CHANEL Les 4 Ombres Tweed

The much anticipated Chanel Tweed Eyeshadow Collection finally launched on September 1 and now they are available on the Chanel official site and Nordstrom. 

This collection was leaked last year(!) and there was a significant delay as well but bizarrely enough, there were more than a dozen of early adapters who got these Tweed quads way before the official launch. No one says where or how they got them. I know that Chanel is a private company and usually freaks out over untimely leaks not to mention the company controls global launchings like this very tightly. My guess is that these early adapters did not source them legitimately because I know they are PR goods. 

Why does it bother me? I am a luxury beauty consumer before I am a content creator and personally, I felt quite fatigued around this drama. Plus these leakers and early adapters can never present the collection as well as the brand. When I first saw the whimsical official preview photos a few weeks ago, I felt almost sad because I knew I would have been so excited about it, not feeling tired of seeing them had I not seen the blurry leaked photos and crappy swatches so early on. I don’t buy luxury beauty because it is the best stuff on earth. I tend to pay a bit extra for the luxury experience and excitement, and this time around these people tarnished it for all of us.

Rant aside, I did purchase 2 of the 4 available in the collection (from a Chanel boutique) and would like to share some (good) swatches and my thoughts on them.

Each eyeshadow quad comes with a tweed sleeve that is supposedly all handmade and made of wool. I didn’t bother to photograph it but inside, there is another sheer layer sewn in and it has tiny Chanel logos. If you are a collector and Chanel Tweed speaks to you, this would be certainly a huge point why you need this collection. As for me, I kind of think it is demeaning that these tiny sleeves became my first authentic Chanel garments and I can’t wear them. I would prefer to own a tweed jacket first. The embossment is also a work of art. Whoever did the molding work really nailed it because the eyeshadow surface looks just like the tweed texture.

The bad news is it doesn’t come cheap. Chanel eyeshadow quads range between $62-65 but the Tweed eyeshadows are a whopping $88 each. I will get to the eyeshadow quality itself and it is excellent, but unless you are a big fan of Chanel Tweed, the price is still hard to justify.

Les 4 Ombres Tweed 01 Tweed Cuivré ($88, Chanel)

01 Tweed Cuivré is the warm neutral option. All shades are intensely pigmented (more so compared to the other Chanel eyeshadows that I experienced) and the micro-glitters in this quad are stunning. I usually prefer cool neutrals for my eyes but this is just gorgeous. The texture is not baked but much improved from the core collection. It feels buttery to touch and glides on the skin but it isn’t too soft, either. I have a few warm neutral palettes but Tweed Cuivré is still unique in my collection.

Les 4 Ombres Tweed 04 Tweed Brun et Rose ($88, Nordstrom)

04 Tweed Brun et Rose is the cool neutral option. It is not as pigmented as Tweed Cuivré but I can tell the quality is excellent. It has more of a subdued finish and is not an exciting color story by any means, just a very wearable and reliable neutral palette you cannot go wrong with. I have more than a few cool neutral luxury eyeshadow palettes similar to Tweed Brun et Rose and since the Tweed sleeve doesn’t do much for me, the palette doesn’t make the top 3 cool neutral palettes on its own. But I just know that I will be wearing this often. I also like the composition – quite plain but the peachy pink topper shade adds something extra to the look.

The bottom line it is a beautiful and unique collection that I should have gone gaga over. Initially, I thought about buying the whole collection but the long wait and numerous leaks ruined my appetite. Maybe this is why the luxury brands like Chanel take strong actions over early leaks although this time around, the situation seems to be a bit more escalated than mere leaks.

I am quite happy with the two I picked up this time, though. I have many comparison swatch photos and some makeup looks to show you as well, but that has to be another post.

Thanks for being here. What do you think of the new Chanel Tweed Eyeshadow Collection? Do you think it’s worth picking up?

*The eyeshadow palettes were purchased with my own money. This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for choosing to use them.