It’s no secret that I have an absolute adoration for seasonal makeup offerings, especially of the limited kind. Dior’s holiday collections are usually rather exceptional and beautiful to behold. The star product of this year’s collection comes to us in a shiny, golden compact.
The Grand Bal Carnet de Maquillage palette was apparently inspired by 18th century young ladies holding dance cards. I’ve read about dance cards in erm, Victorian romance novels so the concept is not totally lost on me. But don’t you think it’s a rather strange item to take inspiration from?
Strange theme aside, the festive gold of the Grand Bal palette is quite lovely. I’ve been rather attracted to golds of late and am quite happy with the eyeshadows and lipglosses offered within. The clasp is locked by an eyeliner pencil but it feels a tad bit flimsy so I sometimes worry about it sliding out.
The eyeshadow duo reminds me of folds of fabric and the shades consist of a sparkly gold with a hint of peach and a shimmery champagne silver. The lipglosses are housed in separate wells with a gold hatch over them. Although the colours are rather shiny, I still find them wearable. I do like gold eyeshadows and usually use them to highlight the center lid. The consistency is relatively smooth for such shimmery shades and apply very well.
I haven’t tried using the eyeshadows as a standalone though and have only used them to highlight or enhance regular browns or taupes. I don’t think I can carry off too much glitter and these shades do contain a fair bit of shimmer. If you are not into shiny eyes or lips, you’d likely have trouble with this palette.
As mentioned earlier, the clasp of the palette is held together by an eyeliner pencil. The eyeliner is a standard dark brown colour and goes well with the rest of the shades within the palette. You can’t really go wrong with browns though. I do like the pencil a lot as it goes on very smoothly and doesn’t drag. It still smudges as my lids tend to get oily over the day but it lasts a little longer with an eye primer.
Whilst I think the Grand Bal palette is an absolutely gorgeous piece and is a collector’s dream, I honestly don’t think a regular consumer will appreciate it as much. The colours are not what I’d call everyday colours but I can definitely see myself reaching for this during the festive season when attending parties or dinners. I suppose that’s what the palette is intended for… celebrations and special occassions.
The Dior palette retails at RM240 and will be available in November (very soon). Yes, it is expensive. However the quality of the palette is outstanding and if you are into collecting beautiful makeup pieces, you may be interested in owning a Grand Bal yourself.
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Lyn, I absolutely love the photos and the bokeh! What lens are you using? *drools*
Lily recently posted..Pixie Dusts And Fairy Golds Anyone? Dior Enlightens Our Eyes
Hey Lily, Thanks! I shot with the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 non-VC for Canon mount. It’s one of my favourites and I’ve been using it quite frequently since getting it early this year.
it’s such a pretty palette, it’s also one of those you don’t need, but you just want it because it’s pretty
xin recently posted..Random Updates: When the Itchy Hands Get Inspired
Hi Xin, Definitely a nice-to-have palette but most palettes aren’t something you’d need anyway
I’m quite impressed with this year’s holiday collections from most of the high-end brands.
Look’s so exquisite and divine! *_* I don’t know why but I have a thing for buying limited editions or special editions.
Jacobin recently posted..China Addiction: QQ Candy
I think we all have an addiction to limited editions
This palette is really stunning and if you’re into shimmery shades, they are absolutely beautiful. Have you checked out Dior’s holiday collection yet? They have so many pretty things this season!
Pray tell – what are dance cards? Love the pictures you took.
dom recently posted..Quickie Post: Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturising Lip Balms
It’s a card consisting of the dance programme at a particular ball or party. Ladies would fill out these cards with their intended dance partner’s name. It was all very organised and proper back then.
Ahhh I really have to swatch this one! The counters I’ve been to don’t have any samples on display, but I’m so curious about it! Absolutely no idea what I want this kind of gold and silver eyeshadows for, but the packaging is absolutely lovely!
Sunny recently posted..I’m on Cloud Nine with Chanel Harmonie du Soir!
Hello! Oooh, yes… this is a really lovely palette indeed! The gold and silver shadows are very smooth and I tend to use them as highlights. Or you can smudge the brown liner on your lids and then blend it out with the shadows, which creates a very pretty effect. But like I mentioned, it’s not an everyday palette and is likely appealing to collectors mostly. Also I actually like the rosy pink gloss a lot and I’m not even a lipgloss type of person
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