Dior 5 Couleurs #441 Garden Pastels

Of all the new makeup collections for this spring, Dior's Garden Party was the one that wowed me instantly when pictures of it first surfaced online. The rose motif embossed on the eyeshadows looked wonderfully intricate and romantic, reminiscent of the lace-covered Dentelle collection that Dior released for Spring 2010.

The Cinq Couleurs #441 Garden Pastels looked especially intriguing. Dior has released countless purple and pink quints but it has rarely done teal. The shade combination in Garden Pastels stands out as being unique amongst Dior's recent releases.

However, after playing with it a couple of times, it is disappointing on a number of fronts. The teal shade in the bottom right corner lacked the rich, jewel-like intensity that I had been hoping for. Even with the help of a primer, it applies somewhat sheer. The bright olive in the upper left corner takes on a yellowy tinge on my skintone. The shimmery pink shade in the middle is also very sheer and applies with just the barest hint of pink.

I do like the icy pearl white shade for illuminating the inner corners and lower lashline while the light gold shade works well as a highlighter without being overly frosty. Still, the white and gold shades were not the reasons why I was attracted to Garden Pastels.

After using NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base to prime the lids, I applied the teal shade along the upper lashline, the bright olive shade in the crease, the golden shade as a wash over the browbone area and the white shade along the lower lashline and inner corners. Addiction Eyeliner Pencil #101 Sleepless Nights was used on the upper lashline and outer one-third of the lower lashline while Dolly Wink Volume Mascara was used on the lashes.

Garden Pastels does work well for creating a fresh springtime look but given the high price tag, do test it out in person to see how it works against your skin tone. It retails for S$95 in Singapore, US$59 in the US, £41 in the UK, €52.20 in France and 8085yen in Japan.