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

Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip Lip Sampler Giveaway Contest

Congratulations to Melissa!

Sephora assembles the best sampler sets! This Give Me Some Lip Lip Sampler ($25) is going to be hard to give away. I may buy one for myself when the V.I.B. sale starts.

This set of six perfect pink and nude lip products ranges from glosses, treatments, tints, and shines. This essential multi-branded kit has all you need for luscious lips (including two full-sized products). Give Me Some Lip is valued at more than $79 (not sure how). It’s the perfect gift or treat for yourself - or you could save it and delight someone with a lovely gift.

Here's what's in the kit.

• 0.08 oz Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment (sheer berry rose)
• 0.12 oz Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Child (sheer nude)
• 0.1 oz BITE Beauty Lip Shine in Vintage (sheer mauve)
• 0.1 oz Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Baby Doll (soft pink shimmer)
• 0.1 oz Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Hope (warm rose)
• 0.5 oz Sephora Collection Glossy Gloss in Precious Pink (very sheer pink with iridescent shimmer)

Whoever wins will have to tell me how that Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss looks. I've been so tempted to purchase one.

How can you enter to win this giveaway contest (technically a sweepstakes)? Just leave a comment on this feature (not in another BTiB post). After you comment here, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com (the contest address, not my "personal" e-mail) and identify your comment. You can never be too careful about sharing an e-mail address you care about on a blog, so feel free to follow this step (an alternative is to code your e-mail, e.g., myname at gmail dot com, in your comment). Please make sure I have your e-mail. If I can't notify you, you can't win - even if your number is drawn. I can't believe the number of winners I haven't been able to find in the past.

You can earn extra entries. Follow this blog (through an e-mail subscription, GFC, or though one of the many Google readers - see sidebar at right) to earn a second entry. If you are a follower, it would help me tally entries if you tell me in your comment how you follow. You don't have to follow to enter. I want everyone to have a chance, but I also want to reward my followers. I must be able to track this entry.

You can earn a third entry by tweeting this contest. You must include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) and the contest title in your tweet. Remember, tweet the contest title - if you don't, that entry won't count. I will tweet the contest early this evening, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry - if that's easier.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, November 10, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner on Sunday morning. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to my message and provide a shipping address. After 48 hours, the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your e-mail - and look in your spam folder - when the contest ends.

This contest is open to anyone anywhere. Here are the terms. I will carefully pack and ship the prize (as I always do). I cannot insure the prize for overseas shipment - it's amazingly expensive to do so because of the way I have to send insured mail. If it's lost or stolen in transit, I may not be able to replace it with another prize just like it. I'll do my best on this end; let's see if your mail service does right by you on the other end if we have an overseas winner.

The winner must be able to provide me with a "mailable address," meaning the U.S. Post Office recognizes it or its street, province, and other "elements" the way the winner provides them. I've had some trouble with both U.S. and international addresses lately.

For all the legalese related to this contest, please see the Contests/Sweepstakes page at the top of the blog. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Sephora

Coming Attraction: Les Expressions de Chanel Collection Will Launch on Black Friday

Black Friday will be extravaganza day for Chanel shoppers. Not only will Le Volume de Chanel launch officially, a wealth of new color will be introduced with Les Expressions de Chanel. See update below.

I got a few photos at Saks Fifth Avenue today. In-store photos of photos are always dark and disappointing, but they're the best I'll be able to do until I get my hands on the gorgeous new Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eyeshadow Palettes ($58) and Illusion d'Ombre Long-Wear Luminous Eyeshadows ($36).

Each harmony of complementary colors provides one quad and one shade in Illusion d'Ombre.  All of the "expressions" are paired with Le Volume de Chanel Mascara and Ligne Graphique de Chanel eyeliner. Click on the photo above to enlarge it.

Coral Expression - radiant shades from natural beige to peach - offers a repromote quad, Eclosion, along with a new Abstraction Illusion d'Ombre (shown above) in a peach rose shade. The liquid eyeliner is black.

Plum Expression - a range of plum hues with hints of metallic silver - offers a new quad in Variation (light rose, silver grey, deep purple, and light, shimmering plum) paired with a Purple liner and repromoted Illusoire (purple) Illusion d'Ombre.

Brown Expression - earth tones with glints of gold offers a new Intuition quad (light pink, gold, chocolate brown, and shimmering brown-grey) and an Illusion d'Ombre shade, Vision. A limited-edition Ligne Graphique de Chanel liquid eyeliner will be available in Platine, a silver-grey.

Want to pre-order and save the hassle of Black Friday crowds?  Give the Saks Fifth Avenue Chevy Chase team of Georgia, Loyd, and Marie a call at (240) 497-5363.They can ensure you get your new makeup without leaving home.

