YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #2 Tuxedo, Review, Swatch & FOTD

Today I am seriously having a writer's block. I would like to review a perfume but those require a bit more inspiration. I started writing without success. So now I am swatching to a palette post and hoping my muse be back soon.

YSL released two ten color palettes this Spring, one of them with a classical nude color story, called #1 Nu which I have reviewed (and compared) here. Although many of you commented that you find #2 Tuxedo, cool naturals and blue violet combination, more exciting, I have observed that my photos of #1 Nu received more likes at Instagram. #1 Nu was also sold out online a few days after its release in Germany. The demand has spoken, we want more nude palettes!

Nevertheless in Color Me Loud we give color always a chance ... Let's take a look at YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #2 Tuxedo.

YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #2 Tuxedo

The palette is composed of the following shades:

#1: A very light neutral white with matte finish. This one is labelled as the base shade. It is a nice one if you have oily lids and would like to blend seamlessly, just apply it all over the lid before application. I personally find that such a step makes my already dry eye area drier, but I like swiping this around the crease to blend the deeper shades easier.

#2: A light silver grey with satin finish. It is one of those shades which would clash with my complexion if I don't combine it with other shades. Luckily there are enough of those shades in the palette.

#3: A deep neutral anthracite with matte finish. A lovely shade for a matte eye or to define and deepen the crease. It is also not too cool, which is a great thing.

#4: A deep graphite with metallic finish. I always find shimmery deep shades hard to use but you can always apply it all over as a rock chic look.

#5: Mid-toned natural beige with shimmery finish. It is one of the warmest shades in the palette and great if you shy away from cool tones. Just mix a little bit of that one and you can pull them all off.

#6: A deep egg plant with satin to shimmery finish. Guess what? It is my favourite shade in the palette, are you surprised? ;-) I can see me wearing this all over the lid as well as on the outer corner combined with one of the lighter shades.

#7: A mid-toned fuchsia-violet shade with matte finish. This is a fun shade to throw in as an accent into the otherwise boring shades such as grey and beige. For those days when you feel playful. I applied it over the crease after making sure that I don't have any rosiness on my complexion. You can see the result below.

#8: A mid-toned blue with satin to shimmery finish. I like the addition of blue to this color story and it is lovely once combined with violet and greys.

#9: Another deep gunmetal which has less shimmer than #4 and the shimmer in this one is more complex.

#10: A deep charcoal black with matte finish. As all the matte finishes of both of the palettes, this one also doesn't disappoint. It is creamy yet has a good color pay-off and it is not dry.

Close-up: YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #2 Tuxedo

Swatch: YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #2 Tuxedo

About the formula: During the application I really liked how this particular palette performed. It was not as frosty as #1 Nu, the colours blended nicely but not overwhelmingly so that I could still see the shades separately on my eyes. The only drawback was fall out. During application, the deeper shades which I used on the crease had some fall out, which was easy to fix with a little bit of Bioderma and a q-tip, not a big deal. But during the day all the shimmer transferred under the eyes and I ended up with some glitter on my cheeks I didn't know where it was coming from. Seriously, the shades are not so glittery, but the shimmer does transfer. That said, I have dry eye lids and this can be a part of the reason.

Below I have applied silver(#2) on the inner corner, bleige (#5) on the lid, blue (#8) on the middle of the lid, fuchsia (#7) over the crease and black (#10) on the crease.

In-action: YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #2 Tuxedo

Here is the look in context. YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #2 Tuxedo on the eyes, one of Tom's Boys on the lips but I don't remember which one. Lately I have been flirting with many of them and I tend to forget their names, may it be Patrick? On cheeks I am wearing Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick in Coral, which I am loving at the moment. I will review it very soon but as a sneek peak, today I am wearing it on the eyes and cheeks at the same time!

FOTD: YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #2 Tuxedo

FOTD: YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #2 Tuxedo

All in all I like the idea of affordable 10-color palette from a high-end brand. I like the shades in both of the palettes but I prefer the one with more color simply because it is less frosty and more unique in the sea of eye-shadow palettes released each year. I wished though that the shimmer wouldn't transfer under the eyes during the day, it is hard to remove and looks strange under some lighting conditions, such as ones from meeting rooms.

YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #1 Nu and #2 Tuxedo

Final thoughts: I really like the color story of YSL Couture Variation 10-Color Eye Palette #2 Tuxedo. A colorful palette from a high-end brand is a huge welcome in my book because it is fun to play with and affordable. On the other hand I wished there wouldn't be so much shimmer transfer during the day, which can as well be because of my dry lids.

Which one is your favorite? Do you have any tricks to share to minimize shimmer fall out during the day?

Disclaimer: The product in this post is purchased by me.