Archived Post

Chanel Sensation, Palpitation, Hesitation Soft Touch Eyeshadows Reviews, Photos, Swatches

Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Soft Touch Eyeshadow ($29.50 for 0.07 oz.) is supposed to be an “ultra-fine powder eyeshadow” that is “foolproof in its application” and can be “applied dry for subtle shading, or dampened for more intense colour.” I strongly recommend not using any of the more satin/matte finishes with a dampened brush, as it causes the surface to crust over and harden. Using the more frosted or shimmery shades seems with a dampened brush doesn’t seem to have any issues. I wasn’t impressed by the new shades for fall; they were underwhelming and more difficult to use. These really needed an eyeshadow primer to work well, or else the color didn’t apply or last well. These three shades in particular look very similar to three of the shades in the Quadrille Eyeshadow Quad.

Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow ($29.50 for 0.07 oz.) is described as an “ivory pink.” It’s a light, pink-tinged peach-beige with warm undertones and a satin finish. Applied dry, it was sheer, and applied with a dampened brush, it was semi-opaque. The consistency was soft but slightly powdery. It lasted six hours on me before fading. NARS Europa (P, $29.00) is darker. theBalm #14 (P, $6.50) is more shimmery. theBalm #4 (P, $6.50) is more shimmery. MAC Warm Breeze (P, $15.00) is similar. Too Faced Bubbly (LE, $16.00) is similar. Too Faced Whiskers on Kittens (LE, $16.00) is pinker. MAC Her Cocoa #2 (LE, $15.00) is less shimmery, darker. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow ($29.50 for 0.07 oz.) is described as a “soft rose.” It’s a muted, medium pink with warm, yellow undertones and a semi-matte finish. Applied dry, it had softer, semi-opaque color payoff, and then applied with a dampened brush, the color intensified slightly and was more opaque. However, using a dampened brush left a hard, darkened surface on the pan that had to be rubbed/scraped away to become usable again. The texture was slightly powdery, so it had to be packed and patted on carefully if applied dry to get any intensity. When I tried using it with a dampened brush, it was hard to get the color to transfer to the skin–just stuck to the brush. On the lid, it lasted for seven hours before fading. Chanel Quadrille #3 (LE) is lighter, warmer. Makeup Geek Cupcake (P, $5.99) is warmer, more shimmery. Chanel Rose Favorite (LE, $28.50) is brighter, cooler-toned. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow ($29.50 for 0.07 oz.) is described as a “pink plum.” It’s a medium-dark plum burgundy with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had semi-sheer color payoff when applied dry, and then mostly opaque color payoff when applied with a dampened brush. This one seemed to be fine after using it wet, so that was a plus. The texture was a little powdery, though it was particularly blendable when I was working with it. This shade stayed on well for eight hours before fading. theBalm #13 (P, $6.50) is darker, more matte. Tarte Plums Up (LE) is more purple, matte. Chanel Quadrille #1 (LE) is slightly darker. Makeup Geek Bitten (P, $5.99) is warmer, brighter. Chanel Delicatesse #4 (LE) is more purple, more shimmery. NARS New York (P, $24.00) is more matte, browner. MAC Blackberry (P, $15.00) is darker. Illamasqua Forgiveness (LE) is more matte. Chanel Harmonie du Soir #3 (LE) is more shimmery. Make Up For Ever #141 (P, $20.00) is similar. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

See more photos & swatches!

Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Sensation (102) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Palpitation (104) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Sensation (inner lid), Palpitation (middle of lid), Exaltation (outer lid),
Hesitation (crease), Pulsion (crease), Admiration (lower lash line)

Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
Sensation (inner lid), Palpitation (middle of lid), Exaltation (outer lid),
Hesitation (crease), Pulsion (crease), Admiration (lower lash line)

Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
With Eyeshadow Primer: Sensation (inner lid), Palpitation (middle of lid), Exaltation (outer lid),
Hesitation (crease), Pulsion (crease), Admiration (lower lash line)

Chanel Hesitation (106) Soft Touch Eyeshadow
With Eyeshadow Primer: Sensation (inner lid), Palpitation (middle of lid), Exaltation (outer lid),
Hesitation (crease), Pulsion (crease), Admiration (lower lash line)

48 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Christine Avatar

Some formulas are truly designed to be wet/dry, and even those that aren’t… the frostier shades are usually fine (like MAC’s regular eyeshadows – frosts can easily be used with a dampened brush, but if you try a matte, you’ll get that hardened, darkened surface!). It’s odd that Chanel markets them this way but the satin/matte shades get damaged in the process and really don’t function well damp anyway.

Rigor_Mortis Avatar

Looks powdery and cheap looking, and with that price tag, that’s inexcusable!

A far cry from the lush, pigmented (and heavily photoshopped) promo pictures. Thanks for the review, Christine.

meganlisa Avatar

Disappointing. Though think of the money I just saved as the collection looked so promising (Thanks!!!! For the reviews). I’m all about sheer and light but I felt similarly about some of the summer collection too…at this price point too sheer or light is a waste of money.
Chanel used to be my favorite but I’m underwhelmed too often these days.

Mariella Avatar

The only Chanel powder shadow I have is Taupe Grise, which I’d coveted for a long while and then bought when I got a $20 off coupon for cosmetics at The Bay some years ago. It’s a beautiful shadow but so many of Chanel’s single shadows are eminently dupe-able (even the good quality ones, of which there are several). So to splash out on shadows of inferior quality and which seem so ordinary AND easily duped with better quality and less expensive shadows….well, unless you’re desperate for the status of the interlocking “C’s”, it just seems stupid to spend this much on something of less than excellent quality.

Sylirael Avatar

Aww 🙁 That’s a shame, actually – I was hoping some of these might turn out well, as my sister loves pink eyeshadows and Chanel in general, and her birthday is coming up. Mind you, I have no idea what of this collection (if anything) we’ll see down here, so perhaps it’s all a bit moot…

The eye look you did is pretty, despite the difficult shadows!

KJH Avatar

This batch had a reeeeaaally uneven app. Even YOU don’t look superb. (You flattered the others fairly well.) Sensation on your arm looks like the Emperor’s New Eyeshadow! Somebody in production or creative or both should be getting a pink slip. It’s pretty inexcusable trading on your rep with such poor product.

whitelace Avatar

I thought of that too, however not at these prices. I just bought a replacement shadow in a drugstore brand for my browbone highlighter which serves that purpose. For the cost of Chanel I’d want a rich, pigmented formula eyeshadow, something special. I want to feel the difference of a high-end brand.

alexa Avatar

Please Christine, is cranberry (from mac) similar to hesitation? I am looking for a dupe (a mac eyeshadow would be ok) because hesitation is beautiful but too expensive for me!;)

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!