Eyeshadow Palette - Café Makeup

Tom Ford Enchanted Eye Color Quad Review and Satches

Oct 112012

The Tom Ford Enchanted Eye Color Quad ($75) is one of my favorite makeup purchases of the year. The color applies with a beautiful luminousity that is smooth and incredibly flattering. I invite you to click to enlarge:

Tom Ford’s Enchanted quad has a pearly texture that the other eye color quads in the line. There is subtle sparkle throughout, rather than a single shade. The texture applies beautifully with my Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush. Typically I use the lower left taupe-mauve shade as the base color. I tuck some of the deepest burgundy shade in the outer corner. Then, I use either of the top shades in the inner corner.

In shade:

Packaging:

I found that using a base was necessary, particularly so because I am currently in a very humid warm climate. I used Laura Mercier’s Eye Basic as mine. Swatches:

The department store stock images of this palette give a peach impression, which is quite inaccurate. Instead, the shades are mauve burgundy. The taupe shade in the lower left is incredible.

This shows the subtle sparkle:

The best way that I can describe this is as a more robust version of Chanel Ombres Perlees. The Tom Ford Enchanted Four Color Quad seems to be infused with fairy pearl and beautiful things, yet the palette remains sophisticated (as you would expect from Mr. Ford). If I hadn’t gotten this quad, I would have regretted it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But soon, and for the rest of my life.

Dior Luminous Graphic Eye Palettes: Ivory Glow and Nude Glow

Dior, Eyeshadow 5 Responses »

Sep 292012

Fall 2012 is bringing a nascent trend toward light, shimmery nude eyeshadows and deep black liner. We saw this concept brought to life in Le Metier de Beaute’s Nouvelle Vague palette, as well as in MAC for Marilyn collection. Unlike the neutral palettes we see in every line, this trend has a high contrast between the shimmery nude shades and the liner. My investment in this trend (so far) are two new Dior Luminous Graphic Eye Palettes–Dior Ivory Glow and Dior Nude Glow ($48 each).

I expected the Dior Nude Glow trio eyeshadow to resemble NARS All About Eve duo, a staple that includes a near-matte nude and a shimmery nude.

However, Dior Nude Glow has no matte nude. Rather, the palette has a softly shimmered nude, and a translucent fairy sparkle shade. The translucent shade reminded me of a daytime-friendly, wearable version of MAC Reflects in Gold. It doesn’t have nearly the drama, but it is definitely something one could wear to an in-office meeting or presentation where one comes within handshake distance of one’s peers. The liner is a powder that applies beautifully with my Laura Mercier smudge brush over my Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink.

The Dior Luminous Graphic eyeshadow in Nude Glow performs at an excellent level. The liner is deep and pigmented, the colors give the lids a pearly nude soft pearly texture. Gorgeous. As I got onto a flight, this was the one eyeshadow palette I grabbed. I’ve worn it for a few days over my Laura Mercier Eye Basic and got excellent performance.

Dior Luminous Graphic eyeshadow in Ivory Glow gives a more dramatic effect. Like Nude Glow, Ivory Glow has a shimmery opaque shade and a translucent shade of tiny fairy sparkle, and a deep black powder liner.

The white is slightly warm, leaning a touch gold:

Because of the contrast between the liner and palette shades, this is a lovely evening palette. Those with lighter skin tones and a light touch with their eyeshadow brush might find some daytime friendly looks as well.

Swatches:

Another:

Bottom line, I thought these were a simple concept that is beautifully executed. They are unusual, on trend, and yet still neutral and wearable. Although Dior has not caught my eye for several months, I found these irresistible. Having passed on Le Metier’s version, and unable to get MAC’s Marilyn eyeshadows due to the high demand, I was glad that I found these Dior’s Luminous Graphic. I understand from reading Allura’s reviews of the MAC’s Marilyn eyeshadows that these Dior will be more to my taste, style and liking. As I say, the Dior Nude Glow is an everyday staple for me, so it was a good investment.

Quick Look: MAC Mickey Contractor and Peacocky

Blush, Eyeshadow, MAC 10 Responses »

Jan 142011

Blink and you’ll miss them….the latest MAC Collections seem to come and go with extraordinary speed lately. This is a very short post, to be honest, by the time I could do a thorough review of these products, they will be sold out. For now, I’m going to post a few pictures just to preserve these very (fleeting) collections.

First, MAC + Mickey Contractor, celebrating the talents of this famous Bollywood makeup designer, seemed to disappear almost the moment were posted. Fortunately, the eyeshadow quad (Athma $36) and the Fluidline eyeliner (Siahi $15) are back in stock for now.

The brick red Sur and sheer light Gana blushes ($18.50 each), sold out right away. They look quite similar to the Chanel Soho highlighter and blush palette so I wouldn’t feel too badly if you missed them. Generally, I liked the look of the Mickey Contractor Collection. I love a good collaboration. Plus, it has a very “neutrals with a kick” vibe that I really enjoy.

Second, MAC released Mega Metal Eyeshadows in Peacocky, a dizzying collection of mostly bright, saturated colors. These have extra big pans, sell for $19.50 each, and to my mind seem as soft as a Dior eyeshadow quint. Thanks to Karla Sugar’s comprehensive swatches, I was able to eliminate all but the three that I chose– The soft, light cream with a touch of peach Peek-at-You, the cream with a slight green cast Dalliance, and the deep taupe Unflappable.

Le Metier de Beaute Splendid Frost Kaleidoscope

Eyeshadow, Le Metier de Beaute 9 Responses »

Jan 032011

Le Metier de Beaute’s Holiday Kaleidoscope palette, Splendid Frost ($95), started appearing on shelves during December. Although a touch later than the larger lines, Splendid Frost was well worth the wait. True to Le Metier’s high quality standards, this palette delivers some of the most beautifully pigmented and complex colors.

Yes, you heard me–it’s another winning Kaleidoscope from Le Metier de Beaute.

This palette appears in two different types of packaging–a pearl white color that is reviewed here by Charleston Girl at The Best Things in Beauty, here at The Nonblonde, and here by Sabrina at The Beauty Look Book. I love the white packaging, which I believe comes from Neiman Marcus. I ordered from Bergdorf Goodman, and my Splendid Frost arrived in the traditional black Le Metier packaging. Otherwise, the palettes appear to be exactly the same.

Crystal Ball is a complex taupe to die for. This color is soft as suede, incredibly pigmented and has a rich warm taupe shimmer. There is a touch of metal, enough to give it a beautiful glow. Like its namesake, Crystal Ball reacts beautifully in the light, and picks up on your brush or finger if you barely touch the surface. Truly unique, amazing, and gorgeous.

Here are a few more pictures of Crystal Ball, which I flipped around a bit so you can see what the pan does in the light. These pictures show an already-swatched pan, which I rarely use, but I thought the pan was pretty enough that you might not mind:

Empire is a near-matte gray, which is a necessary basic in almost any collection. This shade will make the palette very versatile, as I’m sure that I’ll wear this color as a single wash for a simple, polished look. If you don’t believe me, you’ll want to re-watch The Devil Wears Prada. In the film, Miranda Priestly wears a simple gray wash in nearly every daytime scene. This one is deeper than the one that Miranda/Meryl Streep wore (which I believe is Make Up For Ever #145). Empire is a very winter-friendly color that fits well with the theme of this palette and is quite stunning.

Rockette is a warm gold-pink-peach that can be worn as either an eyeshadow or a blush–this is a glowing color that’s very fresh and pretty. I actually love peach eyeshadows, ever since I went through two Chanel Abricot singles, I’ve found them to be a good brightening, everyday wash.

Sugar Plum is a magical deep blue with a touch of violet. There are tiny micro-reflects if you get very close. Like Crystal Ball, Sugar Plum is a breathtaking, pigmented and richly complex color.

Swatches (click to enlarge):

Overall, I’m extremely happy to own Splendid Frost. I cannot wait to play with this palette more, and will update when I do. I could not wait any longer to post this initial review, as I was afraid that this palette will sell out and I wanted you to see it.

Le Metier de Beaute’s Le Cirque Kaleidoscope Revisited

Eyeshadow, Le Metier de Beaute 6 Responses »

Jan 012011

Last October, I reviewed Le Metier de Beaute’s Le Cirque Kaleidoscope Palette ($95), which is a gorgeous fall palette released for the Fall season. Since then, I’ve discovered that The NonBlonde has uncovered names for the eyeshadows in the palette. Further, I wanted to respond to some of the comments that asked me to post a few pictures that show the palette using Le Metier’s layering effect (called “Couches de Coleur”), which can add incredible depth and beauty to an already amazing palette.

I’ve added Le Metier’s names to the pictures this time through–here are the swatches with no layering:

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