Givenchy Poetique Blues Prismissime Eyes
Givenchy Poetique Blues Prismissime Eyes
($53.00 for 0.12 oz.) is one of two eyeshadow palettes released with Givenchy’s Les Poetiques Collection for fall. It features nine different marbled/splattered eyeshadows.
Here’s a quick rundown of the colors, row by row, left to right:
- Top row: a pale, icy pink; a bluish-gray with a purple cast; an icy silvery white
- Middle row: a pale bright silver-white; a light champagne-beige; an icy, light purple
- Bottom row: a warm-toned pale peach-champagne; a dirty champagne taupe; a dark purple
This is one of the more pigmented Givenchy palettes I’ve played with, so I’m happy to see they increased the pigmentation level in the latest limited edition palettes. There’s also a good assortment of shades, though two of them are close to another two within the palette, so that’s a bit of a downer. If you’re not a fan of shimmers and frost finishes, you’re not going to like this palette (or most other Givenchy palettes for that matter).
Givenchy always excels at making packaging functional and sleek, and this fall is no exception. The eyeshadows themselves look funky (in a good way!) and the outside casing is pretty. They do include three different sized sponge-tipped brushes underneath the eyeshadows, though I’d never use them unless in a pinch (use real brushes if you can!).
Even though Givenchy is a high-end, closer-to-luxury brand of cosmetics, its eyeshadow palettes are extraordinarily priced. Normally, palettes are less expensive (by the ounce) than single eyeshadows, but with Givenchy, you’d be getting more for your money by buying single eyeshadows! (For reference, the palette is $441.67/oz. vs. single eyeshadow at $383.33/oz.)
- Product: 8/10
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 7/10
- Packaging: 8/10
Recommendation: One of the nicest Givenchy palettes this year with better color pay off and a good assortment of shades perfect for fall (and winter, too!)… it’s just on the pricey side and doesn’t come cheap.
Availability: Sephora
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Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Duo: Secret Admirer
Sonia Kashuk Secret Admirer Eyeshadow Duo ($6.99) is a stunning duo of shimmery violet-lilac and a softer, matte pale lilac. Both shades run cool, but with the right pairing of warmer or more neutral shades, can easily be worn by most. I’ve always found Sonia Kashuk to be a brand that is reliable and affordable, and this eyeshadow duo lives up to that expectation. Both shades are well pigmented and don’t require lots of layering to get color pay off. Big thumbs up for eyeshadow on a budget!
- Product: 8/10
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 8/10
Recommendation: If you’re on a budget but are jonesing for some eyeshadow, Sonia Kashuk has you covered!
Availability: Target
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Smashbox Reign Collection: Jet Set Eyeliner Palette
Smashbox Jet Set Eyeliner Palette ($48.00) contains four shades of cream eye liner. They’re described as budge-proof and water proof. The palette comes with a miniature-sized angled brush as well. It is part of Smashbox’s Reign Collection for the fall.
The shades you get are dark black, dark brown (neutral-cool), metallic gold, and metallic dark brown (with warm tones). I like Smashbox’s Jet Set formula overall — it’s definitely long-wearing, holds up to humidity and heat, and is pretty waterproof. However, I have found these liners to be prone to drying out if one is not careful about sealing the container after each use. With the Jet Set palette, this is a definite concern, because it’s not really air tight – the palette flap just opens and closes but never feels sealed. I do worry about how long before you start noticing these drying out.
The shades are so-so — the photos I took of the palette are of a counter’s testers (which accounts for some of the “ew” factor!), and the shades are certainly wearable, but maybe not enough variation to merit $48. I could buy two full sized shades for $22 each ($44 total). I don’t really need a dark brown and a shimmery dark brown in the same palette, you know? I don’t feel that this palette represents Jet Set liners overall, and I’d recommend checking out the real, full-size versions instead of this palette.
- Product: 7/10
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 6/10
- Packaging: 6/10
Recommendation: The packaging may sway some, but be careful — it may lead to drying out of those cream liners faster than you can use them up.
Availability: Nordstrom ($48.00) contains four shades of cream eye liner. They’re described as budge-proof and water proof. The palette comes with a miniature-sized angled brush as well. It is part of Smashbox’s Reign Collection for the fall.
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Smashbox Reign Collection: Monarch Palette
Smashbox Reign Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
($42.00) is a trio of eyeshadows housed in a leather flip top palette. Each eyeshadow has a shimmery outer ring with a matte center. Majesty features a soft, pale white-gold; a frosty copper bronze; and a grayed brown.
Like the Majesty palette, the outer rings are more pigmented than the center counterparts. The centers are merely sheerer and have a matte finish. They do have a tendency to mix, so it can difficult to keep the shimmer from the mattes. Make sure you take care of your palette and clean it regularly so you can actually have two different shades rather than one big one!
