Chanel Collection Libre Synthetic for Holiday 2016: Architectonic & Hyperfresh

Chanel surprised us all with their Christmas makeup collection this year, that is to say, it is as far away from golds and warm berry hues as one might imagine.  Instead, for her first Holiday collection, global creative makeup and colour director Lucia Pic has taken inspiration from urban architecture and materials.  It may take some getting used to, but for the jaded makeup junkie who has seen the same ornate, gold-themed Christmas palettes on repeat year after year, Collection Libre Synthetic de Chanel is a refreshing change!  The collection is tightly curated with only 9 pieces, and today I would like to share with you the limited edition Architectonic Eyeshadow Palette and Joues Contraste Blush in Hyperfresh.

In an unexpectedly bold move, Chanel has given us an exceptionally modern and edgy eyeshadow palette that is runway-worthy.  Architectonic Eyeshadow Palette comes encased in a cool reflective silver pan, and matching silver and blue carton packaging.

Housed within the classic palette are 5 steely hues of gleaming silver and blues, for an unconventional yet wearable modern rendition of the smoky eye.

I know many fans are disappointed by the lack of intricate embossing on these powders (but fear not, for Chanel has something else to meet our collectors’ desires!), but personally I am secretly glad because I don’t feel bad jumping right in with my brush.  And Architectonic is surely one that deserves to be used over and over again, because the textures are amazing!  At first glance, Architectonic reminded me of the Oiseaux de Nuit Les 5 Ombres from Holiday 2014, but apart from the layout of the eyeshadow pans, the two have nothing in common.  Architectonic is a brand new formula that has a powder texture but the colour intensity of gel.

The swatches above are all single swipes, and apart from the blue on the extreme left, all the shades have an intensity that I have never seen from Chanel before.

From left to right (corresponding to their placement in the pan):

• Dark warm-toned blue
• Dark metallic navy with light blue, silver and lilac shimmers
• Metallic silver with iridescent micro-shimmers
• Dark brown with a satin finish and soft sheen
• Bright metallic silver

I am incredibly drawn to the dark metallic navy with all those gorgeous shimmers, and even though Architectonic lacks any matte soft base shades to work with, the silvers blend out very nicely!

To prove to you how wearable Architectonic is, here is a soft office-appropriate eye look I wore to my 1st day at my new job!  I started by buffing the medium silver all over my lid, and then adding dark brown to the outer third.  Next I lined my eyes with a black liner, but smudged some metallic navy into the outer corner as well as on my lower lash line.  Finished by popping the bright silver on my inner corner and patted a bit on the middle of my lid.

And here is the full look in context:

Of course, this is designed for the party season ahead, so you can dial up the volume easily with Architectonic!

For this dramatic eye look, I started by lining my lash line with the metallic navy blending upwards.  Next I blended on the dark matte blue, working towards mid-lid.  Finally I swept the metallic silver across the top towards the crease.  Finished by lining my eyes with black liner, and couldn’t resist pushing some of the metallic navy into the liner; and popped the bright silver into the inner corner.

The other item that I picked from Collection Libre Synthetic de Chanel is the Joues Contraste Blush in Hyperfresh!

This is a super fun, and again unexpected, blush for Christmas.  Hyperfresh is a brightened pink that is the perfect counterpoint to the rather more sombre Architectonic Eyeshadow Palette.  Just like most Joues Contraste blushes, it has some very subtle shimmers built in that leaves the skin with a luminosity and no visible glitter.

The pigmentation on Hyprfresh is bang on tight, so I will suggest you go with the lightest squirrel brush you own.  Definitely go in with a light touch!  But you will be very pleased with the results, especially if your complexion is starting to look a bit wintry, as it gives a beautiful girlie flush.  It also has amazing lasting power, and even after a long busy day at work, Hyperfresh is still visible with nary any fading!

You have already seen Hyperfresh in action above, but here is another full makeup look, featuring Architectonic Eyeshadow Palette on the eyes and Joues Contraste Hyperfresh on cheeks…

I am also loving the 3 nail polishes from Collection Libre Synthetic de Chanel, and will share them with you shortly!  And did I already mention the utterly drop-dead gorgeous Ombres Lamees de Chanel??  Stay tuned!

This year end is turning out to be a rather busy one for me as I just started a new job this month.  Today is Day 3, and I’m incredibly grateful to all my Instagram friends who have left me sweet notes of support & encouragement.  I also recently hit 20k followers there, which has left me feeling very honoured and deeply appreciative.  It has been truly great year, and I really hope to continue to bring worthy content to you my dear reader.  I’m not sure where life will take me, as I already have several rather long business trips penned on the calendar, but be sure if it is a collection worth mentioning, I will do it!

_{This post featured products that were generously provided for my consideration.  Regardless, all opinions expressed here are my own honest, unbiased views.}