gloss brush that comes in the sleek compact is excellent, and as far as I can tell it's a short-handle version of their full size, $30 brush. It adds quite a bit of value to this palette.

Bottom line: Beautiful and versatile.

Chantecaille Les Delices Lip Gloss Palette ($69) is available from most top department stores, online and at the counter. I bought mine from Neiman Marcus.

All photos are mine.

Chantecaille Les Dauphins Palette

I'm behind on reviewing Chantecaille Les Dauphins Palette, so I figured I'd better do it now when this limited edition beauty is still available. Chantecaille is known for making little treasures that you're reluctant to use because they are so pretty. It took me months to treat the La Baleine Bleue as a regular part of my makeup stash, but I was more ready this time. I already new the metallic color of the dolphins is just an over-spray that goes away the first time you swirl a brush over it. You're still left with a very nice embossed form, so it's not too bad, but I still wish it was more than a gimmick.

The palette comes in a very sleek gunmetal case and a satin pouch. Chantecaille makes sure the products look and feel luxurious without excess and overpackaging, which I appreciate. Inside you will find three eye shadow colors- a very light beige pink highlighter/base and two taupe/gray eye shadows. One is considered as a definer that can be used for lining, but it's not quite dark enough for me, so I use it in the crease like any regular eye shadow. The fourth item is a delicate warm pink blush. It's probably the lightest blush I own and the swatch on my arm is barely detectable, but my face is several shades lighter (note to self: must use more sunblock on every exposed body part) and the blush looks very pretty and natural. It warms up the complexion without looking like makeup.

Every color in Les Dauphins Palette is made of two shades you mix together with your brush. In theory you can probably control and adjust how much of each you use, but I find it's not very convenient  and just swipe the brush over both.The texture is very fine, soft and blendable. The pigment isn't intense in any of the colors and neither is the shimmer. The result is a very neutral and sheer daytime look. I pair it with a dark eyeliner, black mascara and dark mauve lipsticks to make sure I don't look washed out. Those of you on the porcelain side of skin tones should not have such an issue- the warm pink would look very lively on you.

Chantecaille Les Dauphins Palette ($77. Five percent of the sale of this compact will be donated to help save the last dolphins in Greece) is available right now from top department stores, at the counters and online. I ordered mine from Neiman Marcus.

All photos by me.

Chantecaille Les Dauphins Palette

I'm behind on reviewing Chantecaille Les Dauphins Palette, so I figured I'd better do it now when this limited edition beauty is still available. Chantecaille is known for making little treasures that you're reluctant to use because they are so pretty. It took me months to treat the La Baleine Bleue as a regular part of my makeup stash, but I was more ready this time. I already new the metallic color of the dolphins is just an over-spray that goes away the first time you swirl a brush over it. You're still left with a very nice embossed form, so it's not too bad, but I still wish it was more than a gimmick.

The palette comes in a very sleek gunmetal case and a satin pouch. Chantecaille makes sure the products look and feel luxurious without excess and overpackaging, which I appreciate. Inside you will find three eye shadow colors- a very light beige pink highlighter/base and two taupe/gray eye shadows. One is considered as a definer that can be used for lining, but it's not quite dark enough for me, so I use it in the crease like any regular eye shadow. The fourth item is a delicate warm pink blush. It's probably the lightest blush I own and the swatch on my arm is barely detectable, but my face is several shades lighter (note to self: must use more sunblock on every exposed body part) and the blush looks very pretty and natural. It warms up the complexion without looking like makeup.

Every color in Les Dauphins Palette is made of two shades you mix together with your brush. In theory you can probably control and adjust how much of each you use, but I find it's not very convenient  and just swipe the brush over both.The texture is very fine, soft and blendable. The pigment isn't intense in any of the colors and neither is the shimmer. The result is a very neutral and sheer daytime look. I pair it with a dark eyeliner, black mascara and dark mauve lipsticks to make sure I don't look washed out. Those of you on the porcelain side of skin tones should not have such an issue- the warm pink would look very lively on you.

Chantecaille Les Dauphins Palette ($77. Five percent of the sale of this compact will be donated to help save the last dolphins in Greece) is available right now from top department stores, at the counters and online. I ordered mine from Neiman Marcus.

All photos by me.

Chantecaille Les Dauphins Palette

I'm behind on reviewing Chantecaille Les Dauphins Palette, so I figured I'd better do it now when this limited edition beauty is still available. Chantecaille is known for making little treasures that you're reluctant to use because they are so pretty. It took me months to treat the La Baleine Bleue as a regular part of my makeup stash, but I was more ready this time. I already new the metallic color of the dolphins is just an over-spray that goes away the first time you swirl a brush over it. You're still left with a very nice embossed form, so it's not too bad, but I still wish it was more than a gimmick.

