Fall 2014 sees 2 major luxury brands reformulate their eyeshadow palettes. Goodness now, are they joined at the hip? Years back, both these brands took to formulating sheer balmy lipstick with great gusto (but there can only be 1 winner) then, they went on their own paths only to find their vision for new, better quality eyeshadow converge this year. Yes, we’re talking about the newly reformulated Chanel and Dior eyeshadow palettes.
Actually, we’ll just be talking about the new Chanel eyeshadow palette today, because I’m not yet up to doing a head to head comparison (although I should, shouldn’t I? 😀 ) and because I have just had my socks knocked off a brand I’d strayed from and whose eyeshadow quads I famously hated. Yes, HATED.
Back in the day when I was starting out with makeup, everyone loved a Chanel quad called In the Garden, a lovely green and pink quad. I bought it, and spent the rest of my time regretting and hating it because all I got was shimmer. Colour was non existent. It was as if Chanel had not even thought about making pigmented eyeshadow. Bah!
So their reformulation this year of the Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow palettes is timely. The big question is what took them so long?! 😛 The second big question of course, is did they make them better? They’d better!
Happily, the answer is yes. There are 8 new eyeshadow quads in the new formula and it’s safe to say that they’ve impressed me enough that I’ve already earmarked 2 or even 3 to pick up very soon. The counter I usually frequent was out of stock so I’ll check some other counters when I have the time.
However, there is one limited edition piece for Fall 2014. Don’t you just hate that phrase “Limited Edition”? Especially when it’s a very lovely piece that I’d actually love to see stay permanent. The limited edition quad is 234 Poésie released in the ÉTATS POÉTIQUES fall collection and I’ve been using this solely for almost 2 weeks.
Poésie is a fairly neutral quad that I was a little hesitant to use initially. In the old formula, all you get is big chunks of shimmer in a quad like this, and I’ve been prejudiced by this view. However, I’m happy to report that Poésie is not only a huge improvement on the previous Chanel eye quads, it is pigmented, and swatches like butter. Shimmery butter, but smooth, melted butter. Not the hard chunky butter you get from the fridge 😛
These swatches were made with my finger and represent just 1 pass on the skin. The colour is impressive and so is the smooth texture that blends and melds into each other seamlessly.
Poésie is a neutral palette and the colours based on my observation are thus:-
- Shimmer warm bronze (top left corner) – a golden bronze shade that makes a good standalone lid colour or blends with the deep plum for a smokier effect
- Shimmer Cream (top right corner) – a cream that can be blended with either the bronze or the deep plum to sheer out the colour or as highlight for the brow or inner corner
- Shimmer brown plum (bottom right corner) – a deep browned plum that makes a good shading colour or to wear alone
- Shimmer pale pink (bottom left corner) – a light pale pink that like the cream, can be blended with the deeper shades or worn as a highlight
It bears noting that when I use a makeup brush (I use the MAC 239) the colour is picked up quite easily and it also applies very easily without too much fall out. The product in the palette does however, get a little dusty, as you can see from my palette. But I do not experience fall out through out the day.
If you want more intense colour, pat on the shadow on your lid. If you want a sheerer wash, use a side to side motion to sheer out the colour. There is shimmer, but it is a grown up sort of shimmer, if you get my meaning. It isn’t chunky glitter, nor does it scream “PARTAY!!!” at anyone looking at you. It gives your eye area an iridescent, awake look and it’s very flattering.
Here is an example of how I wear Poesie, which I have everyday. If you apply more of the deep browned plum, you can create a deeper, evening look. Or use it as a shading colour in the corner.
Apologies for what seems like harsh unblended lines. I rectified that after taking these photos 😛 The product sits on the skin without settling into lines, or fall out and longevity was good for me. That said, I rarely have problems with eyeshadow longevity although if you do, a good lid primer solves that problem quite quickly.
This is juat the same look pulled out to show how I wear the eyes in a whole look. It’s very neutral and because I’m in a neutral phase of my life, suits me fine. If you too like neutral eyeshadow palettes and like me, have always hated Chanel’s quads, then I highly recommend checking out Poésie for the simple reason because it’s pretty, it works and it’s limited edition. The other 8 quads can wait 😉
In a nutshell
Poésie 234 is a limited edition eyeshadow quad from Chanel’s reformulated Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow palette collection. The new eyeshadow formula is buttery smooth and pigmented and everything that the old formula was not. There is shimmer which I’d call ‘grown up shimmer’ because it isn’t garish nor too blingy and allows you to wear these to work even in the most conservative and sedate of environments. Poésie is a very lovely neutral palette and because it’s limited edition, I highly recommend that you check it out before it’s all gone.
