These are five eyeshadows that I think are worth splurging on! They’ll all set you back $20 or more, but over time, these are shades that have stuck with me.
Chanel Gri-Gri (101) Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Gri-Gri (101) Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow ($28.50 for 0.05 oz.) is described as a “metallic taupe.” It’s a medium-dark, gray-tinged gray with bronze, mauve, and gold shimmer. It has a frosted, slightly metallic, finish. Marc Jacobs The Starlet #1 is purpler. Urban Decay Rehab is a cream product, browner, darker. MAC Fashion Fix is matte. MAC Hypnotizing is purpler. Giorgio Armani Shimmer Greige is grayer. See comparison swatches.
The color payoff was decent but could have been more intense. The texture was powdery and a little grainy, so the color sheered out all-too-easily on the lid. If you like sheer washes of color, then it’s right up your alley, but if you’re looking for true-to-pan goodness, you may find this lacking. Applied on bare lids, it was somewhat sheer, faded after six hours, and had quite a bit of fall out when worn. I’d recommend a slightly tacky or creamy primer when wearing this to minimize both the fading and fall out. This was probably the one item from Chanel’s fall collection that I was, personally, quite interested in seeing, but it was a let-down.
Limited Edition
Chanel Esprit (88) Rouge Coco Shine
Chanel Esprit (88) Rouge Coco Shine ($34.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “burgundy.” It’s a medium-dark, raspberry pink with cool undertones and a soft sheen. This shade is supposed to be one of the more pigmented/opaque shades of the Rouge Coco Shine formula, which is reflected in its coverage, as it is nearly opaque applied.  Esprit lasted four and a half hours well, and it was lightly hydrating while worn.  The consistency was creamy with a fair amount of slip and applied evenly.  Chanel Fiction is warmer. Revlon Raspberry Pie is cooler-toned, more raspberry. Guerlain Lou-Ling is darker. Guerlain Guet-Apens is slightly darker. Chanel Taffeta Rose is somewhat brighter. See comparison swatches.
Instinct (86) Rouge Coco Shine ($34.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “soft blue pink.” It’s a soft, light-medium beige-pink with neutral-cool undertones. As part of the normal range of Rouge Coco Shines, it is supposed to be sheer, which it is. It really doesn’t look like it alters my natural lip color much, other than giving it a natural sheen and darkening it slightly. Â It seems to disappear in an hour and a half (judging primarily by shine, since color is a difficult indicator!), and after wearing it a few times in a row, I found it just slightly moisturizing. Â Revlon Pink Lemonade is more opaque. NARS Mitzi is more shimmery. MAC Peach Blossom is similar. Guerlain Rose Desir is pinker. See comparison swatches.
Limited Edition
Limited Edition
Chanel Revelation (63) Le Blush Creme de Chanel
Chanel Revelation (63) Le Blush Creme de Chanel ($38.00 for 0.09 oz.) is described as a “shimmering soft pink.” It’s a light-medium pink with warm undertones and a satiny finish, though it looks like a healthy matte. MAC Royal Sunset is a powder and is lighter, warmer. Chanel Rose Initiale is powder and not as warm-toned. See comparison swatches.
This is the last of the Chanel blushes that released this fall, and I’m so happy to find that it’s just as high quality as the other five shades I’ve tested. There’s not a dud within the range, and I think Chanel did an excellent job with this new formula. Revelation is nicely pigmented with color that is true-to-pan but can be applied as a soft, sheer layer or more heavily for richer, more opaque color coverage. I love that they’re versatile in pigmentation, so they can work for fairer complexions as well as deeper skin tones. The consistency is lightly creamy in the pan but quickly turns to powder once it touches the skin. It remains blendable, though, and it doesn’t turn powdery. This shade wore well for seven and a half hours but was noticeably faded after eight and a half hours, which is slightly shorter wear than other shades in the formula.
Discontinued
Chanel Presage (62) Le Blush Creme de Chanel
Chanel Presage (62) Le Blush Creme de Chanel ($38.00 for 0.09 oz.) is described as an “apricot.” It’s a medium-dark orange with a hint of rosy pink in it and a satiny finish–not quite matte, but not really shimmery–really a natural-looking finish. Edward Bess Secret Affair is pinker, powder. MAC Ripe for Love is more shimmery, powder. MAC Fiery Impact is darker, powder. Illamasqua Rude is a touch brighter but very similar. Dior Coral Glow is lighter, powder. Chanel Frivole is darker, powder. Le Metier de Beaute Coral Nymph is lighter. Burberry Blossom is pinker, powder. See comparison swatches.
Presage had very rich, true-to-pan color payoff that applies easily at full intensity or can be applied with a very light hand for a sheerer/softer look (just use less). The nice thing about the formula is it has a lightly creamy, thin consistency that blends out very readily, even if you apply more than you wanted. The texture feels creamy in the pan, but as soon as you apply it to the skin, it feels more like powder–with just the smallest amount of slip–that makes it easy to blend. I’ve used an assortment of duo-fibre, stippling brushes, and they’ve all worked well with the blush formula (like MAC’s 188, 159, 131, 187). I wore this shade yesterday, and it wore quite well and lasted eight hours on bare skin with minor fading noticeable after eight and a half hours, and then nine hours of good wear over foundation with slight, but noticeable, fading after ten hours.
Discontinued
Chanel Alchimie (591) Le Vernis Nail Colour
Chanel Alchimie (591) Le Vernis Nail Colour ($27.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is described as a “golden khaki.” It’s a warm-toned, golden-shimmered olive green with threads of metallic shimmer. It’s warmer, more yellow-toned, than a true olive green. I used two thicker coats to minimize streakiness (thin coats produced quite a bit of that), and while it self-leveled somewhat, there was still a good deal of visible brush strokes with this shade. OCC Ripley is much darker, more blackened and less green.  The consistency seemed a little watery. Cult Nails in a Trance has less shimmer, so it appears darker. China Glaze Peac eon Earth is more metallic, warmer. China Glasze Agro is much darker. See comparison swatches.
Elixir (589) Le Vernis Nail Colour ($27.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is described as a “milky pink.” Not sure where milky pink comes from, but it’s a warm-toned, strawberry pink with a cream finish. This shade was almost fully opaque in one coat, but I still applied two for consistency (and sometimes, it looks opaque in person but the macro version will show visible nail line). It applied well, too, with even, fluid color and no pooling or streaking. Rescue Beauty Lounge Smile has slight pearl and is a touch brighter/redder. MAC Vivid Effect is warmer. MAC Impassioned is slightly lighter. Chanel Fracas is pinker and lighter. Deborah Lippmann Girls Just Want to Have Fun is warmer, more orange. See comparison swatches.
Mysterious (601) Le Vernis Nail Colour ($27.00 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is described as a “deep khaki.” It’s a deep, dark olive green with a cream finish. It applied evenly and easily with full color coverage in two coats. MAC Fatigues is lighter/ Dior Amazonia is very similar. Chanel Khaki Brun is greener, lighter. Deborah Lippmann Billionaire is cooler-toned, darker. See comparison swatches.
Both Elixir and Mysterious were quite nice and exactly what one would want from a high-end polish: richly pigmented, easy to apply, and a natural shine.  Alchimie was more troublesome and requires a very patient, steady hand to minimize streakiness and to keep the brush stroke from going wonky (I lack the steady hand, unfortunately!).  I typically get a week out of Chanel’s formula with minor tip wear but no chipping.
Limited Edition
Permanent
Permanent
