Chanel - 72/75 - Café Makeup

In the Summer of 2006, Chanel released Beach a new addition to the line of Ombre D’eau Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadows. I post this for completeness, because this one no longer appears on Chanel’s site. However, this one does seem to be for sale on several online sites, and I know that sometimes department store backstock can reveal even older treasures that this one.

Beach is a warm, golden sand-champagne. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and yet so easily wearable. I’m including several pictures so you can see the different iridescent effects. The eyeshadow looks quite different depending on the lighting angle and the depth of application.

Chanel Ombre D’eau Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadow in Source (#40), is pictured below. This is a beautiful pearl pink-nude eyeshadow with multi-colored sparkles that seem to melt into iridescence once applied. This is in the same neighborhood as Stila Kitten, except its on the pinker side of the street. Plus, the texture is quite different because it’s a water-based pigment that dries. The shimmer factor is high in both, although I find that Source can be sheered out quite nicely if you want a soft glow on the lid (click to enlarge).

I typically use this eyeshadow alone, although one could add a powder eyeshadow over the top once it dries.

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.

Chanel’s Kaska Beige Quad is beautiful mix of beige, gold and purple.

The lightest highlight shade is a warm cream, it’s very subtle on lighter skintones.
A warm, shimmery gold-taupe
A nearly matte, mid-tone mauve
A deep, shimmery jeweled amethyst

Based on my initial review, I recommend the palette. It’s a neutral quad, but the mauve and amethyst keep this from being dull. I love the mix of shimmer and matte. I usually resist buying mattes, but when I put an entire eye together I realize that they are really needed to allow the shimmery colors to really sparkle. After all, an all-shimmery eye can give a metallic cast to the eye area that detracts. Enjoy the pictures and let me know what you think….

Via this source, Chanel is launching a new lipstick line, Rouge Coco. According to the site, the formula and pigmentation of the lipstick has changed and the case is now made entirely of metal. The site pins the release date for March 2010.

Chanel’s promo pictures seem to suggest that Rouge Coco substitute for the current Rouge Hydrabase lipsticks, which have been slowly disappearing from Chanel.com.

Here’s a link to an article about the new line.