Clarins Holiday 2016 The Essentials Palette: Review and Swatches

Disclaimer: The product featured was provided for review.

Clarins is keeping it simple this year with the release of The Essentials Palette ($62 CAD) for Holiday 2016. In support of its ongoing reforestation project in Brazil, Clarins has designed this palette with an eco-conscious packaging. The shadows consist of ten rosy neutrals, all infused with annatto oil for a smooth and creamy wear. To see some swatches and read my review of the palette, click.......

Clarins Holiday 2016 The Essentials Palette

Packaging:
The Essentials Palette comes in a thick brown cardboard box. The lid is embossed with shiny gold flowers and the inside has a medium-sized mirror. The entire plastic insert holding the shadows can be removed from the palette, this is intentionally designed so the box can be reused. I appreciate the eco-friendly concept but how often do you actually finish an eyeshadow palette and reuse its packaging? I would have at least preferred a more compact cardboard box with the shadows securely attached to the palette. Nevertheless, I commend Clarins for their eco-conscious efforts.
The palette includes ten shadows, each weighing at 1.5 grams. Included is also a dual-ended shader brush made with sustainably harvested birch wood and natural pony hair "produced with respect for animal welfare".

Clarins Holiday 2016 The Essentials Palette

Formulation:
The ten shades included are not named but the overall color scheme is very neutral and mauve. Overall, all the shadows are very pigmented. The mattes are softer in saturation but still very smooth and non-patchy. A few of the shimmers are a fall-out prone and chunky which I find disappointing because Clarins' shadows are usually very smooth and silky even when they do contain glitters. I think the intent was to have a more fun and glittery palette for the holidays but the texture of the glitters are just too gritty and heavy. Nevertheless, my overall impression of the palette is positive. If you like the rosy browns and mauve-nudes, this palette offers up some great selections, both in terms of colors and finishes. Below you will find a more detailed breakdown of each shade.

Clarins Holiday 2016 The Essentials Palette

1. Matte creamy nude with a small hint of iridescence: This shade is pretty pigmented, making it a great base color or blending color.
2. Pale iridescent pink satin/matte: Good pigmentation and very smooth texture.
3. Soft matte taupe: This one is on the sheerer side but it's surprisingly creamy and even.
4. Pink sparkle: This is one of the shades that's very chunky and fall-out prone. The glitter sparkles are very large and they refuse to lie flat on the skin.
5. Pale mauve-gray with iridescent sparkles: Though not as bad as the previous shade, this one also contains a sprinkle of large chunky sparkles.

Clarins Holiday 2016 The Essentials Palette

Clarins Holiday 2016 The Essentials Palette

6. Shimmery light brown with pale golden sparkles: Much like the previous shade, this has a nice pigmentation and buttery texture but the sparse glitters are a bit chunky.
7. Taupe brown with subtle pink shimmers: This is nice and pigmented; it also has some glitters but they are not too chunky.
8. Rosy brown with heavy glitters: This and the pink sparkles are the most problematic shades out of the palette.
9. Matte deep taupe: Very nice and even formulation.
10. Deep brown with shiny pink sparkles: This one is actually very nicely formulated; the brown base has just the right amount of intensity and the pink glitters aren't too gritty.

Clarins Holiday 2016 The Essentials Palette

Availability:
Clarins is available in stores at The Bay, London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart and online at Clarins.ca.