In the 1920’s, Gabrielle Chanel chose idyllic Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the Côte d’Azur to build her elegant villa, La Pausa — which also serves as inspiration for the Spring-Summer 2022 Collection. All the pieces are imbued with the earthy tones and sparkling light of the French Riviera, and in my honest opinion, this has to be one of CHANEL’s best releases to date … but fair warning: EVERYTHING is limited edition (*crying internally).
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La Pausa, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Côte d’Azur, France
Lily-Rose Depp for CHANEL – I can’t wait to recreate these looks
Les 4 Ombres 747 Méditerranéen (CAN $80.00) | All four eyeshadow shades are embossed with a stunning ‘sunbeam’ motif (which can also represent gathered fabric) and come in a luminous soft metallic finish. Clockwise from top left: iridescent platinum, gold highlighter, brown khaki, and beige copper. While the colour story may be light, all four hues display beautiful pigmentation just the same, and combine incredibly well together. That said, each can also work as a ‘one & done’ shade, making for very effortless yet still put-together looks. Lasting power — when worn over primer, is excellent as well.
Ombre Première Laque 46 Lumière (CAN $43.00) | With its lush warm gold hue, this cream eyeshadow has a doe foot applicator and comes to a brilliant metallic finish. A scant amount is all you need for a light wash of sunlit colour all across the lid, although it can also be layered up for mega watt shine. If planning on blending out, I highly suggest working one eye at a time, as once the product sets, it’s budge-proof. Impressive staying power when worn over primer, staying crease-proof until removed.
I pulled out the two other gold-leaning Ombre Première Laque shades in my collection, and as the above swatch shows, Lumière definitely stands unique colour-wise.
Blush Lumière Illuminating Blush Powder (CAN $90.00/each) | Both shades come embossed with that gorgeous ‘sunbeam’ motif and include a demilune brush for on-the-go application (for the record, the brush is actually quite amazing). The texture is finely milled and even though the colours might seem intense in the pan, both actually apply with just the right amount of pigmentation per swipe and can also be easily built up for more intensity. Staying power when worn over foundation/primer is excellent as well, with the finish magically looking better & better with wear (I’ll never understand how CHANEL achieves this sorcery).
Pêche Rosée* | satiny pink coral
Brun Roussi | softened terracotta brown (it can also double up as bronzer, in a pinch)
Baume Essentiel Ensoleillé (CAN $60.00) | The shimmery pink coral shade of this creamy highlighter is supposed to mimic that rosy flush of colour you get after a day spent frolicking at the beach (if only …). Its convenient twist-up stick format also makes this easy to toss into your makeup bag for any on-the-go touchups, something you might need when factoring in its emollient nature. As to application, you can certainly use a brush for the job (CHANEL has a retractible one made exclusively for use with this product), but I find that patting on with my fingertips yields the best result. The finish upon the skin provides that “glass” effect, but which somehow manages to look quite natural at the same time. More of that CHANEL sorcery.
In comparing this version with previous releases, it’s almost as though if Golden Light and Rosée had a baby, what they’d get would definitely be Ensoleillé — with maybe a dash of Or thrown in for that hint of gold.
Rouge Coco Baume (CAN $52.00/each) | As I said in my opening paragraph, I feel like this may very well be one of CHANEL’s best releases to date and while I literally ADORE every single piece, I would never have thought I’d be stating that these lippies could very well be the stars of the collection — but they are. In colours inspired by the flowers growing at La Pausa‘s gardens, these come housed in fresh white packaging with a gold band & golden double C’s on the cap. Available in 6 shades (My Rose, not shown) and one pearly white hue, the texture is incredibly balmy and creamy smooth. Pigmentation is also rather surprising, and while they can be worn as a sheer wash of colour, each can also be layered up for more depth. Staying power will be shade-dependent, with the deeper hues lasting longer. PS: they all feel absolutely AH-mazing throughout wear.
- 912 Dreamy White* – transparent pearlescent white
- 914 Natural Charm* – caramel beige
- 916 Flirty Coral – soft coral peach
- 920 In Love* – softened bright red
- 922 Passion Pink – softened fuchsia
- 924 Fall For Me – neutral berry
Le Vernis (CAN $38.00/each) | I don’t know about you, but both nail polish shades of this collection couldn’t be more warm-weather perfect; the sunny lemon-yellow of Riviera (not to be confused with the deep pink of 537 Riviera, a previous release and no longer available) and the warm terracotta of Terra Rossa make me think of lazy hot summer days … which I absolutely can’t wait to enjoy once more. Both have a self-levelling application and come to an opaque crème finish – no staining upon removal.
The swatches below are with 2 coats of polish each; for photography purposes, no base or top coats were added (which I would ordinarily do).
- 915 Riviera | pastel yellow crème
- 917 Terra Rossa | soft terracotta crème
WOW. This is one collection that checks off every single one of my boxes: beautiful & totally wearable shades, visually stunning, and excellent performance for each product. The frustrating part is that the entire collection is limited edition and while several items may be going fast, you still have time to hunt everything down. Once its gone, however, it’s most definitely gone. RUN!
Available at CHANEL Beauty counters for a limited time
Kindly provided by CHANEL for my unbiased consideration
*Purchased product
