Serious Eye Candy: Lancome Hypnôse Eyeshadow Palettes Overview and Swatches
No, I don’t have a whole set of these beautiful 5-color eyeshadow palettes. I wish.
The shots were taken at the Lancôme office, and I had a bit of time to do some serious swatching with some of the palettes I really liked. The new range comes in 3 “types" and here are some of my observations cos the category names can be confusing.
- Doll Eyes: Softer, lighter, brighter, and more colorful, with pastels and “pop" shades like teal and cobalt
- Star Eyes: Warm glamorous neutrals that lean towards rich chocolate browns, creamy lattes and all-round Victoria’s Secret bombshell goodness
- Drama Eyes: Intense, high-contrast smoky colors that lean towards a cooler palette (greys, navies, purples)
Each palette also comes with a visual tutorial insert with eye looks you can try. To view more details, the official tutorials and close-ups, visit the Lancome Hypnôse Palette site here!
There are 12 different palettes in this range, and aside from the four I swatched above, there is also a beautiful deep purple I’d highly recommend in the Drama range (DR4 Violet Magnetique). BUT - I seem to have accidentally deleted the shot of the swatches. :/
You should just pick colors you like or that suit your lifestyle rather than being restricted by which category they are labeled under. Even the softer Doll Eyes palettes have more dramatic options if you need to use it for an evening look.
—
Texture
I’ll let the images speak for themselves. I took these right there without professional lighting, and I wasn’t wearing any base on my arm, so you can see how intense they are.
NOT all the palettes were equally pigmented though (e.g. DO2 Reflet D’ Améthyst was not nearly as pigmented as most of the other palettes), so depending on whether you like stronger or softer shades, it’s best to test them out in person before you decide.
—
Packaging
The layout of the shades has changed a little from the previous Hypnôse palettes but you still get:
- 5 coordinated shades, including a dark definer shade (always very important by my book)
- Magetized wells so you don’t need to constantly worry about losing your applicators when you pop your compact open or flip it about
- A brush applicator (blending) and a dual-ended sponge tip with a wide end (packing on shadow),and a thin end (lining).
—
Do you need these?
Let’s just get it out of the way; these are expensive!
Each Hypnôse eye palette is US$51 [based on prior US Hypnose prices; might be subject to change] or SGD90 for 2.7g (0.09 oz) of product. They are right up there in the same price range as your Diors and Chanels.
If you are just starting to experiment and want tons of colors to try lots of looks with, your money won’t go extremely far if you splash it on these luxe brands.
BUT if one or more of the below conditions apply to you,
- it’s a luxury gift to pamper someone special,
- you don’t change up your makeup a lot and would rather invest in a few quality items rather than in a lot of cheaper things that you won’t use,
- you’re splurging on yourself for a very special occasion like your wedding,
- the money isn’t an object for you,
- or your sanity absolutely hangs in the balance due to your unfathomable lust for these palettes
… then you might get a lot of mileage out of one of these, because they ARE very good shadows.
—
P.S. I’ll do some tutorials with a couple of palettes soon so you can see them in action!