Chanel's beauty supremo Peter Philips totally had my number when he came up with the Autumn Winter 2011 makeup collection. First there was the bang-on-trend metallic Graphite nail polish, then the (also very fashionably metallic) Illusions d'Ombre and last but not least, the Prélude eye shadow quad, €46. Thankfully not a limited edition item that requires you to trip over yourself rushing to the counter just to put your name down on the list for it, Prélude is a very classic collection of cool beige, taupe and dark brown - perfect for me.
This was actually my first Chanel eye shadow quad, though I have (and love) a few of the Ombre Essentiel single eye shadows. The little rounded domes of shadow in the palette are a lot softer and more dusty than the single eye shadows, but they apply and blend beautifully. The lightest shade is a shimmery champagne shade with subtle pink gold sparkle, then there's a pale mushroom taupe with microshimmer, a deeper purple taupe (also with microshimmer) and a lovely cool, deep brown.
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Shots from backstage at Chanel's 2011 – 2012 Cruise show using Prelude
The finish here is slightly sheer, especially on the lighter shades; the idea being to gently shade the eye in a natural way and not to create a strong makeup "look". The colours do hold their own, however, and particularly the deep brown, which is perfect for lining the eye, either solo or smudged into a pencil liner. The two taupe shades are my favourites of the four and work very well solo as a wash of colour for a quick and easy look.
When I saw how soft and dusty these shadows were when I first applied them, I was a bit disappointed and didn't think they'd last long. I was wrong, however. I applied them over an eye shadow base (my eyes are deep set and I don't do anything without applying Too Faced Shadow Insurance first) and they lasted perfectly all day. I even applied the dark shadow alone as a liner, which almost always results in colour transferring to the upper eye area for me and it was still perfect at the end of the day.
Prélude may not shout as loudly as the nail polishes or the Illusion d'Ombre shadows, but it is a thing of beauty that is worth a second glance and it will still be doing its muted thing long after its flashier friends have disappeared from Chanel counters.
