Coffret D'Or Eye Appeal Shadow

Did some, okay, a lot of shopping before I left Japan, and these Coffret D'Or Eye Appeal Shadows were among the last grabs because I knew I'd be sorry if I pass them up only to bleed for jacked up prices plus international shipping later T.T Out of the 5 available palettes, I picked 01 Sweet Brown, 03 Gray Silver, and 04 Nudy Beige. 

I don't know why it took me so long to warm up to Coffret D'Or. I honestly thought the brand was so ho-hum and after the Trance Deep Eyes, I didn't bother keeping up with it. Even with the Trance Deep Eyes, only last December did I finally review it, some 3 years after it was released, then the single Eye Colors this past May, and the Smile Up Cheeks just two weeks prior to moving out of the country. 

Eye Appeal Shadows in 01 Sweet Brown (top), 03 Gray Silver (bottom left), and 04 Nudy Beige (bottom right). All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

But these Eye Appeal Shadows are different. Coffret D'Or has been toning down the sparklies in their palettes, but I remember swatching the testers at the store and was really impressed with these sparkling top washes. They are not as sparkly as sparkly top washes can get, however they are metallic and are a tad more pigmented. When applied as instructed, on the outer half of the upper and lower lids for accent and highlighting, their metallicity become quite pronounced (think Excel Shiny Shadows and Makemania Sparkle Glitter Eye Shadow), bringing about a gorgeous glossy sheen (think Excel Glossy Shadow). Yep, you bet it sold me!

Anyway, the overall texture of the eye shadows is smooth and soft. I thought they could do even better though, considering their drugstore sister Lavshuca have released some pigmented and buttery soft eye shadows like my beloved Star Decoration Eyes. There are different finishes at play here too. While the base and highlighter shade is pearly, the medium shade is semi metallic and the liner shade has shimmers so fine that it ends up with a glistening effect rather than a shimmery one. Staying power is excellent too, as they last on my lids all day and don't crease at all! I bought these 3 palettes somewhat on impulse (blame the sparklies!) but 01 Sweet Brown and 04 Nudy Beige ended up impressing me so much I went back and bought the other two ^.^' Luckily, it just so happened that Adam Beauty has these on sale, and so I ended up paying less than Japanese retail for the later 2 acquisitions. Scored! xD

A minor complaint here - I don't like it that these eye shadow palettes no longer come with a compact case and I now must buy those separately. However, I do like that the eye shadow refill pans are housed in a slim but sturdy clear sliding plastic case, even if the click at the end sounds half-assed and not exactly reassuring. If you are careful with storing your makeup and can make do with a separate mirror, these clear plastic cases are tolerable and you can skip purchasing the compact cases entirely. That said, the one thing these sold-separately compact cases do right is staying glue-free, meaning these refill pans are cleanly popped into them and are popped back out just as easily.

The sold separately compact cases come in 2 colors, white and black, and are well made. They don't feel cheap or plastic-y, which I suppose is the reason they cost around 1,000yen (~ US$12) each, depends on where you buy. They do release some limited edition cases too.

- 01 Sweet Brown: a unique combination of warm pink and burnt sand paired with a cool deep eggplant purple liner. This is my favorite palette and one I reach for most often!

Clockwise from top left:
- Sparkling top wash: metallic, low intensity. A cool shell pink metallic sparkling top wash! I love wearing it on the outer half of my upper and lower lids as instructed, but sometimes I do think it's a bit much. When that happens, I go back to dusting this on as a finishing touch and it works just as well this way too.
- Base and highlight: pearl, very sheer. A pretty off white with ivory iridescent that is buildable even though it's sheer.
- Liner: shimmer, high intensity. A cool deep eggplant purple. It Makes a very pretty liner and offsets the warm medium shade very well!
- Medium shade: semi metallic, medium intensity. A warm burnt sand with a gold sheen.

- 03 Gray Silver: I was looking forward to this palette, after all I don't have a green sparkling top wash, let alone a metallic one. However, this palette turns out to be disappointingly awkward and I ended up regretting this purchase very much. I honestly can't believe I skipped over that pretty 02 Fair Pink for this. What was I thinking?!? Unless you have an obvious pink undertone to your skin, I would not recommend this palette. Read on to see why.

Clockwise from top left:
- Sparkling top wash: metallic, low intensity. A beautiful metallic mint green with a slight duo chrome finish. I should be over the moon with this, but I'm not. That slight duo chrome finish turns out to be a yellowy iridescent sheen that, in combination with my skin which already has a yellow undertone, turns me green and makes me look sickly. Worse, this pesky yellow iridescence shows up whether I use this shade as instructed or just dusting it on as a finishing touch. Urgh. After the metallic glossy finish, they should have just left this mint shade alone. Not happy.
- Base and highlight: shimmer, very sheer. An ashen gray and another huge fail from this palette. This shade is not only sheer but is also translucent - I layered and layered just for it to show up on the swatch picture below! Needless to say, it barely shows up on my lids and when it does, its ashiness turns me pale and sickly too!
- Liner: shimmer, high intensity. Charcoal with a glistening silvery sheen. Very pretty!
- Medium shade: semi metallic, medium intensity. A silvery gray that is pretty but is a tad too dark. It's perfect for a smokey look, but for everyday wear, it's just too much.

- 04 Nudy Beige: my second favorite palette, thanks to that antique silver sparkling top wash!

Clockwise from top left:
- Sparkling top wash: metallic, low intensity. An antique silver with a glossy metallic finish. Gorgeous!
- Base and highlight: pearl, very sheer. Another pretty cream with a pinky iridescent sheen that is also buildable, just like the base and highlight shade in 01 Sweet Brown.
- Liner: shimmer, high intensity. This liner shade is interesting. It's a yellow based faded black with an ivory glistening finish. Very nice!
- Medium shade: semi metallic, medium intensity. A warm muted copper that's thankfully not too red. It's actually quite pretty on me and provides a good contrast for the liner.