Pros: Smooth, pigmented texture and formula, Smooth shimmer that isn’t gritty nor chunky glitter, Lovely and wearable neutral shades that will flatter most
Cons: Limited Edition, Pricey
Who will like this: Anyone who hated Chanel quads before, Anyone who likes neutral eyeshadow palettes with shimmer
I can’t believe that I was so enamoured the moment I dug in, and this picture was taken just recently, 2 weeks after being used. I rather like the rough surface because that means, I can use the product without caring that it shows wear in photographs! HAHA 😀
Here is a picture of the rest of the permanent palettes, that I snapped at the counter.
I definitely have my eye on 232 Tisse Venetien, which is the green quad in the top left. There’s this beautiful gunmetal silver shade in there that’s just breathtaking! I’m also eyeing 226 Tisse Rivoli, 208 Tisee Gabrielle and strangely, 214 Tisse Mademoiselle. The last is a very neutral palette where all 4 shades look quite similar so I don’t know why I’m eyeing it but it swatches beautifully, so I am! 😀
Did you get the new Chanel Poésie eyeshadow quad? Have you seen the new quads yet?
When you check them out, I recommend looking at Poesie as well, because I like how the colours in Poesie combine. Tisse Rivoli appears to be a slightly deeper version of Poesie, so if you miss it, then maybe you could consider that one instead. A luxury, but then, Chanel isn’t exactly drugstore yes? 😉
Paris B
Chanel 234 Poésie Les 4 Ombres Multi-effect Quadra Eyeshadow Price: RM185 Availability: Chanel counters and boutiques Limited Edition: Yes, Fall 2014 Etats Poetiques collection
Ah thanks for the timely review. I was wondering how these are, compared to the old formula which many people hated. I have my eye on Tisse Venetien too! The online swatches are beautiful 🙂
You’re welcome and I’m absolutely eyeing Tisse Venetien! That gunmetal glitter shade is seriously amazing and yes, the quality is A LOT BETTER! I hated the old ones so much, I refused to look at them ever! LOL
I had a couple of quads sent to me from a good friend in the US. Oh, the formula is buttery soft and I’ve never looked back. I’ve got very good neutral quads from her – Raffinement and Eclipse but I’m looking at Mademoiselle. I’m more enamoured by the name than anything else 😉
Oh I bought one of the USA versions! I have to go and dig it up and see how it compares haha! 😀 But it appears to me that the USA versions are less shimmery compared to these EU/Rest of the World versions that are bigger on shimmer. I actually like Mademoiselle a lot. The shades don’t have a lot of variation, but it just looks so refined!
Ah…I never thought you would have gone to check these out. 😛 I still need to go to a counter to see these in person. Judging from swatches online, I have my eyes on Tisse Mademoiselle and Tisse Rivoli.
I’m with you on the older formula. Such a disappointment.
See, neither did I, Sze Ling but I aim to confuse haha! 😀 I definitely recommend checking them out in person because the texture is just so different from the previous ones which really really suck. I’m glad they finally wised up and did something about it. Only thing is I’m not sure if they make the US version in the square pans anymore? Those were supposed to be a lot better.
Vibrant colors I must say! Thanks for the review! xx
You’re welcome Laarni – These were surprisingly impressive! 🙂
Hi Paris,
I heard good things about the new formula but still wasn’t sure if I should get the Chanel one or the YSL palette. Now you like this too, I will pick one up in duty free when I travel in October. I have my eye one on Poesie and Cambon:) I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for the review x
Hiya Grace! I saw pics of the new YSL palettes but as we don’t have YSL here (Boo!!) I can’t compare how they stack up against each other. The best thing to do is to have a good play with them and see which you prefer and duty free is definitely the place to get them (any saving is a good saving!) From what I can see however, YSL appears to be more pigmented in terms of colour, while Chanel still does have that bit of sheerness albeit less than their glitterbombs before. But it’s just based on visuals for me.
