Chantecaille New Classic Palette for Fall 2011

Chantecaille's New Classic Palette ($85) for Fall 2011 is gorgeous. I'm smitten. I know already that it's joining my Tiger in the Wild Palette as a staple in my makeup wardrobe. The New Classic Palette captures the polish, glamour, and timeless elegance of the ladylike fashion trends for the fall season. Don't forget, it's all about Lady Chic!



Three eye shades, Valerian, Thistle and Lavender (the rich plum shade) will allow you to create multiple looks with layered washes of easy neutrals anchored with the deep plum tone. While the Lavender shade is technically classified as a liner in the palette, it can be applied sheerly to create a smoky eye look. Pearlescent Valerian’s subtle shimmer can be used to as a base shade or to highlight the brow bone or the inner corners of the eye. It's gorgeous and elegant pink on my skin. Chantecaille calls the neutral Thistle the perfect silver grey lid shade for both day and night. On my skin, it's an exquisite shimmering taupe.



The brightening peach-pink cheek color in Rose provides a classic peach flush, one that coordinates beautifully with the eye shades in the palette. Enriched with vitamins A, C, and E, it will also give your skin a nourishing treat when you wear it.



Because Valerian and Thistle shimmer, I had a hard time getting perfectly representative swatch photos. I took many yesterday and more this morning in an attempt to show you the shades without too much reflection from the sun. I'll show you a few and hope that you can see how pretty the shades are - and how nicely they coordinate. As usual, I applied each shade heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator. I swatched the palette clockwise, starting with Valerian at the top of my arm and finishing with Lavender at the bottom. I took my photos in full sun.



Valerian, the pink shade at the top of my arm, is the hardest to see in my photos. It doesn't appear to provide much contrast to my skin, but I can assure you that it's drop-dead stunning on the eyelids. It shimmers, lighting up my eyes with a shade of pink I can wear (which makes me very happy). Then there's the taupe Thistle, one of my all-time favorite eye shadow shades. I just don't see the grey in Thistle (and I don't think I'm losing my eyesight). On my skin, I see a subtly shimmering taupe - one that leans toward the milk chocolate shade range, not the grey one. Chantecaille "did good" when they paired Thistle with Valerian.



The blush shade, Rose, is peachy on me. I think peach tones look better with icy pink and plum or purple shades. If you apply too many pink tones to your face at one time, or if you are wearing rich purple or lavender clothing, you don't want to look glaringly pink. A fabulous Chantecaille rep and I discussed that one day when I was wearing purple. The peach tone complements the eye shadows very well. It does not shimmer as much as my photos suggest. I'd wear it on my eyes with Thistle too, just because I think it would be pretty.



The Lavender liner/shadow is a very deep plum. On my skin, it looks charcoal in most lighting, with just a hint of plum. It's a great shade for anyone, even those of us who find plums difficult to wear.



Hopefully, I've whet your appetite to go see the New Classic Palette for yourself. I'm sure the shades will flatter you, no matter what your skin tone. One cool aspect of the palette is that the compact is refillable. Take good care of it; it will be with you for a long time!



You can purchase the New Classic Palette at Chantecaille's Web site (where I purchased mine). A special gift with purchase started today (with purchase of $200). I believe that the Chantecaille counters should receive their stock this week - or very soon. I'll provide an update when Neiman Marcus receives their stock.



Photo at top courtesy of Chantecaille; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

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Lancôme Color Design Eye Brightening All-In-One 5 Shadow & Liner Palette - The Greens

Earlier in the month, I featured two of Lancôme's Color Design Eye Brightening All-In-One 5 Shadow & Liner Palettes ($48). You can see those features here and here. I promised to show you more, so today, let's look at Teal Fury and Jade Fever. Seems fitting, with St. Patrick's Day coming up tomorrow, and I had a special request from Annette.

To recap, each palette has a schematic on the box and on a plastic overlay within the compact to ensure you know how Lancôme intended the colors to be used. At the top, there is an all-over-base. Below, there are three color blocks, from left to right: lid color, crease color, and highlighter. At the bottom of each palette, there's a liner shade that coordinates with the other colors. I don't think you should feel constrained to use the colors the way Lancôme suggests. I'll suggest why below.

Lancôme says its new palettes provide five simple steps to contour, sculpt, and brighten your eyes. "From day to night, or soft to dramatic," you'll have what you need to customize your perfect eye look. These shadows present Lancôme's newest generation of silky luster powders for smooth application and pure, luminous color. They are said to wear for eight hours, without creasing or fading. I found that to be true.

At right are the swatch photos of Teal Fury shadows, with the liner photo below. These blue-greens are gorgeous colors. All of my photos were taken in full sun, and the shadows and liners were applied with a sponge-tipped applicator. The pink base shade, shown at the top of my arm, is a pretty, icy pink, a perfect complement to the green and blue shades that fill Teal Fury. You could use this base shade as a highlighter. The other photos were swatched left to right. There are two teal shades - a lid shade that pops and a crease shade that's subtle - basically one for every mood. The crease shade is gorgeous on the complete lower lid. It paints a teal smoky eye - love it! Why restrict its use to the crease? The blue highlighter is icy. It's a pretty shade and can be combined with the greens for a teal look on the lid. I would have to use it carefully as a highlighter, perhaps only on the center of my eyelid. I can see it applied evenly on the lower lid under the crease for a wash of shimmering blue.

Somehow I managed to forget to swatch the liner shade from Teal Fury when I took my original photo, so I went back and got a second photo to show you that the charcoal liner is very subtly shaded by teal. It's a pretty color that coordinates perfectly with the shadows in the palette. You can go "everyday" with the subtle teal and liner, or play up a snazzy look with one or more of the blue-green shades and pop your eyes with the liner. This compact allows you to create many looks.

Swinging to a more neutral, but still colorful look, Jade Fever was designed for the green lover who doesn't want to shout. I fall into that category! The top shade is a neutral golden beige. My swatch photo shows it at the top of my arm. It's a perfect base shade for the rest of the shadows in the palette. I am enormously impressed with the base shades in the Color Design palettes I purchased. They are all gorgeous and will be useful no matter what colors I layer with them.

From left to right in my swatch photo, there is a celery green lid color, a muted khaki crease shade, and a yellow gold highlighter. The liner is a deep brown to my eye. Aren't these pretty? If you wanted to get a look for St. Patrick's Day (and be able to wear it to work), this is your Lancôme Color Design palette.

Now, I have shared photos of Teal Fury, Jade Fever, Bronze Amour, and Taupe Craze. I also purchased Midnight Rush (a palette that's based on blues and greys - probably my least favorite of the bunch, even though it's very pretty). I think Lancôme has a hit on its hands. These are beautifully crafted palettes.

You can purchase these lovely new palettes from Lancôme's Web site, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Sephora (where I bought these two), and, I assume, any other Lancôme counter.

Palette photos courtesy of Nordstrom

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