Review: Dior 5-Couleurs Croisette Edition Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 654 Aurora, Photos & Swatches

For my very first product review, I thought I'd share something a little special with all of you.  I had been browsing temptalia.com (for those of you who don't know, it's a beauty blog that I frequent on a regular basis) and I happened to come across Dior's Croisette Collection for Summer 2012.  The collection was inspired by the shimmering shades of the French Riviera and the warmth of the French Countryside. (You can check out Temptalia's write up on the collection here.)  It features a combination of both cool and warm shades that are sure to please a wide variety of skin tones.  The product that held my attention the longest by far was the Dior 5-Couleurs Croisette Edition Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 654 Aurora.  What a gorgeous eyeshadow palette!  Now, it's not like I don't already own shimmery, golden-hued eye shadows, but something about the warm inviting glow in these tones reminded me of suntans and sand and made me want to take the first flight out to St. Tropez. 

Dior 5-Couleurs Croisette Edition Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 654 Aurora

The shades are starting from the bottom left and going clockwise, a sheer shimmery beige, a rich marigold, a bronze-taupe, a golden copper hue, and lastly, a pretty, soft pink perfect for highlighting the lid or inner corners.  The texture of the shadow is almost buttery - not quite as smooth as MAC's Extra Dimension eye shadows, but along the same line.  Four out of the five shades had great pigmentation.  The only shade I would say is lacking in that department, and I'm sure you can tell based on the swatch, is the sheer shimmery beige shade.  For me that's not a deal breaker because I would most likely use this shade for highlighting my brow bone where I wouldn't want a shade with too much pigmentation anyway.
Here are some swatches on my arm in both natural light and with a flash.  I am a MAC NC30 for reference. 

From L-R beige, soft pink, marigold, copper, bronze.
Photo was taken with flash. 

From L-R beige, soft pink, marigold, copper, bronze.
Photo taken without flash in natural light. 

I purchased my palette at my local Shoppers Drug Mart.  I believe you can purchase at department stores and sephora.com as well.  This is a limited edition product so if you find yourself wishing you were wasting the day away in St. Tropez, I would pick one of these gorgeous eyeshadow palettes sooner than later.   

x

Annemarie