Have you been to Chanel lately? — like within the last couple years? Because every time I go there, it’s like — and I mean this in a good way — I’m about to see what’s behind door number three in The Price Is Right. I don’t know what’s gonna be there! Will it be a goat? A trip to Italy? Will there be a red Radio Flyer wagon? I JUST DON’T KNOW. And those fun, frequent surprises are making me an even bigger fan of the brand.
Ever since Lucia Pica took the reins, there have been so many creative twists and turns, especially with color. She does a lot of themed collections, and yes, Chanel has always liked themed launches, but Lucia’s themes and visions always seem strong, and I totally get what she’s trying to do.
The collections are often travel related, and the colors and textures will refer to places she’s visited and lived. This one for spring/summer is a homage to her hometown of Naples, Italy. It’s like, bright explosive colors — greens, blues, yellows, reds. Those are the visuals, but you know me, much as I love color, I also love neutrals, and there are many lovely neutrals here, too, especially in the eyeshadow palette, which, by the way, is SUCH a nice surprise.
It’s a nine-pan palette called Les 9 Ombres, and it’s $70, which is expensive, but it’s a relative “bargain” for Chanel, considering that they’ve done other palettes with five eyeshadows for $50.
And everything in it is wearable — yes, including the blue and green in the middle.
(Side note: even if you don’t consider yourself a colorful eyeshadow person, I still totally believe that you can work both of these shades. You could use them as eyeliners — do the thinnest line on the upper lash line if you’re shy! — or mix the green or the blue into one of the neutrals, like the taupe, or the bronze on the lower right-hand side, and then pop that on your lids for a twist of unexpected but totally conservative color.)
You’ll notice that almost all of the shades in this eyeshadow palette are neutrals, which, you know, yay for usability! — but also, the eyeshadows are even higher quality than usual. As if that’s even possible! Chanel stepped it up. Well, more like leaped up! The shadows feel almost incomprehensibly good.
