Thanks to the 20-something hours (at least) of The Hills I watched on Netflix over the Christmas break, my brain is now cheese fondue.
Even though I could see my faculties deteriorating, could feel the brain cells evaporating, and even though I must have spent half of that time rolling my eyes and exclaiming, “OH, PUHH-LEASE!” whenever Spencer and Heidi were on screen, I simply could not look away.
And now, I feel like I’m in so deep (at the end of Season 4, right after Speidi got “married,” air quotes, in Mexico) that if I were to give up now, all of those 20-something hours would seem wasted…
Or, more wasted. More of a waste. LOL! 🙂
What does this have to do with the new Chanel Les 4 Ombres Eye Shadow Quad in Raffinement, you may ask? Well, pretty soon, at the rate I’m losing brain cells, I may not be able to handle any makeup looks that require the blending of more than two eyeshadows.
Good thing this spring collection quad, with its mix of plum, mauve, taupe and purple, is really great at two-color eye looks…
I actually brought it with me when I visited my family last week over the holidays and did a number of quick looks with one of its lighter colors on my lids and one of the darker colors along my lash lines. And that was it.
If you’re one of those gals (or guys) who likes a little color, as in looks with far fewer than 18 blended shadows, and plums and purples that don’t scream “PUNK ROCK, 4EVER!” take a closer look at Raffinement.
Normally, when it comes to punk rock colors, I think of brands like Urban Decay. They do vibrant, sparkly punk rock plums and purples really well, and it’s a very distinct, eye-catching look that I like. Sometimes.
Chanel, on the other hand, excels at things like this quad, where they execute colors like purples, blues and greens in ways that make them blend so beautifully into your overall outfit and look.
Like, when you’re watching The Hills, and you see LC carrying a classic black Chanel flap bag (SWOON!), and you can tell that it was meant to be a part of her outfit, but not the only part — that’s how I feel about the way Raffinement looks on the eyes.
When I’m wearing these colors and see myself in the mirror, I see the color there, but I don’t feel like I’m wearing two tons of eyeshadow.
If I were to dig through the cheese whiz of my mind, I could probably find colors very similar to these, like MAC Satin Taupe, and maybe — oh, gawd, what’s that dark plum…? I think it’s called Sketch?
But you get certain things with Chanel. You get ease of use, powders that don’t suffer from fallout, and products that last through the day. You also get to feel elegant and pampered in ways that you don’t always get from other brands.
PRICE: $59
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Chanel counters, boutiques and chanel.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+/A- (great quality, luxurious packaging and pretty colors, but you can find similar colors in other lines)
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Beautiful quad but you’re right, easy to dupe. I have similar shades already since I find they go well on green eyes. 😀
Hi Icaria,
Green-eyed girls look great in purple. 🙂 Hope your 2013 has been wonderful so far!
I LOVE your kitty cat. He looks exactly like my Charley. I have four. Love my kittybabies.
That quad is gorgeous. I have green eyes and always wear some shade of purple. Will check it out this weekend.
Hi Janet,
Lucky you! I would love four cats, but Tabs insists on being the only “child.” 🙂 How old is your Charley? Tabs is six.
Looks like I have another Chanel Quad to add to my ridiculous collection.
Hi Leah,
YES! Do you collect Chanel quads? Please tell me you have Mystic Eyes.
Do I have Mystic Eyes…. YES!!! It is my absolute favorite. I probably wear some combo of it at least 3 times a week. I don’t know what I’d do without it.
These are super pretty on you.
Thanks! 🙂
Pretty pretty pretty! I had originally decided just to get the 2 cheek products from this collection but then decided I couldn’t live without Raffinement. It WILL be mine tomorrow! Muahahahaa!! 😛
Sweet! Let me know what you think of it.
That is a beautiful quad. Lately, because I am looking for good neutrals, I am attracted to stuff like that. I will always be attracted to the bright, sparkly, and different, but good neutrals are hard to come by. Especially when they come in soft shades of purple, pink, and taupe. You look amazing, and my addictions lately have been old seasons of the Real Housewives of New York, Army Wives, and the West Wing.
Hi Katherine G,
If you find any must-have neutrals please let me know.
By the way, I hope you’re feeling better and that you had a good NYE.
A good one I’ve used lately for any interviews or times where I have to look professional and neutral is the Maybelline Illuminating Lights quad in Rose Lights (warm, shimmery pinks similar to blush that brighten eyes but keep it neutral and not overdone). I’m attracted to warm neutrals because my skin has a lot of olive in it from the Italian side, even when I’m pale in the winter. Another good neutral is UD’s Midnight Cowboy 24/7 eye shadow stick – I’ve used that one for interviews a lot because it brightens the eyes without adding tons of color. Hope you had a good NYE, too 🙂
You also get to feel elegant and pampered in ways that you don’t always get from other brands. – i can so relate to this! my hubby frowns when i buy premium (pricey) make up, he even shows me pics of typhoon victims at home (PH), to make me feel guilty 🙁 but but chanel make me feel special you know..
