Holiday collections have launched early this year and my first look at holiday beauty focuses on the Shu Uemura chocolate-inspired launch called Shu Uemura La Maison du Chocolat Collection. I have most of the pieces swatched for you which I hope will help those in the US since the brand is available online only. Everything is limited-edition. I’ve found some hits and misses. My thoughts on each beauty product that I tried below.
There are two Ganache and Praline Eyeshadow Palettes ($99 each) called Dark Cacao and Framboise Berry. Both have eight shades in a mirrored compact that resembles a chocolate gift box. They are scented like a sweet candy, I don’t really smell chocolate but it does have a sweet scent. The fragrance luckily did not irritate my eyes.
Framboise Berry has a palette filled with pinks and reds that are super popular today. Pigment and texture wise the palette performs well, but I cannot wear these kinds of colors on my olive skin. The top row has a matte red brown, matte cream, shimmery red, shimmery cool pink. The bottom row has warm shimmery rose, shimmery mauve, sparkling rose gold and a deep matte cranberry.
Dark Cacao has chocolate browns and neutrals. The top row has a matte brown, a shimmering taupe, a satiny shimmer plum, a matte ivory. The bottom row has a shimmering silver brown, a shimmery deep plum taupe, a bright yellow gold shimmer and a chocolate matte. The colors are smooth but pigment is medium. They’re not high impact shadows but you can definitely build and layer to intensify color. I think the mattes are excellent. The overall palette runs cool and deep on my skin tone.
Up next are the cheek products which include two Shimmery Powders ($36 each) in Luster Gold Dust and Luster Rose Dust. Both come in a sifter jar with a sponge applicator. The powders are very sparkly and very lightweight so it’s prone to flying with a loose brush, I recommend a denser brush. The shimmer is really beautiful but these are too sparkly for me to wear on the face. I prefer them on the eyes but they’re still very sparkly and glittery. The glitter is superfine. but they look pretty on the eyes if you apply over a creamy base to help the product stick to the skin. I like using them over a cream shadow patted on then blended with a dense brush. For the cheeks there is also a cute Creamy Dome Blush ($30) which has the most perfect cream to powder texture. It glides onto the skin and blends beautifully. The color Passion Fruit Macaron unfortunately isn’t for my skintone – it looks like a straight orange even with blending.
For the skin they’ve launched their best-selling Ultime8 Sublime Cleansing Oil in special-edition packaging. There is a 150 mL ($43) and 450 mL ($91) version of the cleanser. Formula is the same, the only difference is the packaging which has the Maison du Chocolate pattern and color themes. If you’re curious about all the cleansing oil options they have now you can read my Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil review. The formulas have changed and been revamped over the years so this may help as a guide in case you haven’t kept track of them.
For lips there are a few items to pick from. There are two shades of Metallic Lip Liner ($30 each) which come in a Star Dust Gold shade (bright yellow gold metallic) and Star Dust Rose (shimmery pink gold). These come with a brush applicator which resembles a liquid liner applicator for eyes but thicker. I couldn’t get a smooth application with the gold shade. The rose shade applied smoother. Concept to me is a little strange – they are very foiled-looking and metallic. I don’t see how you would use this just as a liner without smoothing it over the entire lip, either alone or mixed with lipstick.
Last but not least are the lipsticks. Since Shu Uemura pulled the line from US stores I haven’t explored their lipsticks. There are two formulas in the chocolate collection called the Rouge Unlimited Supreme Matte and the Rouge Unlimited Lipstick ($31 each). All the colors are chocolate inspired so everything is deep and dramatic with a fall vibe. All the colors are creams/non-shimmers. For those who want to see something other than neutrals on the blog, these swatches are for you! The formula of both the matte and regular lipsticks is ABSOLUTELY amazing. They’re one swipe wonders that glide on the lips with perfection. I’m still a neutral lip lover, or pink/peach/plum wearer so all of the shades fall way outside my comfort zone. Still I can appreciate the lipsticks for their phenomenal formula and I know a lot of my readers wear these kinds of colors. As we go into fall these colors are more in style, although summer doesn’t really end here in Florida until maybe end of November. I am truly amazed at how good these are, I really want to look into other color options in the regular lineup for these because the formula is flawless.
Rouge Unlimited Supreme Mattes include:
- Ripe Cherry matte deep brown red
- Raspberry Syrup matte bright red with blue undertones
- Cassis Berry purple lilac matte
- Deep Cranberry deep warm red
- Black Berry deep vamp berry
Rouge Unlimited Lipstick shades include:
- Raspberry Puree bold red raspberry
- Framboise Sorbet warm red brick
- Caramel Toffee warm orange tan
- Hazelnut Ganache deep brownish chocolate with a hint of red
Quick look with the Shu Uemura Dark Cacao Eyeshadow Palette, Passion Fruit Macaron Dome Blush and Raspberry Puree Lipstick. Foundation worn for skintone reference is Armani Luminous Silk Shade 7. Tee by Reformation.
Bottom line pretty for fall with all kinds of dark chocolate vibes. The colors run deeper, warmer and more dramatic than I’m used to wearing but the formulas are nice and everything is really well made. I think the lipsticks are the standouts in the entire collection.
You can find the Shu Uemura La Maison du Chocolat Collection available online at Shu Uemura USA and Canada. If you’re shopping for a few things they’ve offered a promo code for you to use: BLBXSHU at checkout will give you 15% off any order + free shipping.
Do you have any current Shu Uemura favorites?
Chocolate collection provided courtesy of Shu Uemura for review.
