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Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Fatal and Initiation | Holiday 2013

October 13, 2013


Chanel has released two new shades of their Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow ($36 each) in Initiation and Fatal. Each color is beautiful alone with a simple coat of mascara but also look lovely when layered together. Lasting power is quite good for these – they did not budge from my eyes from morning to early evening when I tested these.

Below: Left – Fatal, Right – Initiation

Fatal is a stunning purple-red with silver sparkles. It’s like a mix between Chanel Illusoire and Ebloui but with an added kick of visible silver shimmer to make it unique. Purples can be hard for me to pull off if they have too much blue or too much red. Fatal is the perfect in between. It does look warmer in the pot than it applies on the skin but it’s a chameleon-like color. The shimmers are both red and purple so it may look different depending on what angle you hold the pot at.

Initiation is a stunning warm bronze with silver and gold flecks. I find this one to be extra sparkly but in a good way. There was no fall out with the sparkles. I like to use the little applicator brush to apply but fingers or a basic cream shadow brush works well too. (One of my favorites is MAC #242 for creams or Chanel Concealer #10.) I’m glad Chanel released a bronze shadow – it was a much-needed color in the Illusion D’Ombre lineup.

Swatches, two views. The colors are easy to control for pigment. I swatched with a heavy hand but they are easy to blend out and layer.

Comparisons show that Chanel Initiation is quite different from most bronze colors I own. Armani Eyes to Kill #15 is warmer and #26 is more brassy. For Chanel Fatal I found Armani Eyes to Kill #27 almost identical in finish. The Armani is just slightly lighter with a bit more silver frost.

Comparisons below: MAC Buried Treasure Paint Pot, Armani Eyes to Kill #15, Armani Eyes to Kill #26, Chanel Ebloui, Chanel Illusoire and Armani Eyes to Kill #27.

With flash:

Without flash:

Overall beautiful colors perfect for fall to holiday. Versatile enough to incorporate into many different looks for both day and night. Also wearable alone, mixed, or layered over other powder shadows for added depth and sparkle. Definitely must-haves in my book.
Both Chanel Fatal and Initiation Illusion D’Ombres are limited-edition colors. Available now at Neiman Marcus.
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Le Métier de Beauté Carnaby Street Kaleidoscope | Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus Exclusive

October 6, 2013

Le Métier de Beauté Carnaby Street Kaleidoscope Eye Kit ($95, limited) is an exclusive release to Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus. So far it’s only online at Bloomingdales.com but you can probably still find this in store or have your Le Métier de Beauté specialist locate one for you. The colors in this kit are beautiful but 2 out of the 4 are repeats from previous kits. I still find the kit worth having but you may want to shop your stash if you have a lot of the kaleidoscope kits.

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Level 1 is a seashell peachy pink shimmer. It’s different from other pinks Le Métier de Beauté has released and makes a stunning all over shade that brightens the lids.

I didn’t have time to swatch the comparisons side by side, but did photograph them side by side to give you a better idea of how each layer compares. Here is Carnaby Street compared to Saint-Domingue (Saks exclusive) and Antique Poupee (Bergdorfs limited release 2011).

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Level 2 is a shimmering complex taupe. I found it to be identical to the taupes from other kits such as Antique Poupee and Come One, Come All.

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Level 3 is a matte mauve. It applies beautifully on the eyes to add a bit of contour and warmth. It’s identical to the mauve shade from Nouvelle Vague.

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Level 4 is a metallic teal. It’s a repeat from the Oscar de la Renta/Ready-to-Wear kit from Bergdorfs back in 2011. I’ve compared it next to the green from Penelope (also discontinued) to show that the Carnaby Street kit is more teal.

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Swatches, two views:

For those trying to decide between the two latest kits from Le Métier, here is Carnaby Street compared to Saint-Domingue (Saks Exclusive). I can’t say one is better than the other, they are both stunning options in my mind. However Saint-Domingue is easier for me to wear. The teal in Carnaby Street is gorgeous but I need to add a bit of brown or black to darken it for my complexion (teals can sometimes make my olive skin look sallow).

Overall, the Carnaby Street Kaleidoscope is a lovely release from Le Métier de Beauté. It is a modern palette of colors with unique shades compared to other brands (although a few repeats from other kaleidoscopes). You can find it online now at Bloomingdales. Did you get Carnaby Street? What did you think?

