Review + swatches – Dior Skyline Fall 2016 makeup collection – Eyeshadow Palettes, Diorshow Brow Chalk, Diorshow Pro Liner, and Dior Vernis Autumn Lacquer

Fall products are some of my favourites because of the maroons, plums, oxbloods, and gold-tone colours. I find that these colours are generally very flattering on everyone, and also convey a sense of elegance and luxury. Dior’s fall 2016 makeup collection, inspired by Parisian architecture, is aptly named Skyline. The entire collection is classy, modern, and incredibly gorgeous. I have several pieces from the collection to show you, as the collection is quite large, so we will start with the eye and nail products today.

First up is the Architecture Palettes (C$73, limited edition), which are part of the Dior 5 Couleur Palette range. This is available in two variations:

• 506 Parisian Sky is the more cool-toned of the two, it contains three very beautiful neutral browns, as well as a silver highlight, and a cool-toned blue pop of colour
• 806 Capital of Light is the warmer of the two palette, it contains the gorgeous plum, olive, and a rusty pink

I sometimes find variations in quality in Dior eyeshadows, some of them are smooth and silky, with lots of pigmentation, others are more chalky. These palettes remind me more of the eyeshadow palettes from last holiday (amazing!), than the recent palettes from summer (not so great). Both palettes from fall were gorgeously soft, pigmented, and applied very smoothly on the eyes with good colour payoff. I like that there is a mix of pop colours and also more subtle colours so that these palettes become versatile for all-day use. I would consider both of these neutral palettes, and they would work well on a variety of skin tones.

Next we have the new Diorshow Brow Chalk (C$40, limited edition). If the eyes are the window into the soul, then the brows are the frames. Dior has been very well known for their extensive brow collection, and this new Brow Chalk is a nice addition. The thicker tip allows you to create a fuller, more defined brow, and you’re able to quickly create structure for your face.

Brow Chalk is available in three shades, 001 Blonde, 002 Soft Brown, and 003 Dark Brown. I would normally go for the 002 Soft Brown, but I’ve been super into dark brows lately (instead of a natural brow), so 003 Dark Brown, a beautiful warm chocolatey brown, is right up my alley. Despite the promising design, I found the texture way too soft, which means it was really hard to control how much brow product was applied. The soft texture, combined with the thick tip, means it was also hard to control where I applied the product, and then I’d end up having to do a lot of cleanup.

That being said, the latest trend in Asia right now is very thick, straight brows, which people believe will make you look younger. The Brow Chalk is perfect for recreating that look because of the thicker applicator.

The Diorshow Pro Liner (C$36) range is being expanded with two new shades for fall, 062 Pro Grege (permanent) and 092 Pro Plum (limited edition). The shade I have is 062 Pro Grege and it is a beautiful, cool-toned grey-bronze shade. Sadly I’m not a huge fan of this formula because it does smudge on me. I have relatively small lid space so the thicker applicator doesn’t work too well on me. I find the texture too hard and I really have to press it in on my eyelids to get the colour to show up. Lastly, I also find that the formula is quite brittle – don’t wind it up too much otherwise your tip will break off… mine did!

Lastly, there are two new shades to the Dior Vernis line, 112 Minimal and 848 Skyline (C$33, limited edition). 112 Minimal is a nude creme light pink, and 848 Skyline is a plummy brown. The main reason why I love Dior nail polish is that they are masters at creating cream polishes with shimmer so subtle that it make the cream look like it has depth to it. It’s hard to explain, and you’ll have to see it in person yourself, but it’s just the most gorgeous microshimmer that’s embedded in the creams. Dior polishes generally last a week for me, with top coat.

In my next post, I’ll be reviewing the cheek and lip products, including the new sculpting contour sticks!

Dior Skyline fall 2016 makeup collection is available as at August 1, 2016 at Dior counters, as well as at thebay.com, sephora.ca, holtrenfrew.com, and beautyboutique.ca

The swatches

Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Parisian Sky

Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Capital of Lights

Diorshow Brow Chalk in Dark Brown, and Diorshow Pro Liner in Pro Grege