Hi Karenkay,
It does make you feel special. What are your Chanel must-haves?
Perfection Lumiere is my special occasions foundation. I work as a telephone operator and it’s a bleh job, my Rouge Allure lipstick gives me something to look forward to in my day. yup! i’m vain 🙂
Looks like a nice neutral quad for sure and I’m a sucker for plummy browns. But I know I have something similar in the stash for sure! It does look lovely on you!
I just rewatched Firefly on Netflix! Still don’t get why it was canceled. Oh well.
I think I’m going to start watching Merlin next!
I remember you saying that you were going to do that. It’s a good show! Have you seen the movie? I totally cried.
I just saw this today when I was out shopping! 😀 It’s so pretty, I swatched and fell head over heels. Buuut then I realized that I had similar shades. I don’t think this quad is limited edition, so perhaps one day! 😉
Yes! 🙂 Hopefully someday soon.
Oh my these look absolutely stunning on you!
Thanks, Gotham Polish!
This look on you is very classy! I do not own any Chanel products but you sure make this one sound great!
Thanks, Liz. 🙂 Have a nice day!
I bought this the day of a holiday party so excited to wear it. Got home and they’d given me the wrong quad. When I returned it, they were out of this one. I really need to go pick it up. These are my best colors. The very first counter makeover I got was Lancôme with my mom. Got a gorgeous duo with a dirty gold and a plum. They’ve been my go-to colors ever since.
How awesome that your blog auto fills in the accent on Lancôme!
Hi Steph,
This has happened to me before. Now I always check to make sure I have the right colors before I leave the store. Anywho, I hope you get your hands on it soon. And thanks for the idea of pairing it with a gold shade. I bet it would look really cute with something like MAC Powersurge on the waterline.
Dirty gold and plum! sounds like a wonderful combo. Now I want to go home and experiment!
Love your cute earrings. Colors looks beautiful in swatches. Lovely quad.
Sarah
Thanks, Sarah! They’re by Kate Spade.
This quadrant looks gorgeous on you. I’m still on the fence because I’m sure there are dupes but these shadows blend so beautifully.
Hi Chris,
Thanks! Yeah, these are GREAT when it comes to blending. They hardly need any effort.
I can’t wait to get my quad! But I’m really sad that they’ve discontinued Kaska Beige and replaced it with Raffinement. Truth be told, Kaska Beige’s shades are just that much more unique and their textures less dupeable so I would rather keep Kaska Beige as a permanent item and have Raffinement as a LE quad. But maybe I’m just whinging because I didn’t realise that Kaska Beige was to be discontinued and didn’t get a backup. Now it’s nowhere to be found. I love most of Chanel’s eyeshadows and blushes (US formulation) but drat their constant discontinuing of makeup items that I’ve gotten attached to.
Hi Tori,
Kaska Beige is a great quad. Who knows? Maybe they’ll re-release it. You never know. 🙂
I’ve been waiting to see your swatches. Very pretty. Thanks for sharing – I’ll have to try and find this.
Hi KPrice,
I did swatches of most of the products a while back. Here’s a link:
https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/daily-beauty-cat/chanels-printemps-precieux-de-chanel-spring-2013-collection/
Oh dear! I just love the sophisticated look of these eyeshadows!! Gorgeous yet subtle! xx
Yes! Are you a Chanel quad fan?
This quad is gorgeous, I have it and love it! The texture and subtle shimmer is amazing 🙂
Hi Michelle,
Yay! I’m glad you love it. Are there any other things from the Chanel spring collection that you love?
So glad I ordered this! Can’t wait to get it!
Hi Ondina,
You’ll love it. 🙂 Did you pick up anything else from the Chanel spring collection?
Raffinement is a lovely quad. I love all the colors except the lightest one, which looks ashy/silver on me instead of pink. I found that Chanel I’llusion D’Ombre Emerveille makes a great substitute for the lightest shade and a good base for the other colors. Do you know if Raffinement is really intended to be the replacement for Kaska Beige? They really are not similar at all; Raffinement is much cooler than Kaska Beige, and creates quite a different look. Also, personally, Kaska Beige is my perfect neutral, and thus my everyday, go-to quad. I’ve heard several others say the same, so fingers crossed that they bring it back – my back ups will run out eventually!
Honestly, I’ll stand by my statement on Chanel. THEY DO NO WRONG! GOD, that is stunning! I just got the email for this today!
Hi Karen love this look on you! In fact I love it so much what other products are you wearing the whole look is perfection!
Maybe I overlooked it, but what lip product do you have on in these photos?! Its beautiful!!!
What a beautiful palette, Karen. So classy! And, yes, we don’t have to think too much by blending the colors: lighter on the lids, and darker to shade. Easy and perfect 🙂