After much anticipation, I got my hands on a couple of pieces from Chanel's Aquarelles de Chanel Collection, which arrived at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria today. Chanel Ombres Tissées Iridescent Effects Eyes in Beiges ($75) was on my wish list, so I took a few photos of the compact in the store and then started swatching.The highlighting powder shades in the compact are very light. On top of that, it's very dark outside because it has rained on and off all day. I couldn't get decent swatch photos in the store, but I got "as good as it gets" when I got home.
To show you that you can use all three shades blended as a facial highlighter, I applied the powder with a sponge-tipped applicator and ran the applicator across all three shades in the compact, light beige, gold, and pink. You will see that this powder isn't much darker, when blended, than my fair skin tone.
The shades
apply with a lot of sparkle. I am not sure yet whether that sparkle will disappear once the top layer of the compact is worn off. Early indications (from use) is that it is an overspray and that the sparkles may thin out or disappear over time. When I used the powder for the first time, swiping across it with a sponge and brush in the store, I had powder particles flying everywhere. It settled down a bit after I wore through part of the top layer.
Then I swatched the colors individually. They are all highlighting shades with very subtle color. I'm not sure that I could get great swatch photos on a sunny day. On my arm at right, the light beige shade is shown at the top, the gold in the middle, and the pink at the bottom. They will all light up your look, but without imparting a lot of color. I'm sorry for the grey tones of my photos that resulted from the heavy cloud cover. It was the best I could do today, and I knew you wanted to see the collection's centerpiece. I'll update this feature tomorrow if I can get better photos in sunshine.
How will Ombres Tissées Iridescent Effects Eyes in Beiges look on your skin and eyelids? If you have fair skin, as I do, the shade(s) will give you an iridescent glow. As skin tones darken (from mine), I believe Ombres Tissées in Beiges will offer a more obvious highlighting effect and possibly more color. No testers arrived, and the store does not expect to receive them with this collection, so you'll have to buy on faith.
Ombres Tissées in Beiges was billed as a pink-peach highlighter created for Chanel's Spring/Summer 2011 Haute Couture Show. Peter Philips created several new, limited-edition pieces and reached back into Chanel's beautiful line for others. The collection arrived at the store, with this compact named Iridescent Effects Eyes. I think it's a multipurpose product, although I do worry about little sparkles falling in my eyes if I use the shades as highlighting eye shadows.
In addition to this compact, the store received the two Joues Contraste blushes (Pink Cloud and Rose Pétale), Rouge Coco Shine in the Royallieu, and Ombre Essentielle in Gris Exquis. I
can't tell you whether Les Vernis in Tendress arrived. We lost track of it in the excitement of the makeup!Update 8/4: As I expected, my swatch photo in sun wasn't much better. This morning, the sun has flirted with us, making a few quick appearances. I applied each shade extremely heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator to try to show you the colors. This is the result.
Photos (such as they are) by Best Things in Beauty