Chanel Charming Eyeshadow Palette

Is it December already?  Late December?  The last few months have flown by - it all started with my organization's busy season in early fall, and escalated when we began rescheduling projects in anticipation of the government  shut down.  Luckily we weren't furloughed; instead, our work schedule intensified.  Some of us are recovering.  For a while I didn't have the time to blog (or read blogs), then I lost my momentum.  Ugh!

Anyway. I still managed to pick up some makeup, including Chanel's Charming palette.  I ordered mine from Nordstrom's Chanel studio in Seattle. As you probably know, it is one of the Limited Edition Ombres Matelassées de Chanel, and part of the Holiday 2013 Collection.  Chanel described the colors as soft beige to rich purple...offering "endless opportunities for custom-blending."

Well, no.  I was disappointed when I opened it because it is so plain looking, and particularly because the dark brown/gray shadow on the end doesn't look purple in the pan as  Chanel said it would, and it doesn't pull purple on me either.  The colors look pigmented enough when switched on my arm, but imminently dupable.  How could this be the centerpiece of the Holiday Collection?

Turns out that for my complexion, these colors are just pigmented enough to define my eyes without looking made up.  Like my eyes but better.  

The lightest color on the far left is a peachy pink, with the barest hint of shimmer.  The effect is a subtle, pearlized finish.

The matte taupe second from the left goes on a shade or two darker than than my skin tone, but I'm so accustomed to shimmer or colors that pop on my skin that this just looks blah to me.  I'll keep playing with it.

The center color is the most interesting one.  It's a medium brown infused with just enough golden shimmer to make the shadow glow a bit without adding that ashy, flashy,  sparkling look. Golden shimmer looks really good on warm skin tones - why is it used less frequently than silver?  I use this color on my entire lid and the lower to create a daytime smoky eye.

The brown second from the right is matte, though the shimmer from the medium brown almost always sprays over it, so it's hard to tell.  I use it most frequently on the outer corners, including on the bottom, blended well with the medium brown to complete that daytime smoky eye.

The darkest color on the far right is just an unremarkable brown/black. I use it sometimes instead of the dark brown on the outer corners.  Even when applied wet, it's still not really black, in keeping with the subtlety of the palette. 

Charming comes with two applicators, one double-ended sponge applicator, and the another with a sponge on one end and a brush on the other.  The sponge applicators pick up and apply lot of product without a much fallout.  The small brush was also handy for getting shadow into the corners. 

So why did I keep this palette despite my ambivalence you read here?  It's the only palette I have that gives a finished yet unmade up look that's perfect for meetings in a conservative organization or anytime you may just want to define your eyes.  I grumble when I put it on every morning ("$80 for brown eye shadow? You fool!"), yet I'm so pleased with the final polished look, which I haven't achieved with other palettes.  There are dupes, but they haven't created as subtle and sophisticated look as Charming.  Most of the time I can wear as much flash at work as I want but sometimes a look this subtle is perfect.  Was this Peter's last creation?  

Nordstrom Eye Shadows, "Natural Palette"

I discovered Nordstrom's Exclusive Label cosmetics during this month's special holiday event.  I couldn't resist the Natural Palette, which contains 16 eye shadows for $15.


 

The shadows come in a black, magnetized, cardboard palette.  The glamorous cover is designed to approximate sequins.  It's already beginning to wear a bit from taking in and out of the box. There is a generously sized mirror inside and two double-tipped sponge applicators.

 

 

 

 

With the exception of numbers 4, 10, and 16 above, the shadows are saturated enough to produce a nice, subtle natural look as the palette title indicates.  Numbers 4, 10 and 16 look white on my medium skin tone; I won't be getting much use out of these.    Numbers 1, 2, and10 are matte. Numbers 7, a dark peach, and 11, a charcoal black, contain a bit of glitter.  The rest are shimmery.

