Chanel Holiday Collection- Bring on the Glam!

When I think of holiday glamour, the easiest way I can think of to take my look from day to night (or party) is with beautiful makeup. And when I think of beautiful makeup, Chanel comes to mind. Although The Advice Sisters reviewed some Chanel holiday makeup items in our huge, three-page What Works Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion Holiday 2008 review column, our deadline blocked us from reviewing as many pieces of the Chanel Holiday Collection as we would have wished -- so here are a few items that didn't make it into the What Works column, but that I think are "must-haves" for your holiday makeup this season:




Adding gold to your holiday outfit is a great way to dress up even last years's dress, and the same is true for your holiday makeup. Chanel's Poudre Precieuse (Gold Highlighting Powder)$75.00 is a liimited edition, loose, sparkling powder that will glitz up your skin and make you look glamorous, even if you’re wearing last season’s dress. A low, elegant, glass jar with shiny black top has a little well to hold a soft, flat, powder brush. Below, the sparkling gold powder adds a nearly sheer but starry gold glimmer to face, decollete, and even your feet and hair. The glittery gold stays put for quite some time, and a little goes a long way–dust this on for the office party, or after-work events and you’ll look instantly party-ready. $75.00 is a small price to pay for a product that helps you look and feel glamorous and it multi-tasks on face, hair and body. I’d lcall that a great deal! TIP: To glam up any lip look instantly, just dab a bit of this golden powder in the middle of your bottom lip, or dust is lightly all over bare lips and follow with a silky, clear gloss. You can carefully add a drop of powder on your eyelids to give a matte shadow more "ooph," too. This is a must-have (and it makes a luxurious holiday gift idea, too).

An easy-to-apply, multi-tasking, fluid liquid eyeshadow such as Chanel's Ombre D'eau Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadow $32.00 is a unique product that gives you very long-lasting, iridescent eye color that can be subtle to intense, depending upon how you apply it (*there's a brief video on the Chanel web site to show you how). Shake the liquid powder to combine the ingredients, then dot it in the middle of your eyelid and blend it with your fingertips or a brush. For deeper color, add more. You can also use the same product for a coodinated eye liner, simply by brushing it near your lash line without blending it. Two colors from the holiday collection include two gold glitzened colors: "Source" is a golden pink; "Riviera, "a pale gold that leaves lids glamorously gilded! If you want a more traditional Eye Liner, The Duo Eyeliner Professional $45.00 in "Brun-Lamé" or "Noir-Lamé" gives you the convenience of a pressed powder compact and the the look of a traditional, liquid eyeliner (applied with water), or the smudged look of a kohl pencil (applied dry). Each compact has a matte color and a sparkle color. Pressed powder liners are perfect for your purse and for travel --no chance of spill or mess.

Lips are always a focal point, and if you're going to be at holiday gatherings with family and friends (not to mention parties where the Mistletoe, hangs) you'll want great lipsticks to coordiante with your party clothes. This season, Chanel's holiday collection features the look of shimmering, just-kissed lips. Red lips are fun and great for evening glamour, but you need a great lip liner to help define your mouth and keep the lipstick in check. I love the Le Crayon Levres $28.00, a precision lip definer that is available in 11 colors including in "Rouge," a true red. The pencil gives you long-lasting color that goes on without a struggle, thanks to silicones. Good-for-your-lips Vitamin E helps combat free radicals. You won't need to take a separate lip brush either, since this one has a built-in brush for blending and it also comes with it's onw, double-bladed sharpener.

The Chanel Holiday Lipsticks arrive like a wish granted, in a variety of products and colors and textures. My favorite, however, is Rouge Allure $30.00 (photo) not just because it is an exceptional lipstick (which it is) but because of it's presentation. It comes in a distinctive, shiny black case that has a gold push-button to release the lipstick tube, keeping the compact sleek and eliminating any chance it will open in your handbag. The satiny, luminous lip color is amazingly long lasting, yet silky as cashmere. We tried "Exaltation," a shimmery, coral red; and Nude, a soft, glowing buff. There's also "Audace, " a true red and "Ardent, a rosewood. There are several dozen colors in the permanent collection as well. Even just one will make you feel fabulous and is worth the little splurge. A Rouge Allure lipstick by Chanel is the one lip product I keep in my handbag at all times.

For SPF protection and a sheer, shiny lipstick/gloss in a tube, I also love Aqualumia Sheer Colour Lipshine SPF 15 $27.00 These gives you a pop of sheer color and make your lips, no matter how dry, feel pampered and hydrated. For the holidays, there's one limited edition, addition to the collection: "Cancun," a soft beige that makes it easy to perk up your dry, pale lips without any effort at all. Like Rouge Allure Lipstick, the color lasts and lasts without every feeling dry or sticky..and it has SPF 15 to protect your lips from daily exposure from the sun's damaging rays --what's not to love?

...but speaking of love: if you love patent-leather shine and the convenience of a click-it brush pen for precise applications. a brush-on gloss that feels more like a comfy lipstick is Chanel's Brush-On Creme Lip Colour $32.00. For the holidays, I tried the limited-edition "Canele" ©, a warm bronze that gives lips the type of metallic shimmer you want come party time (or any time). There's nothing easier than a pen-type format to get the gloss exactly where you want it. For even more glitz and glimmer, there's Glossimer $26.00 in limited edition "Gold Shine" and "Red Shine." The Gold Shine gloss is silky, shiny and clear, but it is infused with enough gold shimmer to stand on it's own on bare lips and gild them with light-reflecting, golden glimmer (you can add it as an overlay to another lip product too, of course). The Red Shine gloss is a seriously shimmery, gloriously cheery red sheer that adds light-reflecting, very sexy glam to your lips. It is glamorous and tinted enough to wear instead of a red lipstick and still be bold, but less harsh. For anyone who wants to try red lips this season but is a bit worried about how to wear it, this color is a perfect, universally flattering choice.

Dark nails are definitely still in style for the holidays. Chanel’s Le Vernis Nail Color in designed with a patented, no-spill bottle and wiping action" to make your DIY easier (especially with dark colors) and more efficient. The high-tech formula doesn't just color, it also nutures nails with moisturizers and strengtheners (another reason to keep your manicure fresh). For the holidays, I like "Lotus Rose" (photo) a vibrant, super-velvety cool rose that looks softer than bright red, but just as rich and dramatic and "Organdy" a clear, bright pink that coats nails with glossy color that looks smooth and sophisticated. It's the perfect color to peek out from silvery sandals, and it looks particularly great with white or winter white. Speaking of white..... it makes a great choice for a bride who wants to wear color, but still look classy. Whether it's your wedding day or not, when you’re going for a more subdued, ladylike look, nudes are a great choice–but not just any boring beige. Chanel's "Perle Roseee" from their Holiday Collection is a beige-y pink that has a hint of gold and lots of shsimmer to look warm and multi-dimensional.

Ready to shop? You can find Chanel products at the Chanel counter in good department stores, or visit: http://www.chanel.com/