Sisley Sparkling Rhapsody Palette Phyto Star Eyes for Holiday 2010

Sisley's Palette Phyto Star Eyes in Sparkling Rhapsody ($100) has arrived! Each year, Sisley introduces a sparkling, iridescent, and stunning eye palette for the holidays. Sparkling Rhapsody is this year's treat, and I like it much better than last year's palette.

The holiday palettes are intended to give you an iridescent eye, and Sisley describes them as offering "glitter and shine." Last year, the shades in the palette were way too glittery for my taste. I ended up with glitter fallout on my cheeks - no matter what I did. So, I put that pretty palette into "long-term storage." This year, with expert guidance from Simone Noorestani at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria, I used a Sisley powder shadow "base coat," and the Sparkling Rhapsody shadows adhered. No glitter face - I was much happier! Not only that, I think this palette is a tiny bit "tamer" in the metallic department than last year's was.

Sparkling Rhapsody's "gun metal" palette with a flip-up top has four shimmering and dazzling shades: white, charcoal, turquoise, and grey. The charcoal and grey shades are metallic and can be used for your party-time smoky eye or individually to jazz up a look you create with other shadows. The iridescent white is a great highlighter; you can use it on the lid or under the brow. You can even line the inner corners of your eyes with it to light up your look. The pearlized turquoise is such a pretty color, you'll have fun playing with it. How you use it is likely to depend on the time of day, your skin color, and whether you're willing to wear a bright color that pops. Have you noticed how popular turquoise has been this fall? Many cosmetics lines have turquoise, more conventionally a spring color, featured in their fall and holiday collections.

The feather-light, sheer texture of these eye shadows provides subtle, buildable coverage and blends easily for a delicate, silky-smooth finish. The micro-pigments in the powders enhance their luminosity and radiance. Mother-of-pearl particles in varying sizes provide the shimmering, metallic effect, and the ultra-fine talc Sisley uses is silicone-coated for ease of application and blending. The powders have a very silky, creamy texture. Finally, in keeping with the Sisley philosophy of delivering skin care benefits with color, the shadows have the moisturizing and emollient benefits of white lily extract. The luxury formula is part of the reason for the hefty price tag.

The four shadows are swatched on my arm, starting at top with the white in the upper left corner of the quad and following the colors clockwise around the palette. The photo was taken indoors today (it was dark and rainy until late afternoon) under a strong florescent light. I applied them with a dry sponge-tipped applicator. You can easily see the intense luminosity of the white shade. I swiped the applicator across my arm only once. I think it's a gorgeous white. The charcoal (Sisley calls it black) is a great liner shade for me. I'll be playing with the turquoise. I may use it in the center of my lid for a little pop of color. My favorite of the four shades is the sparkling grey at the bottom of the swatches. The grey, which I would describe as a deep silver, looks drop-dead gorgeous when used alone or over the white shade on my entire lower lid below the crease. You might choose to wear it in the crease. I'll bet its versatility will make it the most popular shade in the palette.

You can apply all four shades wet or dry. The palette comes with a sponge-tipped applicator, but I would recommend that you use an eye shadow brush to apply them (or a liner brush if you intend to use the charcoal shade as a liner).

You can find Sparkling Rhapsody at Neiman Marcus, Saks, or any Sisley counter. It arrived a few weeks ago, so it should be widely available. You can also purchase it at the Neiman Marcus Web site, where the shipping is free with code NMOCT. If you want a little discount, Saks Fifth Avenue is having their fall Friends & Family event at the end of next week (October 21-23, I believe).

Photo at top courtesy of Neiman Marcus