 

I created a nice look using #3 as a base from lash to brow, it has beautiful golden sheen that keeps it from looking flat; #14, shimmery taupe, on the lid below the crease; #7, a shimmery dark peach, dotted in the center of the lid; #5 in the crease and along the lower lash line.  Oh, and I used #5 to fill my eyebrows.  There was a bit of glitter fall out below my eyes from #7, but the particles are so small that they were only apparent in my magnifying mirror. 

 

 Shadows 1, 2, 3, and 4 swatched above, without primer.

 

Shadows 5 through 16 swatched without primer.

The darker colors begin to fade after 6 hours or so without primer,  but easily lasted 8 hours using NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base.  While most of the colors worked for my NC45 skin tone, particularly the darker ones, I would welcome deeper saturation of some of the lighter colors.   Still, these shadows are a steal at this price point.  I'm looking forward to trying the other Nordstrom exclusive beauty products.

Sorry the photo sizes are mismatched.  Blogger has not been cooperative lately.

 

Sunday Riley Fools Gold Eye Shadow and Giorgio Armani Waterproof Eyeliner Pencils

I threw on Sunday Riley's Fools Gold yesterday without swatching first.  Well, I swatched months ago when I bought it, but hadn't touched it since.  I was stunned that this antique dark gold/taupe eye shadow went on so darkly and found myself wondering what highlighter and lipstick to wear with it.  Especially since I've gone into "spring brights" mode.  What can I say?  It was 8am! So I decided to use Giorgio Armani's #4 Antique waterproof eyeliner pencil, which I hadn't swatched either, in the upper and lower inner corners, and applied YLS Touche Eclat #3 highlighter under the brow.   Fortunately, it all worked, and I have a new favorite eye shadow.

Fools Gold is a black/gold powder shadow with a hint of moss green in some lighting.  One would think the gold would go on with a sheen, but it sparkles sparsely instead.  It's stunning, unlike any other color in my stash or that I've ever seen.  There's a little fall out, but very little due to its the creamy texture.  It's easily dealt with by applying eye makeup before foundation.  It lasted all day without creasing.  I love the packaging - I can see the color easily when searching in my stash.

The Armani eyeliner melted on my oily lids after a few hours; I made note to try it on powdered lids next time.  I decided to try the #4 Copper color with Fools Gold the today, and like this combination even better.  Though it's metallic, it's subtler for day and opens the eyes nicely without looking too shiny.  It's a nice eye brightener and shadow for any complexion, and unlike many others, doesn't looking chalky.  I think a subtle metallic finish may be the secret to the perfect eye brightener.  I powdered my eyelids first today, and it hasn't creased at all.

Fools Gold with Armani #4 Antique Waterproof Pencil

Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara

Tom Ford "Taupe" Brow Sculptor

YSL Touche Eclat #3 used under the eye brow

 

Fools Gold with Armani #5 Copper Waterproof Pencil
Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara

Tom Ford "Taupe" Brow Sculptor

YSL Touche Eclat #3 used under the eye brow

 

Sunday Riley's Fools Gold is sold at Barneys;  the Giorgio Armani Limited Edition Waterproof Eye Pencils are available at Barneys, GiorgioArmaniBeauty-USA.com, and Nordstrom.

Burberry Sheer Luminous Fluid Foundation, Trench No.8 and Trench No.9

After my experience with Chanel Perfection Lumiere (PL), in which I learned that my complexion can fall between shades, I decided to test a couple of samples of Burberry Sheer Luminous Fluid Foundation, (1 oz., $52) before buying.  Because the weather is much cooler than when I tested PL, and because this formula is supposed to hydrate, I prepped my skin with a light-weight moisturizer with SPF, but no primer, before applying Trench No.9, then Trench No.8, the two darkest colors.  I wore each for two days. 

I applied the foundation with a kabuki brush, switching to a foundation brush for under eye application.  It has a moderately strong, but pleasant scent that dissipates quickly.  Though it is sheer, the foundation is buildable, and nicely covered slightly dark areas, including under my eyes, in lieu of a concealer.  It dried down quickly into a natural skin-like finish neither dewy, nor matte.  It lasted the eight hours that I wore it, without any signs of fading.

