Saturday, September 29, 2012

Chanel Ombre Contraste Voile Sculptant Yeux et Joues in Notorious

I was able to pick up my Chanel Ombre Contraste Voile Sculptant Yeux et Joues (Sculpting Veil for Eyes and Cheeks) in Notorious ($43) at Saks this week. I had pre-ordered it for the beauty event (my complimentary dark green tote is gorgeous!).

When you first see Notorious, you will think it looks bizarre. Play with it, as I did with Loyd Cassler, and you will discover its magic - the same magic Peter Phillips showed on the models at his March Ready to Wear show.

Notorious is described as a eye shadow/blush "hybrid." It was released on Chanel.com and promptly sold out. Then it arrived with the Fall 2012 Collection at some of the stores that received that collection rather late, like Saks Fifth Avenue. You can call Loyd or Georgia at Saks Chevy at (240) 497-5363 if you'd like to order one.

The color of Notorious is the same color you see in the compact above. It's a lavender grey/silver that you'd expect to impart a corpse-like look. Amazingly, it's a beautiful shade for contouring the cheekbones, which I could have figured out on my own. Loyd showed me how to use it on my eyes.

To apply it to the cheeks, he used a kabuki brush and dotted it just below my cheekbone fairly close to my hairline (further out than the hollow of my cheeks). Then he pulled the color forward, blending as he went. He applied blush as usual, but drew it down over the Notorious, blending until the application was seamless. Wow! I had cheekbones as never before.

On my eyes, Loyd applied the Route des Indes de Chanel Illuminating Powder with Shimmer on my eye lids. Then he used Notorious and applied it in circular motions over the ball of my eyes outside of the center line. That applied a punch of color, which he blended across the crease, leaving the lavender grey in the crease and on the outside third of my lid. He did not take it into the crease in the inside corner of the eye, but he knows to avoid that area on me.

I was astounded at how good it looked. Without help from Loyd, I would never have tried the combination of shimmery gold with Notorious.

You are going to wonder how the color shown in my swatch photos can be so flattering. I'm sure you can imagine the unique shade on the eyelids, but the cheeks may be harder to visualize. You'll just have to trust me. It works. If you want to see it modeled, check out Messy Wands. I'm a lily white pale face; she has a light Asian skin tone. I can see it more clearly on her face than I could see it on mine after Loyd had blended it as he taught me how to use it.

I took my swatch photos in full sun, but I purposely took one that was direct and one indirect so that you could see that the shade is not as shiny as it appears in the top photo, which took advantage of the sun's reflection. Notorious has a slight sheen, but is closer in finish to the photo directly above.

Just remember: blend, blend, blend. You can create your own magic if you take the time to blend.

I think Notorious is a must-have for makeup addicts, and at this point, you'll find it difficult to find. Give Loyd or Georgia a call as soon as possible it you want one. Otherwise, call your favorite Saks Chanel counter quickly.

Update 9/30: I forgot to tell you yesterday that you can use Notorious to fill in your brows. I wouldn't have believed it until Loyd showed me.

Second update 9/30: Georgia just assured me she can get Notorious for anyone who still wants one. Give her a call at the number above. Make sure to ask about the gift card "deal" that will get you free shipping.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty

36 comments:

Christina said...

I don't know....the purple colour is very strange look for me.

morelikespace said...

I really love the look of this. I just wish I knew where I could get it (if at all) in Canada!

Charlestongirl said...

Totally agree, Christina, it looks bizarre in the compact.

Charlestongirl said...

Kate, where do you usually get Chanel. Call there!

Becca @ The Beauty Sample said...

This would normally be a shade I would NEVER look twice at and, to be honest, I'm still a little scared of it :P...but I'm also quite intrigued now. I've never used a sculping or contouring product before and this one seems so unique!

Mary said...

I could see this working! The best contour shades are grey/brown, not bronzers. The slight shine might worry me, but it does look less pronounced in the second photos. Now, if I can only find Evanescente 88 Rouge Allure my Chanel fix would be complete!

Anonymous said...

I agree CG - this is stunning when properly applied, it gave me fab cheekbones. I think I need to practice to do it justice, but it's good to know I can use it on my eyes too :) Anne

Charlestongirl said...