The palette comes in a very sleek gunmetal case and a satin pouch. Chantecaille makes sure the products look and feel luxurious without excess and overpackaging, which I appreciate. Inside you will find three eye shadow colors- a very light beige pink highlighter/base and two taupe/gray eye shadows. One is considered as a definer that can be used for lining, but it's not quite dark enough for me, so I use it in the crease like any regular eye shadow. The fourth item is a delicate warm pink blush. It's probably the lightest blush I own and the swatch on my arm is barely detectable, but my face is several shades lighter (note to self: must use more sunblock on every exposed body part) and the blush looks very pretty and natural. It warms up the complexion without looking like makeup.

Every color in Les Dauphins Palette is made of two shades you mix together with your brush. In theory you can probably control and adjust how much of each you use, but I find it's not very convenient  and just swipe the brush over both.The texture is very fine, soft and blendable. The pigment isn't intense in any of the colors and neither is the shimmer. The result is a very neutral and sheer daytime look. I pair it with a dark eyeliner, black mascara and dark mauve lipsticks to make sure I don't look washed out. Those of you on the porcelain side of skin tones should not have such an issue- the warm pink would look very lively on you.

Chantecaille Les Dauphins Palette ($77. Five percent of the sale of this compact will be donated to help save the last dolphins in Greece) is available right now from top department stores, at the counters and online. I ordered mine from Neiman Marcus.

All photos by me.

Chantecaille Voile de Rose Pressed Powder (limited edition)

I have several pressed powder compacts on my holy grail short list. All of them are of excellent quality- the finest texture that gives an airbrushed finish. The only issue is portability, because they are so delicate they crumble and break easily. On the other hand, a protective packaging that actually prevents damage can be much too heavy or bulky to fit into an evening clutch or even the inside pocket of a purse.

Chantecaille Voile de Rose is the perfect answer. The light as air powder is pressed into a miniature metallic compact that is sturdy enough to keep it safe but so small it really is ideal for a night out or your carry-on bag. The packaging is as elegant as the product inside and the embossed rose is beautiful. It looks like a lot of thought went into the size- it's tiny, but not too small to use with a good powder brush (there's a small flat sponge that comes in the black pouch, but I prefer to apply it with a fluffy tool like Edward Bess Luxurious Face Brush).

I don't have much experience with other face products from Chantecaille's regular line, so I can't compare them to Volie de Rose. All I can say is that this powder is top notch and gives my face a natural looking finish of a delicate glow with no shimmer. It settles on the face immediately and melds with anything I've used underneath with no caking.

Bottom Line: I hope it would be added to the regular line. It's too good to be a limited edition.

Chantecaille Voile de Rose Pressed Powder ($36) is currently available from chantecaille.com and at top department stores (though most of them are sold out online). I bought mine at Neiman Marcus.

All photos are mine.

Chantecaille Voile de Rose Pressed Powder (limited edition)

I have several pressed powder compacts on my holy grail short list. All of them are of excellent quality- the finest texture that gives an airbrushed finish. The only issue is portability, because they are so delicate they crumble and break easily. On the other hand, a protective packaging that actually prevents damage can be much too heavy or bulky to fit into an evening clutch or even the inside pocket of a purse.

Chantecaille Voile de Rose is the perfect answer. The light as air powder is pressed into a miniature metallic compact that is sturdy enough to keep it safe but so small it really is ideal for a night out or your carry-on bag. The packaging is as elegant as the product inside and the embossed rose is beautiful. It looks like a lot of thought went into the size- it's tiny, but not too small to use with a good powder brush (there's a small flat sponge that comes in the black pouch, but I prefer to apply it with a fluffy tool like Edward Bess Luxurious Face Brush).

I don't have much experience with other face products from Chantecaille's regular line, so I can't compare them to Volie de Rose. All I can say is that this powder is top notch and gives my face a natural looking finish of a delicate glow with no shimmer. It settles on the face immediately and melds with anything I've used underneath with no caking.

Bottom Line: I hope it would be added to the regular line. It's too good to be a limited edition.

Chantecaille Voile de Rose Pressed Powder ($36) is currently available from chantecaille.com and at top department stores (though most of them are sold out online). I bought mine at Neiman Marcus.

All photos are mine.

Chantecaille Voile de Rose Pressed Powder (limited edition)

I have several pressed powder compacts on my holy grail short list. All of them are of excellent quality- the finest texture that gives an airbrushed finish. The only issue is portability, because they are so delicate they crumble and break easily. On the other hand, a protective packaging that actually prevents damage can be much too heavy or bulky to fit into an evening clutch or even the inside pocket of a purse.