Trench No. 9, the darkest shade, seemed to be the best color match when applied to my jaw, so I tested it first.   For reference, I match MAC NC45, Chanel PL Beige Amber 44 and Beige 60, and Le Métier Flawless Finish Foundation #10.  It darkened a half-shade after drying down (if that's possible) than my neck, but was the same shade as my hands.  I only needed light blotting in the T zone by noon, which, for me, is par for the course.  Thumbs up!

Trench No.8 was a tad too light on application, but darkened to my natural shade and blended nicely from the jaw line into my neck.   Perfect! 

Burberry Sheer Luminous Fluid Foundation contains UV filters.  Because I tested samples, I don't have a box to reference for other ingredients, nor are they published on Burberry or Nordstrom sites where it is sold.  Cafe Makeup published a list here.  

Burberry is available at Nordstrom online and at a few of their stores.  I got my samples from Kristy Hoffman at the San Francisco Nordstrom on Market Street, 415-243-8500, kristy.hoffman@nordstrom.com. 

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadows - Porcelain No.03 and Midnight Brown No.21

It was hard to capture the apricot hue of Porcelain No.03 in an arm swatch.  It's a perfect eye shadow base for my NC45 skin tone:  apricot looks more natural than yellow or pink.  A tiny hint of shimmer keeps it from looking flat on my eyelid, and makes it a great highlighter too, adding just the right amount of lightness without being too light or shiny.  Midnight Brown No.21 has more shimmer than other Burberry shadows, a silvery shimmer which gives it a cool tone, if a brown can be cool.  You taupe lovers will say that sounds like taupe, but no, this shadow is brown! Both shadows are finely milled, allowing them to glide on and blend without the least resistance even over the NARS eye shadow base I use.  There was no fall out. 

Burberry Porcelain No. 03 is applied on the entire lid and under the brow;
Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Eye Pencil in Black lines the outer half of the upper and lower eye;
Burberry Midnight Brown No. 21 applied in the crease and over the black eyeliner;
YSL Noir Radical Mascara;
Elizabeth Arden Dual Perfection Brow Shaper and Eye Liner in Sable 03 on brows.

I love these shadows and will wear them often.

I was happy to see that Burberry has expanded its foundation color range a bit and got a sample to test.

Burberry is available at Nordstrom online and at a few of their stores.  I bought my products from Kristy Hoffman at the San Francisco Nordstrom on Market Street, 415-243-8500, kristy.hoffman@nordstrom.com.  She's always enormously helpful when I'm there and is happy to answer questions and ship.  She gave me this little baby Rosewood lipstick this time. Here it is next to a full-sized tube. Isn't it cute? I love little samples like these.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Long-Wear Flawless Fluid Makeup

Image from Chanel.com

Chanel has introduced a new foundation formula, and at the same time, finally expanded its color range!  It has been a long time coming.  According to the website this is foundation is

"effortless to apply, with seamless blendability for a naturally flawless effect, this breakthrough foundation is the ideal all-day, everyday formula – suitable for all skin types in a diverse range of 20 shades."

The product insert adds,

"A perfect complexion requires controlled light.  This is why the CHANEL Laboratories have developed the patented CHANEL Perfect Light Control complex.  This combination of  two hemispherical powders (one transparent and one coated with mineral ceramic pigments), perfectly corrects all imperfections while bringing gorgeous radiance to the face.  The skin is smooth and luminous and the complexion even."

I was pleased with the color, finish and performance.  The coverage is good, it evened out my complexion as promised, and dried to a natural, slightly dewy look.  It did not break me out (though I don't tend to break out anyway).  I forgot to wear it for 15 hours (oops!), but it lasted for 11 without any sign of fading. Choosing a color was a little difficult:   There were two colors that blended in well where applied on my jaw, but looked quite different when applied to my entire face.  While both looked good, one color lived up the promise of luminosity better than the other.  So if you can, test a few colors on your entire face.

Samples, full-size bottle in the background.

