One of the biggest mysteries of the universe – right after the meaning of life and the Higgs boson – is why Chanel doesn’t make its Stylo Eyeshadows a permanent part of its make-up collection. Stylos appear now and then as limited editions, sell out in 7 seconds and leave a host of brokenhearted beauty-lovers in their wake.

I’m a big fan of stick-type eyeshadows, as I’m a lazy person and eyes aren’t really my thing. They are so deep-set that anything I put on my lids disappears as soon as I open my eyes, unless I take it well above the socket-line. That in turn tends to look awful, as my brows are quite low and messy. So what I generally do, is use a twist-up stick like Laura Mercier’s Caviar Sticks to line the eyes for a flash of colour. If I feel really adventurous, I might use two colours.

Chanel’s stylos are not necessarily better than Laura Mercier, Bobby Brown or By Terry, but the brand is much easier to access than the other three. And if you don’t want to research swatches online and order things without seeing and trying them, this is a huge plus. Don’t get me wrong, the product is very nice, too. For summer 2015, they have come out with 5 colours and I have purchased 3 of them. This is quite extraordinary, as I tend to reserve my splurges for skincare and perfume these days, make-up doesn’t move me that much. But my beloved Jade Shore from last year is soon gone, so I’m looking for replacements.

All three are nice, creamy, well pigmented and easily blendable (not that I blend much, I just draw a line) products. They set fast, however, and stay put pretty well. Not as well as Caviar Sticks, but I don’t really need my eyeshadow to last through a double cleanse the way Laura Mercier occasionally does. All of them have a slightly cooling effect on the lids, a nice touch.

Laurier Rose is a rosy bronze with relatively complex shimmer and it’s pretty stunning. As I’m pale and more cool than warm, it is a bit difficult for me to pull off. But it’s a colour that enhances all light green/blue/grey eyes, so there are compensations. It may be too shimmery for some, but I find that shimmer often makes statement colours easier to wear. Mattes just look muddy and sit there, awkwardly, while sparkle enlivens the eyes.

Speaking of mattes, Olivine looks totally shimmerless on my skin, although you can detect some shiny particles in the tube. In normal circumstances, I would run very fast and far from this, but I love the colour and the texture is gorgeously creamy. As the name hints, it’s an olive green/khaki type of a colour, but it’s not quite as yellow-toned as I thought – on my lids, it has a noticeable amount of blue to it. First experiments are encouraging, I definitely plan to wear it and maybe even combine with Lauriel Rose.

Azulejo is a stunning shade, but for my specific circumstances, the least successful of the three. It’s a beautiful aqua/teal blue with some shimmer, but it clashes with my eyes, so I need to be on top form to wear it well. It can be done, of course, and it will look good with a tan and some bronzer and coral lipstick (most companies seem to be doing a variant of this look for summer). I’m starting to think that maybe I should have tried the purple one after all, instead of dismissing it on the spot as too eighties. The most wearable shade in the collection, Caroube, I of course didn’t even consider, but it’s probably the first pick for most people.

Before I started blogging, I said that I will not do reviews of new releases and I will not do swatches, as there are so many people who do them better than I. I’m going to eat my words regarding both these promises in one fell swoop with this post, but what the hell. The main commitment was to blog about things that I find exciting, be it books or eyeshadow and the Chanel stylos qualify, so here we go.

All-in-all, these are nice products for my needs, but if you want to work on the entire lid, you may need more blending time, more even coverage or more longevity. If you want to try, you need to act quickly, as some of the shades are already selling out. And while you’re at it, tell the Chanel staff that they need to make these permanent. I’d be especially grateful if you’d mention that Jade Shore definitely needs to be brought back.