I've found Givenchy shadows in the past often poorly pigmented and slightly dry in texture, so was intrigued what improvements this new formulation would offer. The new formula is meant to be an "extremely innovative texture that is long wearing, compact and very buildable. Coverage is instant, intense and even".
The palettes are available in eight harmonies, containing satin, matte, shimmer and glitter finishes. The four shades include a liner, contour, base and highlighter. I felt that a lot of the colours looked a bit dull/drab, and Frisson #05 (£37) was the only one that appealed to me.
Frisson contains a satin smoky purple, gunmetal grey with fine silver glitter, iridescence pink and shimmery copper. The combination of three cool toned shades and one warm really works and the finishes of the two lighter shades add an interesting dimension.
I swatched all the palettes and felt that quite a few shades were on the dry/patchy side, however as this went against all the positive feedback I'd read I still went ahead and bought one as I'm all too aware that shades can apply to the lid much better than they swatch.
All the shades have a dry texture and the two darker shades are the worse and unfortunately apply patchy and do not blend well. The lighter two shades perform better, blending nicely and are good layering shades.
The main issue I have with this palette is pigment, the brand states that the colour payoff is intense, however I find that used dry the payoff is extremely poor. Though the shades are much better when used wet, I don't expect shadows that are marketed as being intense to be unable to be used dry to achieve this effect.
Swatched below dry then wet,
The shadows are very prone to fading so a primer is a must for me and even then I do still get some fading.
I'm quite perplexed over the positive reviews for these palettes and can only assume that the other colour ways perform much better than Frisson. Whilst I like the combination of colours, the two darker shades perform so poorly that I cannot recommend this, I would expect a much better texture and application for a palette of this price.
I bought this from Debenhams
Whoa, I'm so sorry to hear this one is a bummer! I haven't tried these yet, but I wasn't overwhelmingly impressed when I got to swatch some of them a while back. I was wondering if it's the type of texture that performs better with a brush. I guess I'll have to look into it!
ReplyDeleteYes, I would give these a good test if you can before laying down money, I was expecting this to be a lot better, a bit style over substance unfortunately.
DeleteI have a palette from Givenchy and while I can get a decent look out of it, the quality is nothing spectacular. I find that the cube shape makes the product hard and therefore, difficult to use! Hope the other quads are better
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of Givenchy doesn't really hit the mark, they have made the packaging look better and have more interesting products out now but I am yet to find a love from the brand.
DeleteEeh, sorry to hear about your disappointing experience, Clare. Their products always look so appealing, though.
ReplyDeleteYes, it looks better than it performs that's for sure, still I am getting use out of the lighter 2 shades, see thats me being positive ;)
DeleteWow, this sounds terrible. Even when wet, the swatches don't look too different from the dry. I was curious about these (as well as the older quads) but I can safely put this lemming to rest now.
ReplyDeleteYes, unless this is the duff one from the range I'd stay clear of these, I think when used wet its mostly the copper shade that has the most difference.
DeleteHi dear Clare! Hope all is going well! =)
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty eyeshadow palette but reading your review it seems that the performance is quite poor.
I've never tried any Givenchy eyeshadow until now.
Looking at your swatches I noticed that the two darker shades are very similar, quite indistinguishable, what a shame! Overall, the application on your eyes is super nice!!
Have a serene week,
Kisses,
Marghe
Hi Marghe,
DeleteThanks :)
Yes, baby and I are doing well, though I still crave sleep!
The darker two shades really let this down, and you are right that they do look similar, I won't be picking up anymore of these thats for sure
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