Chanel Cruise 2018 Collection : Review, Photos & Swatches

Today I have a review of the Chanel Cruise Collection, Éclat Et Transparence. A riot of red, gold and hues of coral. Lucia Pica, Global Creative Makeup and Colour Director proposes bold use of red in transparent layers post summer. The perfect compliment for that golden tan.

Even though the collection is mostly about this beautiful red eye palette, I found other bits that I believe are just as tempting. I’m sure you’ve already got a potential list ready by now too.

The collection consists of,

Éclat Énigmatique Les 4 Ombre (eyeshadow palette)

Jumbo Longwear Lip Crayons in 4 shades

Essential Palette, Éclat Solaire

Waterproof Eyeliner in 3 shades

Longwear Nail Polish in 3 shades

Le Volume De Chanel Mascara

L’Eau Tan – (tanning spray)

From the entire collection, the palette has to be my favourite. It’s not often Chanel strays from the tried and true classics but I believe these tones are the perfect balance for a look that’s daring yet elegant at the same time.

The palette consists of all pearlised shadows. A sheer golden oyster, gunmetal grey, medium bronze and a vibrant warm red.

The payoff of all eyeshadows are quite good, even though intense these blend impressively. For todays look i’ve used a majority of the red shade pushing the palette to it’s limits purely to show you it’s potential. Usually I don’t wear dramatic looks like this unless it’s something like New Year!

Here’re some swatches first.

Considering the seemingly undying interest in red palettes, I added a few comparison swatches featuring some of my other favourites. In case you want to pick them up as well!

The matte red in the Marc Jacobs palette leans more neutral in comparison to Chanel. Tom Ford overall gives off a more tonal muted vibe.

Between the three, the Chanel red is by far the most vibrant and interesting. A mix i’m loving currently even for dinner makeup, wearing just the bronze paired with a touch of red in the outer corner, lining with the gunmetal. It’s one of those effortless looks you can slap on in a rush.

What are your thoughts on red palettes?

This season Chanel also released an Essential Palette in an unexpected colourway. A striking combination of a creamy raspberry red blush, shimmering warm gold highlighter with gold specks and a rosy nude shimmer highlighter.

Although intimidating at first glance, I do love the balmy blush and find it very easy to blend. The finish and the texture was a clear winner for me. It’s one of those effortless products that end up being a must have during summer. juicy plump cheeks all year long actually!

The two highlighter shades in the gold and rose gold offer an element of light to the complexion. Both creamy and very easy to blend. Even though the gold is quite warm, I experimented using it on the high points of the cheeks (now that i’ve tanned considerably). I don’t think it’ll work that well on paler complexions though. The yellow tones in this is very pronounced. The rosy nude on the other hand is almost my skin colour and blends leaving a wet glow. No detectable colour once blended out. I feel this would look better on paler complexions and a great option if you like a glossy natural looking highlight. Usually it’s hard to recommend a palette if you don’t love all the shades but, if you feel the yellow is workable somehow, I think the blush and rosy nude highlight alone makes this rather special.

The Jumbo Lip Crayons were an instant love for me. The colours I have `A la Rosée and Au Naturel, a peachy pink and a warm medium brown.

The texture of these are very creamy, they glide on easily and deliver a glossy sheer to medium coverage. I don’t think they work well built up, as the formula has too much slip, however worn as just a touch of colour, both shades look summery and fresh. My personal favourite is Au Naturel, with A la Rosée being slightly too light a shade for my medium skin tone.

Overall I think the quality of these are really lovely and keep the lips hydrated and supple throughout wear. Lasting power as expected (as any sheer lipstick) was about 2-3 hours. Regular touchups are necessary to keep these going the whole day.

If all else is a pass, the nailpolish shades within the collection are totally worth looking at. I’m happy to find the formula of these have improved and now they last longer. Although the best wear I can get is still about 5 days. I love that they don’t chip as easily.

The colours I tested was Chicness and Légèrete. A muted rosy taupe and a muted medium sage green. I never got around to testing the pink polish Halo, but in case you do own Novela Rosa (from spring), this one’s much warmer and brighter. They aren’t alike.

Lastly, here’s a look at the eyeshadow palette and the blush from the Essential palette worn on the cheeks. I do love all the tones of red that make for a striking look. On the lips is the Jumbo Lip Crayon, Au Naturel.

Bottom Line

The quality of the products I sampled were impressive and true to Chanel standards. The palette especially, (Éclat Énigmatique) is a must have. I wish I had longer wear with my oily lids, but it didn’t stay on more than 4-5 hours. I might have to try various primers to get this to work better on me, but over the last year i’ve noticed most eyeshadows have been fading faster. I believe my oily lids are just getting oilier!.

Also a must have within the collection is a gorgeous polish Chicness. I think you will be needing backups of this.

*PR samples included.