Chantecaille Voile de Rose is the perfect answer. The light as air powder is pressed into a miniature metallic compact that is sturdy enough to keep it safe but so small it really is ideal for a night out or your carry-on bag. The packaging is as elegant as the product inside and the embossed rose is beautiful. It looks like a lot of thought went into the size- it's tiny, but not too small to use with a good powder brush (there's a small flat sponge that comes in the black pouch, but I prefer to apply it with a fluffy tool like Edward Bess Luxurious Face Brush).

I don't have much experience with other face products from Chantecaille's regular line, so I can't compare them to Volie de Rose. All I can say is that this powder is top notch and gives my face a natural looking finish of a delicate glow with no shimmer. It settles on the face immediately and melds with anything I've used underneath with no caking.

Bottom Line: I hope it would be added to the regular line. It's too good to be a limited edition.

Chantecaille Voile de Rose Pressed Powder ($36) is currently available from chantecaille.com and at top department stores (though most of them are sold out online). I bought mine at Neiman Marcus.

All photos are mine.

Chantecaille Eye Define Palette

Chantecaille Eye Define Palette looks like an eye shadow set. However, if you try using it the way you'd normally approach a Bobbi Brown or a Lancome  palette you will soon realize that these mostly dark colors with their intense pigment don't really work for a traditional highlighter-crease-liner look. Even the shimmery gold is too dark to highlight your brow bone, and using two or three of the palette's colors together is more likely to turn one into a reject goth.

So what's the story here? It's all in the name. This Chantecaille palette is really all about defining and contouring. The colors are dark gold with a very warm undertone, milk chocolate, an intense tealish blue, a very cool toned dark inky purple (no red in there, so it will not make one look bruised) and a dusty charcoal. Each one of them can work as an eyeliner, even the gold. You can use them dry as I did in the first swatch or apply with a damp brush for even more color intensity. Each color works perfectly on its own, and while you can always experiment  with layering and mixing, this is not the best palette for it- it's an opposite approach to Le Metier de Beaute's kits and kaleidoscopes and the final result is decidedly different, but no less fetching.

The textures are near perfect, as you'd expect from a Chantecaille product. The charcoal is the only color that had minor crumbling, but the debris is easy to clean and doesn't affect application or the finished look. The shadows/liners stay firmly in place and maintain the color integrity even when you blend and rub them for a softer look (see third swatch). The palette is sleek and elegant and the included eyeliner brush is of good quality and quite useful.

The one thing missing is either a real highlighter or a light neutral base color to make the look more polished. Some people actually prefer to only wear a strong eyeliner and leave the lids otherwise naked, but my opinion is that it works better on the very young, while the rest of us need a little more than that. Thus, I always have to use an extra eye shadow or two with my chosen color from this palette, making it less than ideal for travel and quick fixes.

Chantecaille Eye Define Palette ($68) is available from top department stores, online and in store. I bought mine from Neiman Marcus.

All photos by me. Finding them on other sites with no credit makes me cranky and also creative in finding ways to hunt and haunt content thieves. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Chantecaille Eye Define Palette

Chantecaille Eye Define Palette looks like an eye shadow set. However, if you try using it the way you'd normally approach a Bobbi Brown or a Lancome  palette you will soon realize that these mostly dark colors with their intense pigment don't really work for a traditional highlighter-crease-liner look. Even the shimmery gold is too dark to highlight your brow bone, and using two or three of the palette's colors together is more likely to turn one into a reject goth.

So what's the story here? It's all in the name. This Chantecaille palette is really all about defining and contouring. The colors are dark gold with a very warm undertone, milk chocolate, an intense tealish blue, a very cool toned dark inky purple (no red in there, so it will not make one look bruised) and a dusty charcoal. Each one of them can work as an eyeliner, even the gold. You can use them dry as I did in the first swatch or apply with a damp brush for even more color intensity. Each color works perfectly on its own, and while you can always experiment  with layering and mixing, this is not the best palette for it- it's an opposite approach to Le Metier de Beaute's kits and kaleidoscopes and the final result is decidedly different, but no less fetching.

The textures are near perfect, as you'd expect from a Chantecaille product. The charcoal is the only color that had minor crumbling, but the debris is easy to clean and doesn't affect application or the finished look. The shadows/liners stay firmly in place and maintain the color integrity even when you blend and rub them for a softer look (see third swatch). The palette is sleek and elegant and the included eyeliner brush is of good quality and quite useful.

The one thing missing is either a real highlighter or a light neutral base color to make the look more polished. Some people actually prefer to only wear a strong eyeliner and leave the lids otherwise naked, but my opinion is that it works better on the very young, while the rest of us need a little more than that. Thus, I always have to use an extra eye shadow or two with my chosen color from this palette, making it less than ideal for travel and quick fixes.

Chantecaille Eye Define Palette ($68) is available from top department stores, online and in store. I bought mine from Neiman Marcus.

All photos by me. Finding them on other sites with no credit makes me cranky and also creative in finding ways to hunt and haunt content thieves. Don't say I didn't warn you.