Photo: Courtesy of Chanel
Pantone named 2014 the Year of Radiant Orchid. The color authority described their color selection, Radiant Orchid, as "an enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones" Many beauty companies have jumped on this trend including Sephora who introduced an entire makeup range Sephora + Pantone Universe. After a few years of neutrals and a winter from Hell, it is time to embrace color. The problem with most of these “it” hues is that they are not universally flattering. 2013 was Emerald which is difficult to wear and 2012’s bright orange made most of us look like we were wearing clown make-up. So for many of us, we reverted to nude or red lips and smokey eyes and if we were adventurous sported orange and emerald mani/pedis. I have been waiting for CHANEL, who marches to their own neutral drum most years, to debut a new collection that featured beautiful pinks, fuchsias and violets for eyes and lips. They have; COLLECTION ETATS POETIQUES, an evocative collection focused on eyes in a spectrum of orchid inspired shades — balanced with flashes of purple and bold pinks that are not literal translations of the Pantone chip.
Top Left: CHANEL *Pulsion, *Exaltation and *Hesitation
Bottom Left: Palpitation (LE), *Admiration and Sensation(LE)
Unlike past seasons, there is no new CHANEL Quad (if you own Mystic Eyes it will work very well with this pallette); no worries as die hard eye shadow addicts like myself prefer singles or duos,because there usually are two of the four that are really close to what we own or will never wear.
Photo: Chanel
OMBRE ESSENTIELLE Soft Touch Eyeshadow $29.50.
From rich blackcurrant to sweet shimmering pink, six lively shadows create artistic eye looks. I have worn and really like Palpitation, a medium semi matte rosy pink, Exaltation, which is nearly fuchsia and is my favorite especially when blended with Hesitation, a rich pink hued plum. I am wearing all three right now in the height of summer. There are no grey/ashy tones in these shades and although the model's eyes might look a bit bruised to some, these rich colors are both beautiful and highly pigmented; if you are a pale use a light touch or if you have a darker complexion as I do, go for a bolder look. I own over a hundred eyeshadows and five of the six OMBRE ESSENTIELLE Soft Touch Eyeshadows do not have any "dupes" in my collection. Admiration which looks bright yellow in the pan is more a goldenrod on the eye and unless you are truly adventurous, I recommend that you use it as a highlighter under the brow. Line your upper eyelid with the long wearing and smudge proof ÉCRITURE DE CHANEL Automatic Liquid Eyeliner. I own about dozen black liners in pencil and liquid form, but CHANEL's new felt tip liner is the BLACKEST black, and as easy to handle as sharpie. I use it it to tightline, (which I am not recommending, nor does CHANEL as it is not meant for that purpose). All of the Chanel 2014 eyeshadows are warm/neutral toned so they may not work on fair or ruddy complected gals without very careful application.
Left: Intime, Aura,Viva* and Confident
ROUGE COCO SHINE Hydrating Sheer Lipshine $35.00
If you could only own one shade go with *Viva which is surprisingly pigmented for a Lipshine. It is a limited edition (Viva is featured on the model along with Pulsion, Exaltation,Admiration, Hesitation shadows). Viva is a hot pink/fuschia on my lips without blue tones. For reference, I am NARS Syracuse/Barcelona or MAC NC 42; if you are lighter skinned or less warm toned, it will be more orchid/fushia a shown on the model.
For a easy polished summer look, I have been wearing Caron POUDRE COMPACT INDIENNE Matte Bronzer, a swipe of OMBRE ESSENTIELLE Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Sensation all over my eyes, a touch of Hesitation in the crease, ÉCRITURE DE CHANEL Automatic Liquid Eyeliner, 2 coats of CHANEL INTIMITABLE MASCARA in Violet Touch and a quick application of ROUGE COCO SHINE Viva and I am out the door in 6 minutes.
What perfume would I wear to complement CHANEL's Fall 2014 collection? Les Exclusifs 28 La Pausa through August and Coco Noir for Fall.
For the entire Fall CHANEL COLLECTION ETATS POETIQUES you can check out Chanel.com right now.
Disclosure: I received these products for promotional consideration.
–Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief