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