Now. I had “Illusoire” a while back (or its predecessor; may have had a different name, but was definitely the same colour), and I LOVED it. I used it down to the last knockings before it fell out of my make up bag and rolled down a drain/ I left it on a bus/ somebody nicked it. Anyway: it was no more. It had ceased to be. It had joined the choir invisible.
And I had been thinking about repurchasing it because -and I’ll be honest here- I’m slightly over powder shadows. I’ve never been a huge user of eyeshadow full stop, having large eyes that can look a bit mad with too much going on if I wear more than a single sweep of bronze, and blending has always been beyond my motor capabilities. Since I’ve discovered By Terry Ombre Blackstar cream eyeshadow crayons (review coming soon!) all my powder shadows which now sit largely untouched in my make up drawer are shivering with terror that I will send them to the bag of unloved make up that I usually give to my Mum.
Thank you Advantage Card Points!
As I get older, and my eyelids get crepier *heavy sigh* I find that powder shadow just sort of sits there, looking dusty and settling into creases and falling under my eyes and blah blah blah. Cream formulations have definitely been the way forward for me, as well as being so easy to apply that even a cack-handed muppet like myself can’t absolutely balls it up.
I’d had my eye on the shade Emerveille for a while too, as my search for a golden champagney sandy colour that is sheer and shimmery rather than sparkly and disco is relentless and will no doubt continue until the universe implodes. Stila’s Kitten, Nars’ All about Eve and L’Oreal’s Infallible in Iced Latte aren’t bad but they’re not quite right, so I thought I would give this one a go. And it’s lovely.
(L) Illusoire (R) Emerveille
As you would expect: Gorgeous Chanel packaging, nice sturdy heavy glass pot. The shadows come with a handy little brush which clicks together and makes getting into the corners a doddle. I also apply this with my fingers in the manner of a sugar-addled toddler but the brush is certainly helpful if you want a more defined line and control the amount you are applying (especially as I need to go beyond the socket crease -doing this with fingers requires practice and a patience I don’t have).
With Applicator
The texture is wonderful: a whipped moussey light as air formulation that glides on as a cream that dries to an iridescent powder finish. You don’t need much to start with, and the colour is buildable. You can *voice of experience* go too heavy and end up a bit too glimmery (Emerveille) or a bit punched-in-the-face (Illusoire) but with practice I’m getting a lovely wash of colour that takes 30 seconds in the morning and negates the need for brushes and powders. Win!
Swatched using Brush
One wash of colour. Illusoire
My eyelid but sheenier! Emerveille
The formula is supposedly ‘long wear’. I haven’t been using a primer underneath which I think might make all the difference, but these are definitely creasing and fading on me after a few hours. Re-application takes seconds, so isn’t a problem, but these are not in the same category as the Ombre Blackstar in terms of needing to nuke it off with an oil at night. One sweep of Micellar water and the whole lot disappeared (not a bad thing, necessarily). The pot is a very generous 4g and I can see myself being bored of them long before they need replacing.
Chanel Illusion D’Ombre is available at all the usual stockists. I paid for mine (£25) with Advantage Card points, but Debenhams has some on offer online with a few quid off currently.
Atomic Mutton Beauty 