One Crazy Summer with Chanel's Lumieres Facettes Plein Soleil Palette
The summer collection from Chanel was inspired by Monte Carlo to the seaside of Deauville. These were Coco Chanel's favorite resort destinations. The colors range from corals to pink sand. This is a collection that makes seasonal sense. The chosen colors are appropriate and perfect for warm weather.
Summer is all about shimmery sand, coral sunsets and punchy reds.

Plein Soleil(527) is a limited edition eye shadow palette from Chanel. The shades are warm with a slight pink cast. This is more apparent when the shadows are applied wet.

In fact this palette is magnificent with a wet application. The slightly chalky colors deepen and the sparkle comes out. The darkest shade is a cocoa color with a metallic rose cast. At first glance, it looks like it could be in the same color family as MAC's Gold Stroke. The Chanel shade is warmer, less shimmery and metallic. The other shades in the palette are in the metal family of golds.

The palette retails for $56 and is currently at your local Chanel counter.

The first two swatches were taken with a flash.
The last photograph was taken with no flash.

Smoky Mountain High: Kanebo Sensai Eye Shadow Palette in Shiro Nadeshiko

I have swatched my favorite smoky eye palette from Kanebo. The Sensai color collection was inspired by the practice of Kasane. This is the layered colors used in silk kimono of the Japanese aristocracy during the Heian Period. The Kasane color patterns were influenced by nature and were worn in specific combinations according to the season and occasion.
Kanebo created a color collection with this practice in mind. There are layered cheek blushes and lipsticks. This pictured eye shadow palette was also part of this collection. According to Kanebo, the colors chosen for the Shiro Nadeshiko palette were drawn from the "quiet winter landscape".

I swatched three of the shades from the palette. The shade starting from the left is a cool pigeon gray. The middle shade is an ice queen silver. The last shade is a smoke stack with shimmery disco charcoals. The shadows have great texture, pigment and lasting power. I never suffer through any flaking or disappearing issues. The quality is very high.

The palette retails for $50 and is available at select Saks Fifth Avenue locations, Bergdorf Goodman, select Barneys and Takashimaya New York. Visit http://www.sensai-cosmetics.com/

or call 1-866-271-6815 for more information.