Chanel Spring 2016 Beauty Collection - Part 2 with Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eye Shadow in Tissé Beverly Hills

At long last, the eye shadow quad from Chanel's Spring 2016 collection, Les 4 Ombres Tissé Beverly Hills (#262, $61) has arrived. Actually, it came over the weekend, but no one without a snow plow was out on our roads for days. I'm sure you will remember that the rest of the Spring 2016 collection arrived without it. Is it worth the wait? Your own preferences will answer that.

I took my photos in the store at Neiman Marcus, so they aren't as brilliant as I'd like. Indoor lighting is not ideal for the photos I take. Outside, there were no backgrounds without white snow (except my now salty car), and snow doesn't provide a nice background. Anyhow, the quad was difficult to remove from its slot on the display, and I didn't want to be a nuisance.

Between these two photos, I think you can see the four shades pretty well. These colors are vibrant. I am conservative. I don't think Chanel had me in mind when it designed these eye shadow shades. Pfew! Money I don't have saved!

I swatched the shades clockwise, starting at the upper left with little applicators that Neiman Marcus had on hand. Just yesterday, I took my own sponge-tipped applicators out of my handbag. I should know not to do that. I needed them, but you do what you have to do to get swatch photos.

My photo isn't very sharp. This is the best I could do indoors. I'm sorry. You can see that the bright violet at the top of my arm is a powerful, colorful highlighting shade. The beige shade has a bit less pigment and can also be used as a highlighting or brightening shade. I would apply it as a base color. You can blend these two shades together to bring down the violet tones. The next shade is a dark plum. I applied it relatively heavily to show you the shade. Given my fair skin, I could only use it as an eyeliner. The turquoise shade is a very pigmented, pretty spring and summer color. It reminds me of Mediterranean seaside photos.

When I purchase eye shadow quads, I want them to offer me at least three wearable shades out of four. Tissé Beverly Hills does not. There is nothing wrong with it - it's just not my "type." I believe these colors would be gorgeous on someone with olive-toned or dark skin. I'm sure a makeup artist could make these shades work on me, but I don't have one in my house when I'm getting ready for work. I'm a slap-dash kind of gal when I am pressed for time. Would I wear these shades in the evening? Probably not. I avoid lavenders and purples because they bring out the red in my eyes.

I know some of you have been waiting to see this eye shadow quad, so here it is. Chanel's Tissé Ombre de Lune quad that just arrived is much more pleasing to my eyes. I swatched it and will show it to you very soon.

You can purchase Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eye Shadow in Tissé Beverly Hills from Chanel.com, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, or wherever you shop Chanel.

Photo at top courtesy of Chanel; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

YSL Beauté Fall Winter 2013 Collection City Drive 4 Wet & Dry Eye Shadows in Classy

Cara Delevingne is an English fashion model, actress, and granddaughter of former English Heritage Chairman Sir Jocelyn Stevens. She is also the face of YSL Beauté's Fall Winter 2013 Collection. In the ad for the collection, she wears a sexy black dress and sports one of the two new Palette City Drive 4 Wet & Dry Eye Shadows ($55), wearing a bright green eye shadow from the Artsy palette. Her lips are dark red, and she is pictured against an urban night sky. The collection has arrived at Neiman Marcus counters. It is scheduled for an August launch, so counter arrivals may be spotty this month.

There are two limited-edition Palette City Drive 4 Wet & Dry Eye Shadow quads in the collection, the one on the left above that Delevingne is wearing, Artsy (which is well-named), and the more neutral one - Classy - shown at right above. As you might imagine, I purchased Classy. I don't have the face for bright green and blue. If you take Delevingne out of the scene above and imagine her in a workplace, she would stand out, probably not in a professional way.

Classy is a very pretty palette, inside and out, on the display. When I removed it from the box, I found bold lettering meant to remind me of its namesake, Yves Saint Laurent. I had no trouble selecting it. However, I tested only one shade in the store.

I took swatch photos in full mid-day sun. I used a sponge-tipped applicator to apply all four shades to my arm, starting with the brown in the top left of the compact and moving clockwise around the shades. I swatched all of the shades heavily and dry. Use a damp brush, and you'll achieve a more dramatic look.

The brown at the top of my arm is a great brown. It is cool enough that there is no mud in the shade, and it offers a nice gleam. The very light beige base shade in the palette is perfectly neutral. You'll be able to do a lot with it.

The sparkly grey is beautiful, but I think it's jarring with the other shades. I like it, but I don't plan to wear it with its Classy cousins. Maybe I'll pair it with the base shade, but I don't love grey and brown together on the eyelid. That's odd because I have a gorgeous Armani jacket that's grey and brown. Maybe it's a personal hang-up I need to get over.

I didn't need the warm brown, terracotta shade. I should have swatched it at the store. I assumed it would be the color I saw in the compact. It's not, so make sure to try it on your skin before you commit to it.

All in all? I should have skipped this palette. I will selectively use three of the four shades in the palette, but they are not unique. While that's not a problem for me (having duplicates), none of the shades are distinctive enough to have warranted the expense. Had I had the time when I was at Neiman Marcus, I should have swatched only, spending my money instead on a beautiful brown Rouge Pur lipstick I left behind.

See what you think. The collection has arrived at Neiman Marcus. I have not seen it available at other retailers, but I'm sure it will be available soon. I looked on the YSL Web site, but didn't find it.

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