The Clinique Nutcracker Suite was a refreshing arrival in the midst of my current red, gold and plum palette. Celebrating the grace, pastel tulle and velvet of Classic Ballet, it includes two ‘acts’, inspired by different aspects of the performance. As well as the overload of pretty, it was the names that charmed me the most... among them, Plie Pink blush and Snowflake Suite eyeshadow.
Each of the palettes includes 4 eye shadows and a blush… blink and you might think they’re the same, but one includes slightly deeper tones with a dark grape inspired by the Sugar Plum Fairy - and the other, taupe and charcoal grey. The texture is smooth and well pigmented and they do create quite different looks on the eyes.
Snowflake Dreams is a new blended face powder, which leaves a fine silver sparkle on the skin… personally I’d save this for shoulders and collar bones, though glitter embracers might like to use it as a cheekbone highlight. A lot of the glitter falls out on application and the pink blends into my skin, so it’s not as full-on as you might expect.
Two Chubby Stick Baby Tints in Budding Blossom and Flowering Freesia have been paired with the collection. You can see my review and swatches of these in this post - and I must admit they’ve had a lot of use in the recent cold weather when I’ve been using the red shade, Coming Up Rosy quite a lot.
I personally prefer wearing pinks on my eyes in Winter, which sounds al kinds of wrong, but for me they work best with pale skin. If you fancy a change from browns, greys and jewel tones, it might be worth checking these out.
Clinique Nutcracker Suite Collection, from £17
