Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminious in Epatant ($36 # 84) is a very Chanel color, at least in my mind. This soft gray-green seems to appear in the first release of every major eyeshadow release over the past several years. Somewhat similar tones appeared in the the Ombre D’Eau line, the Ombres Perlees palette for Spring 2011, and the Ombre Essentielles when they were first released. It’s a neutral-with-an-edge that seems to look good on a wide variety of skin tones and eye colors, and seems to be a lovely shadow to go with the burgundy, browns, grays and blacks that we are sure to be wearing in the Fall.
As described in this overview post, Epatant (French for “amazing”) has a cross-linked gel texture that is a bit spongy in feel. Epatant is a soft forest green, and the first color that I reached for when attempting to use these shadows for the first time. This is a color that is well within the comfort zone of many women. As with the other Illusion D’Ombre shades, there is a tiny clear micro-sparkle in Epatant.
I found that this applied easily with a soft dab and tap of my finger as a wash on my upper lid. I was able to put down several layers to get a pretty opaque look without looking weighed down. As with the other shadows in the line, this mousse-gel does not appear to emphasize any fine lines or imperfections on the lid. Rather, it seems to add a very thin layer of pigment that looks rather smooth. Also, the shadows are layer-able. For example, I added Illusoire in my crease area over Epatant for a pretty mauve-green combination.
I’m indebted to Grace over at the London Makeup Girl for noting the resemblance between Chanel Epatent and Lancome’s Erika F. Here, you see Chanel Epatant applied lightly, then more heavily. In the center is a swatch of the powder Lancome Erika F. To the right are both Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadows–one in Vert Khaki and Khaki.
In bright sun:
Indoors with flash–you can see how these colors shift and reflect in different light:
One more:
As an aside, I suspect that this color was heavily used during the Chanel Fall 2011 couture show (discussed here):
I want to do more testing before I weigh in on the wear time with these. So far, I’m having good luck. In fact, I slept in Ebloui last night and woke up with most of it all (intentionally-the things beauty bloggers do!–I wouldn’t normally do that). I’ll also have Liz try them, as her skin type is slightly different than mine. Please look for an update in a week or so on wear time.
9 Responses to “Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Epatant: Review and Swatches”
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I’m so glad you’ve not left us entirely, Amy. You somehow have an instinct for reporting the exact details one would require before making a luxury purchase, and in that sense your blog is vastly helpful as a resource. I ended up with Dior Aurora thanks to your blog, and it’s opened a whole new world of possibilities for me (as I’m a noviate to bronzer). I hope you can find a pace that’s comfortable for you; it’s hard to quit blogging entirely, too. : )
Hi Amy, I’m so glad you’re posting again, if only Temporarily! I missed seeing your beautiful work. Epatant is the kind of color I’m always drawn too, perhaps that’s why it’s a must have in every collection! Greyed greens look complex and pretty on a variety of different eyes.
Absolutely gorgeous! I must get this one as well. I love how Erika F looks on me(thanks to a generous friend in Milan), so I can’t wait to try this one!
thanks for the excellent review. Can’t wait to hear your update.
I’m so happy to see you back! I only rarely post, but you were missed!
I’m so drawn to epatant… but I own Benefit Skinny jeans – are they close in colour? ANy chance of swatching the two? Maybe I can take Epatant off my long list of must-haves?! I’ve already reserved a whole bunch of items, why does Canada have so wait so long???
Epatant leans green, and I believe that Skinny Jeans is more of a taupe? Sorry, I do not own Skinny Jeans. I always meant to pick it up, but never did….
[...] Platine is the eyeliner twin to Illusion D’Ombre Epatant (reviewed here) and they would be lovely paired together. Because I tend to wear blacks and browns on my top [...]
Great review! Do you think Epatant could be worn daily at school or at office as an eyeliner or is it too sparkly? thanks!
Yes the sparkle is subtle enough for office day in my opinion, especially if you are business formal. It’s a bit dressy for running errands in shorts etc as I found out LOL. Any occasion that you could wear a Dragon red polish would be fine for Epatant, especially if the rest of the face is matte.