Pump bottle.

Here a few swatches of the darker colors.  My local Nordstrom had all of them except #54 and 114).

The Perfection Lumiere line also includes a range of pressed powders and correctors, which weren't available at my Nordies yet, but are on the Chanel website.  I'm eager to try those.

Perfection Lumiere Long-Wear Flawless Fluid Makeup probably won't replace my favorite Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint in the summer time when I need a water-resistant product, but will become my second favorite along with Le Metier de Beaute Classic Flawless-Finish Liquid Foundation.

Nordstrom National Makeup Artist Event: Chanel Prelude Makeover

I skipped yet another annual Nordstrom Trend Show this morning.  Eight o'clock is just way too early for a Saturday morning.  I scheduled my Chanel makeover for noon instead.  (And even so, I woke up at 11am - eep!) 

The promise of the trying out the new Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation made me haul a__ to get dressed and out the door.  Though many companies make foundations in colors for women of color these days, it can still be hard to find the right one, depending upon your skin's undertones.  To be fair, I already have a couple that work well for me - by Jouer and Le Metier de Beaute - but since high school, when there was virtually nothing for "us,"  I've been driven to look at new products designed for women of color.

The beauty lines at Nordstrom bring in a number of makeup artists (MAs) including national makeup artists for this annual event.   Each customer was assigned to a makeup artist, while one of Chanel's star national artists, John Fussell, oversaw each application, made recommendations, and gave useful new tips.  I asked that they use Perfection Lumiere as the foundation, but gave them free reign over everything else.  I'll save the foundation review for later after I've had a chance to see if it lives up to its long-wear promise.

In addition to applying Perfection Lumiere to my face, Mr. Fussell directed the MA use it also as an eye shadow base, and to apply it to my lips, which allows the true shades of the lip color to show and evens out any color variances that may exist around the edges of the lip.  She used Fandango on my cheeks, an excellent color for me and one one I already have.  Next, she applied colors from the "Prelude" quad on my eyes, which I also already own, so I was intrigued to see what she might do differently. 

Wash of color #1 over the entire lid below the crease.
A dot of color #2 in the center of the lid, just above the lash line.
Color #3 in the crease, and lining under the eye from corner to corner.
Color #4 under the brow.

Though using liner on the waterline is common, it's new for me.  The MA encircled the entire waterline, top and bottom, with Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof eyeliner in black.  It gave me an entire new look. 

My brows were filled in with the Crayon Sourcils Eyebrow Pencil in Brun Naturel.  What an improvement over the old one!  It's much softer and applies far more easily.  And it's waterproof, a real bennie in this humid Washington environment.

Mr. Fussell finished my brows by lightly dipping a very thin, flat eyeliner brush into color #4 of the Prelude quad, then followed the line of the underside of my brows, giving the eye a much more finished look. I added a little more for the photo when I got home - you will blend better than I did, of course! I am really pleased with this intense smokey eye look.  Just as if he knew I had some doubts about the cool tones of Prelude on my warm complexion, Mr. Fussell said that using cool-toned eye shadow colors brings out the hazel colors in brown eyes such as mine.  I didn't see any green in my eyes, but they did appear to be a richer brown.  Finally, the MA lined my lips with Aqua Crayon "Chocolate," and filled in with Rouge Coco Shine "Deauville," a neutral pink, then topped it with "Meteore" Glossimer.  The fall looks feature both a strong eye and lip this season, but I may keep these anyway. 

My makeover was completed with a complimentary nail polish application.  It was a nice service, but I was surprised that the nail technician didn't have base or top coat to apply.  Fortunately, the color I chose, Graphite, dried quickly and shows no nicks.

While I was pleased with my makeover, I was disappointed that Nordstrom didn't coordinate the timing of the Trend Show and National Artist Event with the release of the Holiday Collections.  The Chanel Holiday collection is due out next month.  It would have been nice to have gotten a makeover and nail application with the new products.  It was a great event nevertheless.  I always enjoy learning new things from the pros.