Chantecaille Summer 2015: Le Chrome Luxe Eye Duo Gardens of Marrakech

For this summer Chantecaille introduces their third Le Chrome Luxe Eye Duo. Gardens of Marrakech (£48) contains Crocus, a dusty lavender with a satin finish and Lantern, a golden brown/bronze with metallic finish.



The duo comes housed in a beautiful metallic grey compact with a shimmery C. I was surprised how big the compact was (roughly 8cm by 8cm) and the dome shaped eyeshadows are a good size as well (4g .14oz).

The texture is lovely; finely milled, with a lightweight, silky smooth feel and application. The colours are highly pigmented, blend effortlessly and can be used lightly for a more subtle shimmer/glow effect or layered/used wet if you prefer a more dramatic metal look. Even without a primer I find these do not crease.

I'm not normally a fan of metallic finishes but Lantern is the best I have ever tried. Where it outperforms over metallic shadows for me is that its more refined as it does not accentuate lid lines nor look gaudy on and you can adjust the intensity to allow you to wear the level of metallic you are comfortable with. Its really a stand out shade and I have to admit that I just gazed at it for a while on swatching.

Swatched below dry then damp,

Swatched below dry with Crocus over Lantern



Shown below with the shadows used dry,


Suffice to say I really rate this duo, the colours are interesting and I find the formula faultless.

Ingredients:


I bought this from http://uk.spacenk.com/women/

Tom Ford Lavender Lust Eye Color Quad

Occasionally, I make a departure from the usual neutral/nude eyeshadow territory, so here we have my acquisition of Lavender Lust (£63).
Lavender Lust is a very cool toned dusty purple/lavender palette, the colours do not scream pastel which is often my worry with these types of shades.


The top left is a sheer light pink with glitter, the colour pay off is good for a glitter shade though I do get quite a lot of fall out. The top right is a satin finish medium smoky violet/purple with a slight grey hue, it has very good pigment and is the most creamy/smooth of all four shades. Lower left is a lavender/white with a pink iridescent sheen. Lastly on the lower right a noticeable dryer in feel (though does not look patchy once applied) dark plum with satin finish. Its not quite pigmented enough for me to use as a liner unless I use it wet.

Overall the palette has good pigment, with a mostly smooth texture and the shades do not fade/crease when used over a primer. As a result of the colours being different depths but within the same colour family I find it limited in the looks it can create.

I've had this palette for quite a while now and though I've seen it create very pretty soft to intense purple smokey looks on other blogs, I have to concede that for me this does not work. All I can create is grey/purple murkiness as shown below (notice the glitter fall out).

So its not a love for me and I have to say that I have been going off my Tom Ford eyeshadows quite a bit recently, there is something in the finish of the overall look that it just not sitting well on me.

I bought this from http://www.harveynichols.com

Burberry Complete Eye Palette Rose No. 10

Due the the recent Burberry shadow reformulations, I'm not sure what the future holds for the Complete Eye Palettes. Whether they will be reformulated as well or completely replaced I'd thought I'd better get round to this review.

Complete Eye Palette Rose (£40) was originally part of the Spring 2014 English Rose collection but is now part of the regular line up.

It contains a matte dusty clay rose/pink, a soft shimmering/satin taupe with a pink sheen, light shimmery/frosted pink and a pale frosted cream highlighting shade.

Apart from the light pink, which has the same smooth, buttery texture of the Burberry singles, the other shades felt a tiny bit dryer, most noticeably on the deepest shade (though I did not get fall out)  though they still applied smoothly with no problems in blending. Pigment is good apart from the taupe which applies much softer and I feel like there is not enough shade distinction between the lighter two shades.


I can't help finding this a bit too frosty for me. I don't normally equate Burberry with a frosted finish so its a shame the two lighter shades are not more satin. However if you don't mind a bit of frost, the colours work harmoniously to create a delicate shimmery eye look and the deeper rose/pink shade adds an interesting edge.


I bought this from http://uk.burberry.com/beauty/

Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick Adrienne & Cécile

For 2015 the Rouge Coco formula has been reinvented (I think it originally came out in 2010). I wasn't a big fan of the original formula, which I found inconsistent, with some shades being very drying, applying patchy and accentuated lip lines.

The new formula is meant to be "ultra hydrating for nourished lips and comfort". The formula is enriched with mimosa, jojoba and sunflower plant butters, and is meant to "glide onto lips for a plumping effect and a lively luminous colour".

The new range of 24 shades was inspired by the close friends of Mademoiselle Chanel. I bought Cécile #432 which is a muted, slightly cool, petal pink with a soft shimmer and Adrienne #402 which is a peach nude with a soft sheen finish (£26 each).

Shown below Adrienne


Shown below Cécile


I'm not sure about the claims for "lively luminous colour", but the colour payoff is good and the shades wear about 4 hours on me (I tend to find 3 hours an average wear for most lipsticks)



They have a slightly creamy texture which glides on nicely and applies evenly. I do not find these accentuate dryness nor gather in lip lines, though I question the assertion that these provide hydration all day long. After about 10 minutes I find these a bit drying, its not uncomfortable as such but neither do I find these pleasant on.

Though I prefer a more light, hydrating formula and glossy finish, I do consider these an improvement on the previous formula, though I think that the claims of being ultra hydrating are unfounded.




Ingredients:


I bought these from http://www.boots.com