Chanel Summer '09 Cote D'Azur

Summer is up now at Chanel. The new collection is loaded with pretty Aqualumieres( my favorite Chanel lippie), a great multi bronzer, eye quad , 2 nail polishes , a gorgeous pink/coral blush called In Love and more.

My highlights are the Soleil Tan De Chanel 4 Facettes Bronzing Powder, Orange Fizz nail polish and the aforementioned Aqualumieres.

The 4 Facettes bronzer is 4 pretty and light to medium bronzing shades. No dark pigment here, this gives you a great light bronzing. It looks very natural and not too dark or overdone. You can also use just the lightest shades for highlighting. There is shimmer but not too much. It's , if you can ever call Chanel basic, a good basic bronzer.

Orange Fizz is one of two new nail shades and is one pretty orange. It's not too bright but not pale. Think orange sherbet not soda. It's non shimmer and can go on a bit streaky at first. The second coat goes much better and it dries down perfectly.

The new Aqualumieres include Panarea, the lipstick Jen Aniston wore to the Oscars, Ischia, a nice tan complementing rose ,and my favorite Salina ( LE), a barely there shimmer pink nude.

All are available now at Chanel counters and http://www.chanel.com/ ( much is out of stock already, so check counters, other online)

St. Tropez Self Tanners

St. Tropez has been one of the gold standards in self tanning for many years.

This year they have revamped a bit with their new Aromaguard™ technology. Aromaguard lessens that self tanner " stink" .

I used the Self Tan Mist yesterday on my arms. Incredibly there was almost no smell at all. When I went nose to arm it was there a tiny bit, but no wafting of it all over. I also got a nice tint of bronze. I'm quite pale and while I love a deeper ( self) tan, I'm not quite ready for that yet. This was just enough and blended well into the parts of my hand and arm that I didn't use the tanner on. What we call a healthy glow. The spray has bit of bronzer in it, so some color was immediate but again just enough.

Can I say how nice it is not to be so pale ? Enjoying that.

The Bronzing Mousse works in the same way. A good coat of bronze first and then a great tan develops over the day. This one seems to give deeper color with the first use.

Best part, everyone you meet won't know you applied self tanner. This Aromaguard works really well . It was sorely needed.

St. Tropez has a wide range of products and when I got ready to do this post, I noticed that the line is appearing on QVC today for the first time. It will air at 6PM EST today( The 10th)

QVC will be featuring many of the products. Bestsellers like the mousse and newer ones. Fiona Locke , St. Tropez's resident expert will be there to do demos .

Products scheduled to be featured include:
-Perfect Legs – this season’s must-have: self tanner and cosmetic -bronzer for flawless legs
-Rapide Face – a daily tanner and skin treatment
-Everyday Mousse – a lightweight foam that produces a gradual tan
-Everyday Face & Body – gradual tanning in a lightweight lotion
-Bronzing Mousse – a rich tanning mousse
-Tan Intensifier – prolong a rich, golden glow
-Discovery Set – a great way to discover the joys of tanning

See more at http://www.sttropeztan.com/

MAC Double Dazzle & Rose Romance

The two new MAC collections are Double Dazzle- loads of new Dazzleglasses, and Rose Romance- a pink heavy collection of lippies, eyeshadows and beauty powders.

Highlights include the new Beauty Powders with a carved Rose motif. The one shown is Summer Rose. It's a medium pink and makes a great blush. The Rose carving is pretty deep, so while this will wear down eventually, it will take awhile unlike an overspray.

Rose Romance also includes a gel blush (shown) in Just A Pinch. Very red in the jar, it applies more sheer.

See Thru lipcolor, a major lasting lip stain comes in 3 colors, as well as new lipstick, glosses and shadows. Fragrance Hue in Dejarose makes a reappearance along with a scented skin freshener called Fix+Rose, thats sounds like a must have for me.

Double Dazzle brings 18 Dazzleglasses. A lot to pick from. Some are new , some repromote. Shown are Smile- a wonderful peachy sparkle, and Stop!Look! - a medium pink.

All the new shades are beauties.

Double Dazzle is on counters today, Rose Romance on April 23rd.

Rouge G de Guerlain Pictures

At last I have in my hands Guerlain's new lipstick Rouge G. My pictures do not do it justice. My long ago photography class lessons have been forgotten I guess, as I just couldn't get a great shot.

Suffice to say that Rouge G is Stunning with a capital S. It's a work of art.

The case was designed by a top Parisian jeweler, and Guerlain's creative director wanted it to be "a new mysterious beauty icon that united the qualities of a powder case, a jewel and the most precious lipstick".

You will never look so chic as when you bring this out of your handbag. The compact has two mirrors inside and a major clasp that closes the case. The finish is a mirror shine on the outside. So shiny, that I worry it will get scratched in my bag. The only thing missing here is a velvet pouch to hold the lipstick like Guerlain's eyeshadows. I am sure, however, I can find something that will work.

The colors shown are Gabrielle- a pale pink with a bit of shimmer, Guerlainade- the perfect nude. It has a tiny, tiny hint of peach, and Gil - a medium orange/coral shimmer. ( All the names begin with G)

These are highly creamy, last well and are very soft on the lips. Like butter.

These may come with a higher price than most lipsticks, but I say every woman needs something this beautiful.

On April 24th & 35th Bergdorfs is having their gift card event. 25.00 off 100.00 purchase. A great time to buy any Guerlain, and also on those days they are offering free engraving on the Rouge G. ( Fragrance bottles too). They will ship in US, call Jason at (800) 218-4918 ext. 2734

I think a personalized engraving on these is a great idea. Many live far from NYC, but any jeweler should be able to do the same for you as well.

Buy at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorfs, and Saks

$ 45.00