Givenchy's Les Ombres de Lune Shadow & Light Eyes in #2 Lune Mordoréen ($58) is an eyeshadow and highlighter in one. Or an eyeshadow and liner in one. Or two eye shadows. Or three eye shadows. It offers all kinds of flexibility with its two shades.For Givenchy's 2011 Fall/Winter Collection, Nicolas Degennes created a collection in homage to the moon. Like a celestial muse floodlighting the darkness with its bewitching brightness, the moon embodies the essence of a soft and mysterious beauty, a magnetic aura, in the same vein as Givenchy Couture. Inspired by this sensual night star, the Collection "Je veux la Lune" invites us to dream the impossible.
With his love of the impossible, Degennes wanted to create a multipurpose, must-have product. The result was the Les Ombres de Lune, which Givenchy calls an all-in-one highlighter for cheeks, eyes, and complexion that also works as an intense eye shadow. The two shadows in #2 are reminiscent of a blue moon in a golden sky. There is another palette, #1 Lune Mystérieuse, that evokes a black moon in a white sky.
He
re is the true color of the palette. Givenchy's photo at the top of this feature is a little misleading. This was a blind purchase for me. I figured I would either love it or hate it. It's very hard for me to wear blue shadow, so I gambled. Am I glad I did! This palette is gorgeous.I swatched the shades with a sponge-tipped applicator and took my photos in the sun. At the top of my arm, you will see the gorgeous, shimmering gold. I love to wear gold shadows on the lid. The blue shade is a grey-blue on my skin
. It's a beautiful liner and, applied with a light hand, it offers a beautiful wash of grey with just a hint of blue. It has a satin finish.I couldn't resist the urge to merge. I decided to blend the two shadows equally on my applicator and found that they blend to an exquisite, complex grey that has a subtle shimmer. The grey leans taupe, making it fabulous to my eyes.
You can see all three shades - gold, navy, and the blend, on my two arm photos. I couldn't be happier with Lune Mordorée!
The bottom drawer of the compact slides out to reveal two sponge-tipped applicators and a slanted brush. Givenchy must have known that it would occur to us to use the blue shade as a liner. The compact also has a mirror, making it ideal for application on the go.
Sephora is the exclusive retailer for Givenchy in the United States. Since the two eye palettes are limited editions, order soon if you want one. I haven't tried #1, but it looks interesting - just not as exciting as this one.
Photo at top courtesy of Givenchy; other photos by Best Things in Beauty