Capturing the essence of Dolce & Gabbana’s fashion collection and translating it into a compelling make-up story is the role of make-up creatrice Pat McGrath who this season raided the designers’ jewel box unearthing a haul of sumptuous shades and textures inspired by the precious stones and gem colours seen on the catwalk.
Classic Cream Lipstick ($30.00)
Purple Pearl (330)
Plum Sapphire (76)
Shine Lipstick ($30.00)
Mauve Diamond (117)
Ultra-Shine Lipgloss Lipstick ($29.00)
Pink Sapphire (139)
Pink Diamond (138)
Precision Lipliner ($30.00)
Rose Pearl (12)
Smooth Eye Colour Duo ($36.00)
Gems (107)
Smooth Eye Colour Quad ($59.00)
Jewels (142)
Crayon Intense ($29.00)
Topaz (19)
Luminous Cheek Colour ($44.00)
Mauve Diamond (38)
Intense Nail Lacquer ($20.00)
Amethyst (168)
Grey Pearl (230)
availability: November 2011, select Saks Fifth Avenue stores and saks.com
Just in time for fall, Dolce & Gabbana’s Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad ($59.00 for 0.16 oz.) offers a seemingly perfect mix of hues for the cooler temps and falling leaves. The first shade is soft peachy beige with a matte finish. It has a slightly powdery texture that may not work so well with drier skin types and lends itself to a sheerer application overall. The shade reminded me of Inglot #328 (which is a touch darker) and, to a lesser degree, Inglot #330 (which is lighter). To the right of that is a medium-dark orange with a matte finish. It has a similar feel and texture as the peach shade, which is a little powdery and sheer in places. MAC Rule is similar but has better color payoff.
On the bottom left, there is a warm, red-toned medium-dark brown with a soft golden bronze shimmer and satiny sheen. It has good color payoff and has a soft, silky smooth texture. I felt it was the best out of the four shades in the palette. MAC Lie Low is similar but a step darker. MAC Faux Gold is similar but more intense. MAC Texture is less red-toned. Beside the medium-dark brown, there is a burgundy-brown with a satiny sheen but less-than-stellar color payoff. The texture is on the drier side, which makes it harder to blend and achieve the intensity as seen in the pan. It’s too bad, because I think the mix of burgundy and brown makes it the more complex shade of the four. MAC Twinks is browner and darker. Chanel Ebloui is darker. Bare Escentuals’ Kismet is very similar but matte in finish.
A lot of the issues are really emphasized during application than when they’re swatched. I have more trouble working with Dolce & Gabbana’s matte and semi-matte eyeshadows than I do with their shimmery shades (especially when the texture is dense and feels buttery to the touch). They have a tendency to apply in a chalky, uneven way and require a fair amount of color-packing to achieve decent color payoff. Fluffier brushes (think MAC’s 222) work better with the dry texture of the bottom right shade, while a flatter and firmer (think MAC 249) brush will work better with the powdery shades. I’d recommend tapping the brush lightly against your forearm before applying to the lid or else be prepared to do some clean-up.
This is a palette more suited towards warmer complexions (with peach, red, or yellow undertones), because of the abundance of peach, orange, and red here. None of these shades are cool-toned, and two shades have fairly strong red undertones, so it may turn muddy or lean too strongly in the red/orange direction to be as flattering on cooler complexions. I am an advocate of wearing whatever you like, though, because it’s in the way one wears it and ultimately outweighed by the confidence to wear it. If you’re cooler-toned, you might try pairing it with ashy browns, grays, or blue-based pinks.
Unfortunately, only one shade applies as well as it swatches (the bottom left), while the other three require more finesse. The two matte finished shades need to be packed on, because they are powdery and don't build well.
Product
7.5/10
Pigmentation
8/10
Texture
8.5/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
3.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
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Dolce & Gabbana Sweet Temptations: Candied & Green Almond
Dolce & Gabbana’s fall collection–Sweet Temptations–includes two new shades of their Crayon Intense Eyeliner ($29.00 for 0.04 oz.). The new shades are Candied (light gold) and Green Almond (olive).
