I knew I wanted Clarins Odyssey palette as soon as I caught my first glimpse of it. If this was my only eyeshadow all Autumn/Winter/Fall I’d be quite content. Obviously I try a lot of different products for review on this blog, but in pre blogging days, I was very much a believer in pared down makeup; I only ever had a small amount - one item each of things I loved, which I happily used daily. If you live outside the Makeup Mayhem zone, to which beauty bloggers become accustomed (and no, of course it’s not all bad! ;) ), then I suggest you pick up one of these limited edition palettes when they launch next month.
It comes encased in a heavy gold, beautifully embossed case and iconic red velvet pouch. Let’s have a closer look inside…
Pretty, isn’t it? I just stared at it for ages when I first received it. It’s not particularly out there, but in my view, is perfect in its simplicity and would suit every eye colour. I love that a slightly larger amount is provided of the two main colours, leaving the darkest brown for shading and the beautiful gold for highlighting.
Swatches
Colours
The texture of the gold is unlike any eyeshadow I’ve tried before. It falls somewhere between a powder, cream and gel. That’s helpful, huh? It’s not solid, but slightly soft and squidgy - and I find it works best if I lift a bit of it and smooth it onto my skin. It can be applied as a fine spray of sparkle or intensified for full on glamour as in this swatch, where it almost appears like gold leaf.
The lightest shade is a creamy champagne nude tone, with a slight luminous sheen that catches the light really nicely and opens up the eye. The mid brown, which looks like a standard taupe in the palette has warm nutty, bronze tones on the skin. The darkest brown is a gorgeously pigmented 100% matte bitter chocolate.
All have great, buildable colour payoff, zero fallout and are velvety smooth to apply. They are long lasting on me, with minimal creasing (which is good on someone who barely has to blink for an eyeshadow to crease!). I’ve also tried them with my new favourite primer, Lime crime Eyeshadow Helper {link}, which makes the colours stay immaculately true and smooth by the end of the day.
Here I smeared a little of the gold over the other colours I’d swatched, to illustrate how it can be used to give them a metallic effect. Odyssey is designed to be worn dry for a more natural look, or wet to intensify, but there are lots of ways you can play around with these basic shades to create your own preferred look.
Autumn Walk Eyes
We’d just got back from a big walk in the park, where I found the first proper Autumn leaves I’ve stumbled across this year. Here I applied the lightest shade on my lid, mid brown in the crease and the darkest brown to define the upper and lower lashline. It’s a very soft, natural look that I’ve really enjoyed wearing - enough to add definition and dress the eyes for a daytime look that isn’t overdone.
My other makeup is the new Liz Earle Signature Foundation, Liz Earle bronzer to contour, Lily Lolo Beach Babe blush {review} (appropriate for an Autumn look, huh?) and Dior lipstick in Wild {post here}.
The palette comes with a handy little card, with guidance on where to apply each shade. I’ll be back soon with a more full on evening look, featuring that gorgeous gold!
Clarins Odyssey Eye Quartet Mineral Palette will be available in October 2012 priced at £30. As it is limited edition, I wouldn’t hang about!
Do these kind of colours appeal to you? Nic x
