Thursday, February 12, 2009

Chanel Joues Contraste blushes

I've gotten multiple requests for this, so today I've decided to swatch all 19 of my Chanel Joues Contraste blushes for you guys. Unfortunately, the sun went down before I could take decent pictures of the blushes themselves, but I didn't want to wait for tomorrow, so I decided to upload the swatches themselves and give a short review of each. Because the swatches weren't photographing true to color, I have color adjusted them to be as accurate as possible, leaving my skin tone inaccurate, so excuse my arm if it looks a bit yellow...
I have attempted to organize them by color group and I think I did a decent job of it. You will see that I have labeled a bunch of blushes either EU (for European) or US (for those make in the US..though I seem to have gotten lazy on a few or left it out if there was no counterpart) The reason for this is because the texture between European and US Joues Contraste blushes is different. The US versions are softer and easier to work with, while the European versions are baked and 'harder', usually with more pigmentation or color differences between versions.

Tempting Beige- is a rosy beige shade with silver shimmer in the pan. A lot of people have complained that this shade is orange on them, but on my cheeks, it gives a nice, rosey glow.
Fandango- is the new JC released for spring 2009. In the pan it is a shimmery orangey brown shade that I didn't find particularly appealing. However, after being pushed by a couple people to do so, I purchased it to try and I'm glad I did. On my cheeks it is a deep peachy bronze glow. This blush requires me to use a somewhat light hand to apply.
Mocha- shimmery brown with a bit of pink in it in the pan, this blush reminds me of a cooler version of Fandango. This description is about right on my skin as well. This is probably my least favorite of the 19 I currently own. This shade is exclusive to the US.
Crepitant- I think mskilicious on MUA described this one best to me as a "deep rosy-terracottay-bronzey shade", which is exactly what I think this shade is. It's very similar to NARS Cannes Multiple to me on my skin. I have the European version of this.

This next set is a bit of a mismatch but oh well..
Meteore- I have the European version of this blush. (I'm not sure if it has a different US version or not or a different name) This JC is a deep peachy nude in the pan. On my cheeks, it gives a great light nudish peachy bronze glow. It's not quite as warm or deep as Fandango, which to me makes it much more easily wearable.
Nude (US)- an excellent nude blush with shimmer. This blush is great for when you've played up your eyes and want just a hint of color to your cheeks. It is unfortunately, discontinued.
Rose Petale (US)- This is one of my favorite blushes and is my reccomendation for those who want to get their first Joues Contraste blush. This blush is peachy-pink with silver shimmer. The US version differs from the Euro version color wise in that it is peachier and a softer pink. In the pan, the European version
Rose Satin/Pink Satin- a long discontinued blush. This blush is a shimmery blue pink in the pan and is fairly cool toned. It fits perfectly with all the beautiful bright pinks that are being released with so many of the spring collections this year.

Candy- An asian exclusive, this blush is a beautiful milky peach shade that gives a natural peachy flush (well if people flushed peach naturally) This blush was my first JC and was what started my obsession with these blushes. You can purchase this blush at certain special Chanel counters that carry a small selection of international goodies. Nordstrom in Honolulu and Bloomingdales in South Coast Plaza (Costa MEsa, CA) are two such counters.
Reflex (US)- a warm peach blush with gold shimmer. This blush has also been discontinued for a while in the US, though I think it is still a regular JC in Europe (don't take my word for it though) Reflex is deeper and warmer than Candy, and has a gold sheen/glow.
Fantasia (US)- gorgeous peachy pink blush with gold shimmer, This blush is also sadly discontinued. ON the cheeks, it is more peach than pink with the same gold sheen/glow that Reflex carries.
Trace/Cedar Rose (EU)- matte deep peachy pink. I have the European version of this blush, which is named Trace. The US version is named Cedar Rose.


This set carries a perfect example of two versions of the same 'color' that differ in color.
Narcisse (Euro)- light pink blush. On the cheeks it gives a great light glowy flush. The European version is 'glowier' than the US version, and contains no peach tones
Narcisse(US)- light pink blush with slight peachy undertones. This blush also gives a great healthy glow, but is a bit more neutral than it's European counterpart. However, I tend to feel that the European version blends a bit better into the skin.
Poesie- This blush was a Limited Edition Asia Exclusive. It is a great light pink blush that is a bit peachier than Narcisse. It gives one of the most beautiful glowy pink flushes I know, and I tend to be afraid to use this blush as it is near impossible to get ahold of now without paying a small fortune.
Lumieres Magiques de Chanel (EU)- this is not really labeled as a Joues contraste blush, but it looks the same as one and comes in the same packaging so I have grouped it in with the rest of my Joues Contrastes. This is a tricolored blush. It comes with 3 shades, a very light shimmery pink, a bright pink, and a red-pink shade. I have chosen to swirl the colors together, as it is near impossible to swipe each color indidually on the european version of this blush. This was also Limited Edition, and is discontinued.
This Set contains my three mauvey pink Joues Contraste blushes.
Rose Dust (US)- this blush is a light glowy pink with mauvey undertones. This is my favorite pink blush in the winter. It is a bit cool toned, so if you are warm toned, I'd ignore this one.
Blush/Rose Cache (US)- This blush is a medium toned pink in the pan. On the cheeks it has stronger mauve tones in it than Rose Dust.
Angel Rose/Sphere (US)- this blush is shimmery pink-mauve in the pan. On the cheeks, it's pinky-mauve. This is my favorite mauve blush and is also long discontinued (good thing I have a backup)

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