CHANTECAILLE

This is my ideal single eyeshadow for easy one color looks, especially when worn with red lipsticks. I have been eyeing this eyeshadow for more than a year since I first saw it in a Lotte department store in Seoul. We don't have Chantecaille in my country, so the price was outrageous, which is the only reason I didn't buy it on the spot, but waited for a Black Friday sale on netaporter. It is a great dupe for Shu Uemura's M501 brown, another great love of mine, one of the few single shadows I have been wearing so much I actually hit pan. Hematite is just as smooth and buttery as Shu Uemura's single and is one of my go to daily shadows. I can wear it at work, when I am in a rush but still want to look polish, but I can also wear it as an everyday shadow, with a white T-shirt and jeans. It is expensive, but it is one of those products that I end up using every day. It is a sophisticated mink brown that straddles that color line between grey, brown and purple and has a beautiful satin finish. It reminds me of a more softer version of Urban Decay's Toasted, another great favorite of mine.

I got the color Happy, and it is a beautiful, beautiful color. But this stuff is sheer, and I mean SHEER. I had to put on multiple layers to get it to even show up, and I'm pretty light. Kind of defeats the purpose of something that's supposed to be quick and easy. Ended up returning it. I gave this 3 stars because while it didn't work well for me, the quality of the product and the packaging is there.

The purpose of this review is mainly to help people on the shade. Lip chics are, to me, the very utmost in lipstick. It's all I buy. The texture is so divine, and they are pretty long lasting for a sheer lipstick. This shade is pretty, but not for my coloring (fair/neutral blonde). Though it looks sort of garnet reddish in the tube, it pulls magenta when applied and is too bright on my fair skin. I bought it at the suggestion of Chantecaille's chat person as a replacement for Heirloom, one of my absolutely favorite shades (alas, now discontinued). Violetta is much different from Heirloom. If I barely use any, then it gives me a really beautiful and flattering shade, but if I use such a tiny amount, then I miss the lip-pampering balmy texture that is one of the biggest benefits of lip chics. If you already like vivid lip shades, go for it, and if your skin is darker, this will probably be a winner for you. Fair-skinned ladies, though, who like more muted colors should tread carefully.