Dior 5 Couleurs Designer Soft Pink Design Eye Palette for Spring 2011

Dior's Spring 2011 Look collection was inspired by Paris and the iconic greys of Avenue Montaigne. Accented with soft delicate pinks for an added touch of femininity, this collection marries Dior's rich fashion and beauty heritages.

A tender, shy grey characterizes the look, complimented by pink. It's not an assertive or commanding, edgy or outre grey. It's soft and pretty. I had a hard time selecting "just a few" items from the collection, which I found enticing. I like the look, and I like the colors. I think they will have broad appeal.

The limited-edition 5 Couleurs Designer Eye Palette in #018 Soft Pink Design ($58) is one of two eye palettes I purchased. Dior presents "all the colors you need for modern eye design in one sleek compact for home, purse, or travel." The palette includes one creamy, white-toned blendable base, one versatile iridescent eyeshadow, one satiny contouring shade, one shimmering highlighter, and one creamy matte eyeliner, plus two double-ended applicators and a cheat sheet of pro-technique design tips from Dior's top makeup artists.

Getting a decent swatch photo of the shades on my arm was a challenge. I took two sets of photos and got no standouts. My swatch below is as good as it gets. The shadows and liner were applied with a sponge-tipped applicator, and my photo was taken in indoor morning sun. I put a very slight amount of foundation on my arm to try to "grab" the colors. Even so, they are so subtle, and I'm not pleased with my photo. I am pleased with the palette!

I swatched clockwise, starting at the upper left Ombre Shadow 3 in the palette (the palette has an overlay with the shade numbers printed on it). You can see on my arm that it's a taupe-grey - incredibly flattering for blue eyes. It's supposed to be the contouring shade, but I think its use extends well beyond contouring. The next shade, Shine 4, is a sparkly pink highlighting shade. It's very sheer. The thin line on my arm is the Liner 5. It has a creme-gel texture and can be used as a creme shadow or liner. The soft color makes it incredibly useful. The Base 1 is white/ivory. It has a soft, creamy texture. The center shade, Couleur 2, is pink - much less shiny than the Shine 4 shadow, although it's hard to see that on my arm.

Dior provides paint-by-numbers instructions with the palette - useful for those who would like to recreate the Dior Look or who need inspiration. It's shown below.

The collection arrived at Neiman Marcus last week, when I purchased my pieces. If it's at Neiman Marcus, I suspect it's available at Dior counters everywhere.

Dior's photos courtesy of Nordstrom