Archived Post

Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad Swatches, Photos, Review


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad

Dolce & Gabbana Sweet Temptations: Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad

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.

Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad Swatches, Photos, Review

C+
7.5
Product
8
Pigmentation
8.5
Texture
8
Longevity
3.5
Application
79%
Total


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad


Dolce & Gabbana Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad

7 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Liz Avatar

the pigmentation seems sub-par, but the colours are sooooooo cool looking! Speaking of cool, I have cool undertones so I can already tell that it would look atrocious on me, but it’s really nice to look at anyway.

Hiromi Avatar

i feel like D&G’s make up products are consistently disappointing, which is ridiculous coming from such a high-end brand with a such a hefty price tag.

Stacey Avatar

I own 5 D and G lipsticks…all red and one orchid. And the lipgloss which is ok, but not alot of product. I have been waiting for an eyeshadow collection that I like to come forth…..The powder foundation is good….Funny that Proctor and Gamble makes this brand.

Christine O Avatar

If I purchased it strictly on what it looks like in the palette I would buy one. After reading Christine’s review and seeing her swatches I am glad I will have another $59 in my wallet. Thanks Christine!

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!