I finally got a chance to play in the new standard Autumn 2011 collection from Chanel. My impression is about 50/50. There are some real standouts in the collection, and there are some things that are skip-worthy.
I’m still working through my process for these new ‘cream’ shadows. They are hauntingly similar in packaging, texture, and blendability as the Armani Eyes To Kill variety. Most of the colors are dead ringers for each other, with the exception of massive amounts of glitter that Chanel has deemed worthy of this product. The jury is still out.
I was not inspired by a single color of lipstick in the new Autumn 2011 collection, with the exception of Rouge Byzantin. The others look very pedestrian and highly dupeable
This was the surprising star of the collection. The eyeshadow quad in Prelude boasts true ‘Autumn’ color with little shimmer and high blendability. I was surprised at how MUCH I liked this quad, considering the fact that the colors aren’t that unique. I was really impressed by it.
The Joues Contraste Blush in Rose Ecrin was a surprising letdown. I thought it would be a lovely dusty rose, but on me it’s more ‘dust’ and less ‘rose’. Pass.
Ditto for the glossimers. Not inspiring… not even a little bit.
No.
No.
So, here’s what ended up coming home with me:
From the left: Eyeshadow Quad in Prelude, nail polishes in Peridot, Quartz and Graphite, and Eye Pencil in Khaki Platine.
As I stated, I’m in love with the quad. The colors are highly pigmented and silky, and blend together so seamlessly… I’m really impressed. The nail polishes are a no brainer, considering their multi-dimensional shimmer and unusual color interpretation. Peridot is noteworthy because it goes from gold, to green to both depending on the light. Graphite goes on a metallic silver, but picks up gold in sunlight. And Quartz is not quite grey, not quite rose, not quite taupe… and all three at once. Lovely lovely polishes. I highly recommend those if you’re in love with unusual colors that do more than just sit on your nails.
The jury is still out on the Khaki Platine pencil. I really liked Rose Platine more I think.. this one is leaving me kind of flat. It may not survive the journey into my kit… I may end up taking it back. We’ll see.
Those are my favorites from Chanel Autumn 2011. Swatches to come… Ciao for now!
