Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow - Illusoire & Epatant

Epatant & Illusoire

These eye shadows are amazing.  First of all, they're Chanel, so you know they're not going to disappoint.  Secondly, they have a very unique texture - a bit like a mousse: gel like & cushy.  It applies quite easily and is buildable.  It can be used as either an eye shadow or an eye liner.  They have an intensive shimmer (the grown-up kind) that look amazing in all lights.  Chanel claim that this is a crease free eyeshadow, and from my 8 hours of wear (with primer underneath) it has delivered this claim without a problem.  In Australia, these babies retail for $48 for a 4g/0.14oz pot (ouch)!  But they come with a mini angled brush, which is good quality but I have yet to try them out.

Mini angled brush that comes with each eye shadow pot

The mini brush, lid off and put on the end as an extension.  Very convenient!

I have only two: Illusoire 83 and Epatant 84.  I purchased them from Myer.  Epatant I got about a month ago with two Myer gift cards (thanks, myerone!) and some loose change. Illusoire I got just recently, after putting aside $12 per week after I had purchased my first one and fell in love.  I hope to get at least two more colours - Ebloui 86 and Emerveille 82... anyone want to be my secret santa?  Haha.  I'm glad christmas is just around the corner!

Onto the swatches.  First up, Epatant, which was my first one.  It is intensely shimmery and you can see a FOTD that I posted awhile ago using this colour by clicking here.  I would describe the colour as a muted green-silver.  I imagine that this colour would suit anybody as it is just so universal.  Personally, I'm not big on green eye shadows but the silver is what drew me to buy it.

Obviously I've used this a few times already!

Now onto Illusoire.  This colour is very popular, almost everyone goes for this one as their first Chanel Illusion D'Ombre eyeshadow.  I would describe it at a soft metallic purple-mauve-taupe (sorry, I'm not good at describing colours)!  It's shimmery (as they all are) but it's not quite as shimmery as Epatant.  I love purple eye shadows so this one was a must have.  It looks gorgeous as a wash of colour on the lid all on it's own.  I haven't yet used this with any other shadows to create a look, but I do plan on playing around with it once my eyes become less red and irritated.

My Illusoire when it was still a virgin, hehe!

Illusoire worn alone as a light wash on my lids.

Now here are the swatches of it on my arm.  The first photo was taken in natural lighting, no flash.  The second photo was taken in natural lighting with camera flash.  You can see that even in natural lighting, it's supremely shimmery.

Botton/left: Epatant.  Top/right: Illusoire.
Natural lighting, NO flash.

Bottom/left: Epatant.  Top/right: Illusoire.
Natural lighting, WITH flash.

Gorgeous, no?!  I'm itching to get the other colours, as I love the consistency and ease of application.  When you find something great that you really love, I believe you should get it in all colours available!  So... as I asked earlier, who's going to be my secret santa this year?!  Hehe!

My YSL Eyeshadows & Swatches

Ok, so I don't have a lot but I thought I'd show you my Yves Saint Laurent eyeshadows that I'm rather proud of. The first one is the Ombres Quadrilumieres, or 4 Colour Harmony For Eyes in number 5. I'm sure they have names but I don't know them. The second is the Ombres 5 Lumieres, or 5 Colour Harmony For Eyes in number 4, and the third is the Ombres 5 Lumieres, or 5 Colour Harmony For Eyes in number 6. The one up the front is a pigment that my sister gave me, the Eclat de Givre in number 3.


All the eyeshadows are so smooth and silky, and really easy to work with. They blend well, all the colours go well together and they have good colour payoff. Expensive, yes, but worth it in my opinion. I got all the eyeshadows at a reduced price so for me they weren't too pricey. My fav palette is the purple one, it's fun to wear and you can create a few different looks with the one palette. I want the blue one but I can't afford it at the moment. Haha!

YSL 5 Colour Harmony for Eyes Look

This is a look I did today, using a colour I don't use very often: green! I used the Yves Saint Laurent 5 Colour Harmony for Eyes in 6. I bought this really cheap from my sister who also got it for a good price off ebay.

It's just a basic smokey eye. I always seem to do smokey eyes. It's just so easy to do, plus it looks good. I didn't think I'd like the look of green on me but it turned out pretty nice. I think so, anyway! I love how the green isn't too garish.

The YSL eyeshadow itself was a dream to work with. It's so smooth and glides on easily. Very easy to blend and stays put without creasing (I did use Too Faced shadow insurance though). The only problem I have with this shadow is that the colours are a bit light... as in, if you want the true colour to show on your eyes you need to pat on more than one layer. But having said that, it does have a very good colour payoff. I just like it to be "bright".

I love how it comes with a highlight colour. It might be a bit too shimmery for some but I love the sparkle and shine. It pulls the look together. This palette is great for a night look. I also have it in the purple colour, which I use more often. But I'm loving how the colours all go together. Great shadow!

Orange and Pink

This is kind of a weird look for me to do as I never really wear colour, but here it is: orange and pink. It's actually quite subtle, so I do like it.

Horray, I have the internet back! I'm so excited. I have been quite bored without it. To pass time I've been re-watching The Hills and The Girls Next Door dvds, and reading make up books. Now that I have the net back I can browse, read blogs and blog myself. Yay!

Estee Lauder Signature Eyeshadow Quad

I love neutral colours, but this eyeshadow quad doesn't really do it for me. The colour is Smokey Pink... I'm also wearing Revlon Beyond Natural defining eye pencil in dark brown (love it!) and Estee Lauder Sumptuous mascara in black (which is crap! Don't get it! The formula is too dry.)

I think the Estee Lauder Signature Eyeshadow Quad in Smokey Pink is too similar to my own skin colour so it doesn't really stand out. And I was going through my makeup and I've just realised how boring it is! All neutral colours, nothing fun at all. I'm going to have to go shopping soon. Yay!

Oh... and my sons, just because :-) Tony is 6 turning 7 in July and Dante is turning 1 in less than two weeks!

Revlon Beyond Natural Cream to Powder Eyeshadow

I love neutral tones, I've always been a fan of the "no makeup" look. When I came across the Revlon Beyond Natural cream to powder eyeshadow in Plumberry Prune I fell in love with the shades and couldn't wait to try it out.

This is a very lightly pigmented product so you need to use a bit if you want to see some colour. I suppose it's because it starts out as a "cream" product, which supposedly should turn to powder upon application. For me, I don't think it truly becomes a powder but the result is smooth and it's easly blended. It tends to crease though, so a primer is a must!

I like it enough. I wouldn't use it for night time though. It's strictly a day product for me. You get nice, good natural eyes with this, and the colour blends seemlessly into each other as well as compliment one another. In the photos it doesn't look like much and you can't really tell I'm wearing eyeshadow but I'm going to post them anyway! The last photo was taken with light.