I hope you had a wonderful start in the weekend. It was too warm to do anything here yesterday and today it is the same. The moment I put on my base, it basically melts. I fished out some setting powders which were pushed to the bottom of the drawers. Now they became my best friends. Are you having a molten weekend too?
Each year I try to visit Italy once. During my visit I like checking Dolce & Gabbana counters too. These counters are everywhere in Italy although in Germany the brand is very hard to get. This time around I also searched for Gucci make-up counter and paid a visit to their flagship store close to Piazza de Spagna. A very kind sales assistant told me only Milan and Florence stores have the beauty line but it is expected that Rome gets it later this year. Since I checked Gucci Beauty in Berlin already (you can find swatches & first impressions here), I concentrated on Dolce & Gabbana this time around.
The first day of our arrival I ran into La Gardenia Profumerie. From what I understood, it is an Italian chain cosmetics/perfume store. They were having 20% off everything if you buy over 50€. It was a great opportunity for me to pick up one more Dolce Gabbana Quad since I love their color combinations and formulas. The quads were then only 42€. I recommend you checking out if you have one of these stores close to you, since I believe this price is really good for the quality you get. I would have gotten a few more quads normally but I am trying a low buy at the moment so here is my small haul from Rome. I also picked up one of cream eye shadows from the brand and I will be posting about it soon.
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| Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad #146 Lushies |
Since I like the formula, I tried to collect quiet a bit of Dolce & Gabbana quads from Evilbay and during my travels. My favorite among others are Smoky and Femme Fatale as well as Mediterrano (latter is reviewed here). When I saw #146 Lushies, I was smitten. What an unusual color combination. It looked like nothing in my stash. It was a nice taupe natural quad with a red twist and we are talking about red with a good color pay off.
The packaging of Dolce Gabbana is chic and feels luxurious. I believe it is plastic with a metal looking coating but it is sturdy. I like the round edges, which is kind of cute. I wished the closure would be magnetic though (I keep saying that for many brands it seems).
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| Close-up: Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad #146 Lushies |
The eye shadow shades are as follows:
Top left: A light taupe with shimmery finish. This shade is light enough as an inner corner highlight or to dust under the brow bone for a subtle highlight. If you are very fair, it might not be a highlighter shade for you though. In this case you can use it all over the lid and combine it with your favorite highlighter.
Bottom left: A mid-toned taupe with satin to shimmery finish. This is a gorgeous natural everyday shade which would look good across different skin tones and undertones. It also applies beautifully. I like it especially all around the eye lid as my main color.
Bottom right: A deep natural brown with satin to matte finish. This shade swatches a little drier but I like deeper shades a little drier, especially since it is easier to control the application on the crease and they don't fall down. This one completes the natural part of the palette beautifully. Three shades make an everyday selection which I can use for very often.
Top right: A medium natural red with matte finish. This is the shade which makes this palette special. I probably wouldn't be purchasing it with the other three shades plus another mid-toned shade. This red though takes things to another level. I love the fact that it is matte, which makes it easier to pull off brighter shades. It applies and blends beautifully with the other shades too.
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| Swatch: Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad #146 Lushies |
Here is a first attempt of a daily wearable natural look which combines red as an accent color in the middle of the lid. Since red is quiet vivid, there is no problem of blending to nothing, which I frequently get in some new formulations right now (YSL I am looking at you).
Here I applied the lightest shade on the inner corner, mid-toned taupe all over the lid, brown on the crease and outer corner. I then added a pop of red in the middle. I combined the look with Urban Decay Demolition eyeliner (my go-to liner) and Chanel Le Volume mascara.
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| In-action: Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad #146 Lushies |
Does red accent shade reminds you of another palette? Dior 5 Couleurs #876 Trafalgar (reviewed here) came to my mind so I swatched them side by side for you. Upon swatching I felt once more bad about how Dior's eye shadow formula got worse, even Trafalgar, feels so dry. Although it is one of the best of the line, needs multiple swipes to show off on my arm *insert big sigh*. Anyway you see that the reds are very different in both of the palettes. Dior's red is satin with pink shimmer but D&G Lushies have matte red. Also Trafalgar pulls much warmer with the golden shade in the mix.
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| Swatch comparison: Dolce & Gabbana #146 Lushies vs. Dior #876 Trafalgar |
Here is the full look. I combined it with red lips which I thought to be fun because it is matchy matchy in a modern way. You have seen the lipstick in yesterday's post, it is RMK Irresistible Bright Lips #01 Vivid Pink. Here I am also wearing Tom Ford bronzer in Terra (review coming up soon).
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| FOTD: Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad #146 Lushies |
Here is the full look, you see that it is quiet wearable. I felt though it would be more for a night out, maybe because of the red lip? I still couldn't get used to casual red lip trend. I am trying to wear red a much as possible though but once it is gone, I usually have no time to reapply it throughout the day so I start the day in glamour, end up with a nude lip after lunch.
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| FOTD: Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad #146 Lushies |
Final thoughts: I would like to see more brands do it, a natural palette with one fun shade to spice things up a little. It can be green, blue, pink, you name it. Dolce Gabbana Quad #146 Lushies has a good formula and I really like the concept. I am sure I will be reaching for it more often when the weather gets a bit cooler.
Availability: The shade #146 Lushies seem to be hard to get. I see though Nordstrom has it online, at the time I am writing this post.
How do you find incorporating a fun shade to a natural eye look?
Disclaimer: The product in this post is purchased by me.