*In case you were wondering, this review continues my Wedding Anniversary Bounty series! (see here, here, & here for previous entries) More than that, however, CHANEL’s ‘Sable-Emouvant’ Eyeshadow Duo made me do a double-take. Initially, I thought that this was a relatively common brown/beige duo, but upon closer inspection, I was gripped by how elegant in its utter simplicity this duo really is, and swatching it only confirmed this impression. Personally, I wondered how these more autumnal-seeming colours would work for a summer collection, but as you’ll see, this duo seems to rise above any trends.
this has to be one of the best CHANEL collection looks I’ve seen to date!
the iconic CHANEL black box, banded in gold
I’m a huge fan of the protective velveteen sleeves that all CHANEL compacts come with
the glistening lacquered ebony compact *sigh*
the back of compact – made in France!
#37 Sable-Emouvant is one the most universally flattering eyeshadow duos I’ve ever come across, but as if that wasn’t enough, CHANEL sweetened the deal by making these powders exceptionally finely-milled and silky smooth. The left side of the compact bears a luscious minky brown hue, with the right side holding a creamy café latté shade, and the delicate glimmer you see on the surface gives a such a lustrous depth to what would be rather ordinary hues. Combined, the two colours take on an intricate silvery gleam and provides a nice counterpoint to each individual shade. I experienced almost no powdery kick-back or residue when applying a variety of brushes to them, and even without primer, lasting powder was impressive as well – going easily a full 7 hours before creasing or fading. The following swatches are all on foundation primed skin.
closeup of the rich chocolate-brown shade
closeup of the glistening oyster-cream shade
swatches in sunlight (left to right): combined, brown, cream
swatches with flash (left to right): combined, brown, cream
eye look
I’m totally loving the fresh & juicy look of this lip combo!
Inspired by the photo of the CHANEL model for this collection (see top of post), I created this clean and simple look. I applied the ecru shade of ‘Sable-Emouvant’ over the lid up to the crease, then went in with the chestnut hue along the outer corners of the eye and in more detail along both upper & lower lids. With a fluffy blending brush I went back over the lid with the darker shade to add a different dimension, finally finishing with the paler hue along the inner corner of the eye.
Over tinted moisturizer (NARS Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in ‘St. Moritz’), and using a large fluffy brush, I first dusted ‘Sable Beige’ all over the face and neck, then went back with a smaller domed brush and applied ‘Sable Rose’ to lightly contour as well as give a natural blush to the cheeks. To finish the look, I applied Rouge Coco Shine in ‘Flirt’ (previously reviewed here), topped with CHANEL’s new Glossimer in ‘Calypso’ (previously reviewed here).
Final thoughts: Even though the promotional photos looked beautiful, I was still tempted to pass this duo up, thinking I would focus on more “seasonally appropriate” items, but something stopped me; there’s a certain indefinable quality to these two shades, and after having worn this duo several different ways, I can honestly say that it is also exceptionally versatile. I even went so far as to go through every single brown & beige eyeshadow I own to see if I could duplicate this duo, but surprisingly, I had nothing evenly remotely close. Above all this, though is the phenomenal quality of these shadows, making this not only one of my better purchases, but also one of the most versatile.
This ends the CHANEL portion of my Wedding Anniversary Bounty’ … NARS is next in line to be revealed!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL “MOMS” – BEAUTIES FOREVER!
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