Those Double Cs Do It Again!
Chanel Ombres Contraste Duos (Eyeshadow Duos) ($42.00 for 0.09 oz.) each include a shimmering, light creamy powder shade that is designed to be worn alone or as a base, and then a darker shade with a matte finish to pack on the color. Each compact includes a mirror, sponge-tipped applicator, and a brush-tipped applicator.
Even though Chanel says one side is creamier than the other, I really didn’t find the texture to vary much between the two shades. They both felt smooth as silky, buttery, and incredibly finely-milled as Chanel eyeshadows are known to be. When I saw the duos, they reminded me of oversized quad eyeshadows–they have the same dome and shape, but they’re a bit larger than the quad eyeshadows.
I didn’t experience any fall out or fading with these shadows when used over a regular eyeshadow base (NARS, if you’re curious). These are classic colors–it’s clear by the shades chosen that this isn’t meant to be a daring, avant garde kind of collection or look; they’re suitable across the gamut of skin tones, easy to wear, and fit into most people’s lives. If you want something subtler, use more of the light shade; if you want a smokier look, go heavier with the darker shade. Each duo complements itself and can easily be worn on its own without having to look for other eyeshadows to pair it with (though that works, too!).
- Berry-Rose (50) contains a shimmering, light cotton candy pink and a darker, eggplanty burgundy with a matte finish. Both shades were really smooth and buttery.
- Gris-Subtil (10) has a shimmering silvered gray and matte charcoal gray. Gris is definitely a shade that looks better applied than just swatched–almost looks dusty when swatched.
- Khaki-Clair (60) has a shimmering white with very subtle yellow undertones and a matte grayish olive green–I don’t know if I’d really call it olive green, because it’s very subtle. The darker shade was the most pigmented color out of the four duos I tried.
- Misty Soft (40) contains a smoked out plum with subtle red undertones but an overall rather cool, and it’s complemented by silver-shimmered mauve. The lighter mauve shade reminded me of MAC’s Mauvement pigment a bit without the subtle gold sparkle.
I had a bit of sticker-shock with these, because a full-sized quad is $59, and it’s been a long time since I’ve really taken a look at their Silky Eyeshadow Duos as well (which retail for $40/0.07 oz.). Whether for good or bad, the pricing isn’t much of a stretch after looking at the price/quantity of other high-end brands like Dior and YSL. It seems a little less than stellar, but ridiculously overpriced/undersized.
Overall, I like these. I don’t love, love, LOVE these, but I like them, and I think they’ll fit well for doing more sophisticated looks that are elegant and classy. If you’re more into bolder, brighter shades, the current color range is definitely not that.
There are two more duos available that aren’t reviewed in this post: Taupe-Delicat (20) and Bleur-Tendre (30).
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 
- Product: 29/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: With such a classic selection of shades, you may have similar colors in your stash already. If you’re just started to delve into the world of beauty and you’re a fan of Chanel, I think you’d like these.
AVAILABILITY: Nordstrom
See more photos & swatches!
Chanel Berry-Rose Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Berry-Rose Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Berry-Rose Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Berry-Rose Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Gris-Subtil Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Gris-Subtil Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Gris-Subtil Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Gris-Subtil Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Khaki-Clair Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Khaki-Clair Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Khaki-Clair Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Khaki-Clair Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Misty-Soft Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Misty-Soft Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Misty-Soft Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Misty-Soft Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Berry-Rose Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Gris-Subtil Eyeshadow Duo
Berry-Rose, Gris-Subtil
Chanel Khaki-Clair Eyeshadow Duo
Chanel Misty-Soft Eyeshadow Duo
Khaki-Clair, Misty-Soft
Although these look and probably are 4950384x better, http://eyeslipsface.com's $1 line of Eyeshadow Duos have almost the exact same color combinations. It’s like the first thing I noticed, lol. I love love love Chanel’s packaging though.
I have the Berry-Rose duo and I love love it! Sticker shock, yes , but I like the texture of these better than any of my quads. Would love to get another one soon!
omfg, the misty-soft duo is making me all fuzzy inside D:
i shouldn’t have looked!
I love, love, love my Misty-Soft duo!
I haven’t purchased any of these…yet. I hope they come out with more color combinations later though. You do get a pretty good size amount w/these though. The price of a quad is $56
I’d disagree, actually…
Chanel’s Eyeshadow Quad = $233/oz.
Chanel’s Eyeshadow Singles = $407/oz.
Chanel’s Eyeshadow Duos (Contraste) = $467/oz.
Chanel Eyeshadow Duos (Silky) = $571.43/oz.
Those duos, by weight, cost you twice as much as the quad.
I guess to me when I first saw these it *appeared* that they were larger. But I do think you get more out of the quad…
Thanks for the review. Do you know how these compare to the old duos? I have an sky blue and navy blue duo and it looked really similar in the photos to the Bleu Tendre which you didn’t review! I wonder are they the old duos repackaged?
I don’t have any of the old duos
I have some of the old duos and some of these new ones. They are not the same. These are definitely not a “repackage” as the texture is different. I like these new ones so much better.
Thanks Mylinda!
Hmmmm I was going to buy the Taupe Gris as a single today, but now I’m thinking of the Misty Soft duo. I’ll compare the two.
I love Misty Soft, Taupe Delicat, and Khaki Clair!
I like berry-rose and gris-subtil!
Christine, are these fall shades? The colors don’t look very different from what I’ve already seen from Chanel’s basic line-up, and I agree, totally overpriced. I’ll go back to cheaper Maybelline eyeshadow quads if I need to, but I’ll still splurge for the Chanel nail polish and lip glosses
BTW, you’re doing so great with the swatches, don’t stress over getting it posted so quick, b/c you’ve got enough to stress over with classes! No worries–we can wait 
They’re for fall, but I don’t think they’re meant to be “for fall,” and more to add to their basics line.
I’m passing. the colors are lovely but nothing’s new. the price tag doesn’t help either
Khaki-Clair look sooooo pretty!!!!
misty-soft is the only one i like, otherwise, for the money these aren’t worth it…kinda feel like i’ve seen these combos many times before, too :-{
I’m really impressed with the quality – I tried the Taupe Delicat and it’s beautiful! Still, I will pass as there really isn’t anything that says “must-have” to me!
Hm… they’re so gorgeous and wonderful, but none really, really catches my eye….
They all look very pretty, but nothing too exciting nor new…