Chanel Rose Tourbillon Joues Contraste Review

First things first — I love me my NARS blushes. The first pan of blush I've ever finished up is the cult favorite, Orgasm. I've a few MAC blushes and didn't have any luck with the texture nor the longevity, so I've set them aside and forgot about them since I ventured on to the beautiful Francois Nars beauties. A mini-collection post is in the works. 

My secret affair with Chanel blushes started through my mom. She gave me my first Joues Contraste and I was quite impressed of the color and texure, although not to the point of converting and venturing on to that side and price point of the French makeup kingdoms. I've bought two other JCs since then but barely used them because I am quite put off with the scent which is too strong for me. 

In an effort to ignite the love affair didn't quite extend to a more serious relationship, I got the shade ROSE TOURBILLON. It's slightly on the brighter side of pinks, leaning on the fuschia territory.

Packaging is okay — I'm not a fan of the plasticky housing but the sleek black color with the double Cs look elegantly chic. And despite the others' hatred for the small brush, I actually appreciate it. If I were in an event and can only bring a clutch bag in which I obviously will not be bringing a big/medium blush brush, I would much rather use this brush than my fingers. I also like bringing JCs for touch-ups because of this small seemingly annoying yet very useful and convenient brush.

On the pan, it looks quite overwhelming but it registers so glowingly well on my cheeks. The texture is a wee bit powdery being a baked formula, which is the case for all Euro/Asian version of the Joues Contraste. They say the US formula is more finely milled and creamier than the Asian versions but I wouldn't know for sure since all JCs I own are of Euro/Asia.

However, Rose Tourbillon is less powdery than one of my other Chanel blushes (Fleur de Lotus) and is easily blended for a glowy, satiny finish. It has quite shimmery glitters which look a bit scary up close in pan but swatched on the skin mostly disappear and instead gives off a warm glow. I initially thought the glitters were going to put me off but was mistaken.

As compared to my two other Chanel blushes, Rose Tourbillon is very pigmented. Above photo shows 2 swipes of the blush vs. 4-5 times for my other two JCs. It has a decent amount of staying power, lasting 6 hours on me, no touch-ups vs. the 3-4 hours I usually get with Chanel Candy and Chanel Fleur de Lotus. 

I admit I quite suck at doing swatches. As much as I want to capture the blushes' true colors, it's so difficult to perfect (my neophyte SLR skills are so weak, I feel like resorting to my iPhone which is much more user-friendly and takes great photos as well). SLR settings are so confusing to manipulate and I'm not satisfied with auto mode images. *rant over* Any tips on lighting and photography? Please share!

Anyway, the swatches above are Tarte Natural Beauty, a bright reddish pink blush, NARS Amour, a dark coral with a slight hint of pink and NARS Orgasm, my favorite peachy pink blush with gold shimmery specks. They are all heavily swatched so as to see their "truest" shade. I wasn't able to swatch NARS Gaiety, which is a lighter and cooler toned pink. Rose Tourbillon is the least heavily swatched amongst the bunch, only once (different swatch from the photo above it). 

Chanel Rose Tourbillon on my cheeks

OVERALL I'm really liking Chanel Rose Tourbillon. It was between this and Pink Explosion, which is a slightly lighter, less red yet cooler-toned version of this. The SA recommended the latter as it is easier to wear and apparently, a bestseller here in the Philippines. But being the obstinate me, I chose to go with Rose Tourbillon instead. I didn't need another light-colored, less-pigmented Chanel blush (okay fine, I didn't need another blush, Chanel or not). I had to either go hard or go home. Go hard, of course!
FOTD Anyway, I wasn't supposed to include a FOTD because I wasn't in the mood to do full makeup plus I looked el terible as I'm currently sick. But I really am a believer of including face shots to show how products generally look when applied on the face. It's just me and my non-artsy brain that can't imagine arm swatches on cheeks or lips. So armed with my ungroomed brows which I horribly/merely filled in, I dusted Majolica Majorca Skin Remaker powder all over my face with a bit of emphasis on my undereyes, slapped on a Chanel lipstick et voila.
REPURCHASE? I've only finished up a pan of blush ONCE so I don't think this is a valid question to ask me now. Also, I'm always on the look out to try new blushes —especially pink ones like these — and experiment on what may/may not suit me. If I don't find a better alternative to this, I may just repurchase.
WHERE TO BUY Rustan's counters in Makati, Shangri-La, Alabang Php 2350


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Masking it Up with Andalou Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask

Before I get back to makeup biz niz, let me quickly introduce a natural skin care brand I discovered while stocking up on the hubs and I's favorite veggie burgers and salad dressings from Healthy Options (a natural/organic shop that sells food, skin care, candies and all things healthy!). In the United States, I believe this is sold in Whole Foods.

I stumbled upon this when I was at the peak of my skin care fixation and am literally magnetized by any skin care brand. First, I've never heard about this brand. Second, in-store promotional marketing worked on me (the line had a separate stand that featured all their products). Third, I'm glad I snuck away from the veggie burger decision-making stage with my husband to chance upon this brand. 

Andalou Naturals is a brainchild of skincare developers and innovators that have worked in developing products for several natural brands before such as Avalon Organics, Alba Botanica and Sonoma Soap Company. The brand has different lines targeting different concerns — they have Anti-Aging, Clarifying, Brightening. I'm particularly interested in their brightening line so all my purchases so far come from that line. 

What drew me to this product (among the wide selection) are these key words —

  GLYCOLIC, BRIGHTENING and PUMPKIN. 

