Friday, November 12, 2010

Chanel Stupendous Quadra Eye Shadow from SoHo Story

The Chanel SoHo Story collection was introduced to celebrate the reopening of Chanel's SoHo boutique and "was" exclusive to Chanel.com and the boutique. I tried to order three pieces in September and was able to buy only the SoHo de Chanel Highlighting Powders and Blush ($65).

Imagine my surprise - and delight - when I walked into Neiman Marcus this week and saw the full Chanel SoHo collection! These items weren't so exclusive after all. Only two months after the September launch, the eye shadow quad I had wanted was mine. I purchased the last one at Neiman Marcus at Mazza Gallerie.

The Stupendous Quadra Eye Shadow ($56) has already earned its name. I like all four shades. They are pretty and sheer, offering buildable color. While they shades aren't revolutionary (in any sense), they are delightful on my eyelids. I like the three light shades; I can wear all of them alone on my lower lids for daytime, and the darkest shade is a great accent color for me.

I swatched them starting at the upper left in the compact photo and moving clockwise. I applied them with a sponge-tipped applicator and took my photo in late-afternoon sun. I would describe the shades as icy pink, icy mocha, icy silver, and mocha (or medium brown). When I applied them to my arm, I gave each swatch an extra coat or two to ensure the shades showed up in the photo. Even so, you can see that these are subtle shades. They make me very happy, but if you're looking for drama, they're unlikely to be your favorites.

I now have all three items I had wanted originally. I bought Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Confidence ($32) at Saks in October. I just realized I never showed it to you, so I'll try to feature it this weekend. It's very pretty.

I purchased Stupendous at Neiman Marcus. I will find out tomorrow if it's available at Nordstrom. I'm going to one of those crazy-wild Beauty Trends Shows.

Update 11/13: Nordstrom does have the SoHo Story collection. I saw it today after the Beauty Trends Show.

Photo at top courtesy of Chanel

5 comments:

MarciaF said...

Have fun at the Trend Show. Lately they just give me a headache!! I've got to check out all the new Chanel this weekend myself.

Eileen said...

When I first started seeing pictures of Stupendous popping up on the internet, I was struck by the remarkable similarity to Mystic Eyes, an opinion that was proven correct when I saw it at the counter. It really does resemble Mystic Eyes, but Stupendous is much cooler in tone. This unique quad is sophisticated and edgy with a strong urban vibe. In fact, the whole Soho collection is sleek, modern, and city hip. I love it! But, having Mystic Eyes at home, I gave Stupendous a miss.

The two items which I did buy from the collection were the Rouge Allure Laque in Stunt and the Glossimer in Star. Stunt took my breath away when I first saw it. I was utterly fascinated by the deep, dramatic, blue tinged mauve. It's a strong color meant to be worn with confidence. Me? I'm sixty-two and a bit of a chicken, so I livened it up by applying it lightly and layering Star over it. Star is a very cool, pale, icy pink which brings a lot of life to Stunt and makes it easier to wear. The two in tandem look fabulous and pair beautifully with Chanel's Enigma or Guerlain's Rue de Sevres on the eyes. I must say I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of women who have stopped me to ask what I was wearing on my lips. I think it's good to get out of the comfort zone now and then.

Unknown said...

Stupendous is too "cool" for my complexion, but I love the lipstick "Stunning," and the Rouge Allure Lacque in "Stunt," especially. I bought two. These are "cool" too, but oddly, they work for me. Like Eileen, I moved out of my comfort zone!

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Marcia! I usually leave those ear-splitting shows with a headache. Between the loud music and the women screaming, it's a trip.

Charlestongirl said...

Eileen and Ava,

You two just sold those lip colors to me. Nice job! :)