I’ve been eyeing the green quad too because they look just so gorgeous in their advertisement! ????
YES! The ads are amazing for this one and that green! Gah! Haven’t been this excited about a green eye quad in a long time haha
The colors and pigmentation are just stunning!
Absolutely, Lana! Have you taken a peep at them yet?
OMG – the swatches look very lovely indeed. I never had an issue with the Chanel quads I’ve bought before but you are right, they are not as pigmented as other brands like Urban Decay. I think the darker colours in my quads are pretty pigmented… But the shades in this collection look very beautiful and it has been a long time since I’ve paid attention to Chanel eyeshadows. 232 Tisse Venetien caught my eye too. I prob wouldn’t get 234 Poésie because it looks so similar to the one I have – Raffinement – though it is very gorgeous. You are looking very pretty here, Paris!! 🙂
You must be one of the lucky ones Yuming 😀 I hated the Chanel quads so much I swore off them LOL The new textures are definitely impressive and if you have a chance, have a play and see if you like them. I do think they are much more expensive in Japan though, so you might want to wait till you see them at duty free or overseas 😉 Now that you mention it, Poesie is quite reminiscent of Raffinement! I didn’t get that quad, but I got the US version of it. Gotta go hut it down and thank you kindly for the compliment! 😀
Huh, this is NOT a good news for me haha! 😀 I might get at least two quads if they’re this pigmented! Finally they made this change, it was about time! 🙂
Haha oops! I hope you like them though, Vesna – I must say I was impressed by the quality and yes, I don’t know what took Chanel so long to realise people hated their baked quads! LOL!
Hey Paris, I have it and love it! I haven’t really tried the Dior quads yet, but I think the thing is it’s easier for Chanel quads to go from meh to fab, and harder for Dior ones to go from good to great. Does that make sense? I’m hoping I’ll eventually see a matte shade or two in these quads. That will make them perfect!
Yay Sunny! 😀 And you are so right. I was so impressed by these Chanel quads but then I figured it was because they were so bad before! Dior ones were ok for me, so the improvement was less noticeable. I think having a matte shade will definitely be helpful. As I age, I’m more receptive to wearing matte or at least matte(r) shadows LOL!
I have my eyes on this palette! I got 228 but this colour combos look so creamy and soft. Looks so good on you too!
Thank you Tammy! And #228 is so pretty! But I am deathly scared of pinks so had to pass – I’m sue you rock it 😀
Oh wow, I really want to try one of Chanel’s new quad now! This one looks really amazing. x
It is, S! 😀 Hope you get to play around with them and see if you like the new textures 😀
This is so pricey! *gasp*
Unfortunately, anything carrying the double C logo doesn’t come cheap! 🙁
I’m one of those haters of their eyeshadows too! Now that you’ve given them the thumbs up, I believe that they’re better haha! It looks lovely on you! Maybe on my trip to the US this month I’ll pick one up. Which one do you think I should get my friend?
haha I’m just wondering what took Chanel so long to realise their shadows sucked 😛 This one is lovely and so are most that I swatched at the counter so I think you will like them too Tracy. Hope you have a chance to check them out on your road trip! 😉
So glad they finally improved the formula. So wasn’t a fan of the old one. I don’t need another neutral palette, but that green one is calling my name.
You will love that green one Gio! I can’t believe how many of us are so happy with this reformulation – it just begs the question, what took Chanel so long to realise it?! 😛
Holy GORGEOUS, Paris!! That plummy brown is freakin’ stunning — Poésie was already on my radar, but no one has made it look quite this gorgeous until now! Whoa.
Thanks Rae! 😀 I know you love neutral shadows so this one, I can tell is right up your alley! 😉
Poesie looks beautiful on you, PB!! On me, it’s just so-so. I guess shimmery almost-frosty shades just don’t get on with my lids. But I agree 100% with all observations on the new formula – it’s so frikkin’ good! Thank God Chanel reformulated and discontinued the old quads. If you do plan on getting more, I shall live vicariously through you! 🙂
Thank you Shari 🙂 It looked pretty on you too but then you manage to make most shadows work so well. I do plan to pick up at least one or two more palettes because I do like the formula a lot and the shimmer. What can I say, I’m a magpie! (And I refuse to grow up!) haha 😉