CHANEL JOUES CONTRASTE / POWDER BLUSH IN CARESSE (180) FOR HOLIDAY 2014 COLLECTION PLUMES PRÉCIEUSES DE CHANEL

Caresse is a soft coral or apricot.  I highly recommend trying this on the cheeks to see the real effect against your skin tone.  When swatched it appears extremely light with a pastel lean or white undertone leading one to believe it may be too light.  However, when I tried it on my medium, olive (~NC30) skin tone, it showed up very well and there was no visible white undertone to it.  It's buildable and pretty much impossible to overdo, which is what I appreciate about Chanel powder blushes apart from how beautiful the shades are.

The finish of Caresse is consistent with other European baked powder blushes which have micro-shimmers in them and leave subtle, pretty sparkles on the cheeks.  Don't worry you won't come out looking like a disco ball.  It's only a tiny sparkle here and there and really only noticeable up close.    

The texture of this blush that I purchased here in Australia has the dryer, harder texture with lots of shimmers consistent with Chanel's European baked powder blush formula.  This formula makes it hard to overdo blush application, because it's harder to pick up too much product at a time, so it's great for newbies, or those like me who want quick makeup application on the go without worrying about leaving the house looking like a clown.  Even though the texture seems dry, it actually blends really easily onto the skin.  The thicker, natural-haired, coarser brush applicator provided is perfect with baked formulas as it can pick up more product as you swirl it into the pan.

Like most Chanel powder blushes (true for most other brands, too), I found this one to last me only a few hours before I feel the need to touch up.  So, that's the only downside I experience with these blushes.

As you can see in the swatch below, Caresse looks almost too light for my medium, olive skin tone.  However, trust me - it is beautiful and appears darker even and with no noticeable white undertone on the cheeks! :)  (Note all swatches were photographed indoors under artificial lighting and using a strobe - unless stated otherwise).

Below are comparison swatches to a few other peach or orange hued powder blushes in my collection - including:

// Chanel Joues Contraste in Espiègle - an old peach blush favourite, which is actually even paler than Caresse yet for some reason I can still pull it off on my skin tone!  Espiègle also has a little less sparkle than Caresse.

// Chanel Joues Contraste in Frivole - obviously so much darker, brighter and almost matte with the subtlest shimmers.

// Mac Powder Blush in Ripe for Love - again much darker, redder and has a satin finish.