Shiseido Holiday 2013 Eye Color Bar

When I think of Christmas, I think glitter and jewel tones.  So when I saw Shiseido’s Eye Color Bar, I was stumped.  At first sight, this seemed almost like a primary color palette, neither glittery nor jewel-toned, and required quite a bit of fancy imagination and skills to magick.  But then 2 things happened – someone (looking at you, Leanne!) told me to “just go swatch it”; and then I was captivated by several of NARS’ Cinematic Eyeshadow (namely Wishful Thinking, Cambodia & Rage) then the color story started to make sense to me!

Shiseido Eye Color Bar consists of 9 generous-sized eyeshadows (1gm each, 9gm total) for SGD80, which is rather value for money considering at least 3 of the shades I would have purchased as singles from NARS for SGD38 each!

I have swatched the entire palette from left to right, top to bottom of the palette for your reference.

• Champagne – Very pale, shimmery gold
• Noisette – Medium, shimmery taupe with a slight red tinge, swatches cool on me
• Menthe – Light, shimmery mint green with hints of gold
• Parfait Amour – Medium, shimmery eggplant
• Liquorice – Deep shimmery black
• Cassis – Medium, shimmery russet red, swatches warm on me
• Curacao – Medium, shimmery macaw blue, with a warm tone
• Café – Medium, shimmery brown that leans towards yellow
• Soda – Light, shimmery pinkish beige

As you can see, all of the shades have almost equal degrees of shimmer, and are almost the same degree of intensity.  The only exception are the 2 “transformative” shades – Champagne & Soda – which are meant to be layered over the other shades to create an extra dimension.  For the swatches above, I had added a dab of Champagne over the left side of each swatch.  Personally, I feel this only adds a golden sheen to the base colors, lightening it up somewhat but doesn’t quite meld together for any complexity.

The shades that intrigued yet perplexed me were Noisette and Café.  So, I tried to challenge myself to wear them in combination with the other bolder shades… for the office!

I layered 3 very ladylike shades horizontally to create the EOTD above.  Parfait Amour close to the lash line up, then Cassis above that, and finally Noisette further up focusing on the outer corner to create the illusion of depth.  I then lined upper & lower lash lines with liquorice, stopping just before the tear duct, finishing with a touch of Champagne.

For the next look I experimented with the unlikely duo of taupe & green – Noisette on most of the upper lid, and blended Menthe to the outer third of the lid.  Added a dab of Champagne on the middle of the lid to highlight, and lined the lower lash line with Cafe.

This last look I’m not quite as fond of, but I wanted to do something different with Curacao instead of using it as a liner or pairing it expectedly with Soda.  So instead I used Cafe over most of the lid, using Curacao only on the outer “C” to shade.  I also dabbed Soda over the middle for some pop.  Finally I lined the lower lash line with Cassis initially but it made me look like I’ve been crying all day, so I went over it with Parfait Amour.

Overall, Shiseido Eye Color Bar has an interesting mix of colors that can be lots of fun.  I’m particularly taken with Curacao and Parfait Amour.  The main thing that stole my heart was the incredibly soft and smooth texture of all the shades, amazing to blend even for a novice.  Having worn all the shades out, I am impressed by the longevity of the shades, all lasting all day without creasing or smudging.  I do wish there is greater variety in finishes and intensities (e.g. perhaps the layering shades could have been sheerer, and at least 1 of them could be sparklier).  It is not a straightforward color story but offers room for imagination.

xoxo