The Holiday 2023 Collection from Chanel has arrived and it is absolutely stunning. I’ve looked forward to Chanel’s holiday launch every year as they always go the extra mile to create something special and unique. The collection highlights a smokey eye with lots of bold reds for lips. They have a stunning highlighter compact, three new nail colors and a few neutral lip options too. Here is a look at what I’ve tested from this year’s holiday launch.
The Chanel highlighters never fail to impress, especially with their beautiful embossed patterns. This year they launched a Duo Lumiere Illuminating Powder Duo ($70). It’s a glimmering pink champagne and crystal white. The sparkle and shimmer is a bit chunkier than what we are used to seeing from Chanel but it’s beautiful and the sparkles look like what I think fairy dust would look like if it existed.
The colors seem similar to Tom Ford’s Moodlight but the texture and colors of the Chanel Duo are more modern and have more dimension while the Tom Ford offers more of a frosted glow by comparison.
Because it’s on the sparkly side there will be fallout from the brush when you apply, but once on the cheeks it stays put with pretty good pigment and coverage.
Look below wearing:
For the eyes Chanel launched a 5-pan eyeshadow palette and I’m a huge fan of this style. I wish Chanel would launch more palettes like this! Lumiere Graphique Eyeshadow Palette ($88) has a beautiful sequins print on the surface. All the shades are shimmery and one is a sparkly glitter top coat shade. Texture is soft and pigment is easy to build and layer.
Overall tone pulls more on the smokey cool side. There is one peach shade which I suspect will show up more peach/gold on fair skin tones. On my medium tank skin (Chanel B40) it pulls more champagne. Shimmers are on the sparkly side so there is a lot of powder kick up with an eyeshadow brush. I didn’t experience any fallout on the cheeks when applying though except for a tiny bit with the glittery white topper.
Shades are stunning for a holiday smokey eye. I like the mix of the taupe, peach and olive gold to make it different from your standard grey/black/silver smokey eye palette. It does pull more cool-toned that I am used to wearing these days, but I think it’s beautiful.
There are three Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colors ($32 each) this season. They fit the holiday smokey glam theme. 167 White Silk is a sheer creamy white (requires 3 coats for full coverage, but it’s worth the extra effort and dry time). 169 Tuxedo is a beautiful shimmering brassy gold. It’s very metallic and I love that the brush strokes are not visible, it applies very smoothly with 2 coats. 171 Sequins is a soft black with super fine silvery white sparkles suspended throughout. This one is also shown with 2 coats.
It seems like Chanel Beauty had a holiday party theme in mind when creating their lip colors this season. They repromoted a few shades of the Rouge Allure L’Extrait which I think is one of the best formulas out there. They’re slim and small but the formula is creamy, smooth, hydrating, and pigmented. 812 Beige Brut is my perfect everyday beige neutral (repromoted), 854 Rouge Puissant is an electric bold red (also repromoted), 857 Midnight Red is new with a metallic finish but it’s a flattering deeper red metallic.
Beige Brut
Midnight Red
They have two new Rouge Allure Laque shades this season. I have one in 90 Golden Beige ($45) which is a very metallic gold shimmer. On me this is best as a topper on a neutral lipstick. Alone it pulls a bit too frosty. I think the undertone of the color is beautiful – I would have loved to see this in a gloss, eyeshadow, highlighter or blush color.
That wraps up my Chanel Holiday 2023 review. I think everything is beautiful. The stand out to me is the Duo Lumiere Illuminating Powder Duo. I already own the Rouge Allure L’Extrait in 812 Beige Brut and I love it so much am already on my second tube (they are refillable). I rarely wear red lips but I think Midnight Red is beautiful.
For the nail colors I think White Silk is a really flattering shade of off-white. It does take a bit more work with the layering but I think the undertone is perfect. It’s creamy but not yellow. Tuxedo is beautiful. I think Sequins is a shade we’ve definitely seen before in a number of lines but I really like that the shimmer is visible on the nails in a subtle way that makes it glow.
You can find everything out now available at Chanel.com and all other Chanel retailers. Have you checked out the holiday launch yet? What did you think?
Press samples provided for review from Chanel.
