Clarins Mono Couleur Eyeshadows - #23 Silver Green, #1 Vibrant Violet, #6 Jungle Green

A Clarins regional sales rep recently mentioned to me that they will be discontinuing their current line-up of single eyeshadows by the Fall season, and debuting a whole new range. (Some of the shades already seem to be gone from both the Clarins website and The Bay website, and I've heard some regular counters have already moved them off.)

While I am excited to be getting new things from Clarins (and from the press previews I've seen, I am VERY much looking forward to the Fall 2012 collection), I am sad to see the Mono Couleur eyeshadows going. I discovered them not too long ago, and they are pretty damn stellar. I figured now would be a good time to put up some swatches as well as my thoughts, in case anyone wants to snap these up before they're gone. (I did the same when I found out they were going and I will post swatches of those shortly.)

The packaging is the old-school red and silver that Clarins seems to have largely phased out, replaced by a more modern and minimalist aesthetic. I know Clarins can come across as a little, as we say, Madame, but the packaging has always felt distinctly French to me. 

Either way, what's inside the compacts is anything but staid. Just LOOK at that violet. It is so gorgeous. And really, almost all the shades are beautiful, particularly the ones with a shimmer finish.

Jungle Green is wonderfully pigmented green with a golden shimmer throughout.

Vibrant Violet is a lovely violet, leaning red in the base color but with a bluer almost-duochrome overlay. It takes two layers to  achieve optimum opacity, but unlike a lot of purples it is very smooth and builds easily.

Silver Green is a stunner to my eye, that HG mix of green and taupe and silver. I don't own the mythical Erika F to compare, but Silver Green looks like it might be a close relation.

All of the shades have a butter-soft, smooth texture that yields good to great pigmentation. They wear well on me, and last well past a regular workday with primer. If you've only tried the Clarins eyeshadow palettes and found them a little dry or faint, you will find these to have a consistently nicer texture.

Indirect natural light.
Jungle Green, Vibrant Violet, Silver Green.

Artificial light.

Direct sunlight.

Availability: Limited, unfortunately. The Clarins site, The Bay, some Pharmaprix/SDM and Murale counters. Price is 20$ USD, 22$ CAD. If you live in Montreal, you may want to chance these being available at the next Clarins warehouse sale in the Fall.

Pros: Wonderfully soft texture, generally good/great pigmentation, beautiful colors.

Cons: The pigmention for Vibrant Violet could be stronger.

I will be posting more swatches soon, thought I won't be review those in depth, only noting any significant differences.

(I purchased these at Pharmaprix/SDM and Murale.)