I may not be able to afford a Chanel 2.55, but by George, I can buy the makeup! Okay, this is one of the very, very few instances (thank God for that, or else I’d be utterly broke) that I actually bought something purely because of the brand, luxury and look. It was a spur-of-the-moment-having-a-crappy-day-need-retail-therapy purchase.

Description:

Translucent powdered perfection.
Mattifies with light coverage and optically conceals imperfections. Your complexion is natural, radiant and luminous. The fine, light texture of POUDRE UNIVERSELLE COMPACTE is very pleasant to the touch, and soft on the face, for maximum comfort.
POUDRE UNIVERSELLE COMPACTE combines all the cosmetic qualities of a loose powder combined with the ease of use of a compact powder. Formula based on micronised talc, which gives it its softness and natural mattness. Light-reflective pigments minimise imperfections and give the complexion its luminosity. Lauryol lysine, an amino acid derivative, contributes to the « glide » of the texture.
Made in France.

Ingredients:
Talc, Nylon-12, Silica, Lauroyl Lysine, Magnesium Myristate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glyceries, Magnesium Stearate, Boron Nitride, Isopropyl Lanolate, Aluminium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Parfum, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Glyceryl Stearate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Oleate, Citric Acid [+/- (May Contain) CI 75470 (Carmine), CI 77007 (Ultramarines), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Mica]

As usual, all of Chanel’s compact powders and makeup palettes come beautifully encased in a double-C embossed velvet case.

The texture of pressed powder is very fine. I chose the shade Naturel as I wanted something with a sheer finish, which would go nicely over my foundation. The powder’s translucent, and applies smoothly on the skin. The coverage is light (this is not something you’d want if you prefer at least a medium).

My mistake for not snapping a photo of the powder first before using. Now the words are all smudged 🙁

A snag about the pressed powder – it’s a tad too fine. In fact, I couldn’t even use a face brush to apply this on my face, because as much as I rubbed the brush on the pressed powder, very little would come out. I was hoping to not use the enclosed powder puff (tiny lil’ thing, that one), but in the end, I had no choice. The powder puff worked better with the pressed powder and gave me the amount and finish I wanted.

To be honest, other than the compact looking absolutely gorgeous and oh so luxe, there’s nothing more I can praise about it. You can definitely get better pressed powders out there (e.g. MAC, Max Factor, etc) that would cost you significantly less than this. Still, I love how this baby looks on my dresser, and there it’ll stay. Oh I know I know, it’s a very expensive decor item 😛

Chanel’s Natural Finish Pressed Powder compact costs a whopping AU$88, and is available at all Myer and David Jones departmental stores. The guilt of spending so much on this has definitely set in. Oh leave me alone, it’s so purdddddyyyyy … *caressing the compact against my cheek* 😛

No more. I promise *gulp, and cross my fingers behind my back*

What I like about it: Luxurious packaging, and hello, it’s Chanel.

What I do not like about it: Powder is too fine, gives very light coverage. Also, it’s very expensive for a compact powder.

Plug: Kahani of So Loverly just launched a new fashion blog, Frocking Around. It’s still fairly new, but you’d love the stories she and fellow blogger Meldee tell about the frocks they wear and what adventures they had in them. Do check it out!