Sunday, September 19, 2010

Clé de Peau's New Eye Color Quads

I promised swatches of Clé de Peau's beautiful new eye shadow quads. I had seen the photos in the fall mega-catalogs that Saks and Neiman Marcus had sent out. When I got my hands on the "real thing," I was smitten. These gorgeous eye shadows, with their coordinating shades, highlight and define the lids with the "the ultimate in color sophistication and luxury care." They shimmer too!

I purchased three of them, but I really wanted all five - even the one at the bottom of the photo, Thulite, with its blush-like color in the largest (left side) pan, is gorgeous on the lids. It was used on the model for the new Clé de Peau look, and the Clé de Peau rep at Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie was wearing it. Very nice! The other quads, top to bottom, are Kyanite, Malachite, Gold, and Platinum - all materials for gorgeous jewelry.

Clé de Peau uses light-reflecting technology in these shadows to enhance the eye area. The finish is seriously silky and soft, allowing you ultimate flexibility in creating a flawless look that's resistant to smudging, creasing, and fading. I can testify to that! Even Clé de Peau has joined the argan oil movement, adding it to the shadows to ensure smooth application and tender loving care for the skin around your eyes. The company also uses its exclusive Hydro-Wrap Complex to ensure that you get advanced moisture with its shadows.

The first one I wore, given my love for gold shadows, was #204, Gold. My photos were all taken in full sun, which makes these shimmering shadows look more shiny than they are. They are definitely shimmering, though, so if you are a matte lover, these are not your quads. I love shimmer (not glitter, shimmer) on my lids. Gold, shown at right has four shimmering shades. The top shade on my arm is the largest in the palette, while the white highlighting shade at the bottom is the smallest. All of the swatch photos were taken left to right in the quads.

Platinum, #205 shown at left, has two very light silver shades and two grey shades, one a light charcoal and one light grey (at bottom). Don't be afraid of these shades. They are all gorgeous on the lids! You can also mix them with any of the other shades in the new quads to create your own look. The shadows blend very nicely.

The third quad I purchased was #201, Malachite. Just a little less sparkly than its sisters, Malachite is, in my opinion, drop-dead gorgeous. It may be my favorite. The second shade from the top in my arm photo (and second from left in the quad above) is a stunner. One might describe it as rose gold or shimmering taupe. However it's described, it is worth the price of the whole quad, even though all four shadows are very pretty. Look at how subdued the green shade is on my skin (third from top) - perfect for a slightly green-toned smokey eye. You could have fun with this shade!

Now, I'm wondering if I can hold out and resist the other two palettes. I am a bit makeup poor right now. Each compact "refill" is $55. That's what I purchased. The refills come in a plastic case - not elegant, but protective. The quad's compact case is $25. If you travel, you will want a case. If not, there's no reason you can't store the refill in its plastic box (within its cardboard box) and save a few dollars for more makeup!

You can purchase these new Clé de Peau Eye Color Quads at Neiman Marcus. I'll bet Nordstrom has them too.

Photo at top courtesy of Clé de Peau

4 comments:

MarciaF (Beauty Info Zone) said...

Beautiful. You did some great swatches.

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you, Marcia. That's so sweet! I have the hardest time getting swatch photos. There's some secret I haven't had time to learn. I also need to buy a new camera. And then, of course, there are time constraints with having a "day job." :)

What I hope is that my readers can get enough of a taste for the colors to know whether they will be interested. These Clé de Peau shades are, in my opinion, the prettiest palettes the company has ever done.

I meant to mention in the post that the pretty design on the colors is totally superficial and gone on first use. No matter - it's the shade look that counts. These are stunners.

Eileen said...

I originally purchased Thulite and it is gorgeous! It really enhances my dark green eyes. I think it would also be equally beautiful on brown eyes. As for the quality of the shadows, with these palettes, CdP has reaffirmed it's reputation as one of the very best. I was so impressed with how well these luxury shadows applied and wore, that I went back for Malachite. Like you, I don't bother with a case. I'd rather buy more cosmetic goodies :-) I know that CdP is very expensive, but at $55 for a quad, it's' cheaper than a lot of other high end palettes out there. It's a very cost effective way of adding some luxurious products to one's stash.

Charlestongirl said...

Beautifully described, Eileen. If I recall correctly, the rep wearing Thulite had brown eyes. She mentioned wearing the largest coral shade as a blusher too.

I'm perfectly happy without the cases. Others might not be. To me, roughly half of the cost of the eye shadow quad itself, was too steep. I'm getting along well without them.