Since its founding in the early 1900’s, Chanel has been one of the most sought-after brands in fashion. It started out as a rebellious singer’s passion to make simple and comfortable clothes for women. But it has become a legendary name in every aspect of the high fashion industry.

The fragrance Chanel No.5 is perhaps the most famous product of this brand. However, the company is an industry leader in everything from clothing to makeup, and accessories as well. The iconic logo of interlocking C’s has become a global symbol for luxury of the elite. From such humble beginnings, how did Chanel become the  brand that it is today?

History And Background Of Chanel

Chanel shattered the traditional cultural norm of the womanly ‘hourglass figure’.

Chanel was founded in 1909 by Coco (Gabrielle) Chanel, a French night club singer and fashion designer. In an era where women’s fashion consisted of custom-made corsets and bodices, Chanel shattered the traditional cultural norm of the womanly ‘hourglass figure’. I use the word ‘shattered’, because corsets were uncomfortably stiff and restricting, which is exactly what Chanel aimed at fixing.

Her first designs revolutionized haute couture by producing elegant clothing that laid flat on the chest and hung off the shoulders. Her flannel blazers, jersey sweaters, and women’s pants were completely unheard of. Nonetheless, they were eagerly accepted by upper-class women, who had been waiting for centuries to be able to wear clothing and still breathe at the same time.

Shortly after World War I, she created the now-famous ‘little black dress‘. The Chanel suit quickly followed, uh, suit (mind the pun). Both of these remain signature icons of the brand to this day.

Chanel Continues To Expand

Over the years, Coco entered into partnerships with several different businessmen. She was viewed as a strong businesswoman with incredible opportunities. Her partners provided her with capital to develop new product lines, as well as to expand into the North American market.

Partnerships like this helped her develop and distribute Chanel No. 5 with perfumer Ernest Beaux, which is what really led her company to the top of the fashion game. Consistent production of the highest-end products designed by the her and top designers in France helped Chanel gain world recognition. In the second half of the 20th century, Chanel had many boutiques all over France and the United States. Her customers included the likes of the queen of Belgium and Marilyn Monroe, to name a couple.

Today, Chanel operates more than 310 boutiques all over the world. Its products are available in countless high-end department stores and fashion boutiques. It produces a full line of clothing, makeup, purses, perfumes, and accessories, and continues to uphold its reputation as one of the most desirable fashion labels in the world.

Chanel Products Overview

In recent years, Chanel has released many collections of ready-to-wear clothing. Besides fashion, of course, it also has its own makeup line. This includes mascaras, foundations, moisturizers – anything you’d expect from a makeup distributor.

Chanel’s coveted purses usually feature a signature adjustable chain-strap and a diamond leather pattern. They aren’t cheap, often retailing for more than $4,000, but they’re certainly classy. The company also produces shoes, hats, belts, and jewelry. You can literally create your whole look, from your foundation all the way to your leather gloves, entirely from Chanel.

Since Chanel is so expensive, there are always dupes and fakes being sold, which can be quite deceiving. So unless you’re particularly looking for an affordable fake, be sure you’re buying your product from a reputable seller. You don’t want to be scammed 4 grand for a fake product!

New Phenomenal Simple-Chanel Women’s Sakura Powder leather Chain Bag Shown by https://t.co/KlV13vj7Hf #Purses pic.twitter.com/VfqBveb4YM

— Antonia Sweet (@AntoniaSweet11) May 28, 2018

Chanel No. 5 Perfume Review

Chanel No. 5 perfume is one of the best-selling and most recognized perfumes in the world. Yes, they do have an insane marketing strategy enlisting some of the most famous women in the world, but what makes it so popular is that it simply “smells like a woman”.

With a delicate floral and citrussy smell, the top notes are composed of aldehydes, lemon, bergamot, neroli and ylang-ylang. The heart of the perfume features jasmine, rose, lily of the valley and iris. The base, meanwhile, sits on vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, amber and patchouli. What makes this perfume so elegant is the way it blends all of these scents together in perfect synergy, so that you cannot distinguish any of the ingredients on their own. Instead, you are greeted with an elegant, completely unique and unrivaled scent.

Soleil Tan De Chanel Review

This product is a bronzer which creates a natural looking base for your makeup. You can use it under your foundation, as it blends really well, or use this as your actual foundation on its own. Soleil Tan De Chanel is most suited for a medium skin tone, but also gives great results on extra-fair skin.

You only need the tiniest amount to achieve that perfect natural glow without looking orange or fake. It is a little pricey, but considering that it’s Chanel, and will last you a very long time, it’s a worthwhile investment.

If you have dark skin, this may be a little too light to actually do anything for you. I’d like to see Chanel release a wider variety of shades for skin tones other than the fair middle. Hopefully, we will see some new products in the future that will cater to all types of skin tones.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Review

This a light liquid foundation designed to simply even out the existing skin tone, without recreating it. The bottle lets out a very small amount at a time, which makes application a breeze. Instead of sitting on top of your face, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua pretty much melts into your skin and stays there all day, without running or changing consistency. I have heard that people with sensitive skin have had problems with this foundation, so if you have dry or irritated skin, definitely use this with a moisturizer underneath.

The $50 price tag for 1 fl oz is a little steep, but not surprising considering that it is, after all, Chanel. Fifty dollars a little out of your budget? There’s a wonderful dupe called Shiseido Sheer and Perfect foundation, which delivers great results as well, and costs considerably less. Of course, it won’t look quite as ‘wow’ on your vanity, but it depends what your priority is.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Review

It would have been nice if they had released at least one matte shade with the new version.

This is an eyeshadow quad with 2 medium-tone shades, a deep shade to intensify and a light shade to highlight. The shadows are powders; they are fragrance-free, and blend smoothly, almost like warm butter. There are some nice color combinations to be made, but they tend to give more shine than they do color, and seem to be more suited for the 70’s than 2018.

If you’re into that look, then this is the product for you. But seeing as matte is all the rage right now, it would have been nice if they had released at least one matte shade with the new version.

If you are looking for an equally high-end texture with a little less shine, you may want to go with Dior’s 5-Color Eye Shadow. However, for those of you trying to create matte-based looks, I would go in a completely different direction. I’d suggest the Urban Decay or MAC eyeshadow palettes, which will give you many more options and creative freedom.

Chanel Rouge Double Intensite Review

The first layer goes on almost feeling like a gloss, but dries completely matte. The gloss then goes on over it, completing the look.

The original matte layer will stay on all day, even through meals and snacks. The gloss, however, may need to be reapplied once or twice to perk it back up.

Chanel Rouge Double Intensite doesn’t come in as many shades as its competitors, but the few colors they do have are truly stunning. This is actually a very common Chanel tactic. The company spends time developing a small amount of well thought-out products, rather than releasing a whole slew of ambiguous shades every season. Does $34 dollars for a lipstick seem a bit much? The perfect depth and balance of the colors may just have you giving in to the splurge.

Is Chanel Cruelty Free?

Chanel is not a cruelty free company. It’s a little fuzzy as to whether Chanel tests its makeup on animals, or if the company doesn’t actually conduct the tests themselves, but will buy chemicals that were tested by others. In any case, its fashion line contains plenty of leather and fur, so Chanel as a whole is nothing close to cruelty free.

It’s interesting that Chanel claims to support organizations that are working towards effective alternatives to animal testing, while ordering and manufacturing fur and leather all the time. When chief designer Karl Lagerfeld was asked about his fur use, he replied that he “preferred not to know” where fur comes from. (I’m not quite sure what that means, either.)

While the company may phase animal testing out of its cosmetics eventually, as global pressure and regulations increase, it seems highly unlikely that this high couture is going to be adopting faux fur anytime soon.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for classic, high-end fashion, and you’re not afraid of a generous price tag, Chanel will certainly not disappoint. While it doesn’t have quite the extensive selection of other fashion labels, much thought and consideration is put into every product that it does release.

Chanel knows that its customers expect only perfection with every release, and it has taken great care to live up to those expectations over the last 108 years. It has proven itself time and again to be a true leader in the industry, and with the recent successful addition of collections for the younger crowds, it doesn’t look like it’ll be surrendering that title anytime soon.