Chanel Entrelacs Palette (Autumn 2015)

 

The Chanel Entrelacs palette ($80USD) topped my list of most highly anticipated products for Autumn 2015. My Saks store had the entire collection available early July, and upon first swatch, I knew the palette would be coming home with me. For once, it wasn't the pretty embossing that got me but rather the unbelievably smooth and buttery textures of the shadows themselves. I have always said that the formula of Chanel quints differ greatly from the quads, and this proved me right once again.

Day 20: Chanel Jardin de Chanel blush Camelia Rose

Truly one of the most beautiful pieces Chanel has ever released! Not only does it look stunning in the pan, it looks even more beautiful on the cheeks. Backup-worthy, one to use, one to forever stay as an untouchable for sure!

Chanel Les 4 Ombres: Tisse Venitien and Tisse Gabrielle

I will be the first to admit that I was never the biggest fan of the regular Chanel eyeshadow quads. Either the pigmentation is lacking or the shadows just apply patchily. The former baked quads were worse. Forget picking up any color when applied dry. All that changed when I saw swatches of the newly reformulated baked quads, called the Les 4 Ombres, circulating first on British beauty blogs and later on Instagram.

These will be coming to the states in July, retailing $61 a pop. There will be eight permanent quads, each with its own color scheme. Whether or not these will completely replace the current quads is yet to be determined. However, I am not one to object if they do, as the new Les 4 Ombres formula really blows the former out of the water. Keep in mind that these are only meant to be worn dry, despite them being a baked formula!

To get a feel for the new quads, I started out with two: Tisse Venitien and Tisse Gabrielle.

232: Tisse Venitien

 
Many of you are probably shocked by my choice but Lord knows the last thing I needed is another neutrals quad. Green eyeshadows are a bit tricky, as some undertones can make me look sallow, and others just turn into unflattering blue-gray shades on my lids.  However, a friend of mine posted a wearable, work-appropriate eye look with Tisse Venitien that completely sold me on this particular quad -- which is slightly reminiscent of the current Lilium quad actually.

In clockwise order starting with the top left shade:
-Shimmery forest green: most versatile color of the four as it can work as an all-over lid shade, a liner, etc.
-Satin pale pink: my least favorite of the bunch as it disappears on my skin, however, it does make for a great blending color or browbone highlight
-Shimmery blackened green: another versatile shade that is great in the crease, on the lid, or even outer V
-Metallic green taupe: my favorite color in this quad as it is very multi-dimensional and complex depending on the lighting

Personally, my favorite way to wear this is forest green on the lids and lower lash line, metallic green taupe dabbed on the center of the lids, with the blackened green in the crease blended out with the pale pink.

208: Tisse Gabrielle

Now this is more in my realm of shades. I later discovered that the reason why I was so drawn to this palette is because it resembled the only Chanel quad I ever kept for myself: Prelude. To be honest, I don't wear darker, cool-toned, taupey-gray colors as much as I should, but whenever I do, I wonder why I don't wear them more often as they really make my brown eyes pop.

Clockwise order starting with the top left shade:
-Shimmery, slightly metallic, blackened gray: great lid color for a gray smoky eye or to darkened the outer V
-Metallic ivory white: perfect for inner corner highlight or to layer over the other colors in the quad to lighten the shades!
-Shimmery grayish brown: my least favorite color in this quad as this doesn't blend too well when popped in the crease, however, it makes a great liner or lid color
-Shimmery, borderline metallic, purplish taupe: my favorite color due to its smoothness and multi-dimensional nature to use all over the lid

With the metallic ivory white shade, the number of looks one can come up with is endless with Tisse Gabrielle. I particularly enjoy wearing the purplish taupe on the lid, grayish brown in the crease, blackened gray in the outer V, and ivory white in the inner corner to highlight.

While I would say that the quality of these new quads has greatly improved compared to the older quads, there are still some pros and cons I would like to point out.

Pros:
-The shadows are very pigmented and blendable for the most part.
-Great lasting power -- easily 10+ hours on primed lids -- with no signs of creasing nor fading.
-No fall out whatsoever, even with the darker shades!
-More product (2g) compared to the former baked quads (1.2g)

Cons:
-No mattes in both quads means needing to incorporate additional eyeshadows/palettes for a more cohesive look.
-Tendency to crease upon contact with water or sweat, but that is expected with baked formulas in general.

As you can see, the pros far outweigh the cons with the new Les 4 Ombres! To say that I am impressed with how these perform would be quite an understatement. I can see myself picking up additional quads when these make their way stateside, especially the all-neutrals Tisse Rivoli (like we didn't see that one coming!) and Tisse Vendome, as I have a soft spot for coral eyeshadows.

If, however, you are not one to wait until July to get your hands on these palettes, Izzy's Beauty Shoppe now has all eight quads available!

Chanel Poudre Universelle Compact in Preface

I did not intend on purchasing anything from the Chanel Notes de Printemps Spring 2014 collection. Yes, folks, Chanel have always won the award for launching seasonal collections before anyone else... and they always will. One trip to my local Nordstrom, and the newest Chanel pressed face powder in Preface came home with me.

Now this is my first Poudre Universelle from Chanel, so I was not sure if it would be categorized as a setting powder or as a finishing powder. Thankfully, I've quickly come to learn that it performs extremely well as both. On my oily skin, this powder kept me matte while providing a luminous finish for a good eight hours before I needed to whip out a blotting sheet for my T-zone. For a pressed powder, this is probably one of the best I've tried. (But it still cannot quite hold a candle to my other loose powders, specifically La Mer's, when it comes to budge-proof oil control.)

Preface, itself, may look like it gives warmth to the skin due to its light peachy nature. However, it is more-or-less translucent when blended into the skin. Once it goes on, Preface leaves such a healthy, subtle glow to the face that makes one look well-rested. I would imagine that light to medium skin tones can wear this as an all-over face powder. Darker skin-toned gals, though, may find this a tad chalky.

The powder itself is very finely-milled, incredibly light-weight, and outshines NARS Light Reflecting Setting Pressed Powder in terms of ease of picking up product with a brush. (I can also see myself not going through it as quickly as the NARS, as I barely had to work my brush into the powder to pick up the product.) Yet it is not too powdery to the point where it kicks back product once I dipped my brush into the compact.

Is this a unique powder that I would suggest running out and getting right this instant? Not at all. Is it nice to add to one's collection? Absolutely. At $45, this is by no means cheap, but for the healthy, refreshed glow that Preface gives, I am willing to overlook the price. Now available at your local department stores Chanel counters, as well as Chanel.com.