Dior Minaudière in 002 Pink Golds for Holiday 2010

I always look forward to Dior’s seasonal limited-edition star items, especially the ones for the holiday seasons. Dior’s Minaudière palette from the brand’s holiday 2010 makeup collection didn’t disappoint me after I saw it in person. (I also like its very long full name: Dior Minaudière Makeup Must-Haves for Radiant Eyes and Lips Eyeshadow and Lip Gloss Palette. This must be some sort of a record…)

The palette has a nice size and thickness and feels quite weighty and substantial, and I like the chic vintage design. I also like the fact that the fingerprints left on the black textured surface of the case are not that visible. (I can’t really play with some of the past limited-edition items as much as I want to because of their glossy reflective surfaces…)

The palette closes magnetically and not with the clasps.

The palette is available in two variations, 001 Grey Golds and 002 Pink Golds. To be honest, the two grey-toned eyeshadows in the two variations are both too cool-toned for me. (But this doesn’t really matter that much since it is mainly the beautiful packaging that I was after.) I decided to pick up 002 Pink Golds since its grey shade has a mauve tone. (The grey in 001 Grey Golds is a lot cooler.)

While I don’t usually use some of Dior’s other seasonal limited-edition items with just lip glosses in order not to destroy their pristine conditions, I am quite happy to use the eyeshadows in this palette. The three eyeshadows in 002 Pink Golds are:

– creamy white, softly pigmented, with shimmer and sparkles
– mauve grey, well-pigmented, with pearly shimmer and soft iridescence
– deep plum, well-pigmented, with subtle shimmer

Greys (too cool, even if they have warm undertones) and plums (too warm (I prefer violets)) are not really my colors, so this is not the color combination that suits me the most. Also, the shimmery finish of the cream white is not as dimensional as those of many of the similar shades from Japanese brands that I have come across. But I do like the pearly finish of the mauve grey. The lasting power of the colors is also very satisfactory.

The palette also includes two lip glosses, with a lid over them, which is an appealing design detail. I haven’t touched these two lip glosses (and I don’t think I will), but I did test them at the counter. Both the light fuchsia pink and the cool pale pink are quite sheer. Both have multi-colored shimmer, which I think looks very pretty.

(Because the lid of the palette is quite heavy, the palette, when opened, doesn’t really sit up like most of the other makeup palettes. I had to open it and put it down like a book to photograph it more easily. Also, when closed, the palette doesn’t stand up like Lady Dior does.)

I am very happy to have bought it and added it to my Dior collection. The slight awkwardness mentioned above and the fact that the eyeshadows don’t suit me the most don’t really matter. In this case, it is more about enjoying having the beautiful palette than anything else.

Other holiday limited-edition items from Dior:

Cristal Boréal (2009)

Night Diamond (2008)

DiorLight (2007)