CHANEL | Camélia de Plumes Highlighting Powder

The Holiday 2014 Collection Plumes Précieuses de CHANEL includes eight limited edition pieces, and while it’s hard to say which item is the most standout, the Camélia de Plumes Highlighting Powder is undeniably the centrepiece here. If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, then you already know what a fan of this brand I happen to be (some might even go so far as to say I’m obsessed, but never to my face) and I happen to have a weakness for CHANEL highlighters in particular. Impractical as they may appear, there is something about a well-crafted highlighter that adds that perfect finishing touch to your makeup – provided it’s done right.

CHANEL Holiday 2014 | Camélia de Plumes Highlighting Powder

Camélia de Plumes Highlighting Powder, Limited Edition (CAN $76.00) | No one does detail as exquisitely as CHANEL; The Camélia de Plumes Highlighting Powder comes with a banded velour sleeve that has an integrated pouch for the accompanying natural-bristled angled brush (which is quite soft and surprisingly useful). The surface of the powder bears a uniquely interpreted version of the brand’s signature camelia, in the form of 6 leaves in an intricately raised relief pattern, that’s almost too beautiful to destroy by running a brush over it.

The colour of Camélia de Plumes is a mystery; what appears as a silver/pewter shade to the naked eye, is in fact so much more than that. This powder is not only finely milled but exceptionally so, as well as filled with the smallest reflects of pink, gold and green that add warmth and a nice overall depth of tone. Applied and lightly buffed in, it almost seems to meld with the skin and provides a stunning glow – almost ethereal – definitely not the type of product that just sits at the surface level of the skin. Lasting power (applied over foundation), went well for at least 10 hours before any fading.

*Beauty Bonus: I was able to pick this up at The Bay (Canada) $10.00 less by exchanging some of my Bay points – something my Canadian readers might be able to take advantage of as well!

CHANEL Holiday 2014 | Camélia de Plumes Highlighting Powder

CHANEL Holiday 2014 | Camélia de Plumes Highlighting Powder swatches

CHANEL Holiday 2014 | Camélia de Plumes Highlighting Powder, blurred to show sparkle

I pulled out four previously released CHANEL highlighters to compare Camélia de Plumes to from my collection, but I already knew that I didn’t have any duplicates. How they compare:

Lumière Sculptée de CHANEL (reviewed here) – Released in 2011, this is the whitest in tone and bears almost no discernible shimmer
Mouche de Beauté (reviewed here) – Released in 2013, the quality of this powder bears the same quality of shimmer, although this is much warmer leaning due to its coppery hue
Dentelle Précieuse (reviewed here) – Released in 2014, this powder has the most finely-milled shimmer I’ve seen, and makes the best highlighter for daytime wear (and I so regret not getting a backup)
Poudre Signée de CHANEL (reviewed here) – Released Spring 2013, this powder is not as finely milled as the others and has a much more distinctive gold sparkle

For me, the Camélia de Plumes Highlighting Powder is major love – there is something so special about the glow it gives to the skin, that it’s almost as though you’re seen through a filter. Don’t let that dirtied silver colour fool you; one quick swatch at the counter will show its versatility, as it appears to suit both cool and warm complexions with equal ease. Definitely priced at the higher end of the scale, the beauty is that you wear so little of this at a time (or at least, I sure hope you do – unless you happen to enjoy glowing like a disco ball) that it almost seems to cushion the splurge. If you’re looking for that one perfect highlighter for the holidays (and definitely beyond that as well), then I can’t recommend Camélia de Plumes enough – well worth investing in.

Available in Canada now (but limited for the holidays) through The Bay and Holt Renfrew.