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Eyeshadow

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Diorshow Mono Mordoré 653 and Gris Montaige 047

August 9, 2013
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Dior released four single shadows as a Nordstrom Exclusive with the fall collection. These are new in the US, although available in other countries (see swatches on Front Row Beauty). I picked up two of the shades Mordoré 653 and Gris Montaigne 047 ($29 each for 2.2g/0.07 oz, Nordstrom.com). Both are in the Diorshow Mono formula which has allows either a wet or dry application. This was my first time trying these shadows even though the formula was released months ago with other shades.

Mordoré 653 is a beautiful warm bronze metallic. It has a lovely shimmery finish to it. On me it pulls very warm but not red. Swatched on the arms it looks identical to Armani Eyes to Kill #5, but Dior Mordoré is easier to wear with less yellow/orange and slightly more bronze. The pigment is very rich but smooth and easy to layer. Blending with this color is easy – some coppers and warm bronzes blend out to look reddish or yellowy on the skin, this one stays true to color.

Gris Montaigne 047 is a classic metallic grey silver. There is a blend of different kinds of silvery shades which prevent it from looking too metallic or foiled on the skin. Silvers can be hard for me to pull off – this one has enough grey to not turn blue on the eyes. I could not find a dupe for this one.

More photos and swatches:

Comparisons below to Urban Decay Half Baked, NARS Fex, Chanel Le Bronze, Armani Eyes to Kill #5, Burberry Pearl Grey, Chanel Furtif, Chanel Infini, Armani Eyes to Kill #21 and Armani Eyes to Kill #17.

In the US you can find both Dior Mordoré and Gris Montaigne at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com. I’m new to the Diorshow Mono formula but so far am pleased with the two shades I tried. Are there any other colors you’ve fallen in love with that I need to try?

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Dior Mystic Metallics: Constellation 864 Couture Color Eyeshadow Palette (Nordstrom)

July 16, 2013
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Dior Constellation 864 Couture Color Eyeshadow Palette ($61, limited-edition, Nordstrom exclusive) is the second quint release for Dior Fall this year. It’s a stunner in the compact and the colors translate onto the skin true to pan. If you can pull off cool-toned colors and brighter plums or purples on the eyes you will love this. For me, some purples appear too blue against my olive skin leaving me with a punched-eye or pink-eye look. This is one of those purple palettes – it requires a bit of layering with a warm terracotta or sheer bronze (Le Metier makes some nice ones from their limited kaleidoscope kits, NARS Fez works well as does Urban Decay Lost). The lighter shades pull very cool on my skin, if you’re very warm or tan you may find this one pulls very cool-toned on you, more so than when you swatch on the arm.

The colors include a pale mauve, a frosted silvery-platinum, a cool pink opal, a plum with silver flecks and a purple satin. Most of the colors pull very shimmery. Each color is very pigmented. I liked that the colors applied very well on the eyes and stayed put well throughout the morning and afternoon.

Overall, not my favorite … at least for now. Part of me thinks it’s the warm summer weather that is making me crave warmer colors for eyes (versus cool purples). Once autumn arrives I think I’ll like this more as is. For now, it will be reserved for days I have extra time to get ready in the morning or evening. It’s going to be a higher-maintenance palette that requires some warm color layering to make it work for me.
Constellation is available now at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com as an Early Access item to Nordstrom Cardholders. It will be available to all this Friday when their Anniversary sales starts. Do note it’s a limited-edition product. You may want to call your local Dior counters to pre-sell if you don’t have a Nordstrom card. They can reserve one and set it aside for you.

