Because this Girl Can Never Own Enough Gold Eyeshadows… Chanel Apparence Illusion d’Ombre (817)

My first Chanel Illusion d’Ombre is Vision that came out with Les Expression de Chanel earlier this year (for Europe. I have recently seen the press release for the US, and it should be available soon). Despite the fact that I like the formula, I do wish it were more opaque. Well, Chanel answered my prayer with Apparence that is part of their holiday collection, Eclats du Soir! I was on the fence about it, but once I swatched it and then swatched the Harmonie du Soir quad on top of it, I had to snatch it up!

Chanel Illusion d’Ombre is housed in a glass pot. It it supposed to be intensely shimmery and long-wearing. It has a cushion-y gel texture that is altogether unique on the market as far as my experience goes. It comes with a brush that is very useful if you want to line your eyes with an Illusion d’Ombre, though I still use my pinky if I want to wear it all over my lids just because it’s faster!

Apparence is a rather shimmery bronzy/antique gold. It is not too dark, and it doesn’t pull green like what most similar shades do on my skin tone (I’m beginning to think there is a decent amount of olive in my skin, as anything that can pull green pulls green on me). It is not entirely opaque, though I think Chanel struck a good balance with this one. You can build it up for it to look opaque enough on your lids (two thin coats will do), but it won’t be so opaque that it looks overwhelmingly shimmery or metallic on. At the same time, it is not like Vision. Vision is more like something with a clear base and many sparkling bits.

(Top: two thin layers. Bottom: one thin layer)

I think this translucency is what makes Chanel Apparence Illusion d’Ombre very interesting. It functions well on its own. It is nice, subtle enough (but not so subtle that you can’t see anything), and brightening on its own. However, things can definitely get better when you layer pressed shadows on top!

Here I swatched Chanel Harmonie du Soir (full review coming up next week) on top of Apparence:

See the nice golden tinge every shade takes?

Here is the comparison between the quad swatched on its own (top) and over Apparence (bottom):

Chanel Apparence Illusion d’Ombre wears well on me. Over a primer it shows no sign of fading, smudging, or creasing for up to 12 hours, and the eyeshadows I layered on top also stay beautifully intact. It has minimal fallout during application, and no post-application fallout to be spoken of. It goes on smooth, spreads evenly, and does not look patchy in any sense.

For the look, I have Apparence all over my lids, the taupe from Chanel Harmonie du Soir in the outer v, the icy pink for the inner corners, and the burgundy over my gel liner on the lower lash line:

Bottom line: Even with all the gold eyeshadows I own, Chanel Apparence Illusion d’Ombre has a special place in my heart. Fully-opaque it is not, but it is precisely this slight translucency that gives it amazing versatility. Whether you want a swipe of it, some eyeliner and mascara and call it a day with a subtle look, or going all out with other eyeshadows layered on top, Apparence plays both roles well!

Have you tried Chanel Illusion d’Ombre? Does Apparence look like your thing? I know some have had enough seeing all the gold this time of the year, but to be honest it is a shade I can never grow tired of!

Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx