Chanel Holiday 2011: Lumiére Sculptée de Chanel Highlighting Powder

The Holiday Collection from Chanel this year, Collection Les Scintillances de Chanel, is all about luminosity. From satiny lipsticks with a hint of sheen to glowing gold eyeliner and pearlescent eye shadow, the entire collection literally shines. Lumiére Sculptée de Chanel Highlighting Powder is no exception. Although it has its drawbacks, overall it's a lovely highlighter and worth the effort. 

Lumiére Sculptée is a finely milled, slightly shimmery, almost white powder with a faint pink cast. It's absolutely breathtaking to behold, embossed with a regal floral pattern and glowing in the light. The color is extremely pale, offering the appearance of crushed pearls on the skin. It's not designed to shimmer or sparkle, but rather to glow, and glow it does. 

It's packaged with a very useable brush, which is perfect for blush. However, I don't recommend using it for the highlighter. I'm very fair, yet when I applied Lumiére Sculptée with the enclosed brush it applied too heavily and looked chalky. I then tried a regular blush brush and got the same effect. By that time I was in a near panic, so I resorted to a duo-fiber brush (which I typically hate to use), and...perfection! The powder stayed light enough to offer a perfect glow without caking. 

Now that I've perfected my technique, I'm very happy with this one. It's subtle enough for day, yet gives a lovely candlelit glow that's stunning. At $72, it's pricey, but given the fact that you literally use nothing to achieve the desired effect, it will last forever. I can see me still having this one in a year or more, even with daily use...that's how small a bit you need to use. A great addition to any collection. 

Bottom Line: This is a truly beautiful highlighter that gives a glow rather than a sheen or sparkle to the skin. It's understated and sexy, and suitable for day or night. You must, must, must use caution when applying, as it turns chalky very quickly if you apply too much, and that's not difficult to do, as the tiniest amount will suffice. I don't recommend this for anyone with darker skin (possibly even medium tones will find it too light), and I certainly don't recommend it for those who like to apply their cosmetics with a heavy hand. However, if you are fair and feel you can restrain yourself with the application, you'll find this is a lovely addition to your collection.