Lancome x Alber Elbaz Color Design Palettes

Bought two Lancome x Alber Elbaz Color Design Palettes shortly after 505 Sparkling Intoxication, partly for their color combos and their cute cartoony compacts. I got a handful of generous GWPs also, which was nice.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

The 2 combos I got were 100 Taupe Craze and 503 Mint Jolie. 

- 100 Taupe Craze: this is more of a mauve-y taupe combo. I was hoping for it to be more neutral, but it turns warm and reddish on me and I have to keep it away from my lower lash line. Pigmentation is excellent! The base and liner colors are satin based, and the medium crease is matte, and I hate all 3 :( The satin dulls other finishes, and the matte becomes muddy. I hope this will not become the trend. Basically, this palette is no different than the 505 Sparkling Intoxication, and I like and only use 2/5 colors, the lid shade and the sparkling top wash.

- Base: satin, very sheer. A pinky beige. Together with the cappuccino medium crease shade below, they're the softest and smoothest in the entire palette. However, like the ecru in  this base dulls other finishes so I don't use it at all. It's also too sheer to do a thing for the inner corners and the lower lash line. The swatch below was done heavily.
- Lid: metallic, medium intensity. A gorgeous and semi translucent metallic taupe-y mauve (more mauve than taupe!) that's very soft and smooth despite all the shimmers, so it can be done! And I know it doesn't look anything near translucent at all in the swatch but it is. Still, it's so pigmented I use it as a crease shade instead of the satiny crease shade below.
- Medium crease: matte, medium intensity. A cappuccino. Urgh, dulling and muddy! Not happy :( I don't use this shade either, just as I stay away from the matte deep blue green medium crease shade in 505 Sparkling Intoxication.
- Top wash: metallic, low intensity. A metallic pinky taupe that's very soft and is only slightly gritty even with all the shimmers, so again, it can be done! This color is gorgeous even if it doesn't quite work as a top wash being fully metallic, if not opaquely metallic. Despite the low intensity, the opacity is such that 2 swipes is enough for this color to be used all over the lid by itself with just liners. If it were darker, it could have been used in the crease too! Love this color!
- Liner: satin base with floating shimmers, high intensity. A deep taupe brown with scattered shimmers that don't really show. It's also much softer and smoother than the other liner shades, but I still don't use it because it's just dull and unappealing.

- 503 Mint Jolie: of the 3 Color Design palettes I currently own, I like this one best because I can actually use all 5 colors! The texture in this palette improves somewhat over the 100 Taupe Craze above as well as the 505 Sparkling Intoxication. The base, lid, and medium crease shades are all very soft and smooth, with the base shade being just a tad drier than others. That said, these Lancome Color Design Palettes are still overall underwhelming. 

- Base: shimmer, very sheer. An ochre with fine shimmers that leave only a slight sheen. Thank goodness it's *not* satin, and I can actually use it as intended because it doesn't dull other shades. However, it's still too sheer for the inner corners and the lower lash line. Swatch below was also done heavily.
- Lid: shimmer, low intensity. A pretty mint green with gold sparkles and a golden pearly sheen, the softest and smoothest color in the whole palette. That said, it needs an eye primer for the color to last. I tried it without a primer once and the color was gone within a couple of hours :(
- Medium crease: semi metallic, medium intensity. A lovely and pigmented deep taupe that's not as soft as the base and lid shades but is still very smooth.
- Top wash: high shimmer, very sheer. A sparkling champagne that's super dry and gritty, but I still like it ^.^
- Liner: satin base with floating shimmers, high intensity. A deep peacock green with mint green shimmers that's dry and somewhat gritty, but I can still use it because it's not as muddy or dulling as the other liners.


See my previous Lancome Color Design Palette post.