Chanel Les 4 Ombres Rives Eyeshadow Palette from the Fleur de Lotus Collection, Nordstrom Exclusive

I'm ready to proclaim Fleur de Lotus the best Chanel color collection in years. That's a bold statement, but I think it's warranted. As you know, the collection was an Asia exclusive, but it was made available to us in the United States for Nordstrom's Anniversary sale. My first ho-hum reaction was tempered by time. When I received the collection and started wearing the pieces, serious love set in.

I've featured the gorgeous blush and the icy green Illusion D'Ombre in Rivière, two knock-your-socks-off pieces from Fleur de Lotus (just scroll down). Today, I'll focus on the eyes. Chanel's Les 4 Ombres Rives Eyeshadow Palette ($58) is exquisite. What neutral shadow lover wouldn't want it?

When mine, which I ordered online, arrived from Nordstrom, I quickly photographed it in its unused state and then started to play. I immediately discovered that the shade at top left is nearly rose gold. Anyone who has been reading Best Things in Beauty knows that rose gold is a color that makes me deliriously happy. And so it was with Rives.

From classic ivory to rich brown, the shades of the essential eyeshadow compact offer unlimited looks of elegance. The smudge-proof, dermatologist-tested formula can be applied dry for subtle shading or dampened for more intense color, with long-wearing results even in extreme climates.

Chanel's understated description doesn't do justice to this beauty. The colors are beautiful in the palette. They are even more beautiful on the skin. I took many swatch photos in full sun, and every one of them was good. I had applied the shadows with a sponge-tipped applicator, and I swatched clockwise, starting at the top left.

What would you call the stunning shade at the top of my arm? It's gleaming rose gold to my eye, but I could also call it pastel copper, a peach-gold hybrid, and many other flattering terms. No matter what words characterize it, on my eyelids it's drop-dead gorgeous. Dear Chanel, could I please have a vat of it?

The ivory - or white - shade is a nice one. It adheres to my skin perfectly (as do all the shades), leaving a nice white base or highlight. The taupe will delight any taupe lover. While I applied it heavily for the swatch photos, it's fabulous when applied normally with a brush. The dark brown is a good shade for me. It's a cool brown - my favorite.

All of these shades are complementary, giving us many options for mixing and matching or layering. Chanel hit it out of the park with Rives.

Did you purchase it? Do you like it? I'm crazy about it. Right now, I'm trying to restrain myself from ordering a second one. I just paid my AmEx bill, and I still want to go for broke with the Fleur de Lotus Collection. As you know, you can find it at Nordstrom - only. It's available online and in-store.

Photos at top courtesy of Nordstrom; other photos by Best Things in Beauty