Review: Chanel’s Cruise Collection 2019 and its envisionment of summer simplicity

Existing in the summer is often a test of the extent of one’s busyness. It’s a look at how far we can stretch ourselves until we’re careening off the edge, wondering: where did the summer go?

In the recent years, there has been a disillusionment to what we all perceive as summer. How easily the mere days manage to go by when we’re just purely consumed. How, in mere months of the season, we have managed to overbook and over test ourselves — overextended in mind and body. Waiting for a moment for a breath, a whisper of freedom to present itself.  

From as long as I could remember, makeup was enchantingly intangible. Makeup was blending, vibrant colors and ominous rules whose mastery I never could quite grasp. It easily transformed as it did mystify. How do you remain elegant while learning the strict guidelines of the trade? How do you not become overwhelmed in the furor of all things YouTube “beauty guru?”

In the summer, when it comes to the beauty world, it’s excess. Excess of products necessary in the unwavering orders of the modern beauty era. It’s easy to become lost, and ever so disenchanted by the stark rigidness of how this current beauty world works. When there is a need for makeup in summer’s presence, the ideal look for makeup is one that’s conveying the message of summer effortlessness and elegance. 

Yet, makeup brands often forgo the simplicity in a need to placate the mass hunger for convoluted routines, and bothersome products. It’s warm, it’s vibrant. Summer is the chance to anew, a chance to renounce the troubles of the year past, and offers up the chance to breathe. 

In both a love letter to the art of makeup and summertime ease, Chanel launches its Cruise Collection 2019: Lumière et Contraste providing subtle accents to create glowing looks that easily remind us the essence of summer. With this release, Chanel captures the portmanteau of summer looks: elegance and ease. Chanel, the authority behind cult classic looks and product favorites sends a statement of simple summer living with Cruise 2019.

This collection rejects the idea of overcomplicating the basics of summer makeup. All when makeup during this time is supposed to ooze extravagance, all while not burdening one with an excess of product. Chanel always connoted luxury. Even so, Chanel’s makeup and its accessible @welovecoco Instagram account is an active beauty community. Its account renders an Insta world of indulging in magnificent products, all while remaining accessible to any makeup consumer.  

With this collection, Chanel introduces a bronzer and highlighter duo with Duo Bronze et Lumière, in shades Clair and Medium, retailing for $70.

Clair offers up a beige bronzer for fair skin, with a peach toned highlighting shade to compliment it. With Medium, there is a golden brown bronzer shade, and a luminous rosy gilt highlighter. 

The highlighting colors provide an effortless glow to the skin, bathing it in subtle shimmers. With the bronzer, it has a subtle sheen to it, buildable for a more sun-kissed effect.

You could go heavy handed with the product, or, with a simple swipe of a brush, could add fine radiance. This product’s ease of use instantly attracted me, and makes it easy to immerse yourself in the sun’s splendor. This bronzer and highlighter combination seamlessly elevates summertime glow. 

Another piece in this makeup collection are the noteworthy lip essentials. Both the Rouge Coco Gloss Moisturizing “Glossimer” are sensational in both feeling and color. Aurora is the iridescent pink gloss and Fraîcheur is the green gloss with hints of gold. These products are absolutely alluring in with their saccharine like colors. The pair of glosses applied in sheer, non sticky layers, resting comfortably on the lips and moisturizing them as though a lip balm would.

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Despite the bold colors, especially the green appearing as though it would overwhelm the lips in its viridescence, fret not. Aurora and Fraîcheur are colors meant to enhance the natural shade of your lips. Rather than stark green, Fraîcheur reveals itself to be more a gold tint. While Aurora seemingly plumps the lips with a heavenly pink that adapts itself to any lip and skin tone. 

An essential piece in the collection is the Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue Ultra Wear Lip Colour. A duo lipstick and gloss, the lipstick half provides a flawless application on the lips, as though you’re not wearing anything. After application, lips look smoothened out, perfect. The gloss is an optional aspect to the duo to add shine to the nude lip color. Unlike other glosses, it adds a luscious shine feeling uncomfortable or overly tacky on the lips. 

Next in the collection are the Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colors in Afterglow, a khaki color, Open Air, a light sky color intertwined with hints of lavender, and Purple Ray, a coalescing of mauve and lilac. All of the high shine polishes quickly dry once applied, without any streakiness. Lasting a week without chipping or nail art disruptions, these polishes bring classic colors with longevity and a gel like appearance.

To create mesmerizing, glowing looks for the lids, this collection has the Ombre Premiere Gloss Top Coat Eyeshadows. This eye gloss comes in Lunaire, a silver color, and Solaire, a perfect gold. Applied to the lids provides effortless shimmer without inconvenient glitter overwhelming the lids, Instead, the eyelids become entrancing once the gloss is applied. This can be done with techniques as simple as a swipe of the finger.

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These eyeshadows are crucial in creating a highlighted look without looking too overdone in the summer. The results are ethereal and effortless, illuminating the eyelids with an easy method. 

The essence of summertime is easily encapsulated with Chanel’s Cruise Collection 2019: Lumière et Contraste, available on Chanel’s website. If ever in need of inspiration for the classic summer love letter, @welovecoco provides an open community of fellow beauty lovers, ready to challenge the season’s norms.