Hey everyone! For those of you who celebrate the Chinese New Year, tonight is the big night! I hope you will be surrounded by dear families and enjoy a lot of yummy food! I’m sharing a Chinese New Year-inspired look with Chanel Convoitise Illusion d’Ombre, Paperself Peonies, and Tom Ford Diabolique Lip Color with you!
Chanel Convoitise Illusion d’Ombre (90, limited edition. RRP in Belgium: 30 euros) is a sparkling pale neutral gold. At some angles it flashes silver. It is as smooth and long-lasting as the other Illusion d’Ombres I have tried (on top of a primer it lasts all day, and without a primer I can see slight fading from my inner corners after 6-7 hours), though pigmentation-wise it is not in the same league as Apparition. You can build it up, and it looks great with two thin layers. However, there is this underlying sheerness that is not unlike Apparence from last year’s holiday collection.
Left: Convoitise. Right: Apparition
I personally love it. It is not the one-swipe smokey eye material, but it’s great for some everyday glitz and glam. If you want more depth, simply blend another eyeshadow into the outer half/crease! I also think it’s a great shade for those with a cooler undertone but want to wear gold, because it is not warm-toned or very yellow!
I have been curious about Paperself lashes for a while. These false lashes are inspired by Chinese paper art. Most designs have symbolic meanings in the Chinese culture. I chose Peonies partly because I love the design and half lashes are more wearable, but also partly because peony is the symbol of great fortune.
Besides the intricate design, I am very impressed with how delicate and well-made these lashes are. I got two pairs of half lashes in the box (it goes for 11,59 euros on Zuneta), though they don’t come with lash glue. I don’t usually wear falsies, but I do have some glue lying around from the box or two that I own, so it wasn’t a problem.
I put some glue on the back of my hand and waited for it to dry a little before taking the lashes with my tweezers and dipping the band in. It wasn’t hard to place them close to my lash lines at all, and I think tweezers really help because they are delicate. Once they are on, you can adjust how they curl so that the angle would work better for your eyes. I tore them off carefully afterwards, so they are basically like new! You can definitely get several uses out of each pair.
For the look, I used two thin layers of Chanel Convoitise all over my lids. Since everything else was going to be pretty loud, I left my lids at that. As per usual, copious amount of black gel liner was involved, and I wore Paperself Peonies on the outer corners of my upper lash lines. I wore Chanel Rose Initiale Joues Contraste on my cheeks, and two thin layers of Tom Ford Diabolique Lip Color (applied with my lip brush).
More pictures!
It’s probably not something I’d wear for a stroll in the city, but for dinner among friends or a small party it’d be pretty sweet!
What do you think? Would you go for Chanel Convoitise Illusion d’Ombre or Paperself lashes?
Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx
Behind-the-scene story: The doorbell rang when I was halfway through the photos. I remembered there was a scheduled check-up from the water company, so I had to open the door… This is not nearly as dramatic as my lipstick bandit mask but still. Coupled with the outfit I wonder if the guy thought there was some kind of… illegitimate business going on here!
PS: I got my Paperself Peonies from Zuneta. Zuneta now shows a different rate for customers outside of the EU (without the 20% VAT), so make sure you check it out! They make a whole bunch of cool brands accessible for those of us who don’t live in North America. Until February 14th, there is a 20% discount with code VALENTINE. I say I’m going to buy myself some early Valentine’s presents from them!
