In my job as a beauty editor, I spoken with a lot of makeup artists throughout my career. Being backstage at fashion week, nosying through MUA’s kit bags and chatting with celebrity makeup artists means that you pick up a lot of intel on what makeup products really cut the mustard—the ones that are so good that they to make their way onto the faces of their celebrity clientele.
If there is one makeup brand that I see popping out of every makeup artist’s kit time and time again, it’s Chanel Beauty. It’s unsurprising, given that Chanel has so many iconic makeup products that work for day-to-day and the red carpet. The brand’s Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream is the best cream bronzer that I’ve tried,
To find out what the best Chanel Beauty makeup products are, I asked celebrity makeup artists in the UK to unzip their kits bags, trawled the IGs of international Chanel MUAs and quizzed the Who What Wear team share their ‘I can’t live without this’ makeup products. Scroll ahead for the definitive list of the best Chanel makeup products to try next.
Celebrity clients: Sofia Richie Grainge, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Olsen, Simone Ashley
Sofia Richie Grainge’s wedding makeup? That was Pati Dubroff? All of Margot Robbie’s epic Barbie press tour glam? That’ll be Dubroff, too. The celebrity makeup artist calls upon a lot of Chanel makeup in her kit. Below are just some of the makeup products that she calls upon to help celebrities get their glow. Dubroff used one specific Chanel makeup product on both Richie Grainge and Robbie—the Rouge Coco Baume in Pink Delight. It’s become so popular it’s basically out of stock everywhere, but the tinted balm is available in a few shades that imparts a sheer wash of colour and gloss to the lips.
When Dubroff used this tinted balm on Sofia Richie Grainge for her wedding makeup look, everyone went crazy for it. It’s the perfect pairing of a balm and a wash of colour.
This is another staple that crops up in Dubroff’s kit time and time again. It’s a clear highlighting stick that imparts a glossy sheen to wherever you wish to apply it. It comes in a totally glitter-free transparent shade, but also subtle shimmer, bronze and blush tones. It never stays in stock for long, so if you see one, add it to your basket pronto.
Celebrity clients: Zoë Kravitz, Kaia Gerber, Hailey Bieber, Laura Harrier, HoYeon Jung, Taylor Russell
I often find myself going down a rabbit hole when I look at Nina Park’s work. Working with some of the biggest celebrity A-listers including Hailey Bieber, Zoë Kravitz and Laura Harrier, Park is known for creating glowing skin and minimalist yet elegant makeup looks for her clients. For Hailey Bieber’s recent Met Gala glam, Park used Le Volume De Chanel Mascara to impart glamourous volume to Bieber’s lashes.
Adds chic volume and drama to lashes without clumping.
This chic little pot is responsible for adding a realistic flush of colour to the lips and cheeks, making it a great dual-purpose product to have in your makeup bag.
From painting Rihanna for her Vogue Brazil cover to Alexa Chung, Jenna Coleman and Kiera Knightley calling her their makeup artist, I was intrigued to hear what Taylor’s go-to Chanel makeup products is. “Chanel Les Beige Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream is the closest thing you will ever get to a genuine tan. It glides onto the skin, blending perfectly into a moisturised face,” she says. “And don’t forget to apply on your neck for extra jaw definition.”
This universally-loved bronzer comes in a light, medium and deep shade and blends effortlessly for a sunk-kissed complexion.
Celebrity clients: Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Gillian Anderson
I’ve been lucky enough to sit in the chair with Marco Antonio, who is not only a MUA for major celebrity clients, but is also the fashion and beauty director for Hunger magazine and creating avant garde beauty moments for the title, as well as creating beautiful editorial makeup looks for just about every major fashion magazine you can imagine. He introduced me to Les Beiges Foundation, a product he often reaches for in his kit. “I am always in search for the perfect foundation and Chanel Les Beiges Foundation is the one for me with its unique formulation,” he says. “It’s silky texture and vast spectrum of shades is the one thing that can totally transform your skin while being invisible to the eye and imperceptible to touch.”
Lends skin a natural-looking radiance and sheer coverage.
When I met with Nummela at a Chanel event, she created an incredible lit-from-within makeup look on me, and I’ve since become captivated with her work on celebrities such as Priyanka Chopra and Gemma Chan. “A must have in my makeup bag, is the Chanel Le Crayon Khôl in Ambre—the deep burnished red khôl pencil is perfect for creating a lived-in smoky eye look,” says Emmanuel. “This shade beautifully complements any eye colour.”
Defines eyes with a soft, blendable formula for a smouldering result.
Celebrity clients: Rachel Weisz, Thandie Newton, Vanessa Kirby. From working on Vogue covers to working with everyone from Christy Turlington to Lady Gaga on shoots to working with celebrities such as Rachel Weisz, Thandie Newton and Vanessa Kirby, Montano knows the best products in the game.
“A good, natural nude lip is a key essential in both my professional, and personal makeup wardrobe, and Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Matte Lipstick in Libre suits most fair-to medium skin types. It creates a cool ’60s vibe for darker skin tones too. I love it!”
Chanel’s Rouge Allure Velvet lipsticks coat lips in a lightweight, soft-matte finish.
“I swear by the Baume Essentiel highlighting sticks, but a new discovery is the Rouge Frais shade, which works so well as a dewy blush. I swipe this onto my cheeks the top of my forehead for when I want to achieve a sunkissed pop of colour.”
When my limbs are looking lacklustre, I rely on this shimmering body oil to add a subtle sheen. It works amazingly on limbs, and it doubles up as a hair oil, too.
“This is the most beautiful highlighter for spring and summer. I love using it my cheekbones to add subtle golden glow, but it also doubles up as an eyeshadow which is an added bonus. It has a soft, silky formula that is easy to blend, and the palette comes with a large compact mirror so I always throw it in my bag for any makeup touches throughout the day.”
“I could get rid of everything in my make-up bag and only need the Baume essential stick. This creamy, glossy highlighter stick is the cheats way to brighter skin in just one swipe. Dab along your cheekbones and down the centre of your nose for the easiest way to channel dewy, bronzed, holiday skin with just a hint of contour.”
“As I get older, I find myself gravitating towards lightweight formulas across my entire makeup roster, and Chanel is fast-becoming my go-to for natural-looking products that give good glow. My complexion has never looked better since I switched out my regular foundation for this water-infused base, on top of which the blush blends perfectly.”
“As for my lips, one slick of Chanel’s Rouge Coco Baume is all I need for an instant hydration hit, while the Natural Charm hue gives my lips a gorgeous flush. This is low-key makeup at its finest.”
“The Chanel bronzing cream may be a high price point but it is totally worth it in my opinion. The cream-gel formula ingredients include mineral waxes combined with light-reflecting pigments that provide a healthy, sun-kissed glow. Chanel recommends adding it where the sun would hit; such as across cheeks, nose, forehead, chin and décolleté, however I also use it in winter as a base on my face and neck for some added warmth. Its a 10/10 from me.”
