Dior Mystic Metallics Collection Fall 2013 - Bonne Étoile Palette

Some makeup items are so beautiful, they're almost magic. And like a lot of magic acts, these items can require a fair bit of backstage work to achieve that glorious on-stage effect. Such is the case with the Bonne Étoile Palette from the Dior Mystic Metallics Fall 2013 Collection, with its beautiful design and stunning colours.

If you know me, you know of my terrible, crushing weakness for all things Dior. When I saw the promo pictures for this collection, I drove my Dior counter SAs crazy with almost daily phone calls, and when I heard this palette was in stock, I literally raced over to the snag it (taking advantage of a Pharmaprix Optimum offer at the same time). I barely even bothered to test it in the store, which is, perhaps, why I was a little taken aback the first time I tried applying it.

The color range is just gorgeous, Fall-like without being stereotypical, and they work together brilliantly. The shades all swatched nicely on my arm, with beautiful shimmer and sparkle. Getting that same intensity to show up on my eyes was a different story.

The smoky olive green in the top left corner has good pigmentation, and an absolutely gorgeous golden sparkle that for the most part falls away upon application. And while the payoff is good in terms of opacity, something about the olive undertones is lost, and it winds up looking almost muddy. It works well enough to smoke out the look or to add depth, but I've found using it wet is the best way to maintain that olive tone. The golden sparkle is better retained this way as well, and it creates an incredible, burnished metal eye look.

The pale silvered taupe in the top right corner has the most metallic finish, and sheer-to-medium pigmentation. This is probably the most magical shade out of the group - applied with a natural-bristle brush, it gives a faint fairy-like sparkle. Applied dry with a flat synthetic brush, it creates a lovely metallic look that is nice on its own, but that has enough sheerness to layer nicely over another shade. Applied wet, it has an intense foil-like finish that is super high-impact.

The bronze shade in the middle has a similar texture and finish to the olive green, with the same issues. It looks less muddy, however, and makes for a very nice crease shade. I had similarly much more vibrant results using it wet.

The seafoam green shade in the bottom right corner is the sheerest, with a slightly powdery finish. It can be built up over a primer or base, but the effect will remain whimsical and delicate. I had the best application using a flat synthetic brush over my usual MAC 239.

The pewter-teal shade in the bottom left corner has a stronger shimmer and smoother, denser texture than the bronze or the olive. It has the truest-to-pan result, and used wet it is off the charts gorgeous.

Overall, I find the textures of this palette to be more powdery and less dense and creamy than I'm used to from Dior, and the colour payoff to be both less vibrant and more sheer than I expected from the swatches. The powderiness makes it difficult to pick up and pack on colour, though it makes blending easier. Without a primer, fading was obvious 5-6 hours in (with a primer, a solid 9 hours before I saw any fading.)

However, using the right tools and the right mediums, the results could be absolutely stunning. Applied dry and using natural-hair brushes, the effect is softer and hazier - still pretty, but far less dramatic that the look of the promo images and the palette itself suggests.

Availability: Still out at some Pharmaprix/SDM locations. Price is 62$ CAD.

Pros: Lovely design, beautiful shade range that doesn't skew too warm. Amazing metallic and sparkle finishes that vary from delicate and fey to intensely dramatic depending on application tools and medium.

Cons: Powdery texture makes it difficult to get the same intensity as in the pan, and some of the glitter gets lost along the way. Wear doesn't make it through a workday without a primer.

(I purchased this item.)