Lancome Color Design Sensational Effects Eyeshadow Palette!*

Let's talk Lancome!
Lancome is one of those brands that is high up on my wishlist and I'm sure many others. However, with higher than normal price points it's hard for us normal, budget friendly girls to get our hands on their products. Dave Lackie, the Cityline Beauty Expert had a fantastic giveaway featuring a deluxe size (gift with purchase) goody bag items from Lancome Canada over on his Twitter recently. I was very thankful to be 1 of 24 lucky winners chosen to receive such a luxurious prize. I was also thankful that shipping only took a few days and I dove into the products right away. Today I'm going to talk all about the Color Design Eyeshadow Palette which was one of the first products to catch my eye. I believe this product to be a deluxe size sample, however, it is the size of a normal eyeshadow palette you can get from the drugstore.

The overall packaging is extremely beautiful with a glossy black case and gold accents with 'Lancome' on them. You do get some messy fingerprints on the black exterior but nothing you can't wipe off with a tissue. The back of the packaging also contains a sticker with gold lettering to tell you the shades inside of the product. This product also contains a huge mirror inside of the cover. Since this palette is small enough and sturdy enough to take on the go, the mirror is a great feature for touch ups or application. As for the size of the shadows, I would say they are roughly the roundness of my thumb. They are large enough to swatch with your fingers and use with a brush, but are more of a sample size of product rather than a full shadow. For reference, the palette does contain 0.09oz in total. So approximately 0.013oz per eyeshadow (please correct me if I'm wrong).

This palette includes the shades (in order of above swatches): Positive (Matte), Bikini Golden (Shimmer), Makeover (Metallic), Camisole (Shimmer), Trendy (Intense), Backstage Pass (Intense) and Vintage (Matte). After being able to test the variety of shades, I do think that some of the shades are more workable than others. I think all the shades in this palette are beautiful and they all perform extremely well like I was expecting for Lancome shadows. But you can definitely tell the different in the variety of finishes/formulas:

Matte: Extremely pigmented and go on without any uneven or patchy areas (both in swatches and used on the eyes). This formula is buildable but lacks the bendability of the other formulas.

Shimmer: Blend wonderfully all over the lids, through the crease and up onto the brow bone. I feel like these lack as much pigmentation as the matte's did but these are buildable as well and when used with a mixing medium (like setting spray) they come off with a little extra something.

Metallic: Again this formula blends and builds beautifully without effort and this finish has some great pigmentation. However, I noticed that I got more shimmer and shine from the 'Shimmer' formula. Since this was a 'Metallic' I expected it to pack more punch.

Intense: Sadly, this was the formula that disappointed me the most. I felt like the pigmentation was really lacking because they look so beautiful and duo-chrome in the pan. I do feel like they can be built up slightly but not to their full potential. I do also feel like the colors blend well and these can be really great as blending colors.

Overall I really enjoyed this palette and I was able to create some really pretty day time looks and some more intense shimmery night time looks. After trying this palette, it does entice me to want to try more of Lancome Canada's shadows and palettes along with many of their other products. Personally, from first impressions I would really love to use these shadows in my everyday collection for myself. As for artistry products, I would really be selective in what I purchased and I would only use certain shadows and palettes on my clients. I feel like Lancome is a very luxurious brand and is targeted at an older part of the population, while I love the shadows now I feel that if I was even ten years older these would be absolutely something I would love. I hope that makes sense.

Have you tried any Lancome (Canada) products before?
What Lancome (Canada) products do you love?


* This product is a product I won in a Giveaway hosted by Dave Lackie. I am not associated with Dave or Lancome Canada!