Chantecaille Les Petales de Rose Illuminating Face Powder: Review & Swatches

It was love at first sight when I first saw this limited edition highlighter on Temptalia. I had to have it. I went straight to Mecca's online store but one look at the price took the wind right out my sails. $108! This blog is a testament to my spendthrift ways, but even I have limits and crossing the $100 barrier for a single powder product is a big deal. I immediately remembered why no Chantecaille products have ever made it into my stash. Everything that's ever caught my eye from the brand costs a small fortune.

Still, I couldn't get it out of my head. When I received a 20% off voucher from Harrods to make up for an item in my last order being unavailable, I knew exactly what I was going to use it on.

The compact has an almost futuristic look about it. It's made of lightweight plastic, but it doesn't feel cheap and the closure is very secure. Unfortunately it's a total magnet for fingerprints.

The speckled wave design (at least I think it's meant to be waves) is so pretty. It's the type of product that in the past I just would have put aside, only getting it out occasionally to marvel at it's beauty. I can't say blogging has been a good thing for my bank balance, but at least it forces me to actually use all the lovely things I buy.

"Inspired by the marvelously soft color and texture of crushed rose petals, Les Pétales’ kaleidoscope of colorful powders blends seamlessly onto the skin, offering a subtle veil of radiance." 

The powder is so soft and finely milled it blends into skin effortlessly. It's not shimmery or sparkly, it just gives skin a gorgeous natural looking sheen. It doesn't accentuate my crater sized pores at all, in fact I'd say it actually slightly softens the appearance of imperfections.

The colour is perfect. It's pink-toned with a slight hint of gold, but the pinkness is secondary to the beautiful glow and the gold sheen isn't as noticeable as in a highlighter like NARS Albatross. Unlike many pink highlighters there's no mistaking this for a blush, it's much more subtle than that. Because it appears almost colourless on the skin, it can easily be used as an all over finishing powder. 

The wear time is excellent. I've been using this daily, and found it to last a good 10 hours without any fading, no touch-ups required. When the weather cools down a little and my make-up stops trying to melt down my face, I'd expect it to last even longer.

 Inside

Outside

In full sun

So, is it worth the high price tag? I say yes. The quality is certainly there, and it's easily the best highlighter I've found for my pale complexion. I'm actually planning on getting a back-up. I still think $108 is slightly ridiculous, but I feel that way about 99% of Australian prices, so if I can find it in store I'll happily splurge.

Currently Les Petales de Rose is sold out on Mecca's online store, but is still available online from Harrods and Nordstrom. I have to say I continue to be really impressed with Harrods service. Once again they sent my parcel very speedily and took great care packaging my items.

Have you tried anything from Chantecaille before? When it comes to cosmetics, what's your invisible spending barrier?