Chanel Beauty products I can't live without

The story of how I found my two favorite Chanel products, and how I like to use them

When I got the call that my Pappou (grandfather in Greek) had passed away in January 2020, I was dreading the lonely flight back to Chicago. Nervously, I arrived to the airport 3 hours early, itching to get home to my family during one of the hardest times of my life. I had so much time to spare, so I decided to venture over to the International Terminal, which was one over from my gate. To distract myself from waves of emotions, shock and grief, I started to peruse around the beauty counters.

I got to Chanel Beauty and a few products caught my eye. The first was a highlighter stick, Baume Essentiel, which would become a holy grail product in my cosmetic bag for years to come. I originally bought the shade Sculpting and then a couple years ago I added Transparent to my collection. Sculpting gives this gorgeous shimmery glow, while Transparent feels like a dewy balm finish. This is the No. 1 product I use to finish any of my makeup looks. With my fingertips, I dab this glowy magic to my cheek bones, underneath my eyebrows, corner of my eyes, nose and top of my lip.

The next product is my Chanel Les 4 Ombres Eyeshadow Quadra. I have used this eyeshadow exclusively since I bought it in 2020.. and it has lasted. While I’m admittedly due for a fresh quad, for how often I use it (weekly, sometimes daily), it has lasted forever and a day. This specific combination of brown/burnt red is perfection. You can easily change up the look depending on how sultry you want to go with the eyes. I have always leaned toward brown eyeshadow tones and it is perfect for every day, too. I cannot live without this product! Sometimes I dampen a very thin liner brush and swipe on the darkest brown shade as eyeliner. Another tip is dabbing on a smidge of the Baume Essentiel atop the brown shadows- it looks divine.

When I reached down to pay for my new makeup, I found a bank envelope in my wallet, forgotten from Christmas a few weeks prior. Written on it: “Merry Christmas, Gaboula! Love, Your Pappou”. Inside, a few bucks to get me some Chanel at the airport. I took it as a sign and a little gift from Pappou, he always loved spoiling us.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. Excited to chat more soon.

Love, Gabs