This is definitely the more neutral one of the two, and you can easily wear these shades together to the office or out (just go heavier on the dark brown). This palette feels very warm-toned, whereas the the Majesty palette felt more neutral or just slightly cool-toned. The shadows do feel soft and smooth, particularly the outer rings of color, but the mattes are not chalky either. I found the Monarch palette to be much better in terms of overall quality, too — the shadows just seemed to go on smoother and more pigmented.
Again, the value is just as good on this palette as the Majesty palette (same amount, same price). These eyeshadows are about $100/oz. compared to MAC at $290/oz., Urban Decay at $320/oz., and Make Up For Ever at $240/oz. You’ll either love the packaging or it won’t make or break the purchase for you; for me, it was more the latter.
- Product: 8/10
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 7/10
- Packaging: 7/10
Recommendation: For an affordable palette of slightly amped-up neutrals, Monarch offers an answer!
Availability: Sephora
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Smashbox Reign Collection: Majesty Palette
Smashbox Reign Majesty Eyeshadow Palette ($42.00) is a trio of eyeshadows housed in a leather flip top palette. Each eyeshadow has a shimmery outer ring with a matte center. Majesty features a pale peach, a reddish copper, and a black.
I found that it was difficult to keep the matte and shimmers separated from each other, because inevitably one would mix with the other. This sort of rendered the matte center to be a little useless, just because it ended up looking much like the outer ring. I was testing a tester, so it was even worse than a palette with normal usage (e.g. the one you’d buy!), so do keep that in mind while browsing the swatches! I will caution you to dust off your palette regularly to avoid shimmer getting into your matte centers!
The first shade is a soft, shimmery peachy-gold. The middle eyeshadow is more of a burnt brown with reddish shimmer. I know Sephora describes it as a “plum burgundy,” and I didn’t see that whatsoever when I swatched it. The center of the middle eyeshadow was similar, just more of a matte finish, and it applied sheerly (as did all of the centers). The rightmost eyeshadow in the palette is a blue-shimmered black, which isn’t as smooth as I’d like — I did get a little drag when I swatched it. Again, the center is a sheerer, matte-r version of the outer ring.
I’m disappointed that the center of each eyeshadow shade didn’t swatch better, and I’m not thrilled that they go on sheerer than the outer rings either. The colors are wearable, but they don’t seem out-of-the-norm, and I’d say Smashbox single eyeshadows feel smoother, silkier, and I’d probably opt for one or two of those instead of the palette, if you already have these shades covered! These three shades work well together, and you can easily create a few smoky eyes with this one.
However, there is one big selling point to this eyeshadow palette that shouldn’t be overlooked — it’s very high in value! With 0.423 oz. of eyeshadow in the palette, it brings your cost down well below costs per ounce in any other high-end brand of eyeshadow. These eyeshadows are about $100/oz. compared to MAC at $290/oz., Urban Decay at $320/oz., and Make Up For Ever at $240/oz. You’ll either love the packaging or it won’t make or break the purchase for you; for me, it was more the latter.
- Product: 7/10
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 7/10
- Packaging: 7/10
Recommendation: If you like products high in value, this palette is well worth the investment, particularly if you want to add more neutrals to your collection.
Availability: Sephora
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Dolce & Gabbana: Champagne Smooth Eye Colour Quad
Dolce & Gabbana Champagne Smooth Eye Colour Quad ($59.00) is D&G’s take on the smoky eyes palette. It contains four shades of eyeshadow: a pale, silvery-white; a medium-dark matte black; a mauve-tinged silver; and a subdued, cool-toned dark brown.
Like Dazzling, the Champagne consists of smooth, well-pigmented eyeshadows that feel like buttery goodness to the touch. They apply easily and softly, and they never look garish. They blend seamlessly together, and they work well with all of your favorite eyeshadow bases. They also still blend well when used with other brand eyeshadows.
One of things I like about the Dolce & Gabbana quads I’ve tried so far is that the colors go on as they’re pictured. They’re apply and swatch true-to-color, so there is a whole lot less guesswork to be done. I can also appreciate the “honesty” of the palette in that sense, too. Champagne, in particular, works well together, because the shades are diverse enough to create gradients, but they can be worn in pairs of triplets.
For those who find the price a bit steep, D&G is priced competitively with other major high-end brands like Chanel ($56), Dior ($56), and Guerlain ($58). The packaging is hefty and looks like gold (though it does hold fingerprints). It’s sleek and elegant, so it does look lovely when you hold it. If it didn’t hold fingerprints, the packaging would definitely help sway me even more.
- Product: 9/10
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 8/10
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of high-end, luxury brands, Dolce & Gabbana has put out a quality line of makeup. Champagne is a great quad to travel with to be able to create several evening smoky eyes.
Availability: Saks
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