You can do it: purple versus the black smokey eye

One look, two shades, with a totally different feel. 

A heft of bravery or a hankering for passion. Which path will you choose?

Black

Chanel's Mirifique

Purple

Chanel's Diapason

In both looks I applied Mirifique and Diapason in the exact same manner. It's amazing to see the differences in intensity.

Which one is it - black or purple?

Chanel Spring Collection for 2014

Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Diapason and Glossimer in Sonate

On my last day in Hong Kong I happened upon a Chanel beauty boutique and thankfully they cleared the shelves of their rather yawn worthy Winter 2013/14 collection to make way for Spring 2014. 

Photo credit: Scott (my stealthy husband)

I practiced some restraint and selected two items from Chanel's 14 piece collection -- Illusion d'Ombre in Diapason was scooped up first and then with toddler-like grabby hands I grasped ahold of Chanel's Glossimer in Sonate 178.

Diapason

Swatch of Diapason

Comparison swatches from left to right: Chanel's Illusoire, Chanel's Diapason, Estee Lauder's Electric Orchard, Armani's Eyes to Kill in shade no. 3 and Le Metier de Beaute's Tapestry (from their Silk Road quad)

Diapason is a brown based plum with glints of silvery/gold shimmer. I immediately gravitated toward this hue because purple plays up my eyes really well -- think peanut butter and jelly, it just works. Diapason's complexity lends itself to the myriad of ways it can be worn; alone, smoked out, or paired with woody browns. To reiterate, your options are endless.

I won't bang on about how lovely Chanel's Illusion d'Ombre formula is, but if you'd like to know more, search for my reviews on Mirifique, Illusoire, Destination and Apparition. Yes, I'm making you work hard for it, honey.

Sonate

Swatch of Sonate

Swatches of Sonate alone (left) and layered over Shanghai Suzy's Miss Claire (Fire Engine Red)

Sonate is a translucent watermelon red and is certainly nothing to write home about when worn on its own. Yet, with that in mind, my desire for buying Sonate was due to its aforementioned translucency and knowing full well it would look fantabulous over any of my red lippies.

Cue Shanghai Suzy's Miss Claire!

Wear time is pretty average for Sonate, definitely plan on frequent touch ups throughout the day.

Wearing a smattering of Chanel - Sonate on my lips and Diapason on my eyes (paired with a few UD Naked 2 shades)

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Chanel's Illusion d'Ombre Diapason and Glossimer in Sonate 178:

• Diapason: $36.00 USD / $48.00 AUS
• Sonate: $29.50 USD / $45.00 AUS

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 8 out of 10 bags — pleased with my cherry picking skills.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• La Diva reminds me of MAC's Candy Yum Yum. Must. Swatch. Now.