Chanel Coco Codes for Spring / Summer 2017
We are moments away from 2017, do you have any resolutions for the new year? Last year I over-indulged in holiday collections and promised myself to go on a makeup “diet” in spring… which was relatively easy for me to do because pastels are not really my kind of thing. But in case you are hoping to do the same this year, I suggest you have another think, because the upcoming Chanel Spring/Summer 2017 Coco Codes Collection is unlike anything you’ve seen before!
After redefining holiday looks with Collection Libre Synthetic [see here], Chanel now gives us a whole new look for Spring 2017. Taking the colors that had shaped the life of Gabrielle Chanel, the Coco Codes Collection is bold and refreshing, completely irreverent of traditional spring time palettes. Hues of red, black, gold, white and beige are central in this season’s makeup looks, and have been re-interpreted to be worn in ways that best define the modern woman.
The piece de resistance of the collection is the Coco Code Exclusive Creation, a 4-color palette that consists of 2 harmonious cheek color interwoven with 2 shimmering highlighters. Each of the shades are large enough to be picked up with a small cheek brush, and may also be used swirled together. Above it all, the name of the collection COCO CODE is embossed.
I wasn’t quite sure when I first saw press images of this online, but there is something about the balance and symmetry that appeals to me. And the texture!! This is probably the softest cheek/face powder in a pan that I have ever laid my hands on!
The cheek colors are beautifully pigmented, all you need is to gently touch your brush on them, and it picks up enough to lend a soft but visible flush. If you need more, just layer on. But be warned, things can get quite red indeed! I love that the highlighting shades are not too glittery, and is quite subtle though still visible and pretty for a spring look.
In counter-clockwise direction starting from the top left, the shades are:
- Pale pink with a slightly warm- almost beige- undertone. It is slightly sheer and contains pale golden micro-shimmers, making this perfect for highlighting the cheek bones, and popping onto the apples of the cheeks for a luminous look. Try adding a dash of this also to the cupid’s bow and inner corner of the eyes too!
- Medium salmon pink with a warm- almost red- undertone. It has a soft satin / matte finish.
- Light golden-beige. This one is much more opaque than the pale shimmery pink, and is suitable as a highlight for those with warmer / darker skin tones, or use it in combination with either the pink or tawny shades on the cheeks.
- Medium tawny brown with just enough of a neutral undertone to work well as a contour for me. I actually let out a gasp of surprise when I first applied this to my face, it really is the most perfect shade with the right intensity to go under my cheek bones to sculpt. I also add this to the sides of my giant nose and the sides of my face and jawline… if there is a giant pan version of this I will buy it in a heart beat!
I can go on and on about how much I love the Coco Code palette, but I also would like to show you a couple more other items in this collection that you should not miss!
There are 2 Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow palettes in the Coco Code collection, both in gorgeous hues of browns and golds. The one I’d like to show you today is the more dramatic of the 2, and it is called Chanel Les 4 Ombres Codes Elégants.
Swatched in clockwise direction starting from the top right, the shades are:
- Light, warm-toned platinum gold with a shimmery finish
- Dark brown that contains a tinge of red, with a satin finish
- Medium antique gold that has strong hints of olive that emerges when sheered out. A very unique shade which unfortunately does not reveal its true complexity when swatched, but becomes immediately noticeable when applied onto the lids with a brush!
- Bright yellow gold with a strong metallic finish. Wearable on its own, or layered with the other shades. I love adding a pop of this to the centre of my lids for dimension.
If you’ve ever struggled with creating a day-appropriate smoky eye, you should definitely consider picking up Codes Elégants. It is versatile enough for day use and can be amped up for a bolder evening look. The shimmers add complexity to the shifting hues, and are subtle and refined enough to be worn anytime.
In this eye look, I simply piled on the dark brown all over my lid, working from the lash line up, blending out at the crease. Thereafter, I layered the antique gold on the middle of my lid, buffing it in a little with my brush. Finally, I dabbed just a tiny bit of the brightened gold over the middle for more pop. Lined the outer half of my upper and lower lash lines, smudging with a brush, and finished by popping the platinum on the inner corner.