Since I've compulsively read up on skin care, I've been obsessed with using products that contain AHAs or Alpha Hydroxy Acids. They're a group of natural acids found in food that are used for moisturizing and removing dead skin cells — in short, a chemical exfoliant. It differs from the abrasive and harsh exfoliants we know of such as St. Ives Apricot Scrub which is a physical exfoliant. Examples of AHAs are glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric acid. They penetrate the skin and slough off dead skin cells without irritating the skin. 

However, for glycolic acid to work its magic, as for all AHAs — they must at least be in a concentration of 6-8%. And since most manufacturers don't put their concentrations in their labels, it's really hard to know if the AHA will be even effective at all. To give me an idea at least, I check whether the AHA is listed within the first 3 specified ingredients. If not, then it probably isn't in the proper concentration. 

In this product, glycolic acid is listed ninth, which means that its concentration may not be in the proper percentage. What made me still want to purchase the product were 2 ingredients listed in the first five — pumpkin and manuka honey. 

Pumpkin is reported to contain Vitamin A that hydrates, smooths and softens and Vitamin C that fights free radicals and generally brightens dull skin. I know of pumpkin peels and facials that cost an arm and a leg! 

Meanwhile, Manuka Honey is all the rage for its antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits which is great for acne-proned skin. However, for this miracle worker to perform, the honey must be declared as an 'active' which means it must have a Unique Manuka Factor of 15 and above. In this product, as it is again not listed, I have no way of knowing if the manuka honey is indeed active. 

THOUGHTS
I applied the gel-like pumpkin puree on my whole face and let it sit there for 10-15 minutes while I scoured the net for Andalou Naturals products. It has a strong pumpkin smell that you either like or don't like. It's not the sweet Thanksgiving pumpkin pie smell, it's raw pumpkin smell which put me off at start. But minutes into the process, I forgot about the quite strong scent already. After 10-15 minutes, I then rinsed it off with warm water.

RESULTS

Holy. Moly. Tony. Moly. I couldn't believe my eyes when I pat my face dry after rinsing. My skin was brighter, softer and definitely much smoother  — with evidently reduced redness around my nose area, which is easily prone to irritation. I couldn't stop touching my face all throughout the night just to see if the effect has worn off (lulz).  

Maybe it was my extremely low expectations that elicited this sort of ah-ma-zing results. But even my husband, who can't tell the difference when I wear NARS Orgasm vs. NARS Laguna (blush vs bronzer) told me I looked more 'radiant'. 

Also, I've used masks before, the Queen Helene Mint Julep mask for one, raved about by many but didn't experience this instant brightening and smoothing effects. I've also used some Face Shop masks that were okay in terms of hydration, but nothing spectactular in the smoothing and brightening front. So I definitely didn't expect these kinds of results — especially from a 'natural' mask (yes, call me an organic product skeptic). But I was definitely floored with this one.

 BUT WAIT...

This is great for those who aren't using AHAs / BHAs yet and aren't exfoliating too often. Don't expect the same wow results I had when you're already sloughing off deads skin cells weekly. I used this when I haven't applied any chemical nor physical exfoliant for two/three weeks prior.

REPURCHASE?

YES! Indeed. In a heartbeat. It's one of those products I want to run off to the store to buy a back-up of. I tried to google reviews on this and discovered that Makeupalley users rated this a 5.0. A perfect 5!  Well, there's only been a few users who've reviewed it but still. It actually makes me want to create a MUA account and add to the glowing reviews.

PRICE & WHERE TO BUY
PHP 700 something in Healthy Options stores locally
$14.95 in Whole Foods groceries in the US


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Oh, to be a MOM!

OH HI THERE! I'm still alive you guys~ I've received some sweet emails asking when I'd return, as I've unofficially disappeared all of a sudden. So here it is, friends and lovers — I'm back! 

The reason for my two-week hiatus — that I didn't realize just flew by — was because I've been too engrossed with my little girl. I would hate to miss out on the littlest things — seeing her smile, play with her hands and shove those cute little fingers in her mouth. Enzo and I are just so in love with her! I really didn't understand that  mom feeling that every new doting mother claims they feel until now.

Three months have passed and we've gotten over the crying spells and cranky woes (YAY!). Our little one is a much happier baby now being more well-adjusted to this cray cray world (as opposed to the warm and comfortable placent-ic space she called home in my tummy).

And because this is not just a beauty blog in which I just share my addiction to beauty and skin care, here are a few mommy moments I wish to share with you all! 

Selene is a serious mallrat! She loves seeing all the lights, the people and the hustle and bustle of city life. At home, she seems to get antsy and restless so we take her out and she seems to calm down (oh no, did we just start a bad habit!? Just realized now).

  
  

I love dressing her up in cute little outfits. I actually wanted a baby boy for a first child (because we're all four girls in the family and I always wondered how it would be growing up with a overprotective older brother) but squealed in delight when our OB announced during our gender determination ultrasound that it's 95% a girl. 

  

Overall, I'm more relaxed in terms of my motherhood skillz~, if you can call it that. I went into this sort of unprepared so I expected myself to undergo crying-in-the-corner-moments-of-frustration, that kind of thing. 

For a time, I did feel like I was experiencing the baby blues. During the first three weeks, I was sad about everything. Crying for no reason, feeling down, lacking appetite for anything.

It was such a weird state — but admitting, or at least acknowledging that I was undergoing such stage helped a lot. The most important factor was the company around me who supported me and urged me to move on.

My husband and his unrelenting encouragement, sweetness and humor which propelled me to better heights. As well as the rest of my family (including my in-laws!) who weren't overbearing or assertive in giving unsolicited advice which stresses most first-time moms even more.

In other news, beauty-wise, I've been exploring beyond MAC (thank goodness) and delving into *ack*, Chanel, which will be my next post.

THE MOMMA IS OFFICIALLY BACK! 


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