From The Straits Times    |

Once again Chanel Makeup’s creative director Peter Philips has created a collection of sumptuous, glorious colours that you will line up to buy.

The brand’s Fall 2011 Makeup collection, Illusions d’Ombres de Chanel, was inspired by the “caress of a feather, the texture of shagreen and the sparkling facets of cut stone” and pays homage to the great “Artistic Creation Houses” of Parisian haute couture – Lesage, Lemarié, Massaro, Goossens, Michel, Guillet and Desrues.

The central focus of Chanel’s  Illusions d’Ombres de Chanel collection is the eyes. Philips has created a series of stunning new eyeshadows that paradoxically both open up the eye and yet work as smoldering dark looks as well.

Illusion d’Ombre is a newly formulated eyeshadow; its mousse to powder texture makes it amazingly easy to apply using the accompanying angled brush. Pick up as much, or as little, of the richly pigmented shadow as you need. 

The angle allows you to use the shadows as liners – particularly fabulous for the darker shades; you can line and smudge with the same brush.

But it’s the new translucent, silicone-base formula of Illusion d’Ombre that makes the real difference. It allows the pigments to be completely true to colour and lets the micronised glitter particles to pick up every stray bit of light.

Remarkably the glitter does not come across as something akin to a disco ball, instead the particles manage to reflect the light through the colour, allowing darker shades of shadow to actually “brighten” around the eyes.

There are six Illusion d’Ombre colours: 

Fantasme – iridescent white; use sparingly and lightly as it is a true “white” shade and can make you look a little ghostly

Mirifique – the very epitome of black; very dark shades are often very hard to use as the colour flakes off all over your face. The “mousse to powder” texture of this one allows you to keep the black only where you want it.

Émerveillé – soft peach; this makes a fabulous base colour or use it on it’s own for the perfect “natural” look

Illusoire – described as a “gray-tinged taupe”; this is one of those shades that’s almost impossible to describe but it’s amazingly versatile nonetheless. Use as a base for a smokey eye look or on its own with a highlighter for a day look.

Ébloui – described as a “brown smouldering with red"; this shade is perfect for a "day-to-night" smokey eye look. Use sparingly for day-time wear and then add more layers of colour for evening. It looks fantastic with a touch of Mirifique as a black liner on the corner of the eyelid.

Épatant – another odd colour, “a gray-shadowed khaki”; again difficult to describe but very useful. Used by itself or as a darker base colour, it is great for contouring and adding depth to eyeshadow looks.

If you’re looking for a totally natural look, Chanel has released Prélude, a Les 4 Ombres compact of essential, classic tones – grey brown, grey beige, luminous beige and deep taupe brown (pictured below). You can use alone or in conjunction with the Illusion d’Ombre eyeshadows.

The Le Crayon Yeux, or eye pencil, in Khaki Platine is an absolute stunner of a product. I have already waxed lyrical over the Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Rose Platine and this version is no less useful. It’s particularly good for opening up your eyes as it captures the light.

Accompanying the eye treatments in the Illusions d’Ombres de Chanel collection are two lipsticks – Plumetis, a soft peach, and Étole, a coppery rosewood (pictured above); it also has a matching lip pencil, Rose Cuivre Le Crayon Lèvres. 

If you prefer a glossy look, try the new shades of Chanel’s Lèvres Scintillantes – Pampille, peach with silver reflections; or Braise, a pinkish bronze.

And, for the final touch, try Chanel’s Joues Contraste blush in Rose Écrin (pictured below), a soft peachy pink that adds a bit of freshness without overpowering your complexion.

I freely admit to being a massive fan of Chanel Makeup, the colours never cease to amaze me. Each and every season, Philips manages to catch exactly the right tone to go with the overall feel of not only the designs from Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld, but with that of the rest of the fashion world. 

Illusions d’Ombres de Chanel is no exception; grab it while you can.

The Illusions d’Ombres de Chanel collection is available from Chanel’s fragrance and beauty boutiques at #B1-134, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and Isetan Scotts; and Chanel’s fragrance and beauty counters located at BHG Bugis Junction, Isetan Katong, Isetan Orchard, Isetan Serangoon, Isetan Tampines, Metro Paragon, Robinsons Raffles City, Robinsons Centrepoint, Takashimaya, CK Tangs and Tangs VivoCity. Illusion d’Ombre eyeshadows cost $52 each; the Les 4 Ombres in Prélude costs $87; Le Crayon Yeux in Khaki Platine is a limited edition product and costs $32; Rouge Coco in Plumetis and Etole cost $44 each; Lèvres Scintillantes in Pampille and Braise cost $40 each; Crayon Lèvres in Coralline and Rose Cuivre cost $32 each and the Joues Contraste in Rose Ecrin costs $65.

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