And here is a makeup look featuring the eye makeup shown above, and Coco Codes on the cheeks:
Because the eye makeup is fairly heavy and I was wearing it out to Christmas brunch, I kept my lip color light and more pink. However, if I were wearing this same makeup for evening, I suggest switching out to a darker lip color.
There are several lipsticks in the Coco Code collection in a variety of finishes to choose from. The one that stood out to me most is this Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Noir Moderne. It is a blackened red, more black then red actually; a shade that I never wear. What makes it interesting is that it is done in the Rouge Coco Shine formula which is sheer and glossy. At first swipe, it barely darkens my natural lip color, adding a slight sheen to it the way tinted lip balms do. 2 swipes adds more color, and is perfect for day wear. If you fill in the lip first with a liner and build on layers, Noir Moderne could be a very elegant and feminine way to wear the black lip trend!
Here is a full makeup look featuring the same Codes Elégants on eyes, Coco Code on cheeks, and Noir Moderne on lips:
For the look above, I wore Codes Elégants slightly differently. I started with the antique gold over 2/3 of my lid, followed by the dark brown on the outer third. Next I dabbed on the brightened gold on the center of my lid, and platinum on the inner corner. Here is a close-up, and you can see how the antique gold pulls almost olive when applied:
Chanel Coco Codes Collection will be out in stores in Singapore from 1 January 2017! I will be back soon with a few more items from the collection shortly, in the meanwhile, have a blessed New Year and see you real soon!
This post featured products that were generously provided for my consideration. Regardless, all opinions expressed here are my own honest, unbiased views.
As a starving artist…I still love Chanel, no matter what. But it is very far and in between I can afford this. This spring collection has me so stupidly excited!! I hope the eye shadows and the lipsticks will will look good on me. This is a real treat for me to buy and be inventive with the colours. What can I say? I am addictive to their products 70% of the time.
I really hope you enjoy your picks, Audrey! This is an uncommon spring collection, and I think it works for some people, but not for others. I just published another review on the 2nd spring collection from Chanel, in case that may be of interest to you! 😉
I am actually drooling as I read this! Wow.
This is a collection that I am SO excited for being the Chanel addict that I am. Your images are stunning.
I really hope it reaches here soon! Kelly xx
http://www.KELLiLASH.com
Thank you Kelly!! I hope it gets to you soon too. It’s so strange because I’ve already seen this collection out in the US before Christmas!
It looks lovely on you. Love the golds. Definitely too warm for me. But will probably get the Yeux Stylo– a blackened green? Yes. BTW: Tawny came. Really liking it.
I think you may enjoy the other quad, Alison. I’ll review that one soon. And yes, those stylo yeux are nice, but no, it’s not green… just a deep brown. Remind me which Tawny did you get?
Bobbi Brown. And good to know Petrol is not green. I get all the green YS. I branched out warmer with the Modern Renaissance palette and am actually wearing a little brown from the Viseart Palettes. Since I am really fair neutral olive, I can pull it off so long as I am well-rested.
Oh yes, I love Tawny too!!!
You got me at antique gold and reddish brown.
And for some reason, the LE blush isn’t capturing my heart as much as the eye quad, which looks amazing on you!
Happy New Year Linda 🙂
Happy New Year Lily!
Antique golds are rare, and they don’t always apply well. This one surprised me because I hadn’t read the color descriptions prior to using it, and it looked like a straightforward gold in the pan. I love it when it turns out better than you expect!!
First off, I must say how beautifully the quad suits you. It is a veritable feast of golds that is lovely with your coloring.
