To the Dark Side

When buying makeup I don’t really gravitate toward Chanel. I love the sleek and elegant packaging of their products, but I’ve always considered buying something as an occasional treat to myself. I think a lot of their products are slightly overpriced, but they always come out with innovative colours and products and combined with the way they look (because come on, we all love an aesthetically pleasing product) I think a lot of women (like my mother) get drawn to the Chanel counter.

I decided to pick up some things myself a few weeks ago, as a little treat to myself. I wasn’t really feeling that well at the time so I did some retail therapy and came back home with two products that aren’t really that suitable for this time of the year, but absolutely gorgeous and timeless nonetheless.

The cream eyeshadows, or as Chanel like to call them ‘Illusion d’Ombre’, have always caught my eye. When having a swatching session at the counter I first wanted to go for ‘Emerveillé’, a gorgeous glittery champagne colour which looked lovely on my skin, but after lusting over and trying all the different shades in the range, I settled for ‘Ebloui’. ‘Ebloui’, which means ‘blinded’, is a gorgeous warm-toned burgundy brown. It has tiny, golden shimmer particles which really help to lighten up the eye. The colour is absolutely stunning and I expect this to suit every eye colour.

The texture of these cream eyeshadows is like nothing I have ever tried before. The texture reminds me a little bit of a mousse and feels quite bouncy. I apply it with my fingers then blend out the edges using a fluffy MAC 224 blending brush and it works a treat. This is the sort of eyeshadow you can wear on it’s own but still gives some depth to your eyes; an added smokiness which really makes your eyes stand out a lot. I also absolutely love the shimmer as it gives the eye even more dimension and definition. Without using an eyeshadow primer it lasts all day on me, but by the end of the day it starts creasing just a little- which is perfectly normal. I’m definitely looking into buying more of these as they are literally the best cream eyeshadows I have ever tried and Chanel has some amazing colours.

The nailpolish in ‘Taboo’ stood out to me the most. Not being a fan of the formula of Chanel nail varnishes I still couldn’t resist picking this up, as Chanel always comes out with such amazing colours. ‘Taboo’ is a new release and although it’s not the most summery nailpolish of them all, it’s a really gorgeous and classic shade. I couldn’t stop looking at my nails after application as it’s such a versatile and interesting shade which changes colour in different lighting. The galaxy on your fingertips.

Taboo is described as a “violine with red irredescence”. It’s opaque after only one coat, but I usually apply two purely out of habit and because it makes it last a little bit longer. As I said, the formula is quite poor- Chanel polishes tend to chip on me after only a day of wearing, but it has to be said that nearly all nail varnishes chip really quickly on my nails. I also don’t really like the brush; I prefer the brushes on my nailpolishes tob e a little bit wider, like the Essie diffusion line ones or the Rimmel ones.

‘Taboo’ is such an interesting nail shade to look at and the shimmer in it makes it all the more interesting. Mature but still edgy.

Have you tried the Chanel cream eyeshadows? What do you think of their nail polishes?