Chanel Spring & Fall 2011: Ombres Perleés de Chanel versus Illusion d'Ombre

Thanks to Becca for the question: How do the Spring Ombres Perleés de Chanel compare to the new Illusion d'Ombres for Fall?

Price: The Spring Ombres Perleés de Chanel retailed for $65 (see my review here) and was packaged in a black mirrored compact. I searched online and it appears to no longer be available for sale anywhere. If you're still looking for this I highly recommend searching instore to see if they still have stock. (Do it now before they are gone forever!) The Fall Illusion d'Ombres retail for $36 each and come with a capped angled brush.

Texture: The Spring Palette is softer and smoother in texture with a slightly powder feel. The Fall shadows are stickier in texture, mainly because of the jelly-gel like consistency. They are not sticky upon application though.

From what I see (might not translate to what you see on the computer screen):

Spring White is a pearly white, cool-toned

Fall 81 is a brighter white, even more cool, with glitter flecks/chunks

Spring Pink/Peach is a pearly frosted pink with a slight hint of peach

Fall 82 is a straight peach, but on my skin looks strikingly similar to Spring

Spring Purple is a complex fusion of purple, red, blue shimmers

Fall 83 is a straight purpley-grey shimmer, almost lilac, no red

Spring Green is a multichromatic green that flashes pink, dark green, light green (no silver)

Fall 84 is a khaki silver, no pink tones, more metallic, more silvery

Spring Blue-Grey is a blue-grey smokey shimmer, also complex

Fall 85 is a black with blueish tones and big silver chunks

Pigment and Shimmer: I found the Spring Palette to be high-shimmer, but is more finely milled and luminous. The Fall shadows are high-shimmer and highly metallic with visible flecks of sparkle. They are more chunky. Pigment of both are layerable and blendable for either a sheer or pigmented look. I would say the Fall Shadows have the ability to be layered for a more intense look though (emphasis on intense).

Lasting Power: As mentioned in my previous post, I have not yet had a chance to test lasting power of the fall shades. I found the lasting power of the Spring Palette to be medium-wear. It did not last the full day from 6 am to 8 pm, but it did last well into the afternoon.

Application: I used fingers for the spring palette. For the fall shadows, I prefer the brush since it helps pick up more color and allows for more control.

Swatches in different lighting/angles/etc.

The colors: Are the colors the same? I would say no. They have similar undertones. The shimmer blinded my camera and when you add the cloudy lighting, it was hard to get an exact photo. The Spring Palette shimmers are multi-colored. The Fall shadows are metallic with different intensity of flecks and sparkles but not quite as multi-colored as Spring.

Overall: I personally prefer the Spring palette by far. While it might look untouched, I've actually used this palette on a regular basis with my fingers. (Finger application seems to smooth out the surface.) I had ordered everything from Fall sight unseen so I didn't really know what to expect. I know these won't make me look like the models on the Chanel runway, but I couldn't help being completely blown away by the gorgeous looks Peter Philips created for the metallic smokey eyes. How could I resist trying these?

I will need to experiment more with the new Illusion d'Ombres to find an application technique that is wearable for me (as in not-too-metallic). I think they are definitely worth checking out. Even if they don't seem to be "you" (they aren't very "me") it's always nice to try something different once in a while, even if it's just for fun.

Availability: I bought mine from Bergdorfs. The whole collection is on Chanel.com. I haven't seen it anywhere in-store on the West Coast although I suspect any day now. Last year Fall hit stores on June 27th. (No, my memory isn't that good, I just looked at my archives.) From what I heard last time I checked my local Nordstroms and Macys - all sales associates said "sometime in July."

And to answer 1 more question: what camera do I use? See this post here.