It is, Becca. I think it's an enthusiast's product. You could learn to use it nicely.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Mary,

It's not really shiny on the face. Unless you shine a bright light directly at your face. :)

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Anne!

I love it on my eyes. Serious love.

Elysse said...

It actually looks a bit more lavender than the Mac eyeshadow Wedge which I ve been using for contouring for years. It looks fab! I wonder whether we'll get any in Europe.

cytaormina said...

Thank you for this post. I had completely forgotten to order this. I just called your Chanel counter at your Chevy Saks and placed my order. Maria said they had a few left. Congrats to being in New Beauty Mag or rather congrats to NB Mag for having you! BTW, have you test driven By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Powder? If not I would love to see a review on that! I have purchased but have yet to use it.

Charlestongirl said...

Elysse, Clarisse says they always get Chanel in France after we do, so maybe!

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Cytaormina!

Glad you could get one. :)

Rosemary said...

@Mary, I want Evanescente 88 Rouge Allure too! I left a comment on Chanel's Facebook page asking them to please make it available in the U.S. I guess Uncle Karl is still mulling over my request as I've heard nothing. :)

Notorious will be a pass for me. I still Rose Ecrin, then Star Dust, then......

Charlestongirl said...

LOL, Rosemary, he probably doesn't even know the color. :)

Icedcaramellatte said...

Wow! I didn't realize this had come out already and now its hard to find.

Anonymous said...

I am really fascinated by this. It`s intriguing to say the least. Not sure if it`s something I *need*, but it`s definitely something I`ll swatch when I see it. Thank you for the informative review, as usual!

-lovethescents

Charlestongirl said...

Yep, Icedcaramellatte! I felt lucky to find it at Saks.

Charlestongirl said...

Cytaormina, call Saks. Maria didn't get all the info she needed on one person's order. In case it was you, please call.

cytaormina said...

Thanks for the heads up! Have you checked out the By Terry Hyaluronic Powder?

EllenB said...

Just ordered this from SAKS! This is something I really need. I've been getting into sculpting and have yet to find a good color to use. This just might be it. I love the way it swatched on your arm as eyeshadow too. Hopefully this will be a "double-duty" makeup purchase and I am a big Chanel fan. Thanks, C-Girl for the lovely review on this and for bringing it to my attention. I would never have known it existed, just like most of the goodies that you review.

Anonymous said...

Charleston Girl, I know it's embarrassing but I've never understood why our cheekbones have to be prominent. Please forgive my question, I'm just trying to grasp the concept :-)

Charlestongirl said...

Nina, they don't have to be. It's just that that high cheekbone look is classic beauty. Look at most models, and they have prominent cheekbones. Fortunately, those of us who weren't born with the look can achieve it with makeup.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Ellen,

Glad you could get one!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi cytaormina, I haven't tried it yet.

fgirl said...

Just called and ordered from Georgia. She was fabulous to work with. Thanks for the tip!

Susan said...

I just ordered too! I think it was the easiest phone order I have ever made. They are using store locator and I got the free shipping. Wonderful for a dreary Monday! And, I've not commented before, but I order a lot of the makeup you post. Thanks so much for the info and swatches.

Susan said...

And also- I'm on the waiting list for the LMDB eye pallet.

Charlestongirl said...

Hope you like it, fgirl!

Charlestongirl said...

Susan, that eye palette has arrived at NM Mazza. Call Michael Reinhardt at (202) 966-9700, extension 2258 or 2236.

Raquel said...

Hello! I was wondering how this blush compares to Nars Lhasa eyeshadow. By looking at some pictures they seem very similar, but would love to know what you think!
Thanks and have a great day!

Lynnsey said...

As of today 10/5 it is available on chanel.com today. I ordered one, but not sure how many they have in stock! Just a heads up. :)

ellemartini said...

I love your reviews, so glad I found your blog. Thanks for posting.

BooBooNinja said...

I'm not adventurous with my makeup, but I could not help myself. This is a gorgeous, unique addition to my collection. I have no need for any other contour powder!

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to drop by to say that I'm usually just quietly lurking when I want your opinion on certain products but today, I picked up Notorious! It's still in stock in Australia, even if the RRP is $71. Still... very excited.