New: Chantecaille Cheek Crème

Achieve a natural summer color with Chantecaille’s new, luxurious Cheek Crème ($34). Each of the three flattering shades (Shy, Demure, and Coy) contains unique "siliconic elasomers" in emollient oils with luminous results. The compact’s mirror guarantees effortless application on-the-go, making it this summer’s beach bag essential if you're headed out of town. For me, two of these shades will be parked firmly on my bathroom counter.

When I first saw the "portrait" of these beautiful cream blushes, I knew I needed the two pink shades. I wasn't sure about the warm, peachy shade, but my curiosity ruled. I ordered all three.

Here they are lined up at my house. As with Akoya Pearl, I was limited by a miffy sun. I did the best I could with photos. I placed the pretty little round compacts in the following order: Demure, Coy, and Shy are shown left to right directly above.

I swatched them extremely heavily using a sponge-tipped applicator - an application method one would never use "in real life." I wanted to show you the color differences and decided that was the best way to do it. All swatch photos show Demure at the top of my arm, Coy in the middle, and Shy at the bottom.

This first swatch photo, taken in front of a Satsuki azalea that has just started to show off its multicolored flowers, shows the colors well. Demure is for gals who need a warm tone and love peach. It's very pretty on the cheeks when applied with a foundation brush or even my fingertips. It warms my face and makes me look ready for a summer day.

Coy is rose, but I think it leans coral. Does that make sense? Let's call it a warm rose. Shy is the pink at the bottom of my arm. How good does it get? If I were going to choose a shade - only one - for my fair, cool-toned complexion, Shy would be the it shade. It's a gorgeous pink.

Poised in front of a miniature rose, the colors look the same. You'll note that they are not sparkly or shimmery. They provide a creamy gleam to my cheeks and look very natural. Chantecaille actually recommends that we apply them with our fingertips, dotting the color onto the cheeks and then blending lightly. That works nicely (the formula offers nice slip), but I like using my foundation brush better.

These velvety, soft, and easily blendable colors definitely melt into the skin for a pretty anytime glow - fresh and natural.  The white lily bulb and peach extracts in the formula will shield our delicate faces from free radicals. Chantecaille always puts beneficial ingredients into its color, offering "the whole package" with each luxurious new product.

I'll leave you with one more swatch photo before I run off to work. Remember, the shades were applied unrealistically heavily for these blushes. Still, there's a lot of color in each them. If you decide to use the fingertip dot-and-blend method of application, dot very lightly to ensure you get the right amount of color. It won't take much to make you look pretty.

The new Cheek Crèmes are available at Chantecaille's Web site, where I purchased mine. I saw all three shades on the Summer 2012 display at Neiman Marcus, so you ought to be able to find them at your favorite Chantecaille counter. The Summer 2012  Collection has arrived!

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