Apotheosis, Le Mat de Chanel Fall Winter 2018 | Review Photos & Swatches

This fall Chanel released an all matte collection.

Mysterious, sophisticated and just what the heart needs to warm up to this cosy season.

The collection features two matte eye quads, a neutral (of course) and a striking blue, a selection of Le Rouge Crayon (this season in a matte formula), my favourite Rouge Allure Ink liquid lipsticks in 4 new shades , two matte nail varnishes, cream eyeshadow sticks and blush.

What’s even more exciting is that the packaging is also matte which reenforces the matte theme.

Here’s a look at the pieces of the collection i’ve been testing.

As always the eye products are what piqued my interest instantly.

Quiet Revolution consists of a pale dusty rose, deep teal blue, cerulean blue and a smokey grey. The shadows swatch smoothly and feel silky as they’re applied. My favourite shade to work with is the teal. I find shades with green undertones can really bring out the green in olive complexions. So I use the cerulean blue to counteract this and add more life. You can add a pink blush to neutralise the overly yellow/green cast if you are olive skinned like me. The total effect is beautiful with this blue eye look.

The pigmentation of the shadows were excellent. They really layer well for intense colour, I didn’t have to use a cream shadow or eyeliner as a base to achieve a fully opaque wash of colour. This is what I love about luxury eyeshadows, the colours are always so vibrant. Affordable matte shadows have a tendency to look ashy at times and with this quad you get nothing but incredible colour.

I didn’t experience fall out with the teal (even though I anticipated it!), but noticed the cerulean blue had noticeable kick up when I dip my brush in to pick the colour. I ended up with a few splashes of blue around my eye and had to clean up. I think the brush used does play a part in how much fall out you get, stiffer brushes seem to produce more fall out as they flick the product away as you apply. Anyways, do your eyes before the base is always my advice when it comes to palettes like these.

Clair-Obscur is a neutral matte lovers dream. If you ever were in the market for a neutral matte quad, I’d highly recommend this one! The overall palette leans more neutral than warm making it great for most skin tones. There’s a latte brown, a pale taupe, a cream and a deep neutral brown to enhance and deepen your eye look. The shadows are really smooth to the touch and apply like silk. They are easy to blend and make for a great everyday eye look if you do wear eyeshadow on the daily. My go to look is using the palest shade on the entire lid and adding a little shading to the crease with the taupe.

I experienced no noticeable fall out (also they are browns so really, you are safe!). I still recommend using a primer though to help the eyeshadows adhere to the lids for prolonged wear. With the Chanel eye primer they do.not.budge.

Swatches!

Next up, lips!

I was excited to see more lip crayons this season as I absolutely adore the Chanel crayon formula. They are my favourite from Chanels lip lineup. Apart from the fact they are so easy to throw on (jumbo pencils really are fool-proof), the new matte version makes them even more longer lasting without constant need of reapplication.

Also, since reds are my weakness, these new additions were my first choice when I was packing for Paris in September.

Though termed matte, these are more creamy satin in finish. Not glossy as the originals but not quite as matte to be classified a straight up matte. I like to think of them as a ‘flattering matte’, the type of formula that don’t make your lips look like raisins, but pillowy, luscious and va va voom!.

ALL of them glided on like silk! Incredibly pigmented for a lightweight formula. Truly one of the best lipstick releases this year and most certainly worthy of the 2018 favourites post! (So grab them before you miss out!)

In todays blue makeup look I used Discretion. A nude which pulls more pinky peach on my sallow skin.

Swatches!

And some lip swatches,

Next up, the Rouge Allure Inks. They are liquid lipsticks which dry down to a matte.

I have two shades with me.  A deep vampy red and a cheerful bright, strawberry red. If you are new to the formula you can check out my very first review, HERE. I like this particular Chanel lipstick formula as it’s weightless and doesn’t give your lips the raisin effect. It goes on in thin layers with colour you can build up to full opacity maintaining the weightless feel.

I don’t have Serenity with me, (a gorgeous rose nude). Something i’d most likely use often. Somehow I have only accumulated the reds in this formula and can’t tell you how the lighter shades perform. If you have tried them. Do leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Last but not least, here’s a set of comparison swatches featuring other Rouge Allure Inks in my collection. As you can see, I love the reds!

Bottom Line

Everything in this collection is pretty much amazing.  The only bits that didn’t make me go wow was probably the nail polish. I’m more an old school glossy polish girl at heart, but that’s my preference, also the Chanel polish formula isn’t the longest lasting so I tend to skip these unless the colour is truly unique!

The Matte Lip Crayons are my top picks. You really can’t go wrong with these. Even though there are so many variations of red within this lineup they are all so different. You can purchase a few without feeling too guilty.

Last but not least, of the eye quads, Clair-Obscura is a must have.  A true matte neutral palette with this quality is a rare find and I honestly do believe you shouldn’t miss out. Over the years I never let any Chanel palette slip if I felt it was a good formula, these are the palettes I come back to over and over. They are worth the splurge.

What pieces caught your attention? I would love to know!

For more on the latest and greatest, follow me on Instagram which features a lot more newer releases. Here! Also here’s a preview of Chanel Holiday! I can’t wait to review these next!

*PR Samples included.