Cle de Peau Beaute Celeste Collection for Holiday 2014

I know I’m running very close to Christmas, and this may not even arrive in time for you to do your holiday shopping… but hey, some things are better late than never. And who says all the holiday sets are meant only as gifts? I love hoarding all the limited editions even though I may be ruthless about clearing out the rests [go shop the blogsale HERE!], and Cle de Peau makes it utterly irresistible with this year’s Beaute Celeste Holiday 2014 Collection!

Continuing on its celestial journey, Cle de Peau brings us the Beaute Celeste Collection, that was inspired by the starry night sky. Each item seeks to capture the cosmic mystery and light found above. I completely adore the beautifully intricate design created by SWASH London, an innovative design team known for their elaborate yet playful patterns, making each item in the collection a whimsical work of art.

The design features a labyrinth which expresses infinite and eternal beauty against a backdrop of the cosmos which evokes a sense of divine mystery. Candy, a winged version of SWASH’s pet dog, guards a bejeweled portal of beauty, and the jewel motif represents exquisite light and radiance. At the heart of it all, is Cle de Peau as the key to unlocking all the celestial beauty.

The centerpiece is the La Beaute Celeste Makeup Coffret [SGD240 or USD195]. Similar to previous year’s coffret, it features an eyeshadow & cheek palette, a mini Extra Rich Lipstick in Ruby Red, and a deluxe-sized Perfect Lash Mascara in Jet Black.

La Beaute Celeste Makeup Palette consists of 3 eyeshadows (arranged on the left of palette) and 2 blushers (right of palette). Here are the swatches:

From left to right, the shades are:

• Bottom eyeshadow – light shimmery beige
• Middle eyeshadow – Medium taupe with a slight shimmery finish against a satin base
• Top eyeshadow – Dark plum with a satin finish and some fine shimmers
• Top blush – Medium cool-toned pink
• Bottom blush – Medium warm-toned coral-apricot

Consistent with all Cle de Peau eyeshadows that I’ve seen so far, La Beaute Celeste Makeup Palette is a classic mix of shades that avoids extreme drama, and is the perfect ladylike palette to see you from day to night.  The mix of taupe & plum reminds me of Satin Moon [reviewed here], but I was glad to find the colors have sufficiently different levels of intensity to be able to produce a much more defined look, and can be played up for a smokier evening look. The textures are all consistently soft and smooth, and pack an excellent level of pigmentation to make application a breeze. Sometimes with such soft shades, there is a tendency to overblend, or for the color to sheer out on my lids, but that is certainly not the case with this palette! If I had to pick favorites, this is the best Cle de Peau palette I have ever laid my hands on.

And here is a simple look of the day featuring the makeup palette on eyes and cheeks.  I switched out the lipstick in favor of something a bit more muted for a day look, but went over it with the shimmering gloss #2 from the trio set.

Included in the coffret is also a deluxe-sized Perfect Lash Mascara in Jet Black. I had reviewed this when it was launched [read here] and suffice to say I love the formula and brush design. Now in a golden packaging, it is even more irresistible than ever. The included mini Extra Rich Lipstick caught my attention the moment I laid eyes on it as it is the most intense lipstick I have ever seen from Cle de Peau! It is a deep berry red that is quite pigmented and does not leave my lips feeling parched.

I’ve had the honor of experiencing the entire coffret in a makeover by one of Cle de Peau’s makeup artist at an exclusive event recently. And here is the complete look featuring that lipstick on me!

If we both looked even brighter than usual, that is all thanks to the Cle de Peau Beaute Celeste Powder Compact [SGD80, USD70]!

The SWASH London design on the casing and the embossed design on the powder itself are absolutely divine. However, if you can bear to dip into the powder itself, this is a brand new formula that features a translucent pigment that floats over the face and is nearly invisible. Instead, it reflects light to bring about a natural glow. It has a silky smooth texture and leaves the face velvety without emphasizing any dry patches.

Unfortunately, at the time of this post, this powder compact is already soldout everywhere. It is the first item from the collection to be soldout, and part of the reason [apart from the gorgeous design] is the attractive pricing – considering the regular Cle de Peau Beaute Refining Pressed Powder is priced at USD105, this USD70 compact is almost a steal by CdP standards. It is a huge pity the compact is not refillable, and given how beautiful it is, I am sure it will remain a museum piece for many collectors. If you spot this anywhere, grab and go!

And if you need more reason to indulge in some Cle de Peau this season, there is a Shimmering Lip Gloss Trio [SGD70, USD60] also prettily decorated with the SWASH London design. This makes a really wonderful stocking stuffer as a set or individually, or an accessible entry into the wonderful world of Cle de Peau as the regular price on a usual lip gloss is USD48!

All 3 glosses contain pretty shimmers over a semi-sheer base. Although there are slight color differences, in reality they work well paired with just about any lipstick. On their own though, they are too sheer to properly cover my pigmented lips.

Cle de Peau Beaute Celeste Shimmering Lip Gloss Trio are interesting as they come with plastic wand tips instead of the usual sponge doe-foot applicators. These wand tips are great as they can be wiped off on a tissue without picking up tissue fibers after each application, so that you don’t bring remnants of your lipstick back into the tube of gloss and taint everything! However, the plastic tips can be rather awkward at applying the gloss smoothly on the lips, though that is nothing a quick smack of the lips can’t fix.

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Overall, Cle de Peau really hit the ball out of the ballpark with this year’s Beaute Celeste Collection for Holiday 2014. Whilst I would probably still balk at paying SGD240 for the makeup coffret (regardless of how beautiful it is), I am very happy to see something more dramatic from this year’s coffret featuring a bold lipstick and a smokey eye trio. And if you are looking for something that doesn’t break the bank, the Powder Compact and Shimmering Lip Gloss Trio are real steals when it comes to Cle de Peau. Everything is limited edition, and while stocks last.

 The Cle de Peau Beaute Celeste Makeup Coffret and Shimmering Gloss Trio were kindly gifted to me for my consideration, whilst the Powder Compact was purchased by me. All opinions expressed above are my honest views and are in no way biased.