Chantecaille Le Chrome Luxe Eye Duos - Grand Canal Swatches & Review

I've always been at awe with European architectures; their intricate designs along their walls and windows, columns and arches make the buildings so grand. Let's not even begin with their amazing art! Venice's Grand Canal is no exception - riding a gondola through the waterway surrounded by beautiful historical buildings is so romantic. In fact, it was my favorite theme of all the Vegas hotels!

It's no brainer that I would jump at the chance to try Chantecaille's newest eye shadow for their Holiday 2014 collection. The Le Chrome Luxe Eye Duos is inspired by the enchanting Venice's lights and shadows. I swatched both the Grand Canal and Piazza San Marco, but had a hard time choosing between the two beautiful colors. So my friendly beauty consultant at the Bergdorf Goodman location, Asli, applied one on each of my eye, and decided that the Grand Canal made my eye popped more because of the golden hue. She also advised me to use the sponge applicator supplied for a stronger  color.

Both colors were housed in this very reflective, metallic case with a shimmery big C and their brand below it. It's soooo gorgeous, I was so terrified to put any finger prints on it! It's definitely a beauty to display on a vanity table, or to whip out for touch ups throughout the day.

Grand Canal consists of Laguna, a flattering green gray, and Rialto, a radiant gold shadow. However against my skintone, Rialto was more silvery than gold. The shadows were domed shape like baked shadows, but the silky powder applied on gave a sheer satiny finish. It really illuminated my eyes and picked up light! It certainly is perfect for the holidays, especially the gold.

   

I tried it first during Thanksgiving on its own with no primer. Like it claimed, it was crease free, blendable and long lasting. I put it on around noon and went out for the pre Black Friday shopping, got home past midnight and colors were enchanting as it was in the beginning! I created a fake crease with my Nars eye pencil. Givenchy's Rose Dressing lipstick is perfect to keep the look feminine and soft.

   

What I liked was that the shadows were build-able, you can do a light wash for that sheer shimmer, or wear it over a primer for a standout look. Wearing over the perfect nude base, Urban Decay primer, the shadows popped even more against my eyes. Rialto showed up very metallic, almost silver like which looked beautiful against the Laguna, which appeared more metallic slate. The two complimented each other and went well with my gray outfit. I finished it off with Revlon's matte lippie Standout for a bold, night out look.