Candied is a metallic finished pale yellowed gold. The pigmentation on this shade is sheer; you definitely won’t get an opaque line of color in one pass. I couldn’t really build it up to opaque color for the heavier swatch. Make Up For Ever #9L is a darker yellow, while tokidoki Unicorno is less yellow and has coppery glitter in it.
Green Almond is a dark forest green over a olive brown base. Again, the color payoff leaves something to be desired–it loses a lot of depth because it doesn’t deliver much color in a single pass (or even a couple of them–you really have to go back and forth several times to yield decent color payoff). It’s a dead ringer for Urban Decay Mildew. MAC Jade Way is a little greener.
I’m not a huge fan of this eyeliner formula because of the texture; it’s stiff and dry, so it doesn’t glide on easily and can pull and tug at the lid. The wear is so-so, where I get around six hours with a darker and drier shade like Green Almond but lighter shades like Candied seem to vanish after four or five hours (this is on the lower lash line, not water line!). Some shades are creamier (like their White) but the majority don’t wear longer than six hours. It’s frustrating when a formula is so inconsistent, because you can’t bank on it performing as good as previous shades.
The flaws in this product render it rather unacceptable, and with the $29 price tag, nearly unbelievable. There are so many formulas available that perform well, but this is not one of them. Normally, a drier eyeliner would wear better than a creamier one but that is not the case here.
Product
5.5/10
Pigmentation
6/10
Texture
5/10
Longevity
6/10
Application
3/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Dolce & Gabbana Amethyst Lipgloss ($29.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a deepened burgundy berry with soft violet and burgundy micro-shimmer. It’s semi-opaque with decent color pay off and definitely gives lips a darker, vampier look, but my natural lip color does peek through. What I really liked about this gloss though was how despite the deeper color, it did not settle into lip lines.
my thoughts on the formula: Dolce & Gabbana Lip Glosses are moisturizing, and they fade really well when they wear away. With this particular shade, I was able to get a solid four hours of wear. These glosses are heavily rose-scented but don’t seem to have any taste. With just 0.13 oz. in a tube (compared to 0.20 oz. for other high-end brands like Chanel, Guerlain, and YSL), these are pricey.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Dolce & Gabbana Vibrant (#143) Lipgloss ($29.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a rich shade of darkened fuchsia raspberry with iridescent fuchsia-purple micro-shimmer. It delivers nearly opaque color, and it doesn’t settle into lip lines. I love how it is a mix of pink, red, and berry.
my thoughts on the formula: Dolce & Gabbana Lip Glosses are moisturizing, and they fade really well when they wear away. With this particular shade, I was able to get a solid four hours of wear. These glosses are heavily rose-scented but don’t seem to have any taste. With just 0.13 oz. in a tube (compared to 0.20 oz. for other high-end brands like Chanel, Guerlain, and YSL), these are pricey.
This is one of the best Dolce & Gabbana Lipglosses I've tried--wears a full four hours, doesn't sink into lip lines, and gives lips a really full, glossy look. If only they'd squeeze more than 0.13 oz. into a tube...
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Dolce & Gabbana Rosebud (170) Shine Lipstick($30.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a glossy pale pink iwth a hint of rose and soft white micro-shimmer. It’s nearly opaque, and the paleness of the color makes the fuller coverage color look milky and creamy.
my thoughts on the formula: The Shine Lipsticks can be very creamy, when the finish is less shimmery, or more glimmering, if the finish is shimmery. Overall, they have a glossiness that isn’t there in the brand’s Classic Cream Lipsticks. The lipstick is rose-scented, and it is one of the heavier scented products I’ve come across, so if you are at all sensitive to scents, I would probably keep on looking. I usually average four hours of wear with this formula.
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Product: 28/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
final thoughts: It is a surprisingly flattering milky pink, even on medium skin tones. Milky pinks tend to wash me out, so I do find them hard to wear on their own, but I think this works. I also like that it doesn’t have strong cool undertones.
