Chanel surfing

It’s plain – or should we say, Cristalle clear – to see that this season, lips shimmer in uber-sheer shine, thanks to trusted beauty expert Chanel. Trust creative, daring duo Heidi Morawetz and Dominique Moncourtois to come up with beauty’s Next Big Thing.

As Makeup Creation Studio director at Chanel, Paris, Heidi boasts she’s got every woman’s dream job: She gets paid to play with glitter and gloss in the name of beauty.

Dominique Moncourtois, Chanel’s international director of Makeup Creation, is the name behind the "face" of each season.

Together, they have created a new elegant and sensual look for the lips. The duo gives women a real shade deal with their Summer 2005 Makeup Creation, featuring evanescent textures shining in sheer shades. Stars of the collection are Cristalle Gloss and Le Crayon Gloss.

Heidi and Dominique have dreamed up another variation on the shine theme (to go with Levres Scintillantes and Aqualumiere): Cristalle Gloss. Lightweight and non-sticky, Cristalle Gloss coats the lips in a crystal film. "Like cut rock crystal, it diffracts and reflects all light, both natural and artificial," notes Dominique. The result is a totally natural and translucent look.

Cristalle Gloss owes this pure shine effect to its soft fluid gel texture that melts into your lips for maximum comfort. The secret lies in a combination of two shiny, sheer fluid polymers, a jelling agent that keeps pigments in suspension, and a power-packed moisturizing agent. Indeed, too good a secret for the duo to keep to themselves.

More, Cristalle Gloss is enriched with vitamin E to provide antioxidant and free radical protection as well as humectants to help retain moisture. That’s the beauty of "cosmeceutical" products like Cristalle Gloss.

Cristalle Gloss comes in eight mouthwatering colors: Ice (clear), Bonbon (pale pink), Tutti Frutti (magenta), Sugar (pearly white), Sorbet (strawberry pink), Melon (peach), Pink Candy (pink), and Cafe Glace (bronze).

And what’s this thing that shimmers like a gloss? It’s Le Crayon Gloss by Chanel! With its soft gel-like tip, Le Crayon Gloss traces and colors the mouth in sheer shine. It’s sheer pleasure to have and to use: It’s sheer enough to be used with gloss or alone as an allover color. A bright idea, don’t you think?

Its innovative texture delivers precise line with easy glide. Its film-forming polymer promises amazing wear and a luminous finish.

"This new beauty step will appeal to women who wish to remain 100 percent natural," asserts Dominique. "By coating lips in soft dazzling colors, Le Crayon Gloss enhances all lips, even thin ones."

Le Crayon Gloss comes in eight eye-catching shades: Grenadine (pure red), Cerise (fuchsia red), Pink Praline (dark pink), Peach Melba (tender peach), Mandarine (blood orange), Chocolat (brown), Caramel (amber beige), and Rose Honey (honey pink).

Here are tips from Chanel creators on how best to use Cristalle Gloss:

• Apply Cristalle Gloss generously to lips with the applicator for a maximum gloss effect.

• Apply several layers for even denser shine.

• Use Le Crayon Gloss, the new Chanel lip contour pencil especially created for lip gloss. Choose the same shade as the gloss or the closest shade to that of the lips.

• For thin lips, choose a light-colored gloss to increase their volume with an optical effect.

• Layer the sheer Ice shade over lipstick for a vinyl effect.

And for Le Crayon Gloss, Chanel creators share these bright tips:

• Apply to entire lip surface for maximum gloss hold.

• Match the Crayon Gloss shade to the gloss shade or choose the tone closest to that of your lips.

• Sharpen the soft Crayon Gloss (it comes with a sharpener) pencil tip often to ensure a precise line.

• Close Le Crayon Gloss well to preserve the glide-on effect of the texture.

• To obtain a 3D effect, choose a shade lighter than that of the gloss.

Now, what will this brilliant duo think of next?

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Chanel products are exclusively available at Rustan’s.