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Dior Mystic Metallics: Bonne Étoile 384 Couture Color Eyeshadow Palette

July 14, 2013

Dior Bonne Étoile 384 Couture Color Eyeshadow Palette is this season’s star product for eyes ($61, limited-edition, at Nordstrom). The palette has the most beautiful embossed star patterns. Each color is richly pigmented with varying degrees of shimmer and sparkle. Even those who avoid shimmers will love this one. I am not usually brave enough to wear bright teals or greens on the eyes but the colors in this palette are deep enough to not be over-the-top. The colors include a deep rich khaki olive gold, a chocolate brown with gold flecks, a sparkly silvery-taupe, a deeper green-teal sparkle and a soft seafoam green shimmer. The shimmers adhere well to the eye, but you still need a good primer to avoid fall out from the teal and taupe (I experienced just a slight bit). Five colors on one eye can be challenging to pull off, but the colors layer nicely together. I played with this today and found the combinations to be endless. Applying the darker shades with a slightly damp brush intensified the colors nicely for a more dramatic look.

Swatched:

I don’t own any other palette similar, although I suspect each shade is similar to other individual colors. I think you can probably achieve a similar effect with some Urban Decay or even MAC singles, although I do think this Dior palette will be a bit more conservative and easier to wear for those who prefer neutrals. I don’t own many teals or greens so this was perfect for me. I’m still testing out the other option Constellation 864, but I can say right now that I definitely prefer this Bonne Étoile 384.
You can find Bonne Étoile 384 in stores at Nordstrom now and also online at Nordstrom.com.

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Dior Bonne Étoile 384 and Constellation 864 (Preview)

July 14, 2013
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Dior has released two stunning quints for fall this year in Bonne Étoile 384 and Constellation 864 ($61 each, limited-edition). Both are listed as exclusive to Nordstrom (for now). You can purchase Bonne Étoile now in stores and online, however Constellation is listed as an Early Access item for Nordstrom cardholders only (available to everyone on July 19th). I picked up both of mine in store today so I haven’t had time to play with these extensively. I did have my Dior artist apply Bonne Étoile on me, and although greens usually aren’t my thing for eyes, I’m already in love with this one (it’s a bold pick for me). The teal and green layer beautifully with the khaki and bronze shades. Detailed swatches and photos to come very soon. For now, check out these awesome bloggers for swatches and details:

Bonne Étoile 384

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Constellation 864

Some more preview photos of both side by side:

With flash:

In direct sunlight, no flash:

In direct sunlight with flash:
 

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Chanel Mystère, Gri-Gri and Khaki Précieux

June 28, 2013
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The Chanel fall collection for eyes this year consists of some beautiful neutrals in the khaki family. I immediately picked up Gri-Gri Ombre Essentielle a beautiful sparkling taupe. I resisted the Chanel Mystère Les 4 Ombres and the Khaki Précieux Stylo Yeux Waterproof for a week before caving. Khaki colors are challenging for me to pull off. The olive color on olive skin often results in a sallow muddy look. I was hesitant to try any of the khaki items but a quick mini-makeover with the quad at the Chanel counter fixed everything.

Quick swatches, left to right: Mystère Quad, Gri-Gri Single and Khaki Précieux Eyeliner, I find it interesting the taupes pull more mauve on me while it pulls more neutral and brown on others (similar effect happened with Taupe Gris and some other taupes). See Mystère on Café Makeup and Weekend Ramblings, also Gri-Gri on The Non-Blonde. Clearly your mileage may vary depending on your skintone.

Some close ups of each item. First up, Mystère Quadra Eyeshadow ($59 for 6.8g) is a stunning mix of pale sparkly champagne with gold flecks, soft neutral mauve-taupe, dark blackened-khaki with gold shimmer and a neutral brown satin with green tones. What makes this work for me is that none of the shades are a pure khaki, but two have some khaki elements. The lightest and darkest shades have slightly larger shimmer particles. A base is absolutely necessary or else you will have some glitter fall out on the cheeks and smudging for the dark shade. I used this over Edward Bess’s Eye Base and also RMS Beauty Solar Cream Shadow. The colors are well pigmented and easy to blend. I found it flattering on my olive skin. Easy to wear for day and versatile enough to take into night by adding more of the smoky khaki/gold/black color.

Next, Gri-Gri Soft Touch Eyeshadow ($28.50 for 1.6g) is a must-have for any taupe lover. On me it pulls more on the mauve side versus a straight taupe. It’s very sparkly. I love it. Some close ups and comparisons below.

