Dolce & Gabbana Dazzling Smooth Eye Colour Quad($59.00) is a stunning combination of a snowy white with a pink-purple icy tinge, a shimmering ocean blue, spring-y yellow-y chartreuse, and a medium warm-toned pink.
As promoted with Dolce & Gabbana’s Romantic Collection for the fall season, the Dazzling quad is just an immediate attention-grabber. I must admit I was instantly in love with it from the moment my eyes saw the promo image, but I had my reservations–just how bright would D&G actually go? Would it end up being sheer, muted shades?
I’m very happy to report that there’s no muted tones here! I will say that the promo image is a bit color-enhanced, because the shades aren’t quite so vibrant, but they’re still bright and bold and fun. They aren’t, by any means, tame or muted. And even better? They’re not sheer imitations of color either. All four shades apply easily without needing to build up intensity with multiple layers. The icy-pink/white has more of a glittery shimmer and look, while the other three are softer and smoother and have a softer sheen. I found all four colors to apply extremely true-to-color, which is a huge positive in my book!
I’m not entirely sure why this quad is being repromoted with the fall launch, just because it screams *summer* to me, but I can go with it, since I probably would have missed it otherwise! I think this is a solid color combination of shades that work well together but can also be used easily with other shades you may have at home. For some, the price of D&G is just out of the world, but let me bring it back to earth–just a bit, at least–because the pricing of the palette is in line with other high-end brands like Chanel ($56), Dior ($56), and Guerlain ($58).
Product: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Ease of Use: 8/10
Packaging: 8/10
Recommendation: Been a bit color shy and would love something already put together for you that’s bright without being over the top? Try Dazzling! If you love color and want to indulge, I think you’ll find this to your liking!
Dolce & Gabbana The Golden Beams Collection for Holiday 2009
The Golden Beams Collection for Holiday 2009 captures the precious singularity of golden tones with a rare depth and an unexpected eroticism, celebrating three ultra femme variations on golden translucence, anchored by the drama and depth of surreal fantasy. Dolce & Gabbana use captivating contrasts to take beauty to a new level of decadence.
A trio of modern-minded golds – Yellow Gold, White Gold and Rose Gold – glaze, flicker and interact to reveal one sublime look that is at once sexy and glamorous. “Gold has always been a Dolce & Gabbana signature,” notes Stefano Gabbana. “This collection, based on three shades of gold,” adds Domenico Dolce, “encompasses the sensual, natural and romantic nuances of surreal femininity.”
The collection includes supple textures to enchant and seduce with glints of gold from an exclusive palette of glistening to pearly tones. A harmony of effortless precision results in a look that’s irresistibly off balance – and daringly, distinctively Dolce & Gabbana.
Smooth Eye Colour Quad ($59.00)
Golds 125 (New)
Smooth Eye Colour Duo ($36.00)
Gold 130
Volumized Lashes Mascara ($28.00)
Black 1
Crayon Intense ($29.00)
Gold 3
Lipstick
Fire 235 Classic Cream Lipstick (New) ($30.00)
Sparkling 65 Shine Lipstick (New) ($30.00)
Gold 70 Shine Lipstick ($30.00)
Precision Lipliner ($29.00)
Fire 5 (New)
Luminous Cheek Colour ($44.00)
Caramel 25 (New)
Glow Bronzing Powder ($47.00)
Natural 10
Intense Nail Lacquer ($20.00)
Fire 125 (New)
Royal 165 (New)
Availability: On-counter October 2009 at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores and saks.com.
Dolce & Gabbana The Romantic Collection for Fall 2009
Inspired by Surrealism, the Dolce & Gabbana A/W 09 runway collection echoes both revolutionary sensibility and rebellious spirit. Just as the Surrealists eschewed the conventional to embrace the unpredictable and explore the unimaginable, Dolce & Gabbana break the rules both on the runway and with a new collection of Make Up for fall, tracing the fine line between dreams and reality to create an innovative glamour that teases and provokes. “We worship the surrealists; they pushed the limits-and proved that anything is possible,” says Stefano Gabbana, “With the Romantic Collection, the idea is to break away from the expected to transform beauty, creating a look that is about ultimate fantasy.”
“And the ultimate luxury,” adds Domenico Dolce, “After all, the ultimate luxury is to dream and, for the Dolce & Gabbana woman, the dream should always be a reality.”
The Romantic Collection showcases tone against tone contrast via a rich new range of pinks-from delicate to vibrant to shocking – with a fresh shimmer to lend natural luminosity. Lustrous new shades share a balance of the sensual and the subversive to embody Dolce & Gabbana signature glamour.
A key “Romantic” Look
Legendary make-up artist Pat McGrath collaborates closely with Dolce & Gabbana to create the beauty look with select Make Up classics paired with brilliant new shades. Explicit and ethereal pinks are imbued with light; deep neutrals are refined and distinctive.
The look lends an air of romance and a sense of intimacy with lucid washes of pure colour and sensuality. A truly feminine aura that’s both suggestive and assertive; the look is exuberant with weightless layering of tone against tone pinks, that coalesce in a seamless elegance that is at once fresh and cool.
Moist, voluptuous lips beckon and seduce – soft-sculpted and defined with Soft, a new shade of the classic lipstick and the lipliner. The same hue adds sophistication to nails, through the new Soft shade of the nail lacquer. Eyes are delicate, yet smoldering with the eyeshadow duo in Rose, enhanced with the mascara in Black. Cheeks appear lightly flushed with the blush in new Delight.
The Romantic Collection is intimate yet ephemeral with a glaze of pinks dissolving into a rush of strong femininity “The Rose palette brings the collection to a new level; Dolce & Gabbana wanted to take risks with colour, texture, mood – and at the same time capture the essence of each element,” says Pat McGrath. “While the focus is on the eyes – very sexy, very daring – the soft voluptuous lips add an intensity that’s erotic. The rose look is very romantic, almost ethereal – yet very sophisticated.”
Smooth Eye Colour Quad ($59.00)
Dazzling 160
Smooth Eye Colour Duo ($36.00)
Rose 90 (New)
Volumized Lashes Mascara ($28.00)
Black 1
Crayon Intense ($29.00)
Platinum 6 (New)
Lipstick
Soft 65 Classic Cream Lipstick (New) ($30.00)
Naked 60 Shine Lipstick ($30.00)
Drama 90 Shine Lipstick ($30.00)
Precision Lipliner ($29.00)
Soft 6 (New)
Luminous Cheek Colour ($44.00)
Delight 35 (New)
Intense Nail Lacquer ($20.00)
Soft 205 (New)
Pink 100
Availability: On-counter September 2009 at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores and saks.com.
I think this is a solid color combination of shades that work well together but can also be used easily with other shades you may have at home. For some, the price of D&G is just out of the world, but let me bring it back to earth–just a bit, at least–because the pricing of the palette is in line with other high-end brands like Chanel ($56), Dior ($56), and Guerlain ($58).