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Le Métier de Beauté Saint-Domingue Kaleidoscope | Saks Exclusive

October 4, 2013

Le Métier de Beauté has released a Saks-Exclusive Kaleidoscope called Saint-Domingue ($95, limited). I spotted it in their fall fantasy catalog and ordered it immediately from Saks Houston for a gift card event. It’s breathtaking. Each shade is unique compared to the past releases from Le Métier de Beauté. It’s a stunning combination of colors that is perfect for fall.

The top shade is a satiny nude pink. There is a slight hint of shimmer but it applies more like a matte.

The second shade is a matte grey base with very subtle flecks of sparkle. Note this one pulls more blue on my arm but in real life applies more neutral on the eyes. It’s not as pale or as cool as the grey from Splendid Frost.

The third shade is a shimmering plum gold. It looks almost identical to Silk Road’s plums but it applies with much more pigment and sparkle. It’s also not quite as purply as Silk Road.

The last shade is a stunning soft steel dove grey shimmer. I couldn’t find another shade like it. It applies like a dream.

Most kits are designed to layer each color. This one I prefer to apply more like a traditional quad (lightest all over, then each darker shade worn progressively closer to the lashline).

Swatched individually then blended together:

I think it’s a must-have. It has the perfect blend of matte and shimmer. The pigment and blendability is phenomenal. I can’t rave enough about this one. You can find it at select Saks Stores or at Saks.com.

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Pinks: Diorshow Fusion Mono Chimère #821 and Armani Eyes to Kill Rose Popillia #30

October 2, 2013

I’m loving shimmery pinks for eyes right now. Two new discoveries include these interesting hybrid gel-creams, in particular Diorshow Fusion Mono in Chimère #821 ($30 for 6.5g) and Armani Eyes to Kill in Rose Popillia #30 ($33 for 4g). There are pinks that can be impossible for me to pull off on my olive skintone, but these two have an interesting mix of sparkle and shimmer that they don’t look like traditional pinks on the eyes.

Diorshow Fusion Mono Chimère #821 is an iridescent multidimensional mousse-gel type of shadow. It mimics a similar feel to Chanel Illusion d’Ombres with the slight bounce it has when you press the product with your fingers. In general I found the Diorshow Fusion Mono shadows extremely shimmery (almost glittery) with a sheer finish. Chimère #821 was one of the few shades I felt was the least metallic making it the easiest to wear for someone conservative like myself. The texture blends easily on the lids without a base. It’s a lovely swipe-and-go kind of no-fuss shade. Lasting power was excellent on me.

Armani Eyes to Kill Rose Popillia #30 was released with the Fall 2013 Collection. I blinked and it sold out. It has sold out online multiple times and been on backorder. Luckily I was able to test it instore to know it was a must-have (and I immediately ordered it online). Rose Popillia #30 is a complex mauve-pink-taupe-lavender kind of shade. It has a similar complexity and multi-chrome finish to MAC Vex (but easier to wear). I’ve been a longtime Eyes to Kill fan and this one is no exception. Lasting power is amazing on me. It’s one that is impossible to describe properly. The mix of colors makes this one truly unique.

More photos and swatches, you can see the pigment is easy to control by layering. The shimmers are visible but not over the top:

Swatched in sunlight with flash:

Without flash in sunlight, you can see how the color flashes different due to the complexity:

Comparisons to other pinks including Armani Eyes to Kill #29 (swatched here), Chanel Abstraction, Tom Ford Pink Haze (reviewed here), MAC Vintage Selection Paint Pot.

Both = love. Dior Chimère is definitely easier to find right now (not sure if it’s limited). I ordered mine online at Nordstrom.com. Armani Rose Popillia on the other hand sold out near me at mutiple counters. I waited for a week while it was on backorder but it shipped quickly. You may have better luck than I did tracking it down at your local counters.
Have you checked out the new Diorshow Fusion Mono cream shadows or the Armani fall collection?
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Eye Makeup Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Orchid Haze Eye Color Quad

September 16, 2013

Tom Ford Orchid Haze Eye Color Quad ($78 for .35 oz/10g, made in Italy) is my favorite new release for eyes from Tom Ford. It’s a beautiful palette neutrals with rich smooth pigment. There are three shimmery shades in a frosted ivory, shimmery tan, and shimmery mauve pink. The fourth shade is a matte in a deep plum brown. Orchid Haze is a must-have for any neutral lover. The shimmers are very shimmery in the frosted finish. It’s not over the top though and the colors are naturally flattering.

After the preview I posted on Instagram, many requested it be compared to Chanel Raffinement (reviewed here). I didn’t think it would be similar but pulled it by request anyways. Below I’ve compared it to NARS Kalahari, Guerlain Les Fumes (reviewed here) and Giorgio Armani Quad #2 (swatched here).

Compared to most other neutral palettes Tom Ford Orchid Haze is the winner in my book. The pigment is incredibly smooth and rich with excellent lasting power. Definitely worth the splurge and a good excuse for you to visit your nearest Tom Ford Beauty counter to try in person. Tom Ford Orchid Haze is available now in stores at Tom Ford counters. Also online at Neiman Marcus.

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Tom Ford Seductive Rose Eye Color Quad

September 13, 2013
Tom Ford Seductive Rose Eye Color Quad ($78 for .35 oz/10g, made in Italy) is new to the US but already released in Asia. The quad is a stunning palette with two textured sparkles and two finely milled shimmers. I am usually not a fan of sheer glitter sparkles and when I swatched this palette on the arm, I was disappointed to see how sheer the rose and purple were. Layering the sparkles resulted in simply more sparkle (versus color). The other colors swatched perfectly: a soft pink shimmer and a aubergine/plum shimmer. Even though hand/arm swatches were a let down, the good news with this palette looks much better on the eyes than on the hands or arm. The colors apply on the eye beautifully. The trick is to layer the glittery shades on last by softly pressing and then blending gently. The sparkles in this palette coordinate and layer beautifully with the shimmer colors. If you’re normally not a shimmer kind of person when it comes to makeup you will find this over the top. I like to wear shimmers, occasionally frosts, rarely do I wear high-sparkle shadows, but I fell completely in love with Seductive Rose. It’s one of those palettes you have to try in person on the eyes to see just how lovely it is.

A closer look at the beautiful textures:

Here it is swatched, you can see that the glitters apply very sheer:

I couldn’t find anything like Seductive Rose. When I saw photos when this was released in Asia I suspected this was a more sparkly version of Enchanted (limited-edition from the fall 2012 jardin noir collection). Swatching the two side by side show that the two are very different.

The sparkles in Seductive Rose seemed similar to those in the Tom Ford trios for this season. A comparison to She Wolf and In the Pink are below. The colors are similar in concept and sheerness, but I prefer the sparkles in the Seductive Rose quad – I find them a bit more wearable.

Swatched without flash:

Swatched with flash:

I think Seductive Rose is a must-have for me. It’s a definite splurge but the colors are unique and I love the way the colors look on the eyes. Even though it’s on the glitzy side I still find it wearable for everyday if the glitters are applied with a soft hand. At this time I’m not sure if it’s limited or permanent. I am happy it was released in the US. Seductive Rose should have arrived at all Tom Ford Beauty counters by now. You can find it online at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks.

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Tom Ford Lavender Lust Eye Color Quad

September 10, 2013
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Tom Ford Lavender Lust Eye Color Quad ($78 each for .35 oz/10g, made in Italy) is a new release in the US. The color theme is pink and lavender in this palette with one glittery powder pink, a soft duo-chrome opal/oyster, a soft lavender frost and a purple with iridescent sparkles. The colors are well pigmented with beautiful textures. Each shade applies very well over a good base (I like Edward Bess Illuminating Eye Base). The top left shade is a sparkle/glitter. The trick to using this one is to apply on top of the other colors by patting for added shine. If you apply this one first, layering other colors will cause the glitter to fall off the eyes and all over the face. I still had a little fall-out when using this as a top layering shade but only from brush debris. As beautiful as this palette is, the colors combined were just too pink and pastel for my skin. Purples and soft pinks can be difficult to pull off for my skintone. It gives me a slight pink-eye look.

Swatches below:

This quad probably has quite a few single shades that are very similar from MAC and Urban Decay. The colors look very familiar. In terms of a palette, I don’t have very many purple-pinks but I did pull Dior Pearly Lilac (limited from 2009) and Dolce & Gabbana Petal to compare.

Tom Ford Lavender Lust can be found at Tom Ford Beauty counters now. Beauty week is just around the corner for instore and online at Neiman Marcus. Also online at Bergdorf Goodman and Saks.

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