Clarins Odyssey Eye Quartet Mineral Palette

 

I am a major fan of Clarins collections, and as soon as the Odyssey collection hit counters I snatched up the Eyeshadow Palette with gusto. The neutral shades are something I know I will wear, and the gold leaf style shade within it was perfect for the festive season, and terribly pretty on the eye. I love the solid compact that the Clarins palettes are housed in, and the pattern atop the lid is just the icing on a very pretty cake.

 

 

The shadows are mineral based and smooth to apply, though the gold shade is very unique to my collection. It feels as though it lies between a cream and pressed gold leaf style of shadow, but I experience minimal fallout each time I use it on the eye. The other three shades are on the sheer side, which makes this palette a wearable choice for those in corporate workplaces or who prefer a light eye look. I tend to go for intense and pigmented shadows, but these still satisfy my shadow needs and I use them quite frequently.

 

 

 

The sponge tip applicators are something I don’t use, but for the eye look below I did use them to pack on the golden shade to the inner portion of my lid. I have only worn the gold packed on, but have seen other reviews of this palette where the gold has been blended out to produce a metallic golden sheen to the eye, which is something I’m interested in trying.

 

 

photo taken in direct sunlight

 

photo taken in direct sunlight

 

I decided to try out the suggested eye look that accompanies this palette, to show you how it would look. Since then, I’ve tried out more neutral looks forgoing the gold shade, but this is definitely the most striking for photographs.

 

The Clarins Odyssey Eye Quartet retails around the $50 AUD mark and though I haven’t seen it at the smaller Clarins counters, it is still out at the Melbourne Myer on Bourke Street.

What do you think of the Clarins Odyssey Eyeshadow palette? Do you gravitate towards neutral palettes like this?

 

 

*I personally purchased this palette. Honesty, always.

Le Musee de Chi Chi

Having spotted Chi Chi cosmetics around the blogosphere lately, I thought I might showcase a few palettes I purchased from them a while ago.

I adore the museum inspired designs, I think it's a really creative idea.

This natural eye palette contains 4 shades of very wearable colours in a flower-embossed pin wheel design, and comes housed in a box which makes it appear an antique.

Really appreciate little touches like embossing, especially on cheaper priced items like this.

You will notice that I only swatched three shades from the palette. That is because I am a dingus.  The neutral shades are all nice and soft and something I would definitely recommend for those who are just beginning their makeup collections. They seem easy to work with and look great paired together or as a simple wash of colour.

The palettes are encased in clear domed plastic containers which are a tiny bit bulky for my ridiculous stash, but this would probably not be an issue for those with a regular sized collection.

I think that having a few bright palettes in your arsenal is never a bad thing. I tend to create really bright looks quite a bit, but those who don't can still make use of these shadows as bright liners!

Love the floral design, and the mix of 7 colours within the palette.

Nice bright pops of colour, the swatches below are a little more indicative of the actual colour payoff.

The orange is so gorgeously pigmented, I love it. The purple (lower, next to pink petal) is woeful and I had to practically push my finger into the shade to get this swatch. One crap shade in a palette this price is no drama to me though, I am still a very happy chappy.

I found a range of these palettes for $5 AUD each at Target,and have seen them at quite a few stores recently so your chances of finding them are good if you're an interested Aussie.
I would recommend these to people who are looking to expand their eyeshadow collection on a budget, as they also have a smoky eye palette in a moon design palette, among others.

Have you tried any of these palettes?
What do you think of the design? And the price?
What Chi Chi products do you think I should try next?