Elizabeth Arden Review: Velvet Plumtones Color Intrigue Shadow Quad

Last night, I came home from the airport to see a brand new Elizabeth Arden eyeshadow quad palette on my kitchen table. My very sweet sister-in-law Emily, who was housesitting for us while we were gone, left it for me because (in her words), she "knows how much I love to play with makeup." She obviously knows me very well, and I was so excited to receive it. So here's a big blog shout out: thank you for enabling me, Emily! ;)

When I was in high school, there was a general store in my hometown that sold sample sized makeup products from Clinique, Estee Lauder, and Elizabeth Arden. Mostly it was lipsticks or powders, but occasionally you could snag an eyeshadow duo if you were lucky. I remember one time when I got a single shadow from Elizabeth Arden. I don't recall the color, but I do remember thinking the texture of the shadow was wonderful. Years later, judging from these shadows, it seems to me that the formula has not changed much since then.

The packaging is wonderful. A black square with gold trim, it features a built-in mirror and a space for an applicator brush. The applicator is dual-tipped. One side is a traditional foam-tip, while the other end is a shadow brush.

The palette is called "Velvet Plumtones" and it consists of four matched shades of purple, grey, and pink. The first shade in the top row is a grey-toned eggplant purple, and the second is a frosty baby pink. The bottom two are varying shades of grey, the first of which has a pinky-mauve undertone, and the second of which is a blue-based dove-grey.

What's unusual about this palette is that the colors seem to change depending on the light. In natural light, the shadows have pink and brown undertones, and the slight shimmer in the shades is more apparent. In darker lighting, the purple and grey colors in the shadows are more prominent.

When I swatched these shadows, I immediately noticed how silky and creamy they feel going on. They spread and blend beautifully. More so, the colors are very pigmented. You can swipe the brush across your lids once for a sheer and simple wash of color, or you can build the color up with just a little more shadow. This palette will last a good long time because the color pay off is so immediate and you only need a little at a time to create a defined look.

The dark purple and the mauve shades are matte shades, and the dove-grey is a satin finish with a very subtle bit of shimmer. The baby pink shadow is very frosty and is meant to be the highlighter of the group.

The purple and the dove-grey are fantastic for smoking out a look, whereas the mauve works wonderfully on its own as a simple wash of color to add slight definition to the eyes. The dark purple also makes a great liner when you use a damped liner brush.

These are lovely shadows for anyone with green or blue eyes. The colors will go a long way to bring out  all the variations of those two colors.

I'll do a FOTD using this palette when I'm not entirely jet-lagged. My eyes are sporting some rather unattractive bags and dark circles right now.

Thanks again, Emily! Maybe sometime soon you'll let me do your makeup with this palette? ;)