Sunday, November 4, 2012

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Intuition from Les Expressions de Chanel

Black Friday? Maybe somewhere. Not here! I picked up Chanel's Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow (Ombre à Paupières Quatour, $58) in Intuition (Brun Mordoré) today, thanks to all my astute readers. I now know to take the rollout date provided by regional representatives and subtract a month - at least for Chanel.

Much of Les Expressions de Chanel has arrived at Neiman Marcus, and it's available on the Web site (not Chanel's - maybe that's the connection to Black Friday?). I actually feel badly for my friends at Saks, who don't expect to receive it until the end of the month. It seems like Neiman Marcus always gets a jump on them - certainly in my part of the country.

Intuition is the centerpiece of the Brown Expression Collection (earth tones with glints of gold). The eye shadow quad offers four beautiful shades: light pink, gold, chocolate brown, and shimmering brown-grey. It's a beautiful palette - a color harmony I love. I also purchased Variation, which was too gorgeous to leave behind; I'll feature it no later than tomorrow.

Take a look at these swatch photos and see if Intuition will go on your shopping list. I swatched with sponge-tipped applicators and moved clockwise from the pink at the top left to the greyed brown on the bottom left. I took my photos in full, afternoon sun. It's surprising how the sun's angles have changed so much in the last week or so (while it was missing). It's 2:00 pm as I write, and much of my "normal" area for taking swatch photos is shaded over.

All four shades in the quad offer a shimmering finish. The pink is really a pinky-peach to my eyes. Whether you see it as pink or peach, it's a beautiful shade that will serve nicely as a base or accent color. The gold is yellow gold. It's richly pigmented, applying evenly and easily. The chocolate brown was perfectly described by Chanel. I can't think of a better description than chocolate brown.

I could wax poetic about the shade at the bottom of my arm. It's brown, and it's got a grey hue to it.  All true. However, it's much more appealing to me than brown-grey, which sounds a bit ho-hum. This is the kind of shade that looks perfect in my crease and outer corner of the lid. I suspect I'll wear the pinky-peach and this shade together and wear them out before I run out of the other two (which will look nice when paired).

Just in case you are new to Chanel - is that possible? - here is a description of the company's eye shadow quads.
  • Coordinated quartet of shades in one compact
  • Wet/dry formula with shade combinations for multiple looks, contrasting or complementary
  • Apply dry for subtle shadowing or with a slightly moistened applicator for a more intense shade
  • Organic polymer derivatives ensure smudge-proof long wear, particularly in high temperature or humidity
I doubt any of you needed that short reminder of the fab features of Chanel's quads. As noted above, I purchased Intuition at Neiman Marcus. It's available on the Neiman Marcus Web site with free shipping in the U.S. (FSFALL). Elle commented that she purchased her new quads from Bloomingdale's, but I didn't see the new quads online. Now I see them there too. If you want them now, go shopping!

Photos by Best Things in Beauty

23 comments:

lov2read68 said...

I completely agree with you CG! That bottom color in your swatches is gorgeous!

Claudia said...

Love all 4 colors in this Quad.

Mamavalveeta03 said...

Very pretty...I think I'm "needing" something like this from Chanel as a pick me up. (I've got pneumonia!)

Nemo said...

Cg, a dumb Q: are the quads on NM online the same new ones that were supposed to be out Black Friday?

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Nemo,

Yep! Confused? So was I!

Charlestongirl said...

MamaVal,

I'm worried about you. How are the roads? Do you have enough gas to get to the doctor? Are you OK?

Charlestongirl said...

Me too, Claudia! It's a great one.

Charlestongirl said...

Lov2read,

Everyone should love it. What surprised me was Variation. I didn't expect to love it too. I can't wait to post my swatches. Dinner with Mom is next, so it must wait.

Sabrina said...

OMG that is gorgeous!!! I ordered mine online yesterday. This post has me anxious to receive my package now :) Thanks for the stunning swatches!!

EllenB said...

I love Chanel quads. I have one and I use the heck out of it. I like this one alot but it seems alot like the one I already own. Maybe the one you'll review tomorrow will be different. The fourth color down on your arm is a color that I, too, would wear in my crease or outer V. It looks taupe to me! Thanks for the review!

Anonymous said...

I bought the European version of this last summer and just swatched it to compare it to yours. The colors seem more subdued on mine and the taupe seems to have more silver sparkles. It is very pretty but somewhat similar to Rives, the Nordis exclusive from the anniversary sale. I look forward to the swatches of Variation - I think I still have the old one somewhere.
Best,
Tanja

Yin said...

Thanks for the swatches, can't wait for the variation swatches! Just wondering if you knew these quads are limited edition or permanent...

Anonymous said...

CG - This a stunning quad. I hope to check it out soon to see if I can wear the two light shades.

Charlestongirl said...

It really is, Sabrina! Hope you enjoy it. I know I can expect gorgeous photos at your site.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Ellen,

It is a bit like previous quads. I still love it, though.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Tanja,

I think they are supposed to be the same, so I suspect the differences are due to my camera's lens.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Yin,

Chanel's fact sheet does not list them as limited editions. Yea!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Maureen, when applied lightly, they offer a pretty wash of color.

Anonymous said...

Hi, Charleston Girl! I've been reading your blog for quite some time now and I thank you for all the wonderful reviews which quite often help me make up my mind between the so many options on the market - you can most probably guess make up is my weakness. Up to now I kept my distance from Chanel, but the latest products you present from them are very interesting.
The problem I have with some brands - Chanel included - is that in my country some of the luxury products on offer are way too old, especially the ones on sale. Sure, not the new collections, but the standard products and shades. I understood that although the products don't have an expiry date marked they usually have a batch number which is the equivalent of a production date. I found some useful info on the batch number of some of the brands like Dior and Givenchy (4 digits of which the 1st is the manufact. year), Clarins (the first digit is the year), Clinique and Estee Lauder (3characters of which the last is the manufact. year). That helped me avoid a lot of way too old products available in our stores.
However I found no info about Chanel, YSL and Shiseido. I looked at some new arrivals on their counter but still am unable to desciphre their batch numbers. I was wondering if you could help me with some info, I would be much obliged. It would mean a lot to me. I keep thinking about getting a Chanel eyeshadow and a Touche Eclat from YSL...(unfortunately here I couldn't the limited edition of the Touche Eclat :( )
I keep staring at their counters but I prefered to stick to the brands I knew. Thank you in advance and all the best! Andreia

Mila said...

This is so lovely, but most likely too warm on me. I was actually thinking of the Armani eyes to kill palettes either maestro or parma for a classic light day time palette. I have almost brown black hair with very pale fair cool toned skin and grey/green eyes. My classic choice has been dior incognito quads light grey shade.

Charlestongirl said...

Mila, if you can, give it a try at a counter. I have very cool-toned skin, and it looks great!

Unknown said...

SO PRETTY! I really really wannt some colors like this, I'm like craving them. &&what is the lasting power on these beauties??
I haven't purchased any Chanel.

Thanks! Love your blog!!

Mamavalveeta03 said...

Doin' fine! Thanks for asking. We got our computer back today, so I'm happy. And feeling well enough to think about purchasing makeup again, so that's a good sign!