Thoughts/Swatch: Christian Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow 129 Pearly Lilac, Cristal Collection Summer 09: 259 Electric Lights/859 Graphic Lights

Click on the picture to view Dior Summer 2009 Makeup Collection on A Touch of Blusher.

While I checked out Diorskin Shimmer Star 004 Pop Diamond, Summer 2009, I also had a peep at other products from Cristal Collection, Summer 2009. And naturally, my first instinct was to check out the Iridescent Eyeshadow Palettes as I had been a fan of those ever since they were launched. I must say that Dior released quite interesting and a wide scope of colours this time. I decided to put them all together so you can compare notes, too.

Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow 129 Pearly Lilac

(Neiman Marcus Exclusive/Asia/Euro???)

I had read about this particular palette on a couple of US bloggers. It was a Neiman Marcus Exclusive item and I didn't think we would have it. Then I spotted it at the Dior counter! The sales assistant told me this was NOT a part of Dior Summer Collection 2009 but it arrived at her counter at the same time. She told me this was just a new addition to the Iridescent Eye Shadow Palette line. (Weird, I thought... But whatever it was, it was NOT that exclusive after all. I reckon that Dior just played with consumers' mind so we would buy more!) As Malaysia gets Dior Euro products, I wonder if my European readers may find this 129 Pearly Lilac in their stores soon (or already have?) Please let me know if you could feed me with this missing puzzle! Thanks.

When I first saw this palette on other blogs, I thought it looked rather similar to Dior 809 Petal Shine. So naturally, when I swatched 129 Pearly Lilac, I had to swatch and compare it with 809 Petal Shine. It turned out that they were not so similar after all. And the deepest purple in the center of 129 Pearly Lilac looked better in real life than how it looked in the pictures I had seen. When swatched the purple on 809 Petal Shine, I could see it had some gray but the one in 129 Pearly Lilac was brighter and a more proper purple.


However, if you look at this picture below, you don't see that much gray in the purple in 809 Petal Shine. This could be just the lighting difference I guess. You really have to swatch both palettes side by side to notice the differences. Speaking of which, please check out the review on The Beauty Look Book. Lina compared both palettes and also had dupes for 129 Pearly Lilac all lined up! She said if you missed this palette, you could still find the colours in other places as they were not that unusual and I totally agree! (By the way, Lina is one of my favourite Makeup Alley members and she finally created her own blog. You have to see all the amazing products she's posted! I just love looking at those beautiful pictures.)


Anyway, here is 809 Petal Shine for comparison.

Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow 809 Petal Shine

I think 809 Petal Shine looked better on me because it had more mauve and warmer. 129 Pearly Lilac was more gradational and cooler. It would suit someone with cool and light skin tone really well. Overall, I think 809 Petal Shine more interesting as there were more colour differences in the 5 colours chosen.

Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow 259 Electric Lights

Cristal Collection, Summer 2009

I think this is a very cheeky blue palette. It's light hearted because it's a summer palette. The colours are bright and cheerful even though they are gradational. It's lovely but then again, I don't think it's a must have item. Many people can't wear light blues and this palette contains quite a few so please take that into consideration. Here is a wonderful detailed review on Autumn Masquerade. You can see a real life picture on that page. The colours may appear darker in pan but they applied rather light on me. Personally, I'd say this palette is more for fun and collection than being practical. Since I own a lot of blue eye shadows, I had to give this a pass. I am nuts about makeup but I can't be that crazy wanting to own every single blue under the sun. :)

Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow 859 Graphic Lights

Limited Edition, Cristal Collection, Summer 2009

I dare to say this was the pinkest pink Iridescent Quint from Dior I had seen. None of the previous Dior Iridescent top this quint even though those had pink in the names but this one didn't! (OK, just what's up with that?!) That #4 colour was so pink and red that I stared at it for a good moment. The first question came to mind was, "Will it stain?" Then the second question was, "Will it cause any reactions since it's so pink and red?" I even wondered how I was going to wear that #4 with all the other pinks and silver from the palette!


My curiosity got the better of me and I had to do something about it. Since I never had guts to try store eye samples on my own eyes, I just mixed them up on my arm to see if I could accept the look. Well, I have to say that this was not for me.


There were way too much pink floating around but short of an anchor shade to tie them down. I would have considered it if one of the lighter pink was replaced by a navy, dark gray, black or even a purple from the other two palettes shown above. But if that was the case, 859 Graphic Lights would have been a dupe of my Clarins Colour Quartet For Eyes 80 So Sublime... I just knew I was a bore when it comes to accepting new colour combinations! I always fell into the same trap. GAH! So please don't take note of my words but go with your instinct instead. For all I know that this palette creates surprisingly fabulous looks for those who dare!


Putting my doubts aside, I do think 859 Graphic Lights works for both warm and cool skin tones but provided you are of lighter complexion. I dare to say it may be hideous on those with dark complexion...


Having talked about all the colours, I must come back to the texture. I found no difference from these palettes comparing to the previous Iridescent. They are sure winners in this domain. You can rest assure that you get top notch quality palettes from all three. Dior Iridescent work well for me because of its wet character which make these eye shadows super long lasting and creaseproof.


In the past, I had concerns of some being overly frosty (even for me!) And some colour combinations being too dull. Dior's been doing a lot of gradational attempts and some were successful but other failed big time. I guess I am becoming more and more picky and my love for these have moved onto another Dior's new creation, 5 Couleurs Designer All-In-One Artistry Palettes. I found those contain more varieties of texture and colours are less pastel and dreamy.


Well, let me say no more as those totally different and shouldn't be compared with the iridescent ones anyway...






Related Posts:

Thoughts/Swatch/Comparison: Christian Dior Diorskin Shimmer Star 004 Pop Diamond, Summer 2009

Review: Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow 809 Petal Shine

Review: Clarins Colour Quartet For Eyes 80 So Sublime

Review/FOTD/Swatch: Dior 5 Couleurs Designer All-In-One Artistry Palette 408 Green Design, Asia Exclusive, Inonic Eyes Collection, 2009



My Colouring:

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream #4, Lift Concealer #3, Duo Mat Powder Foundation #202, Face & Body #20, High Definition Foundation #125, Liquid Lift Foundation #2, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation #1.5, Pupa Professionals Triple Action Powder Foundation #02 (when tanned)

Light Asian skin (obvious brown spots on cheekbones, slightly dry & doesn't break out easily), dark brown eyes, jet black hair, medium pigmented lips.

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