Chantecaille Coral Reefs Palette for Spring 2012

I received my extraordinary, limited-edition Chantecaille Coral Reefs Palette ($79) mid-week, and I've been so anxious to show it to you. The sun returned today, ensuring I could get some decent photos.

This palette is lust-worthy. You need at least one. I need three: one for use, one for my makeup museum, and one as a back-up. When you find something you love, you need a plan!

Chantecaille introduced the Coral Reefs Palette in an effort to help gain ongoing support and raise awareness for our ocean’s endangered reefs. The palette captures the pretty, polished, clean, and feminine fashion trends of the spring season, creating a healthy, fresh, and natural look - a perfect compliment to fashion’s colorful prints and omnipresent pastels and whites.

Soft eyes are delicately highlighted with a wash of sheer pastels and anchored by warm bronze hues. Coral pink cheeks are accented with bright citrus and pink lips to complete the radiant youthful glow.

The Coral Reef Palette ($79) offers three eye shades, Pink Pearl, Reef, and Driftwood and one cheek shade in Coral, all delicately embossed with a vanishing branch of coral. The beautiful colors of clean and fresh pastels take their cues from the spring catwalks. Comprised of the finest pearl and pigment particles, the palette shades create a natural, sheer veil of color with a glowing effect.

I didn't want to take any chances on the sun's disappearance, so I snapped my photos fairly early today. Some are a little darker than I'd like, but c'est la vie.

The first thing you'll see when you pull this treasure out of the box is an exquisitely decorated case. I love having the coral design both outside and in. Very classy.

Open the box, and your heart may skip a beat as mine did. These colors are a neutral lover's nirvana. There is a parchment paper that presents each shade and the intended use.

Pink Pearl is the perfect base/highlight color at the top left in the palette. Reef at top right is an eye color. The Coral cheek shade is at bottom right. Driftwood is labeled an eye liner, but I think it's a great accent shade when lightly applied. More on the shades below.

The gold highlights on all the colors are an overspray. The gold will be history after the first use or two. Slowly, your coral designs will also disappear with use, but that's to be expected.

I applied all four shades heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator. Pink Pearl at the top of my arm is so close to my skin tone it will be hard to detect in the photos. It's a very natural pink that looks like a pink pearl on the skin. It's perfectly named. Reef will make any taupe lover sure she's been shipwrecked in paradise. Look at that color! You shouldn't have any trouble visualizing it on your eyelids. It's stunning. It reminds me of a newborn fawn.

The Coral cheek shade is a perfect complement to the eye you'll create with the Coral Reefs Palette. It's sheer and buildable - and the perfect blush shade for spring and summer. I would wear it on my eyes too. My face knows no seasons. I wore it on my cheeks today and loved the way it warmed my face with pretty, natural color. Driftwood is the perfect liner for the Coral Reefs look. It's soft, providing just enough accent to adorn and define the eyes. Applied lightly, it's a great crease or accent color too.

With the Coral Reefs Palette, Chantecaille has continued its tradition of offering must-have makeup with an environmental benefit. Chantecaille has proudly joined the Marine Conservation Institute in their efforts to protect 10% of the world’s oceans by 2020. The oceans cover 71% of the earth, providing 80% of our oxygen and food for 3.5 billion people; yet less than one half of one percent of our oceans are protected. The health of the ocean is vital, and coral reefs are the alert system. Today three quarter’s of the world’s coral reefs are at risk due to over-fishing, pollution, and global warming. Maintaining 10% of the ocean’s ecosystems as “no-take marine protected areas” is the best chance for coral’s survival. Five percent of the proceeds from the Coral Reefs Palette will be donated to the Marine Conservation Institute to help meet our goals (not their goals, our goals).

Step-by-step guidelines for using the Coral Reefs Palette can be found at this link. I'll leave you with this close-up of Olivia Chantecaille modeling the look. How beautiful does it get?


Photos at top and bottom courtesy of Chantecaille; other photos by Best Things in Beauty