The hot pink, the purple, the bright yellow — it’s like the eye makeup Duran Duran video girls wore in the ’80s. 🙂
Yes, eyes are getting the colorful treatment in Chanel’s new Collection États Poétiques.
And depending on your comfort level for colorful, you’re probably either going to think 1) “That sh*t CRAY!” or 2) “FUN!”
Of course, there are also some pretty wearable pieces in the launch…
And I wore two of them — light pink Sensation and reddish plum Hesitation — last Sunday to Father’s Day Brunch.
I wore the same exact look I’m wearing here, with Sensation buffed all over my lids as a base and Hesitation in the outer corner and crease to softly define the eyes. I also added a bit of black gel liner on my water lines and upper lash lines, and lots of mascara.
Between bites of an ahi tuna burger and sweet potato fries, I thought to myself, “Man! Chanel does it right. Who else could do a pigmented reddish plum eyeshadow like Hesitation and actually make it look super classy and totally not scary at all?”
I feel like a broken record sometimes when I talk about Chanel’s Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadows, but I just think they’re swell. The powder grains are so fine that they border on invisible! — and they don’t create that tell-tale look of eyeshadow sitting on top of your lids. Buffing and blending as easily as they do makes creating smooth transitions between the colors a cinch to do.
Basically, you can get lots of color on the lids without the makeup looking too heavy, and both Hesitation and Sensation do an amazing job of not highlighting those lines on my lids.
Now that I’m officially 39 (OMG!), this kind of thing is a big deal for me. My fine lines (those sneaky bastards) keep wanting to show up and ruin the party (bastards…).
Hesitation is the more pigmented of these two. A single swipe across the pan with a domed brush yields lots of color, so you’ll want to dilute it on the back of your hand by swiping the brush head back and forth a few times, before bringing it to your lids. When I do this before I touch the brush down on the outer corner, there’s more than enough product left on the brush to define my outer corner and crease.
If you love reddish brows and/or plums, think about Hesitation. I think it’s a very pretty shade, and you can do a lot with it, too (including using it as a transition color and a lid color).
And then there’s Sensation, the sheer pale pink — the less flashy of the two.
I like this workhorse as an all-over base color on the lids. For softly glowing lids, use a tapered blending brush to sweep it from lash line to eyebrows. While not nearly as punchy or exciting as Hesitation, it’s still a beaut. I plan to wear it as a base color with matte browns, peaches and corals.
I wore both shadows on top of NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, where they stayed put for 10 hours without budging.
Chanel doesn’t mess around, man!
Well, they better not…seeing as how these pans are $29.50 each. For that price, yeah, you better be sticking to my lids for a while, LOL!
You can find both Hesitation and Sensation now online with the rest of the Collection États Poétiques collection at Chanel.com. (Check your local Chanel counters for availability. They should be arriving soon.)
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
While I’m not the biggest fan of those bruised colours myself (because they don’t always work on me) I do have to say that Hesitation works very well on your skintone Karen! And you’re right about the finish, it’s very flattering idd :). Can’t wait to see some pieces myself soon although I’m not really open to the whole ‘Fall’ vibe yet, I guess I’m just enjoying the good weather too much for now ^^.
Me too! It’s really hot in my office right now…and it’s not even technically summer quite yet, LOL! Hope you’re doing well, Teri!
Looks gorgeous on you! Chanel <3
Chanel makes everything SO easy. It’s one of those brands that always looks perfectly elegant, ya know?
Do you have any of the eyeshadow singles? They’re kind of bomb.com.
I don’t, but I might have to now! They have a khaki color that looks amazing.
Yes, I loooove that shade too! I haven’t been by the counter in a while. I plan on stopping by this weekend to see if they still have New Moon. I kept putting it off for “next time” and now I think I might be too late. 🙁
Oh my gosh, Karen! Don’t wait to pick up New Moon. It is GORGEOUS!! It reminds me of Fatale, but amped up with more shimmer and a warmer base.
But anyway, these colors look great on you! You make me want to pick up everything, though I know these won’t look as good on my eyes; I’m pretty darn fair with a strong olive yellow undertone. Bummer!!!
Seriously, I don’t know what I was thinking. I swatched it about a billion times AND while I was at the counter I even convinced other ladies to grab it, LOL. The Nordstrom Chanel counter needs to hire me already.
Speaking of the Illusion D’Ombres, what are your go-to shades?
Hesitation is so pretty! I love using those type of colors in my crease
Yes! Love those reddish plums. 🙂
Strangely enough, my go-to shade is Fatal and Illusiore, even though I’m so fair. I like to wear them as a wash of color during the day and layered for more intensity at night. I wear Mirifique as a liner most of the time, but I have to layer over a darker liner because I find it a tad sheer.
For some odd reason, I dislike most of the original shades, but I’ve picked up a lot of the later and/or limited edition colors. I love Impulsion and New Moon. Those are quickly becoming my go-tos.
I’d have to swatch it and see how I like it. I’m always worried about looking like I have the plague or something.
I definitely like Hesitation a lot, being a pink eyelid kind of gal. Btw, I love your hair – it looks really great at that length!
Thanks friend! Miss you. 🙂
That ahi tuna burger looks YUMMY!!!! And the Chanel collection isn’t too bad either 🙂 Can’t wait until they release it up here in Canada – we just got the summer collection on June 9th! Wishing you a fantastic weekend Karen!
-Sarah
Hi Sarah,
How are you liking the summer collection so far? Aren’t the cream shadows amazing?
Believe it or not I still haven’t had a chance to hit up the Chanel counter 🙁 But now you have me curious about the cream shadows…which products do you most recommend from that line? always highly trust your awesome recommendations!
I have a lot that I love and use all the time. LOVE their Joues Constrastes Blushes, because they just make it super easy to do a fresh faced cheek without a lot of drama. Great for if you’re in a hurry and/or too lazy to spend lots of time blending (which is me most of the time, LOL). I also like their eyeshadow singles, Vert Khaki is one I wear all the time. The Illusion D’Ombres are amazing, and the summer colors are really, really beautiful. You have to swatch those! Let’s see, what else? Love their Loose Powder, their powder bronzers, mascaras and waterproof liner. 🙂
Oooo…you are giving me so much inspiration! Cheeky blush from the summer collection seems to be calling my name, but will have to check out the Joues Contrastes as well! And just clicked to your post on Vert Khaki! Stunning colour! Will definitely go have fun at the counter this weekend! Thanks again so so much Karen!
You’re so welcome. Let me know if you end up picking anything up. I’m actually going to the counter tonight (that’s the plan at least, le sigh) to pick up a treat or two or 12 haha. Just kidding. Kind of!