Review: Chanel Illusion d’Ombre in Emerveille and Convoitise

I’ve been testing out all sorts of new stuff as part of my new-found love for cream shadows, and I knew I’d be really falling down on the job if I didn’t try Chanel’s version of them. I’m not normally huge on shimmery eyeshadows, but it’s always good to try new things, so I picked up Emerveille. Almost immediately after that I received Convoitise as a gift from a friend, so now I have two of them to show you.

Packaging

If you saw the review of the Dior Fusion Mono Mattes a while ago, the Chanel Illusion d’Ombre packaging is nearly identical. The glass pots are on the hefty side, wide but not too tall to fit in a slim Muji drawer. I’ve shown them with an Urban Decay eyeshadow token as a size reference. Unlike Dior’s cream shadows, these don’t have a plastic inner cover to keep them from getting dry. The texture of the product doesn’t seem to be affected, but Convoitise was a little bit shrunken and pulling away from the sides of the pot when I first opened it, and Emerveille has actually detached itself completely. If I turn it upside down, the entire shadow will fall out. I’m not terribly bothered by that, I just (try to) make sure not to send it flying off my vanity while I’m using it.

Like the Fusion Monos, these include a tiny little synthetic travel brush. You can post the cap on the end to make it a little bit longer, but it still tops out at just a few inches long. The tip is thin enough to use for liner, or you can use the flat side to apply the shadow all over the lid.

Colors

Left: Emerveille
Right: Convoitise

Most (all?) of the shades in the Illusion d’Ombre range are quite shimmery, and these two are no exception. Emerveille is a muted pinky peach with gold shimmers. Now, you’ve probably heard me say before that I don’t like pink eyeshadow, and I usually don’t, but this one isn’t so intense that it makes me look like I forgot to take my various allergy medications. Instead, it blends in really nicely with my skin tone and works really well to build a look around. Convoitise is a pale yellow gold with what I think are silver and gold shimmers. The shimmer particles are so fine that it’s hard to really tell for sure. Under daylight it looks like a pale golden yellow, but under artificial light it tends to pull a little more silvery.

Texture, application & wear

These are a little different from your typical cream shadows in that they don’t really feel… creamy. They’re sort of a dry mousse texture instead. The shadow goes on fairly sheer at first, but it’s easy to build to almost-opaque. It blends easily, but I’ve found I need to use a light hand to avoid blending it away. Over primer (I tested it over Lorac Behind the Scenes) it only starts to show very slight creasing around the 7-hour mark. Even after that, any creasing is so slight that I don’t think anyone would notice it unless they’re really up in your business. The finish, even though it’s shimmery for sure, doesn’t have any huge chunks of glitter so it looks very sleek. It’s not too much for daytime, but I really love these for evening looks.

In Short: Great texture and wear – this formula is absolutely top-notch.

Dior Mirage (crease) and Dior Nocturne (outer corner/lower lashline) with Chanel Convoitise (lid)

Chanel Illusion d’Ombre ($36) is available at nordstrom.com and Chanel counters