Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette ($80.00 for 0.21 oz.) contains five eyeshadows that range from white to brown designed to “[recall] the luminous beauty of Hong Kong, refleted in the China Sea.”
Pearl River #1 is a pale, warm white with a frosted finish. It had decent color payoff, but it was on the sheer side. It was buildable, but it wasn’t densely pigmented. The texture was incredibly soft and finely-milled, though; one of the softest textures I’ve seen from Chanel. There is no shortage of frosted, white eyeshadow, so it’s highly likely that you have something similar in your stash. Giorgio Armani Open is not as warm-toned. Tarte Macaroon is similar but even less pigmented. bareMinerals Silhouette is more pearl-like in finish. Guerlain Terra Azzurra #1 is also similar.
Pearl River #2 is a warm-toned, light-medium gold with soft yellow undertones and a frosted, slightly metallic finish. It had good pigmentation, and the texture was very soft and smooth. Jasmine Sand in the Glass is more metallic. Tarte Bellini is less frosted. Wet ‘n’ Wild Sparkle ‘Til Morning #1 is less warm-toned. MAC Femme-fi has a more reflective sheen. (This shade, though certainly pretty, is very, very dupable–nearly ever shade I mentioned above is 90% similar in regards to color.)
Pearl River #3 is a warm, orange-toned gold with a frosted, metallic finish. It had so-so color payoff, and I found I really needed to use it wet to get smooth, even color applied to the lid. I wasn’t sure if you could use these wet, but I didn’t have any residual effects on the pan of product where I used it damp. Lancome Eternal Gold is less warm-toned. Tarte 24 Karats is less frosted. Cinderella Gus Gus is yellower. bareMinerals Remix is a touch less orange. Chanel Blazing Gold is very similar in color.
Pearl River #4 is a tangerine orange with warm undertones and a pearly finish. It had great pigmentation, and it applied very smoothly. MAC Chessa is a touch warmer. OCC Mimosa is a smidgen lighter. MAC Fresh Daily is darker. Chanel Tigerlily is yellower.
Pearl River #5 is a rich, deep dark brown with warm, red undertones and a very fine burgundy-bronze micro-shimmer. The color payoff was absolutely fantastic; it was incredibly rich and smooth–the best shade of the palette. Wet ‘n’ Wild Sparkle ‘Til Morning #8 is a hair lighter but not by much. Urban Decay Busted is less red-toned. Tarina Tarantino Dreamy #5 is darker, almost blackened.
I liked the palette, but the color payoff overall could have been better. If you prefer lighter, sheerer washes of colors, you may still enjoy the palette. The texture of all of the shades is phenomenal; that’s the standout feature: beautifully soft, velvety eyeshadows that go on and sit so well on the lid. All five eyeshadows also blended well and only needed a feathery touch to diffuse. The other downside to the palette is that it is rather dupable (and of course, this depends on your stash), but I felt like there were far too many really, really close shades to a few of the ones in the palette. The “most unique” shade in the palette was the darker brown. The eyeshadows wore well, though, and lasted nine hours without fading or creasing (no primer), but I did have a touch of fall out.
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Pearl River Ombres Matelassees Eyeshadow Palette
Regardless of the rating eyeshadows and palettes that you review, the looks you create with them are always amazing, Christine. 🙂
* of the eyeshadows and palettes
Thank you!
I love the new tutorial pictures! Such a pretty layout! 🙂
Thanks, Macy! 🙂
Too bad about the pigmentation, especially from Chanel (and at that price). The Look is great, though!
Thanks a lot, KP!
I’m not sure how I feel about this one. You do make it look very appealing, but I am a little concerned about the similarity of the tones to the ones that I already have.
I’m not quite sure that I would want to spend $80 for something that is very close to what I already have even if it is by Chanel.
I will definitely have to think about this one, but girl, you sure do make it look good!
It reminds me of the Archie Girls Caramel Sundae eyeshadow quad by MAC. Basic neutral colors with little color pay off. I ended up returning mine.
Christine, this color palette looks amazing on you. I love it! I just wish the price was cheaper. hahaha Great look!
Wow, pretty look! When I first saw the palette I was only slightly excited about the darkest shade but now that I see a complete look with it, I might have to change my opinion!
It’s not for me, even apart from the pigmentation issues and price, simply because the colours are too, too warm. But I have to say: Bravo Chanel for not doing one of your usual beige, taupe-beige, pink-beige, brown-beige colour combos…. 😉
I adore this combination of shades, although I do wish there was less shimmer and more matte shadows
i love your looks but you never seem to use eyeliner on your top lid, which i think would look amazing on you. i would love to see one of your eyeshadow looks with black winged liner on the upper lid.
I agree with your comment, it would look nice, however Christine has said in the past that her upper lash line is too sensitive to apply liner there.
Hello Christine!
my comment is not about this Chanel shadows, my concern is i have checked online and found that some lipsticks have lead, so ofc this could cause cancer. my question to you is, do you know anything about this? or as you know so much about make up, is there a way nowadays that lipsticks contain lead?
some brands are Mary Kay, Dior and Chanel. I would appreciate if you can let me know 🙂 ty!! i just found the info in the web, not sure how much i can trust in that.
Hi Karen,
Please check out this Snopes article: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/lipstick.asp
While technically true, as lipstick does have traces of lead, it is not in harmful amounts (but please read the above link, as it is much more detailed and the FDA even did a study in 2011).
It’s great that Chanel paid tribute to my home town in this palette. Too bad the colors are meh.
This looks no nicer than a Revlon palette, wow.
Hi Christine!
Will you ever do a review on the LMDB Melange de Colour eyeshadow palette? I’m curious as to what your thoughts are on it since everyone is raving about it. Thanks! 🙂
Hi!
I don’t have it, and as far as I know, at this point, they’re not easy to come by. I know LMdB mentioned that some were floating around and they’d help you track it down. They have fairly consistent products, so I can’t imagine it not being at least good.
I got one and I love it. I seriously would be willing to send it to you to see your review lol! That’s how much I value your opinion! 🙂