I don't remember ever being so excited about so many summer collections and items in one season, but Summer 2011 is shaping up to be very much my season. This isn't the first time we see a green eye shadow quad from Chanel: Murano has been a favorite since it came out, and before it there was Garden Party (I didn't buy that one). But Lilium is different enough, pretty enough and offers several interesting look options, from a dramatic green smoky eye to a soft summer garden.
As a long-time Chanel fan, I'm thrilled with the evolution of the eye shadow quads texture and quality. Lilium feels softer and smoother than ever before, all shades blend easily and the results make me a little too proud of my application skills. I doubt the credit belongs to me, though.
The four colors (clockwise) are a very (very!) light milky peach, deep green, taupe and a yellowish green/greenish yellow that has turned out to be the a real star. All four shades have a shimmery finish but none of the glitter or fall-out that have plagued too many of Chanel's eye shadow sets over the last year. As you can see in the arm swatch, the peach is barely there, though on my brow bone it's a perfect highlighter that's low-key enough to look natural but better. The taupe is of medium intensity. It's a great lid/crease color, requires no effort and stands out even among other Chanel classics such as Safari and the newer Taupe Grise. The taupe from Lilium is a tiny bit more brown than both singles- it doesn't have Taupe Grise mauve cast or Safari's khaki leanings. The rich emerald green is a mid shade between the two greens of Murano. It makes a gorgeous dramatic lid color or a liner. I consider it an evening shade, but it's a personal choice.
The big surprise of this quad is that greenish yellow eye shadow. Had it been released as a single I doubt I would have picked it, which would have been a shame, because apparently this color is actually very flattering on my equally weird skin tone. I wear it in the inner corner and/or the inner part of the lid and it brightens, lightens and emphasizes all that's good about dark brown eyes. I wear it with the peach and taupe together (with just a hint of brown liquid liner and a little mascara), and it makes me feel almost summery and definitely pretty.
Bottom Line; even better than I expected.
Chanel Lilium Eye Shadow Quad Summer 2011 ($57) is available from Chanel counters everywhere as well as online.
All photos are mine.
This is so pretty! I don't have a Chanel Eye Quad, just a single in Fauve which I love. This one will be my first I think!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw the promo pictures of Lilium, I was completely indifferent. After seeing swatches on-line, I decided I needed to see it in person. When I saw it at the counter, I went from "Meh!" to "Gotta have it!" in a heartbeat. Lilium itself is not an ideal color for me (too yellow), but it works very successfully as a "spotlight" on the lid just over the iris. The peach-pink, taupe, and deeper warm green are just perfect, though, and even if I couldn't use Lilium at all, I'd still buy this quad for the other three colors. It's a delightful departure from summer's usual collection of ambers, golds, and bronzes.
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