There's nothing like leading off this review with an image of my mug. I'm in the process of experimenting with my new camera (a surprise gift I came home to last week) and Pixelmator. As each entry is written, my blog continues to grow as a result; might as well jump in by throwing a DSLR into the mix.

But I digress. Early last week, Chanel released Les 4 Ombres in 37 Variation here in Australia. Finally, we get the luxury of blogging about something before the States - American lasses will have to wait 'til October or November. For me, I found Variation reminiscent of Guerlain's quad in Les Perles, yet different enough to warrant this latest purchase :)

Variation features four shades - pearly pink, golden taupe, dusty mauve and a deep plum. If the last two colours had a baby, they'd name it Illusoire.

What drew me to this quad were the two purple hues featured on the bottom row, because purple has a way of accentuating hazel eyes. Plus, I really wanted to experiment with their powder formula in order to see how well it applied when doing my own makeup. I only had to make a couple of passes from each pan for the colour payoff you see above - a little goes a long way; just make sure you tap your brush before bringing it to your eye. This extra step drastically reduced fallout and clean up.

If you want to recreate the look you see above, simply follow these steps:

1. Start with an eye primer of your choice and apply all over.
2. Apply the light pink shade all over your lid - lash line to brow bone; I used MAC's 217.
3. Then apply the mauve hue (lower left) on your lower lid - ditto above brush.
4. Grab a fluffy angled eye brush and pick up a bit of the plum and concentrate on the outer half of your lower lid.
5. Next go in with the taupe and line the inner lash line while blending up and into the mauve and plum. Inglot's 8OHP did the trick.
6. Last, create a cat eye effect with any liquid/gel liner. I used MACs' Macroviolet and brush 208.

*Quick tip I learned from the ladies over at the Beauty Dept.: Apply nude liner on your waterline; this makes your eyes look larger. And yes, I ran out and purchased Stila's Kajal liner in Topaz after reading about this tip.

If you enjoy shimmery eyeshadow and are a rabid Chanel fan, then it's worth taking a trip to your local department store. Make sure you make a beeline for your Chanel counter and ask about the newest Les Expressions de Chanel collection. There are few re-promotes and fortunately Variation is a new addition.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Chanel's 37 Variation Eye Quad: