Dior Celebration Collection Makeup Palette for the Eyes for Holiday 2012

I purchased this limited-edition Dior Celebration Collection Makeup Palette for the Eyes for Holiday 2012 ($65) at the same time I bought the Palette for Lips - at Saks. I can't tell you it's unique. If you have a lot of brown eye shadow, you may find it a skipper. However, it's really pretty and well worth your investment if you need new brown shadows or want one-stop shopping to create a brown smoky eye. You get a lot of product for $65.

The limited-edition palette allows you to create the perfect brown smoky eye with three satin and shimmering brown and nude shadows, a mini eyeliner, a serum-infused primer, and a New Look Mini Mascara.

The velvet pouch comes in handy in this kit. It has a little strap for the mascara. With an elastic band on the outside to hold it all together, it's a great kit for travel. I'll be using mine at home. I never go anywhere anymore, which is fine by me.

The runway look, now at your fingertips. With Dior's Eyeshadow Palette, it's easy to create a professional smokey eye look. Soft and sophisticated, whatever suits your mood.

This palette presents a Serum Primer at top left and a creamy Brow Liner at top left (universal color for light to medium coloring). There are two small double-ended applicators separating the "color layers" of the palette. The Serum Primer allows the powder shadows to adhere beautifully - even the white one. It was a thoughtful inclusion in the kit.

The eye shadows are, left to right, Serum Eye Shadows in matte, shiny, and glow finishes. The little pencil eyeliner makes the set complete.

The brown shades in the palette are extremely nice. I swatched the eye shadows at the top of my arm (left to right in the palette), then the brow shade and liner below. I applied the eye shadow shades heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator, and I took these swatch photos in full sun. The medium brown has a nice satin finish (it looks a bit more shimmery because of the sunlight), even though Dior calls it matte. The shade that looks taupe in the palette is actually a shimmery cool brown. The glowy white is pure white on my skin, a good base shade or blending color.

The brown color, shown right above the liner is a nice brown. I love the creamy texture. The pure brown liner is useful, but I'd limit its use to the palette. It's tiny.

I can't tell you that this Celebration Collection Makeup Palette for the Eyes is a "run right out and buy it" essential, but it's a nice deal for anyone who wants to expand her brown eye color wardrobe in one fell swoop.

If you try it out, I'd love to know what you think. You can find it at Saks, where I purchased mine, Nordstrom, and Sephora. I suspect it's available at other locations as well.

Photo at top courtesy of Nordstrom; other photos by Best Things in Beauty