Go Dark For Fall

Posted by Stacey

on October 21, 2009

I used to think that I couldn’t wear really dark colors because I’m so pale, but so many brands have come out with collections revolving around the darker shades that I had to rethink that position because I really didn’t want to miss out on playing around with them. (That’s the great thing about makeup – you can test it out for as long as you want in the safety of your bathroom and perfect your look before making your public debut). For fans of the darker colors, Chanel’s new Noirs Obscurs collection is one that’s not to be missed.

The collection comes with one eye shadow palette, the Quatuor Boutons De Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow. The shadows are four shimmery shades of deep green, mahogany, midnight blue and dark violet, and they each have the Chanel logo embellished on the top of them, an elegant touch that makes the palette look even more luxurious than usual. The shades look super dark in the palette, but they actually go on a lot sheerer than you would think, which makes them easy to blend and gives them more of a sophisticated touch (as opposed to a goth look). I would pair these shades with a nude lip for a chic look that’s perfect for a night out.

The three Rouge Allure Luminous Satin Lip Colours are all variations of black with another shade blended in. Obscure is a deep brown tinted black, Maniac is a reddish black, and Hysteria is a purplish black. They’re very dark, so I found that I got a much better application if I put them on with a brush so I could control the depth of color that I was getting. The lipsticks all have a trace of shimmer to them – it’s nothing that jumps out at you, but if you look closely at them, you can see the subtle sparkle and it’s really pretty. My favorite of the three is Maniac – it’s so perfect for winter and cold nights spent at a warm restaurant sipping Pinot Noir. I would pair these with a very subtle eye to let the bold lips really stand out.

My absolute favorite piece in the collection though is the Exceptionnel De Chanel Noir Obscur Intense Volume and Curl Mascara. Seriously, it’s one of the best mascaras I can ever remember using. It makes my lashes a deep, dark, dramatic black and gives them such thickness and volume. I always used to hear people talking about how their favorite mascara made them look like they were wearing fake lashes and I could never really picture that, but now I totally get it. It just gives me the most gorgeous lashes ever. I like putting it one eye and then checking out my other mascara-less eye to see what a difference it makes and I’m surprised every single time. I highly, highly recommend checking it out.

There are also three new shades of Le Vernis Nail Colour – Diabolic, Vendetta, and Forbidden. I haven’t actually gotten my hands on any of these yet, but they’re all dark, edgy shades that will perfectly complement the rest of the collection. (I’m dying to try Diabolic, which is sort of a purplish black shade).