I have a bone to pick about Chanel’s timing and new anti-seasonal color story: The Code spring collection hit counters here before Christmas–yes, before Christmas; before the first day of winter, in fact–and so it was promptly promoted in store as an alternative to the Libre Synthetic holiday collection which was released so early and was so lacking in festive spirit that many people were stunned to learn it was, indeed, Chanel’s holiday collection. I know that Lucia Pica is “anti-seasonal” in her creative approach, but none of us live in sterile, artificially lit, climate-controlled biodomes where every day is exactly the same. We are all influenced by the changing seasons. What we wear, the foods we eat, the scents and sounds that fill the air, the colors found in nature, the very quality of the light that surrounds us all change as we progress through the seasons so what is wrong about celebrating them? I love being in sync with nature’s changing palette but I guess I’m just an old fuddy-duddy 🙁
Hi Eileen,
thanks for your lovely support as always. I’m actually cool-toned despite being “yellow”… and I switch out my lipstick for the 2 looks and it gave different effects. So I’m fairly confident that this palette will work for just about anybody! After all, gold – brown always looks elegant.
I do understand your frustrations about this anti-seasonal trend…but in a way, for those of us who have seen so many collections come and go, and when things are starting to look same, it is refreshing to be 1-2 seasons ahead. I guess I’m blessed to be living in a tropical country where it’s summer all year round. But if you look at what TF is doing as well, his Soleil collection is pretty much anti-season. Imagine introducing a SPF50 sunscreen in the middle of Winter! I’m also always reminded by my friends in Australia that they always receive collections 6 months behind the rest of the world because brands feel like they need to match up their color makeup with the prevailing weather there. I was somewhat disappointed this collection came out so late in Asia, because as you pointed out, it was already launched before Christmas in the North, and I do think these colors would have been perfect for the holidays. In fact, Codes Elegants is pretty much the same shades as the Ombres Lamees. 😉 I hope the Le Blanc collection will have something nice for you!!
Coco Codes has yet to be launched in Canada, at least In smaller markets. I’m mostly interested in the Harmony Blush from this collection, having purchased the Lumieres de Kyoto Harmony Blush and additional items from Chanel’s Rouge No 1 before Christmas. Thanks for the comprehensive review, Linda, as always.
Thank you Tracey! Gosh you’re so lucky, i’m still waiting for Lumieres de Kyoto to launch in Singapore!! That one is soooo pretty!
I hope you do get one. The rosebud blush shade alone makes it pretty unique. It really is a keeper, IMO.
When it comes to Chanel I understand your reasoning perfectly and have always felt some sympathy for my sisters-in-beauty who live in a different hemisphere. But, they’re not alone. In the US we also experience the frustration of seeing beautiful products without being able to readily get them in a timely manner. The internet and you wonderful blogging ladies have transformed beauty into a global phenomena wherein women from all over the world read and see collections at the same time even though the collections might be out of sync with their season or not released until months and months later when they’ve become old news.
My frustration with Chanel is not the actual products (there are some beauties to be sure) rather it’s Chanel’s muddled marketing approach. If Chanel wants to do away with the concept of seasonal collections, then don’t continue to call them Holiday 2016, Spring 2017, etc. Just call them by their name, release them whenever, and be done with it. After all, there’s no law that says a brand must release seasonal collections. If Chanel wants to shake things up and break with that tradition, then they should embrace their decision and not muddy the waters by presenting something as a seasonal collection when clearly it isn’t.
Sorry for the rant, Linda. I won’t say another word about it. Promise! LOL And, yes, I’m looking forward to this year’s Le Blanc collection. It’s always one of my favorites 🙂
I hear you, Eileen!! And I will pass along your feedback to them when I can too! :**
This looks so very beautiful on you dear! I have my eye on the other eyeshadow quad at the moment, would love to see that as well. Every piece holds such weight and I’m really loving what I’m seeing overall. I can’t wait to get the camellia highlighter once it’s available here in the USA, dying to get my hands on it! I really also want the other blush of this collection, it looks stunning.
xoxo
http://www.hellohimawari.com
Hi Mika, yes i’ll be working on reviewing Codes Subtil and the Elegance blush this week!
Hope you had a great holiday, and finally got your hands on some of the gorgeous LEs!
Oh wow this collection is gorgeous! I don’t have a ton of Chanel makeup, but I definitely need to check out this collection.
xx
Nida | Caked To The Nines
I took a long time to fall into the Chanel rabbit hole… but i’m really loving the brand more and more with every season!