While many fashion lovers look forward to the arrival of spring fashion collections, for beauty obsessives the focus is on what sumptuously packaged, extra rich beauty items the luxury labels are bringing to the table. And just like fashionistas, the savviest beauty lovers are skilled at mixing low and high-cost items. We sorted through the offerings of the best-of-the-best aka Chanel, Givenchy, Yyves Saint Laurent, Gurlain and Marc Jacobs, and pinpointed the items worth the splurge.
Check out our top items from each of the luxe labels’ spring 2017 beauty offerings below.
Chanel
First up Chanel, whose cruise collection mark its first year under direction of makeup maven Lucia Pica. Les Indispensables de L’ete, the official name of the collection, translates to “the essentials of summer,” a descriptive reflecting the label’s aim to return to its roots and take a more classic approach to its color palette.
For the face, Chanel introducing a limited edition Les Beiges Bell Mine powder in five shades ranging from “Light” to “Deep.” Although it’s recommended as a highlighter or enhancer for what is already on the face, its uses really have no end, and can be used as a foundation or even a bronzer, depending on the look you’re trying to go for. Regardless of how you use it, it’s sure to give you a brilliant and natural-looking summer glow.
The brand is introducing five new products in its lip range as well, three in its highly pigmented Rouge Coco Stylo lip gloss line with the remaining two Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks. The lipsticks go on sheer, but are still packed with “Hydrantedre Complex” to create fuller-looking lips. Colors include 527 Golden Sun, a “sunny peach,” and 537 Golden Sand, described as a “warm intense nude.” The three Rouge Coco Stylo glosses come in complementary tones, with 207 Sepia, 217 Panorama, and 227 Esquisse characterized as an intense bronzey chocolate, a soft beige, and a coral pink, respectively.
No Chanel cosmetics collection would be complete without Le Verns nail polish, and once again the color offerings speak to classic double-C summer shades, including 560 Coquillage, a bold, milky orange, 562 Coralium, a milky coral, and 564 Sea Whip, a milky pink. For a more modern approach, there is the option of 558 Sargasso, a grey with blue-green shimmer.
The French luxury label finishes its offerings off with an eye range, which features Long Lasting Eyeliner Waterproof in two shades: 837 Horizon and 847 Terra Rossa. They don’t yet include descriptions, but from photos appear to be close to a dark grey and a maroon, respectively. Chanel also releasing its new Inimitable Waterproof Mascara, which is perfect for keeping your lashes jet black while you’re out swimming.
Givenchy
In comparison to Chanel, Givenchy has a much smaller and more limited edition collection, which they’re releasing under the moniker Gypsophila Les Saisons. The clear centerpiece is the label’s Poudre Bonne Mine Healthy Glow Powder Floral Impression in the shade 02 Douce Saison, an item that’s already being hyped up as one of the summer’s most coveted beauty launches. According to Givenchy press, “The unique formulation of the Givenchy Les Saisons Healthy Glow Powder is crafted from a liquid gel, which evaporates when baked to leave only pigment behind. This ensures long-lasting, natural-looking and flattering color with every use, while added polymers and squalene keep skin feeling soft and moisturized.” But more than all that, it’s simply a gorgeous product and it’s packed in a generously-sized pan, meaning you’re sure to keep using it long after the season is over.
Along with the powder, it’s releasing two lipsticks and two eye products. The eye products could only be described as loud. Givenchy’s Noir Couture Volume Waterproof Mascara in 02 Blue Gypsophila is an electric royal blue, reflecting fashion month trends favoring incredibly colorful eyes. Its Encre A Cils Mascara Top Coat in 03 Green Gypsophila is only a slight step down in shock value, and its buildability enables the wearer to create a light greenish blue hue for a slight glimmer, or layered on to create striking, aquamarine lashes. The lipsticks are much more muted and traditional, and include Le Rouge in 322 Coral Gypsophila, an orange-coral, and Le Rouge-a-Porter, which comes in 305 Red Gypsophila, a classic strawberry tone.
The true wonder of Givenchy’s line up is without a doubt the Healthy Glow Powder, so if you manage to find it in stock anywhere make sure to grab it. There’s a good bet you would get a second chance to do so.
Yves Saint Laurent
YSL’s beauty division is banking on drama for its jungle-inspired Solar Pop summer collection, marked by a limited edition Bronzing Stones Collector Palette at the helm. Bronzer is the essential summer product, and this soft blended matte is sure to look good on all skin tones. Packaging aside, it’s probably the least dramatic item in the collection, as it’s meant to provide only a standard healthy-looking summer glow. That’s not a bad thing though because it means it’s versatile enough to wear everyday.
The rest of their summer line is designed with the idea of catching your eye. Their two new additions to their Couture Metallics Full Metal Shadow line are shades 18 Violet Oasis and 17 Source of Gold, both of which are fully-pigmented and as vibrant as promised. Their names are true indicators of the beautiful colors they pledge, so packing on these shadows is not for the faint of heart. But if you’re bold enough, this is the line for you.
Its new La Lacquer Couture polishes in 83 Call Me Grey, 84 Catch Me Fuchsia, and 85 Desire Me Red, are striking, but call to mind more conventional tones for the nails.
Not pictured in the campaign is the the fan-favorite and Allure-awarded Volupte Tint in Oil, offered in new shade 16 Prune Me Tender, a classic bright pink that will not only melt onto your lips, but in keeping with the rest of the line, actually improve their health.
Guerlain
On the exact opposite of the spectrum from YSL’s collection is Guerlain’s summer 2017 Anniversary collection, which is full of soft shades for those looking for a more traditional and bare-faced look this summer. The line is most famous for its Météorites range, whose powders this summer are offered in pink, champagne, white, and gold. Beyond the quality of the contents is the delightfully girlish appeal of the white-scalloped packaging, capable of bringing out the inner pink in anyone.
Another, permanent addition to the Meteorites family in this collection is the new Baby Glow Touch stick. We’ve already seen a few Baby Glow products from Guerlain, and this highlighter is made to be portable, giving you that Météorites glow on-the-go.
Guerlain is also including two new Kiss Kiss lipsticks, 542 Orange Peppers and 567 Pink Sunrise. This is one we’ll have to wait to come out and see for ourselves, although if the images are any indication, they’re in line with the perfect mixture of classic and modern that we see from Guerlain time and time again.
Marc Jacobs
Following the astronomical success of last year’s coconut primer, Marc Jacobs is coming out with a full-on coconut collection for his summer release this year, some of which is available online now at Sephora. What is dubbed the Coconut Glow collection contains a golden-peach liquid highlighter (which is already receiving stellar reviews), a fawn-toned matte bronzer, and a glow-giving setting mist, all of which are meant to smell and have the skin health-promoting effects of coconut. The collection also contains a limited edition brush made for use with the bronzer, with a white handle and bristles and silver accents, although its $78 price tag is less elegant than the brush itself.
Although our shopping carts are already full with the products listed here, these, of course, are just the preliminary announcements of some brands’ summer collections. Stay tuned for more updates as they are announced.
