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I’ve Got a Brain Filled With Cheese Whiz and a Chanel Quad Filled With Plums: The New Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Raffinement

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chanel raffinement
Wearing the new Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quara Eye Shadow in Raffinement ($59) on my eyes, from the new Printemps Précieux de Chanel Spring 2013 Collection

Thanks to the 20-something hours (at least) of The Hills I watched on Netflix over the Christmas break, my brain is now cheese fondue.

Even though I could see my faculties deteriorating, could feel the brain cells evaporating, and even though I must have spent half of that time rolling my eyes and exclaiming, “OH, PUHH-LEASE!” whenever Spencer and Heidi were on screen, I simply could not look away.

And now, I feel like I’m in so deep (at the end of Season 4, right after Speidi got “married,” air quotes, in Mexico) that if I were to give up now, all of those 20-something hours would seem wasted…

Or, more wasted. More of a waste. LOL! 🙂

What does this have to do with the new Chanel Les 4 Ombres Eye Shadow Quad in Raffinement, you may ask? Well, pretty soon, at the rate I’m losing brain cells, I may not be able to handle any makeup looks that require the blending of more than two eyeshadows.

Good thing this spring collection quad, with its mix of plum, mauve, taupe and purple, is really great at two-color eye looks…

Chanel Raffinement Quad

I actually brought it with me when I visited my family last week over the holidays and did a number of quick looks with one of its lighter colors on my lids and one of the darker colors along my lash lines. And that was it.

If you’re one of those gals (or guys) who likes a little color, as in looks with far fewer than 18 blended shadows, and plums and purples that don’t scream “PUNK ROCK, 4EVER!” take a closer look at Raffinement.

Normally, when it comes to punk rock colors, I think of brands like Urban Decay. They do vibrant, sparkly punk rock plums and purples really well, and it’s a very distinct, eye-catching look that I like. Sometimes.

Chanel, on the other hand, excels at things like this quad, where they execute colors like purples, blues and greens in ways that make them blend so beautifully into your overall outfit and look.

Like, when you’re watching The Hills, and you see LC carrying a classic black Chanel flap bag (SWOON!), and you can tell that it was meant to be a part of her outfit, but not the only part — that’s how I feel about the way Raffinement looks on the eyes.

When I’m wearing these colors and see myself in the mirror, I see the color there, but I don’t feel like I’m wearing two tons of eyeshadow.

chanel raffinement swatches

chanel raffinement

Chanel Raffinement Quad

Chanel Raffinement Quad

If I were to dig through the cheese whiz of my mind, I could probably find colors very similar to these, like MAC Satin Taupe, and maybe — oh, gawd, what’s that dark plum…? I think it’s called Sketch?

But you get certain things with Chanel. You get ease of use, powders that don’t suffer from fallout, and products that last through the day. You also get to feel elegant and pampered in ways that you don’t always get from other brands.

PRICE: $59
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Chanel counters, boutiques and chanel.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+/A- (great quality, luxurious packaging and pretty colors, but you can find similar colors in other lines)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. I LOVE your kitty cat. He looks exactly like my Charley. I have four. Love my kittybabies.

    That quad is gorgeous. I have green eyes and always wear some shade of purple. Will check it out this weekend.

    Reply

  6. That is a beautiful quad. Lately, because I am looking for good neutrals, I am attracted to stuff like that. I will always be attracted to the bright, sparkly, and different, but good neutrals are hard to come by. Especially when they come in soft shades of purple, pink, and taupe. You look amazing, and my addictions lately have been old seasons of the Real Housewives of New York, Army Wives, and the West Wing.

    Reply

    • Hi Katherine G,

      If you find any must-have neutrals please let me know.

      By the way, I hope you’re feeling better and that you had a good NYE.

      Reply

      • A good one I’ve used lately for any interviews or times where I have to look professional and neutral is the Maybelline Illuminating Lights quad in Rose Lights (warm, shimmery pinks similar to blush that brighten eyes but keep it neutral and not overdone). I’m attracted to warm neutrals because my skin has a lot of olive in it from the Italian side, even when I’m pale in the winter. Another good neutral is UD’s Midnight Cowboy 24/7 eye shadow stick – I’ve used that one for interviews a lot because it brightens the eyes without adding tons of color. Hope you had a good NYE, too 🙂

        Reply

  7. You also get to feel elegant and pampered in ways that you don’t always get from other brands. – i can so relate to this! my hubby frowns when i buy premium (pricey) make up, he even shows me pics of typhoon victims at home (PH), to make me feel guilty 🙁 but but chanel make me feel special you know..

    Reply

      • Perfection Lumiere is my special occasions foundation. I work as a telephone operator and it’s a bleh job, my Rouge Allure lipstick gives me something to look forward to in my day. yup! i’m vain 🙂

        Reply

  8. Looks like a nice neutral quad for sure and I’m a sucker for plummy browns. But I know I have something similar in the stash for sure! It does look lovely on you!
    I just rewatched Firefly on Netflix! Still don’t get why it was canceled. Oh well.
    I think I’m going to start watching Merlin next!

    Reply

  12. I bought this the day of a holiday party so excited to wear it. Got home and they’d given me the wrong quad. When I returned it, they were out of this one. I really need to go pick it up. These are my best colors. The very first counter makeover I got was Lancôme with my mom. Got a gorgeous duo with a dirty gold and a plum. They’ve been my go-to colors ever since.

    Reply

    • Hi Steph,

      This has happened to me before. Now I always check to make sure I have the right colors before I leave the store. Anywho, I hope you get your hands on it soon. And thanks for the idea of pairing it with a gold shade. I bet it would look really cute with something like MAC Powersurge on the waterline.

      Reply

  15. I can’t wait to get my quad! But I’m really sad that they’ve discontinued Kaska Beige and replaced it with Raffinement. Truth be told, Kaska Beige’s shades are just that much more unique and their textures less dupeable so I would rather keep Kaska Beige as a permanent item and have Raffinement as a LE quad. But maybe I’m just whinging because I didn’t realise that Kaska Beige was to be discontinued and didn’t get a backup. Now it’s nowhere to be found. I love most of Chanel’s eyeshadows and blushes (US formulation) but drat their constant discontinuing of makeup items that I’ve gotten attached to.

    Reply

  20. Raffinement is a lovely quad. I love all the colors except the lightest one, which looks ashy/silver on me instead of pink. I found that Chanel I’llusion D’Ombre Emerveille makes a great substitute for the lightest shade and a good base for the other colors. Do you know if Raffinement is really intended to be the replacement for Kaska Beige? They really are not similar at all; Raffinement is much cooler than Kaska Beige, and creates quite a different look. Also, personally, Kaska Beige is my perfect neutral, and thus my everyday, go-to quad. I’ve heard several others say the same, so fingers crossed that they bring it back – my back ups will run out eventually!
    Ava recently posted … Chanel Les 4 Ombres "Raffinement," #39, Spring 2013

    Reply

  22. Hi Karen love this look on you! In fact I love it so much what other products are you wearing the whole look is perfection!

    Reply

  24. What a beautiful palette, Karen. So classy! And, yes, we don’t have to think too much by blending the colors: lighter on the lids, and darker to shade. Easy and perfect 🙂

    Reply

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