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Sunday, April 19, 2015

Lancome Color Design Palette Part II

I bought these 2 Lancome Color Design Palettes long ago during the Sak's 5th Avenue's Holiday 2013 GWP. I had been eyeing two palettes, 310 Luminous Violet and 507 Metallic Moss, for a long time. I guess after 3 disappointing and uneven palettes (505 Sparkling Intoxication100 Taupe Craze, and 503 Mint Jolie), I still haven't learned my lesson :X

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.


But here's a conclusion before going into the reviews: I think I've finally learned that lesson now and these 2 are probably my last Lancome eye shadow purchase. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate these 2 palettes, but I don't love them either, and that's precisely the problem. I've said this before and I'll say it again -- my impression of Lancome eye shadows still haven't changed. They're expensive but still ho-hum and underwhelming after 5 tries with 5 palettes, so that's it, no more. I'm done.



310 Luminous Violet: I really like the purple medium crease shade as well as the gold sparkling top wash in this palette but knowing Lancome's track records, I braced myself for disappointment. Thankfully, this palette wasn't too bad. Texture and finish wise, it might be the best one out of all 5 palettes I own, even better than 503 Mint Jolie! The base, lid, medium crease, and liner shades are all very soft and smooth. Even the sparkling top wash is better than the others, less dry and gritty.

- Base: pearl, very sheer. An ecru with a pearly sheen. It's an improvement over the other satin bases: it does *not* dull the other colors in the palette! Hooray! But it's still too sheer for the inner corners and the lower lash line. Sigh. Swatch below was done heavily.
- Lid: metallic, high intensity. A beautiful and pigmented metallic golden bronze with copper undertone. Love!
- Medium crease: shimmer, medium intensity. A gorgeous and pigmented true purple with white sparkles throughout. I so badly want this color to be metallic or at least semi metallic, but I'll settle for a shimmery finish. At least it's not satin or matte. Urgh.
- Top wash: high shimmer, very sheer. A lovely sparkling beige-y gold.
- Liner: shimmer, high intensity. A shimmery earthy brown that makes an awesome liner!

507 Metallic Moss: just when the 310 Luminous Violet lifted my spirit, this one comes with yet another matte liner. Grrr... I think Lancome won't cut it out with these soot-come-eyeshadows, so I'll just have to stop buying them all. It's too bad with the matte liner shade, because otherwise the other colors are quite nice and the finishes and textures are great also! The base/highlighter, medium crease shade, and sparkling top wash are silky soft, especially the sparkling top wash, believe it or not, almost buttery to the touch! So Lancome can and do make good eye shadows. They just don't have very good quality control and can't replicate the same consistency across the board. The lid and liner shades are smooth but slightly drier, and if it weren't for the liner shade, I'd say this palette would tie with Luminous Violet above. 

- Base/highlighter: shimmer, low intensity. A pretty golden beige and finally, finally a functional base and highlighter that works for the inner corners of the eyes and the lower lash line. Sheesh! How many palettes does it take for you to get this most basic shade right, Lancome?!
- Lid: semi metallic, medium intensity. A lovely semi metallic taupe with lots of silver sparkles. I know it doesn't look it from the swatch below, but despite the pigmentation this color is somewhat translucent. I still like it though!
- Medium crease: shimmer, high intensity. An olive green that's even more pigmented than the true purple above!
- Top wash: metallic, low intensity. A metallic, super sparkly, and translucent olive-tinted silver with a glistening wet sheen. Comparing side by side and looked at directly, it's identical to the lid shade (middle row, leftmost) in 505 Sparkling Intoxication. When seen from an angle though, the wet sheen for this top wash is slightly more golden. Still, I would say these 2 colors are close enough to be duplicates of each other. Love it!
- Liner: matte, high intensity. An inky blue. Or rather, a blue-tinted charcoal powder. Do not want. Look at the swatches below and tell me if this liner doesn't ruin the palette. Urgh. Why do they do that?

See my previous posts:
Lancome Color Design Palette
Lancome x Alber Elbaz Color Design Palettes

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