Could the Dior 5-Couleurs eyeshadow palette actually be worth $60? I mean…it’s just eyeshadow, right?
Since Controversial Cult Fave is my personal favorite Blufashion column to read and obey as a Bible (I have purchased both the Lancome Artliner and an Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar as a result), I couldn’t be more excited about bringing you my field testing today. The product at hand? The Dior 5-Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette is the subject of many a rave review citing amazing colors, smooth application, and most importantly, all-day endurance.
(Related: Controversial Cult Fave: Is Lancome Artliner Really Worth The $30 Price Tag?)
The only problem? It costs 60 big ones. “That’s 60 one-dollar bills; it’s the only way I can think about it.” (Paging Nick Miller fans!) So naturally, I went in a little bit skeptical. I couldn’t imagine any eyeshadow palette being worth that much, even if they spell colors “Couleurs.” In any case, I dove into eyelids first.
What It Claims
According to the Dior website, it is rather miraculous:
Dior reinvents the 5 Couleurs legend.
True to the bold color creation from the House of Dior, each harmony explores a unique world of color. Based on a central shade, the signature of the palette, 4 accessory shades are used to create a multi-faceted look.
The 5 Couleurs palette boasts a wide variety of textures and shades with a host of effects: matte, satiny, iridescent, and ultra-shimmery for infinite ways to convey Color and dress the eyes with exceptional makeup.
Like a couture wardrobe for the eyes, 5 Couleurs gives free rein to your creativity to achieve custom makeup results. Dior has also created two ready-to-wear looks for the eyes – natural and sophisticated – based on the central shade.
I’m not sure what the 5 Couleurs legend is; maybe it’s a Tolkien thing?
What It Looks Like
The packaging itself is sleek and gorgeous, as one would expect of an eyeshadow palette that costs $60.
The palette comes in a little velvet sleeve, which you can carry around like a fancy lady.
I went with 796 – CUIR CANNAGE because I was particularly obsessed with the smoky purple in the top left. The palette comes with two double-sided applicators, which I, of course, didn’t use, but it was a nice thought. One even had a brush, not a sponge, on the end!
The Application
Here I am at 6:00 am. My face-making creativity just isn’t there that early in the morning, so you’re about to see several variations of a duck face. My apologies. Anyway, #nomakeup:
Ha, just kidding. Like Jennifer Aniston’s #nomakeup shots, I have all my makeup on here except my eyes and lips. And now I apply $60 worth of eyeshadow…
I had to keep it somewhat classy because I was, you know, going to work. So I used the center shade as a base, highlighted with the top right shade, used the purple on my lid, blended a little of the gold (bottom right) into my crease, and lightly lined my eyes with a little of the dark brown. It goes on incredibly smooth and light—you’ll forget you even put on eyeshadow. I will say, though, that the color came out even more subtly than I anticipated (not in a good way).
Here I am in my desk lighting, being painfully awkward.
The Verdict
Here I am in the morning, bright-eyed, listening to Taylor Swift in my pink headphones, shadow firmly in place.
And here I am at the end of the day, after going to wait in the Halal Guys line in the rain for lunch, dead-eyed and weary. Shadow still hanging on.
I know it’s difficult to tell, but the Dior eyeshadow hung tough. This is two trains, two subways, two short car rides, and twenty minutes in the rain we’re talking about. After all that, it looked almost exactly the same. Faded only a touch, and even more miraculously, it barely creased at all. I have serious eyeshadow creasing problems, which is why I rarely wear it, so this was the most unique thing about it.
All that said though…there is no way I could sit here and justify spending $60 on this palette. It wasn’t enough of a revelation to part with 60 one-dollar bills. If I want to treat myself to an eye makeup luxury it’s going to be a set of professional brushes or a badass liquid liner, not an eyeshadow palette. No matter how long it stays in place.