Update 11/4: A "frequent shopper," Emilie, let me know that the quads are available at the Neiman Marcus Web site and in store. I am headed up there now. There is free shipping right now at Neiman Marcus.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty

Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara

Chanel's Le Volume de Chanel Mascara ($30) is available in very limited quantities for a short time until November 26 when it launches officially. If you want one, the Chanel team at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland, has 23 available. Call Georgia, Loyd, or Marie at (240) 497-5363. You can reach Georgia via e-mail at Georgia_Marmaras@s5a.com. After this initial preview allotment has sold out, Le Volume de Chanel will not be available until Black Friday.

Elegance is elevated to the extreme with the new Le Volume de Chanel Mascara, a high-precision mascara that provides instant volume and intense color. In  a single stroke, its innovative formula expands and plumps lashes to their fullest for a bold, yet elegant statement.

This new mascara is formulated with a combination of natural waxes to increase volume. The brush is innovative - Chanel's patented "Snowflakes" brush - offering unique long and short bristles that evenly coat and separate lashes while building volume.

Sounds good, but does it really do that? Yes! As a rule, I don't like volumizing mascaras (I wear lengthening ones). Volumizing mascaras usually glop my eyelashes together - no matter what the marketing says. Le Volume de Chanel Mascara doesn't glue my lashes together. It provides the color I like (black - Noir) from root to tip with one coat. It's a buildable mascara, so those who desire more coverage or volume can apply a second coat without clumping. I found I only needed one coat to create a smashing effect.

I'm wearing Le Volume de Chanel as I write, and I keep looking in a mirror, admiring my eyelashes. This one's a winner.

Saks Chevy Chase received 24 of them. I bought one of the just-unpacked beauties. I know many of you have been waiting for this latest mascara innovation from Chanel. Now's your chance - if you want one before Black Friday. Just call the phone number above. Naturally, there are other counters that received a limited supply for the preview. I just don't know where they are. I noticed Nordstrom shows it on their Web site, but it's not available. In fact, I got my photo from their site.

Photo courtesy of Nordstrom

The Friday Forum - November 2

One of the prettiest photos I saw as Sandy moved into New York was the one above (see update below - turns out if was fake). Who could have known that the storm would leave this in its wake.

Our week has been dominated by Sandy, but it will be years - if ever - before some recover. The pictures and stories have left me with incredible sadness for the many victims. There's not much more we can say. About all we can do from afar is remember to help those in need by contributing to the charities that are providing aid. The needs - for humans and animals - are great, and we can send money, even if we can't personally send fuel or pump out basements. Our governments, federal and state, must do that. I think they are up to the job. Katrina taught us many lessons; one is the importance of the role of the federal government as we begin to recover from natural disasters. It's important to all of us.

You know I'm not a big fan of celebrity spokespeople, but I got a charge out of Julianne Moore's comments after Sandy. The recently appointed L’Oréal Paris spokeswoman told WWD she had, "ventured uptown from her powerless 11^thStreet apartment to use her brother-in-law’s car as a charging station for her cell phone. I’m sitting in a car on the Upper East Side with my phone plugged into a cigarette lighter." I felt a kinship with Julianne. She's one of us! She will be a great asset for L’Oréal.

It was a slow beauty week for me. Plenty came in, but we've had cloud cover and occasional drizzle almost continuously - the aftermath of Sandy - preventing me from taking photos. Charlie is still hanging close, trying not to leave my side. The little darling kept me warm during my own power outage, spreading out from my waist to my knees to sleep - continuously. He was a welcome heat source as I napped under blankets trying to pass the time. He seems to have missed the part about the heat coming back on. He still wants to cuddle continuously. It's pretty cute. I got my power back at 10:00 pm Tuesday. Wednesday morning, I awakened to find him cuddled near my neck, and I had both my arms wrapped around him in a big "C." I have no memory of doing that overnight.

Sephora's Friends & Family V.I.B. sale will start on November 8. As many of you know, they have already had the original F&F sale - you had to know a Sephora employee really well to get the discount code. At first Sephora had announced that there would be no traditional F&F sale this year. They must have caved. I was certainly unhappy to read the sale was off. I know no Sephora sales associates. I shop online, spend a small fortune, and seldom bother with the store. How would I have ever found someone to give me a code?

In the interests of full disclosure, a blogger who belongs to the Beauty Blog Coalition works at Sephora and shared her code. I was able to order once last week because she was very generous. Not every V.I.B. has been as lucky.

Make sure to order early when the sale starts. Often, the most desirable items sell out. They will be restocked, but not until the sale ends. Do you plan to order? What's on your list?

Last night, I was playing a silly word game with myself. Use a beauty brand name (or part of one), combine it with another word, limit yourself to five syllables, and coin a word or term. Want to play? My favorites were Métier mania, Guerlove, and Lauder Luscious.

