We see plenty of brights come the Spring and Summer months in the beauty world, but blue seems to be the hue of choice for 2016! The brand new Dior Milky Dots Collection is all over this with their limited edition 5 Couleurs Palettes which combine some bright pops of azur and sandy bronzes to create a fun, yet well balanced Summer launch. Keep reading for my thoughts and swatches:
Along with the other Polka Dot themed launches in the Dior Milky Dots Collection, are the limited edition Bain de Mer 5 Couleurs Palette (described as Azure, Coral, Nude and Pinkish Ochre) and Escapade 5 Couleurs Palette (described as Melon, Bronze, Pink and Beige). On one hand we've got some fun pops of colour, and the other some classic golden summer shades.
In terms of pigment, I've come to know Dior's shadows over the years as being on the sheer side, so I was actually really surprised to see that the gorgeous aquatic blue in the Bain de Mer Palette was not only incredible pigmented, but also silky and smooth to the feel (often blue shadows err on the side of chalky). The paler blue actually has a really pretty iridescence to it and I love the golden coral shade that comes in this palette as well - I think it would pair with a sun kissed tan perfectly!
The neutral and indefinitely more wearable for everyday palette, Escapade, is much more subtle in terms of pigmentation. I find the yellow gold shade in this palette a bit of a miss, as I found it looked a dry applied and I personally think such a yellow shade like this really needs to be completely metallic or matte, but not in between to make it "work". In terms of a limited edition offering, I find this particular palette a bit boring in the sense that neutral palettes are done by every brand and their dog. I'd say if you're a true Dior fan pick it up, otherwise put your money towards the more unique Bain de Mer Palette.
When it comes to wear time and application, I found that these mostly applied smoothly and blended well. I would suggest an eyeshadow primer with this formula simply to keep the vibrancy going all day (I always reach for primer when wearing brights), without primer the shadow lasted all day without creasing, and minor fading (the swatches above have no primer), but with a primer they definitely packed more punch. Since the Dior shadow palettes aren't super opaque in pigment, it's really hard to over do it, but they do build up really nicely on top of each other.
The packaging is classic sleek Dior with the velvet sleeve, but the compacts come with foam tipped applicators which I'd recommend tossing the minute you open it (I'll never understand why luxury beauty brands put these cheap, scratchy applicators in their palettes!). As far as I am concerned, if you're going to splash on a luxury shadow palette, then use a half decent brush to apply...just sayin...
I love seeing a brand like Dior that traditionally sticks to earth tones, plums and neutrals do something more bright for Summer. I would normally steered clear of blue, but since it's all the rage this season I'm experimenting a bit, and the blues in the Bain de Mer Palette definitely have me inspired!
When was the last time you wore makeup a little out of your regular comfort zone? How do you feel about blue eyeshadow?
Shop The Post:
