I chose three items from the Chanel Holiday collection: Apparence Illusion d’Ombre, Nuit-Claire Eyeshadow Duo and Harmonie du Soir Quadra Eye Shadow.
Apparence Illusion d’Ombre ($36 for 4g/0.14 oz) is a stunning brassy-gold metallic. It’s quite sparkly but not too over-the-top when blended on the lids. When swatched on the arms it’s quite warm, on the eyes it balances out to appear a bit more neutral, but still warm and golden. The shimmer/sparkle factor is still fairly high but I experienced no fall-out. Like all other Illusion d’Ombres, this has a spongey hybrid gel/cream like texture with bounce. I like to use the applicators for intense pigment, but use a small shadow brush for a sheer wash. For everyday wear at a conservative work office, it’s borderline too sparkly to pull off. Blending for a sheer wash and combining this with other shades makes it ok for me, but I probably would save this one for special occasions or any time other than just to work. (That’s just me though.)
Nuit-Claire Eyeshadow Duo ($42 for 2.5g/0.09 oz) is a combination of soft classic black satin and champagne shimmer. It’s very subtle and natural looking. Those who think it resembles last holiday’s Noir-Ivoire are correct. This year’s Nuit-Claire is a cooler version with a pinkish champagne compared to last year’s duo, but without comparing them side-by-side, they appear almost identical. (Scroll down for the comparison.) The shimmer in the pale champagne side gives a subtle glow to the lids which is really quite lovely. The black is sheer but layerable for a smokey eye. I don’t think it’s a must-have because the colors are just so basic but if you’re looking for something subtle and refined without too much shimmer then this is definitely something you should check out.
Harmonie du Soir ($65 for 4 g/0.14 oz) is a quad in the Regard Signé de Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow formula. It’s the same formula as Topkapi with the embossed print texture and rich metallic smooth pigment. I didn’t think the colors were a must-have but the formula of these shadows is so good, I caved. The shades include a strong metallic gold neutral, plum-taupe, lilac-pink-mauve and a cool reddish shimmer. The only shade I have issues with is the reddish color, but it adds a nice touch of warmth when layered softly over the gold and plum taupe. To apply, I’ve taken the gold and lilac mixed softly all over the lid, followed by the taupe-plum 1/2 way up the lid with more emphasis on the outer corners and then finished with a soft pop of the red on top blended. To me it’s not an easy combination of colors to apply easily – it takes a lot of blending for me but with a bit of time it works.
Here they are swatched:
Comparisons below to a few other shades:
Out of all three new items for eyes, the only thing I feel is a must-have is the Apparence Illusion d’Ombre simply because I adore neutral gold shimmers, especially for the holiday. The other two items are very pretty, however I’m not quite as smitten with them. (It’s like but not love.) I just found Nuit-Claire a bit too basic and the combination of colors in the Harmonie du Soir aren’t easy for me to pull off. Still the entire collection has a lovely festive feel that’s perfect for the upcoming holiday season.