Khaki Précieux ($30)  is a lovely metallic khaki green. I find it to be both a good liner and a smudgey base for a smokey eye. It’s dark enough to define the eyes but the shimmery quality makes it soft. The texture is soft and easy to apply on the eyes, but firm enough so it doesn’t smudge. Some close ups and comparisons below.

For me, I think the Mystère quad is the winner for eyes. The taupe is similar to the Gri-Gri single (although not an exact dupe). There’s more versatility in the quad.
So far I’ve spotted the collection in store at Neiman Marcus, Nordstroms and the Chanel Boutique on Rodeo Drive. It should start trickling in all stores by next week, as well as online. For now you can find the collection online at Nordstrom.com.

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Dolce & Gabbana Smoky Eyeshadow Quad

May 23, 2013

Dolce & Gabbana has released a new eyeshadow quad called Smoky ($59 for .8 g/0.16 oz). It’s part of the new True Monica Collection (more details on Makeup and Beauty Blog, Style Bistro and Refinery29). I ordered mine from Saks Houston sight unseen and was thrilled with this beautiful neutral palette. The colors have enough warmth to create a stunning smokey eye that isn’t too harsh. This palette has a soft matte black, a chocolate brown shimmer infused with gold flecks, a soft sandy beige and a white pink-gold shimmer. Layered from lightest to darkest creates a goof-proof smoky eye. This might just be the best smoky eye palette I’ve tried yet. Each shade has a beautiful blend of different colors and shimmers to create depth.

In full sunlight:

The pigment is rich but natural. Each shade applies very smoothly and are layerable with each other. The pale pink is a white-pink-gold that flashes different shimmers. I couldn’t capture the complexity of the color but it’s stunning on the skin. Some swatches – this may look like a boring palette at first glance, you have to try it to see how pretty it really is on the skin:

The colors can probably be replicated with other singles and shadows however there is a beautiful softness to each shade that I’ve fallen in love with. It’s quite different from other Dolce & Gabbana quads, I pulled Femme Fatale (formerly called Champagne) to compare.

Bottom line gorgeous. The Dolce & Gabbana Smoky Quad ($59) from the True Monica collection is available at select Saks locations and online at Saks Fifth Avenue and Sephora.
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Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette (Limited-Edition)

May 1, 2013
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Giorgio Armani’s Bronze All-Over Palette for Summer 2013 just might be this season’s prettiest palette ($88, limited-edition). It’s a sleek two-tiered palette with a gorgeous bronzer on the top and three shimmery neutrals on the bottom. Many thanks to Café Makeup for giving me the heads up as soon as this arrived online at Giorgio Armani Beauty. It’s a luxurious splurge but a definite must-have for this season.
The bronzer is a stunning golden luminous bronze. It has a metallic overspray making it look like sunshine in a compact. Underneath is a soft glowy golden bronze that makes the skin just glow. I love that it’s luminous without emphasizing pores and that it does not turn orangey on the skin.

The three shadows below are stunning neutrals with incredible pigment. There’s a soft cream, a neutral peach-pink and a bronzey shimmer. Without any base the colors are rich and very pigmented. The textures are extremely soft and finely milled (think along the lines of the better Burberry and Urban Decay soft shadows). They are very easy to blend and goof-proof.

Swatches below, two different views with different lighting:

A few comparisons below. The Armani Summer 2013 Bronzer is similar to Bobbi Brown’s Aruba, but the Armani is less frosty on the skin and the soft texture prevents it from turning orange.

For eyeshadows, I thought Armani Summer 2013’s shades would be a dupe for Chanel’s long discontinued Shimmering Dunes, they are actually different.

Armani’s Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette is definitely a luxurious splurge but worth every penny. See other swatches and reviews on other skintones at Café Makeup, Temptalia, Beautezine and Best Things in Beauty.
Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette retails for $88 and is limited-edition. It is available at all Armani Beauty counters and online at Nordstrom.com (free shipping), Giorgio Armani Beauty (complementary shipping with orders of $75+), Saks.com.
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