The Essentials

Clarins The Essentials Eye Palette ($45.00 for 0.40 oz.) contains ten eyeshadows and will be released sometime this November (I don't have an exact date). Each eyeshadow is 0.04 oz., which is just shy of the average size of a full-sized eyeshadow (0.05 oz.). Overall, it's a nice palette; I only had trouble with a few shades--the beige shade having the oddest texture I've encountered; crumbly and difficult to blend. All of the more frosted eyeshadows had excellent color payoff, soft, buttery textures, and were easy to apply and blend on the eye. With the exception of the lightest, more matte shade, these eyeshadows wore well for eight to eight and a half hours without fading or creasing.  The palette is encased in thick cardboard with ties that hold the lid in place.