Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Dior Diorshow Mono Eyeshadow Collection, Summer 2016

I first saw Dior's new Diorshow Mono Eyeshadows ($29.50), part of Dior's Summer 2016 Collection at Chic Profile. Tavia, my online friend, is astounding. She always has advance looks at new collections. Naturally, I was intrigued when I saw the new Mono Eyeshadows, which had just arrived at Neiman Marcus, last Saturday. They are shown on the left side of the display above.

I started playing, swatching them on my arm in the store, and I fell in love with three of them - out of eight. I was in the danger zone, but threw caution to the wind and selected those three right away. Then I may have erred with the fourth, and I'll show you why below. It is a beautiful eye shadow, just not for my coloring in bright light.

I wish I had a press release to tell you Dior's concept for these new eye shadows, but I don't think Dior's PR knows Best Things in Beauty exists. So, I'll tell you what I think. The texture of these powder eye shadows is smooth and creamy. The shadows adhere to my eyelids without any fallout. They stay where I apply them. They gleam, but don't sparkle - a plus to my eyes.

The shades are neutrals for the most part. I thought I was avoiding the shades with red in them, but I failed - mostly because of store lighting. Without further ado, here are my four selections.

Gallery (#530) is shown at top left. Minimalism (#554) is shown at top right. is shown at bottom right. Front Row (#756) is shown at bottom left. Mineral (#573) is shown at bottom right. They are swatched in the same order on my arm. I took the photos in full, mid-day sun. My swatches were applied with a sponge-tipped applicator, but I could have used the double-ended little applicators that come with them nested into a plastic overlay. One end is a sponge-tipped applicator, and the other is a brush.

Gallery, shown at the top of my arm is an exquisite, soft gold. The stone Minimalism is a gorgeous light grey. The next shade, Front Row is a chameleon. In the store, it looked taupe. On my finger as I write, it looks taupe. In full sun, it looks mauve. It's strange because I had doubts about it in the store. I could see the red pigment in the compact, but on my arm and Alex's arm, it looked taupe. I love taupe, so I purchased it. That may have been a mistake. I will need time this weekend to play with it in different lighting scenarios to decide if I will keep it or give it away. The last shade down on my arm is a beautiful copper-gold called Mineral.

Alex helped me (and I'm embarrassed, thinking I might have called her Eva (a long-time Dior rep)) - senile yet? I've known and loved Alex forever. My bad. If you are interested in Dior's new collection, give Alex a call at (703) 761-1600, extension 3304. She will be great describing all the shades and helping you with a purchase.

You can see little square online swatches at Dior's Web site. These eye shadows are extremely nice, and I suspect I'll wear Gallery and Minimalism down to the pan.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty

11 comments:

Eileen said...

I've been anxious to give these a try ever since seeing the promo pics on Tavia's blog. Because so many items are released in Europe long before we get them, Tavia's blog is a great source for the proverbial heads up. I find myself looking forward to all kinds of pretty things :-)

Your swatches are gorgeous, Charlestongirl. They have such a beautiful sheen. Minimalism is stunning and I'm looking forward to seeing it when it arrives at the counter as well as the other shades. The texture and finish sound so glam.

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you, Eileen. If you would like the taupe one, please send me your address. I think it would look better on you than me.

Anne said...

Thank you for your beautiful swatches. I'm really tempted by Front Row but if you say it's got some red in it I'm worried it might make my eyes look bruised. My second favourite is Minimalism.

Petunia said...

Wow- down to the pan! That's an incredible endorsement. I have been increasingly drawn to one shadow looks, a wash of color, and for some reason I always choose a single shade. Not that I couldn't use a shade in a palette.

Lovely photos. Can't wait to see the shadows and play with them in person.

Charlestongirl said...

Anne, just try before you buy. Make sure your complexion and eyes can handle mauve. That's how it looks in bright light. I look like an albino bunny in shades with any red in them. About 20 years ago, Bobbi Brown told me, "Don't ever wear shadows with red in them on your eyes." She's the expert!

Charlestongirl said...

Petunia, I love wearing a wash of one neutral shade! I do it often.

Sandra said...

I think Gallery may be the perfect neutral as a go-to neutral. The swatch on your arm looks lovely! We are planning a trip into NYC in May, and I will wait to see these in person at Saks. I will be the proverbial "kid in a candy store" and have placed my family on notice that I will be flying solo on one of the days so I can see all the great products you have mentioned in your blogs up close and personal I have quite the list, and I cannot wait!

Unknown said...

These shades and textures are gorgeous. I have to check them out!

Evelyn said...

Every time I come here I find that you've picked out eye shadows in colors that I really like. lol They are worth a look in person to make sure the colors are as I see them, I've been a victim of buying a shadow that looks one way in store and another at home.

Eileen said...

Hi Charlestongirl; Hi Petunia,

I agree with both of you about the beauty of a single color. Some eyeshadows are so complex in their color composition, that one beautiful shade in a smooth satin finish, will emphasize the natural contours of the eyes and play up their color without the need for anything else other than mascara and perhaps some tightlining. For me, Tom Ford's Platinum is such a color. That gorgeous Dior Minamalism looks like it would work as a singleton :-)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your fantastic review and swatches. I look for your posts before I buy! I just received Minimalism and Atmosphere (not reviewed here). Both are so complex they can be worn alone, if desired. Atmosphere, which is a greyish-violet looks great with green eyes. Minimalism is also very special -- I've been looking for something to replace my Chanel Gris-Gris which is hitting the bottom of the pan. I think I like Minimalism better. I don't have much experience with how long they wear yet, as I just received them. Now I'm considering Front Row, which probably would complement green eyes as well. Thanks again!