Chanel Ombre D’Eau Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadows ($32) are a pleasant addition to your beauty arsenal. They are surprisingly easy to use. When I first purchased one, I must confess I disliked the product very much. After a few Chanel counter make-overs, I learned to relax and love them.
I’ve previously talked about Chanel’s Spring 2010 addition to this line here, which is deep beautiful green called Torrent. It occurred to me that I haven’t seen a comprehensive view of these eyeshadows among the beauty sites that I follow. These products have been out for a few years, and are greatly underrated (and, I would say, probably misunderstood).
The Chanel Ombre D’eau’s come in a range of colors. Most are easy light colors that take a few moments to swipe across the lid with the handy doe-foot applicator. There are two that are formulated in deep jewel tones. The doe-foot resembles the same familiar applicator used in Chanel’s Glossimers:
Inside the glass vial is a pigment and water combination, together with some small balls that help mix the two. Before opening the vial, shake it several times (shake it! shake it!). If the vial has been sitting for several months, you may need to pump the doe foot a few times within the vial to get it started.
Then just take the doe foot and sweep it across your lid, as many times as you like until you see the effect you like. I usually swipe it with a finger afterwards, just as you do with a creme eyeshadow, before the product dries. It dries down to soft, iridescent finish that looks absolutely beautiful.
The formula can be worn heavily or sheer, depending on your preference. I typically wear them without any base. Lately I’ve worn them over a MAC Paint Pot (Painterly) and they do equally well. They last all day. However, do not use these with a traditional eyeshadow primer, like Urban Decay Primer Potion. The eyeshadow doesn’t need it, and the texture gets odd.
Over the next few days, I’ll post swatches of all of the Chanel Ombre D’eau in my collection. Here are a few to get you started, so you can get a sense of how these shadows look once applied:
I especially love them now, when I have very little time in the mornings to get ready. They add a little polish quite easily. They’re also wonderful in the summer.
8 Responses to “Chanel Ombre D’Eau Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadows: A Comprehensive View”
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These look nice, but they kind of look like the Mememe colorama shadows that are already out. Still, pretty colours though!
Musical Houses: I’d love to learn more about the Mememe Colorama shadows–I’ve never seen them in the stores around me. They sound beautiful!
The colors look beautiful and I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of your swatches. I’ve seen them at the counter, but never tried them because I was afraid they’d be too runny in consistency and I didn’t think the applicator would work for me. I have deep set eyes with a lot of space to cover between my lashes and the fold of my eye. I really should give them a try. Never judge a book by its cover, etc.
Eileen, they seem to have little stoppers in the top of the glass vial to keep the liquid inside. Only one of my colors seems to be lacking it (a light green), the others can sit on their sides without spilling. They are actually a little neater to use than a powder pigment–the water is included, and it’s really hard to spill them. The doe-foot seems to work quite well!
I’m so glad to see someone else feature these. I’ve collected almost every color ever since they first came out. I know they have a shorter lifespan disclosed on the bottom of the tubes, but I’ve had some for over 4 years and they are still as good as new. I really love these even if they take me a bit more complicated to apply b/c they can dry fast if you don’t blend quickly.
Great swatches and I agree they last ALL day. I love them alone or as a base for powder shadows. Wish they would come out with more shades!
I agree – very underrated, I think SAs tend to talk more about the quads, mascaras and eyeliners from Chanel. The only people who mention these are the makeup artists at events I’ve attended. Almost 80% of the time they apply one of these. Love it. And I love your blog, can’t believe I didn’t discover it sooner. Great photos and reviews!!!!
Lina: I’m glad to see another Ombre D’eau fan. Thanks so much for saying such nice things about this blog! It’s a lot of fun to play with. I’m a big fan of your blog also–gorgeous Nars post today, Lina! I know you’ll enjoy those new beauties!
I have been wanting to see swatches of Ombre D’eaus and can never find them on blogs… so yay!! Never bought one but am interested in trying these in the future! Thanks
Stay tuned Lakshmi–there are several days of them coming!
They are a little tricky to photograph but I think I’m happy with them now… Let me know what you think when you see them?