Gabrielle Chanel’s early designs recognised a woman’s need to move freely. By counteracting the constrictive fashions of the time—read: stiffened under-structures and fussy corsetry—the renegade French couturière campaigned for a woman’s right to move about with ease, both in her daily life and when travelling and discovering the world.
In the beauty space, Chanel released tiny little compact powders, travel soaps and tanning oils, all of which were packaged so a nomadic soul like herself could pop them into her purse on-the-go, a rather wild idea for the mid 20th century years. Indeed, at the turn of the the century, this ethos led to the advent of SUBLIMAGE, the House’s timeless luxury skincare line filled with portable talismans for all your worldly adventures. The standout is SUBLIMAGE La Crème Texture Suprême, a rich, hydrating formulation derived from its star ingredient: Vanilla Planifolia.
Read more: Bottling Fragrances: What Fragrance Takes You Back to Your Childhood?
Harvested at an open-sky laboratory in Madagascar, CHANEL Research used a process called polyfractioning—a three-stage extraction technique—which makes the active molecules of the vanilla 40 times more concentrated than the raw plant material. This polyfractioned vanilla planifola, which is rich in polyketones, increases skin cell regeneration for a base that’s left hydrated, smooth and with fine lines reduced.
With continued morning-and-evening use of this smooth, rich, enveloping creme, this editor began to see a visible change in her skin’s texture, a dull-to-radiant shift in skin tone, and real redefinition of her contours.
“The face is a mirror that reflects the events of your inner life; take good care of it,” Gabrielle Chanel famously said.
Packaged in gold and with a black lid—two of CHANEL’s iconic colours—SUBLIMAGE La Crème Texture Suprême arrives in a polished glass jar and with a thin, golden spatula made of stainless steel and titanium. But in the most beautiful nod to the House’s founder, the SUBLIMAGE La Crème Texture Suprême’s glass hardware can detach from its refill jar, meaning the latter can travel with you.
Yes, no matter where you are in this world—Paris, Capri, Sydney—it’s a beautiful piece of luxury to pack into your purse. Just as Gabrielle Chanel would have wanted.
CHANEL SUBLIMAGE LA CRÈME TEXTURE SUPRÊME
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.