Chanel Perles et Fantaisies & Tisse Ombre de Lune from Les Sautoirs de Coco Collection

Every year, Chanel releases a makeup collection around its Le Blanc range which is typically released first in Asia in the Spring, followed by US in the summer.  This year, however, Chanel has released it in the US and certain parts of Europe, and in fact Singapore received it later than some other markets.  This is happy news for Chanel fans, as the Les Sautoirs de Coco Collection is stunning, and of course, we collectors just needed to have that Perles et Fantaisies Illuminating Powder!  I hadn’t planned on picking up the Tisse de Ombre de Lune eyeshadow palette as well, but once I swatched it, and saw it on the BA, I needed it.  And having played with both for the past month, here are my thoughts.

Chanel Perles et Fantaisies Illuminating Powder is another masterpiece work of art from Chanel, and from the get-go, I knew this was going to be snapped up quickly just based on design.  It is inspired by Coco Chanel’s love of pearls, and features a 3-dimensional pearl necklace complete with the interlocking-C pendent etched on the surface of the pan.

With a dual-colored offering – luminous pink and pearly white – this illuminating powder is quite different from any highlighters Chanel had released in recent years.

And here are the swatches…

The Chanel Perles et Fantaisies Illuminating Powder comes with a fairly “hard” overspray which serves to keep the dimensional design in place.  It feels similar to the texture of last summer’s Lumber d’Ete Illuminating Powder [reviewed here], which was also somewhat lighter in pigmentation.  Using one of my usual soft fluffy squirrel-hair highlighter brushes, I found it rather difficult to pick up from the pan.  And upon my friend Sara’s suggestion, I turned to a denser goat-haired Chikuhodo Takumi T-6 Large Eyeshadow brush [reviewed here] which allows me to put more pressure and picks up the powder better.  Between the 2 shades, the pink was weaker, and I really needed to wear down the overspray (and consequently ruined the design *sad face*) to pick up anything on my brush.  The white shade performed better, and in fact, a light touch was sufficient was it throws off light very well on the face.  Overall though, when you manage to apply Perles et Fantaisies, the effect is a strong sheen, making this more of a highlighter than an overall illuminating face powder like the Chanel Jardin de Camelias Illumination Powder from Spring 2014 [reviewed here].

Chanel Tisse Ombre de Lune Les 4 Ombres Eyeshadow Quad was an unexpected purchase, as it seemed fairly monotonal and quite severe with its light-to-dark bifurcation.  However, after I got to swatch it in store and saw it worn on the BA’s eyes, I could not leave the store without it!

I was quite impressed with pigmentation of the shades, particularly the shimmery black which stole my heart.  The other shades seem light in comparison, but they are not monotonal and are in fact pigmented on their own.  The shades (top to bottom of the swatches) are:

• Bottom left of palette – Light-medium warm-toned peach with a soft sheen finish
• Bottom right of palette – Dark black with a good sprinkling of silver shimmers
• Top left of palette – Light ivory with a satin finish
• Top right of palette – Light-medium grey with a metallic finish that is a more wearable alternative to outright silver

This is a more day-wearable smokey eye palette that matches just about any outfit or skin-tone due to its balance of a softly warm-toned peach and cooler-toned silver and ivory to complement the black.  I found the inclusion of the soft silvery grey to be a good way to blend out the sombre black, yet the intensity of the black allows me to dial the volume up or down as appropriate.

Here is an eye look with the full intensity black:

And to demonstrate how wearable this palette is, I donned it on Day 1 of Chinese New Year!  As you all know, it is traditional to avoid black and break out the colors of course, but since I was already wearing a multicoloured dress, I decided Tisse Ombre de Lune was the only way to go!

Another day, I went all out smokey paired with a nude lip.

On both looks, I wore the pink part of Perles et Fantaisies on cheeks; and the white part on nose ridge, cupid’s bow and chin.  You can notice how strongly it shows up on my chin, cupid’s bow and nose.

You probably don’t need another smokey eye palette, but just in case you do, or are looking for a wearable smokey palette that goes with just about anything, definitely check out Chanel Tisse Ombre de Lune.  I found it easy to work with, and lasts me all day.  The Perles et Fantaisies on the other hand is something I struggled with.  It is certainly one for the makeup museum, but I just wished it was easier to pick up with a brush and did not require ruining the design.

Have you tried either pieces, and how did you find them?