Chanel Joues Contraste Marathon: An International Perspective with Imprevu and Reflex

Chanel’s Joues Contraste Blushes come in two separate varieties:  the U.S. version and another sold throughout the rest of the world.  Both are round, both share the same “Joues Contraste” name.

Here is an example of a U.S. version, in this case Imprevu from the Holiday ’09 collection.  You can see that the blush is a pressed powder, and the brush has brown bristles:

Chanel Imprevu U.S. Version

The texture is soft and shimmery.  When applied, the effect is a glowy shimmer:

For comparison, here is a Chanel Reflex blush which I purchased in France.  Reflex used to be available in a softer, pressed powder U.S. version.  That was discontinued.  This Reflex is quite different.  Although both are peach-toned, the texture of the non-U.S. version is baked.  You can see the round pan has a marble-like surface.  You can also see that the brushes have black bristles, rather than the brown bristles packed with the U.S. product.

The international versions of the Joues Contrastes typically need a stiffer brush, because of their harder texture.  I sometimes use a kabuki.  Chanel sells a separate line of makeup brushes outside the U.S., and some have very stiff bristles which would work well with their non-U.S. blushes.

Note that the non-U.S. versions typically have more sparkle/shimmer than their U.S. cousins.  The non-U.S. Reflex has quite a bit of gold shot through the product, which gives a more pronounced highlighter effect:

Gold shimmer

Many of my U.S.-purchased blushes are marked “Made in U.S.A.”  However, this is not always the case.  For example, my U.S Imprevu blush is marked as “Made in France.”  Your best guide for the U.S. versus U.S. is the brush color  and the texture of the blush pan (pressed powder versus harder, baked texture).