Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Review, Pictures & Swatches

Yay! Chanel's got even more gorgeous goodies in coming and if you've only just recovered from the joy (and expense) of Illusion D'Ombre then sorry to do this to you, but on September 30th, an eight-strong suite of matte lipsticks will be landing. Rouge Allure Velvet, €30, will be joined by three nail shades plus a matching matte top coat to complete the lips and tips effect, and I've gotten three of the lipsticks and a polish and its associated topper ahead of the launch date.

Props for packaging, as per usual: the bullets are in the same sleek black and gold cases as the regular Rouge Allure range; they're sprung, so press down to release the mechanism, allowing you to get at the colour. Endearingly, Chanel include a little diagram in the cardboard casing with each lipstick, just in case it proves troublesome. I love clicky, magnetic packaging, so these win on that for starters.

This review is just going to concentrate on lips - we all know what Chanel's posh polish is like and covet its colours truly; the Beaute des Ongles Mat Top Coat, €22, is indeed a beauty. It delivers a soft, suede effect to any polish that's a great foil to the lip experience. There's not a lot more to say about it really - it's a matte top coat, we've seen a lot of 'em in the last few seasons. If you want a super-chic one with a luxe finish, this is yer only man.

Now, the lip experience. Here's my trio: La Sensuelle, L'Exuberante and La Fascinante. Oh, guess which one's my fave? Yes, yes, that's right, La Fascinante. I also like L'Exuberante quite a lot but La Sensuelle is a bit too towards the burgundy-brown end of things for me - a beautiful shade, just not really in my own comfort zone.

The whole lineup

Swatches of L'Exuberante, La Sensuelle and La Fascinante

Texture's the key thing here: this is Chanel's take on a matte. Like Nars' newish Pure Matte lipsticks which are also a new hybrid formula, these aren't the sort of 'classic' mattes you might know and (possibly) hate. You know, the ones Mac do that are absolutely pigment packed but which are dry and quite chalky and which tend to kill your lips if you wear them for too long.

Rouge Allure Velvet lipsticks are smooth and emollient because there's silicone in the mix. That means that purists might sniff at the fact they're not getting the holier than thou matte experience but clever girls will immediately cotton on that it doesn't really matter, because appearances are everything. You get the look of a matte pout, without the ouchy feel. So you can wear these all day in comfort - and hey, I certainly appreciate that.

Of course, because they're not so chalky and clingy, you do need to reapply. Upside? You don't need to pick bits of scaly dessicated skin off your kisser before you do so.

Here's La Fascinante loose in the wild. Yep, got my anthropological beauty bloggin' hat on again - just call me the Margaret Mead of lipstick. You can see there's a very slight sheen to it and lots of pigment - these lipsticks are opaque and will cover all manner of pigmented lip skin.

So, who'll go for these? Chanel fans number one. If you like the brand's lipsticks you'll know what good quality they are; expect nothing less from Rouge Allure Velvet.  You'll also plump for these if you like the look of a matte pout but hate the dessicated after-effects. You won't like Rouge Allure Velvet if you're a matte purist who's a dedicated fan of Mac's Ruby Woo and considers any other form of lipstick to be namby pamby carry on altogether.

What about you? Is Rouge Allure Velvet a good antidote to this summer's hints of tints of glossy shine lip launches or is it just a shade too flat for your tastes? Let us know in a comment.