There’s something very comforting about Chanel’s Holiday 2020 collection, Les Chaines d’Or de Chanel. After the year we’ve all had, it’s nice to be able to indulge in small luxuries like a beautifully-crafted lipstick or a blush that’s a joy just to look at, and boy does this collection deliver.
As you can see, the powder products are all embossed with a stylised motif of Chanel’s signature chains. Less obvious in photos are the truly rich, opulent hues of the lipsticks and nail polish, all shot through with just the right amount of gold glitter to add dimension without being flashy.
The four Ombre Premiere Longwear Powder Eyeshadow shades in this collection are (L-R) Or Blanc, Or Antique, Cuivre Rose and Cuir Brun. Respectively they are a pale gold, warm yellow gold, coppery pink, and a dark taupey brown.
While Or Blanc, Or Antique and Cuivre Rose are straight-up sparkly metallics, Cuir Brun doesn’t have obvious glitter flecks in it and is therefore more of a shimmery satin shadow.
Altogether, the four shades create an interesting effect – you’d think gold, pink and brown would form a distinctly warm palette, but the sum of these parts actually leans more neutral than I expected. In terms of application, these go on quite sheer with a brush. I happen to think this is actually a positive feature of a holiday eyeshadow collection, since I imagine quite a number of people buy and receive these as gifts and their subtle yet buildable nature accommodates for a very wide range of skill levels and intensity preferences. I can see myself sweeping on Cuir Brun as a chic one-and-done on days I don’t feel like fussing, but I’ve also had no trouble building saturation by using my fingers to pack pigment on/layering over a smudged-out eyeliner pencil.
The embossed powder blush, Les Chaines de Chanel, is definitely a must-have from this collection, especially if you have an appreciation for special edition holiday releases. Though it looks very pink, very dark and very sparkly in the pan, with a brush it actually goes on as a sheer tawny coral that gives skin a nice healthy glow. To me, this makes it a really wearable product year-round. I mean, it’s summer right now in the Southern Hemisphere and this doesn’t look out of place at all.
This holiday collection features 4 Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Lip Colours: 107 Or Beige, 117 Or Cuivre, 127 Rouge D’Or, and 137 Poupre D’Or. To my eye they read as a warm nude, mauve pink, bold cool red, and true berry.
They’re all flecked with teeny tiny bits of micro glitter that add a pretty, festive feel but aren’t visible at a normal viewing distance and are absolutely not gritty at all. I know it’s kind of a given that a company like Chanel would do glitter properly, but texture is a serious concern of mine any time I spot glitter in a lipstick formula so I’m just putting this out there for anyone as particular as I am.
These apply like a dream and have a lovely satin formula that is comfortable and forgiving. It always confounds me when beauty brands do matte lipsticks for their FW/holiday collections – as if my lips aren’t dry enough in winter months! Good call on this formula, Chanel. I don’t have a top pick from the four colours, but I have been wearing 137 Poupre D’Or (blotted down) the most regularly. It’s funny because when I originally tried it on at the boutique I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull it off! I’m so glad I stubbornly bought it anyway.
Last but not least my absolute favourite part of the collection: Le Vernis Longer Nail Colour in Chaine D’Or, the most perfect antique bronze-gold I’ve ever come across.
I usually can’t pull of gold nail polish because it just doesn’t work with my colouring at all, but this is truly THE ONE. Not only is the shade perfect, but it applies like a dream. Would you believe this is just one coat? I’m so in love that I’m going to buy and hoard a second bottle of this, since it’s a limited edition colour. I will not be making the mistake I made with 703 Afterglow, where I missed my chance to buy a backup in Singapore and had to do some serious legwork to make up for it (I eventually located 3 bottles in Melbourne and bought them all).
As always, I hope this review was helpful. I’d love to know if you’ve jumped on any of these holiday pieces yourself, and what your favourites of this collection are. Happy holidays!
This post features some products that were provided as press samples, however all opinions and observations are my own and not influenced by the brand or its PR team. This post contains affiliate links.
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