Let's talk about your week of beauty. It's time for the Friday Forum, our open chat. I love this part of our week. Have you selected your favorite holiday collection - and purchased a few new treasures? What new products did you discover this week? Did you find any deals you couldn't resist? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By early the next week, most (not all) readers will have moved on.

Don't forget there are two giveaway contests this week.

• Sephora Favorites in the Glow set at this link.
•  An impromptu giveaway of M·A·C's Baby Blooms Lip Bag here.

The deadline for both is Saturday, November 3, at midnight. Good luck!

Update: As you can read in the comments, the photo at the top was man-made.  Too bad. It's a really cool photo. I had seen a version with a cat in the clouds. That one was cute. I'm torn between leaving it up and taking it down.

Photos courtesy of times.com, cms.montgomerycollege.edu, and a photo provided to WWD by Julianne Moore's spokespeople

Chantecaille Les Fêtes Trio for Holiday 2012

Here's another new Chantecaille beauty. I'm having a fight with myself. One arm tries to order Les Fêtes Trio ($74), while the other slaps it down before I can click on "Add to Bag." Why the dilemma? Because it reminds me of another holiday palette, the Evening Duo introduced last October and shown directly below.

The new limited-edition Les Fêtes Trio will illuminate your eyes with festive, shimmering shades. Moonstone is a soft pearl with hints on pink and gold (I can't stand this...I may order it before I finish writing this feature). Diamond is a silvery slate with diamond dust sparkle. Pink Sapphire is a radiant, effervescent rose that can be used on your eyelids or cheekbones.

Last year's Charmeuse in the evening Duo (still available) is a chameleon. It's a blend of pink, rose gold, and rosé Champagne. It looks very different from Moonstone in the photos, so I'm not sure why my first impression was "similar." Carbon, the matte charcoal black shade in the Evening Duo, appears to be quite a bit darker than the new Diamond shade in the Trio.

Can you believe I just talked myself into buying Les Fêtes Trio? Seriously, I caved while comparing the two (and looking at my swatches from last year) as I wrote this feature in two sittings. While my first reaction was "repeat," I see now that there are stark differences.

I wish I had ordered Les Fêtes Trio with my Les Pétales de Rose. Since this one is priced $1 shy of the free shipping threshold. I'm not going to order online. I'll buy it locally when it arrives - even though I'd love to have it now. I have literally everything from Chantecaille (there's a little boutique in my house), and I've already stocked up on extras.

By the way, I received my shipping notice for Les Pétales de Rose today, a week after I ordered it. Given the magnitude of the storm's effects in New Jersey and New York, I suspect my box couldn't make it out of there before the storm. Since it's a Thursday, I won't receive it until next Monday. Bummer!

You can order Les Fêtes Trio at Chantecaille's Web site. Because of the storm, I haven't had the time or opportunity to swing by Neiman Marcus to see if it's in-store yet, but you can pre-order. Give Jeannine Barnes a call at (202) 966-9700, extension 2289. She's my favorite local Chantecaille product specialist.

Photo courtesy of Chantecaille

Chantecaille Les Pétales de Rose

I ordered this last week, and I was sure it would arrive yesterday. It didn't, a casualty of Sandy's disruptions, I'm sure. When I think about my disappointment, I realize quickly that not receiving a box of makeup from New York is nothing - simply nothing given the deaths, property damage, and disruptions in New York.

I had hoped to show you this gorgeous Chantecaille Les Pétales de Rose ($74) compact today. If you have power and are safe, drool along with me.

Through the marvelously soft color and texture of crushed rose petals, Les Pétales’ mélange of colorful powders blends seamlessly into the skin, offering a subtle veil of radiance. I'm sure this gorgeous compact will make us gorgeous. Chantecaille's innovative technology allows the soft, iridescent powder pigments to be evenly sprinkled throughout the entire product. Even after repeated use and application, the complexion-enhancing pigments will continue to create the appearance of more luminous and uniform-looking skin. That's exciting - she's not just a pretty face!

Les Pétales de Rose's chic wave packaging was inspired by the iconic jewelry designs of the 1970’s. I can't see that, but I do see how the compact will offer versatility. You can use it to highlight the frame of the face or eyes or over Cheek Shades to offer an added glow. You can use the powder lightly all over the face. Wherever or however you use finishing powders, you can use Les Pétales de Rose. I know this powder will be a slightly ice pink-tinted finishing powder.

Chantecaille tells us to apply it using the Chantecaille face brush, cheek brush, or Kabuki Brush. That should be easy for me; I have and love them all.

Where's my box? While I ask that, I am thinking of this sad article I read in yesterday's New York Times. Don't read it unless you are prepared to cry. It reminded me of the stark contrast between those who are inconvenienced and those whose lives will never be the same.

Photo courtesy of Chantecaille