Elegance Paris: A comprehensive look

 Ever since I picked up and reviewed Elegance Paris' Nouvelle Eyes in 02 (here), I couldn't get the brand out of my mind. I find myself perusing the Elegance section on Ichibankao from time to time and thought there was no better time to splurge on more Elegance pretties than during my birthday month.

Radiance Quartet BR400 (8,650 yen)
I first heard about these Radiance Quartet powders from a favorite beauty blogger of mine, Beauty Gypsy. Apparently these are under Elegance's "other series" category, and thus, are more exclusive (but still part of the permanent line.) In short, they are a blush and highlighter in one compact. These come in three flavors: pink, orange, and brown. My knee jerk reaction would have been to snatch the orange one, but the rational side of me stepped in last minute telling me I didn't need any more orange blushers. Hence, the brown one.

In the pan, it seems like it would be more of a bronzer, and some skintones may be able to pull this off as a bronzer. On me, it's too warm and has too much of an orange undertone. Instead, I prefer swirling a brush into the three shades on the left to give a glowy, nude blush that pairs extremely well with a smoky eye -- or just for some subtle definition when I'm not contouring. One can concentrate on the different stripes depending on their skintones and/or preferences. The powder is very finely-milled and blends effortlessly. It stays on beautifully and lasting the entire day on my skin with just the hint of fading by the 10-hour mark. There is a very noticeable scent, however, and it finally occurred to me that the scent is similar to that of Les Merveilleuses Laduree products.

Bottomline: truly one of the standout products from the line.

Poudre Haute Nuance 01 (13,000 yen)
Multi-colored face powder is my kryptonite, and Elegance just delivers them so elegantly (pun intended) making them hard to resist. 01-03 are more mattifying, whereas 04 and 05 are more luminous in finish. One of the drawbacks to ordering online is not having a feel for them beforehand -- how they apply, which one is more suited for certain skintones, etc. I chose 01, since I thought it would be the more universal shade, much like the Meteorites, but I was wrong. This is best suited for fair to light folks, as it can look very obvious if I overapply, which is quite easy since it is more on the powdery side. There is also a light floral scent to this powder.

Is it mattifying? Yes, but not as mattifying as the Guerlain Meteorites compact pressed powder, and certainly nowhere close to how loose powders perform. I have tried this as a finishing powder, and I find that it works well for that purpose too. Maybe my views on this would have been different had I picked the right shade, but in my opinion, I don't think this is a must have by any means. That said, I do hope to try one of the more luminous shade options in the future.

Nouvelle Eyes 01, 11, 12 (7,400 yen)
Onto the more noteworthy show stoppers of Elegance's lineup (figuratively and literally speaking): The Nouvelle Eyes quad. I have yet to find another eyeshadow quad that rivals its design and bling. (Swatches of each quad can be found after the individual reviews.)

01: (permanent) This quad reminds me of Suqqu's EX-12 Hisuidama meets Tom Ford adult glitter shadow. All four colors are unbelievably smooth and just apply easily with no fallout at all! Some may say that this is the most sheer quads of them all, but sheerness is such a subjective term these days. None of the Elegance quads I own are richly pigmented by any stretch of the imagination. They are, however, buildable and softly pigmented, so it all boils down to a matter of preference. There are no mattes in the quads -- only glitter, shimmer, and more glitter. Since the glitter is so refined, I can definitely say it's daytime and work appropriate. Probably one of my favorite quads, this is a must if you are fans of Tom Ford glitter but with the complexity of Suqqu shadows.

11: (LE) I was most excited for the navy blue shade of this quad, but ultimately, this is a palette I know I won't be getting too much use out of. To start, it is too cool-toned for me, and secondly, the navy blue just translates as a satin black with zero dimension -- only unevenness and patchiness upon application. I do think that this palette is more suited for those who are looking for minimal shimmer and sparkle on their eyes. The gray does lean blue on my lids, so if you are someone who has a difficult time pulling off grays for the same reason, you may want to make a note of that. For me, this palette is a dud since I'll eventually be reaching for the taupe and ivory-champagne shades of the four.

12: (LE) What drew me to 12 was the unique color combination of cool and warm tones. One can technically get two eye looks from this one palette alone by drawing a horizontal line dividing the top two shades from the bottom two. Thankfully, this fared better than #11, and the three lighter colors are more pigmented. The black forest green is not as smooth as I had hoped, but it is still gorgeous nonetheless with the noticeable gold glitter. Unlike the previous two quads, I find that I can achieve a full look with all four colors, since the top right hand shade actually  makes for a nice transition (or even crease) color. I do think this is one that's worth owning, and I particularly like mixing the two different tones to give a more polished look.

(Swatches in clockwise order over bare skin)

Just like all the other makeup brands out there, there are bound to be hits and misses. Elegance Paris is no exception, though the line will always excel in packaging -- which undeniably will keep me coming back for more. The pricepoint for Elegance products definitely reflects the shiny golden packaging, but I do wish there's more substantial weight to the compacts (which are made of plastic.) I plan on trying the blushers and lipsticks next, but seeing how they are permanent, I can hold off on them for a while. I do strongly recommend checking the products out in person, if possible, since the "swatches" both from the Elegance Paris official website and from Ichibankao can be a bit misleading.

Please note that the prices listed are what Ichibankao charges. You may find them at lower prices (read: in Japan), but I have yet to see Elegance sold online elsewhere.

Elegance Paris Nouvelle Eyes in 02

Nothing catches my eye faster than pretty packaging, and Japanese cosmetics, undoubtedly, knows it best! Without further ado, my latest and most welcome addition to my collection... Elegance Paris cosmetics! I thought Jill Stuart knocked it out of the park with its girly and princess-y packaging, but Elegance proved me wrong with its more grown-up and elegant presentation. A mature version of Jill Stuart, if you will. The only missing from all that fanciness? Real bling.

Despite the plastic packaging, it is still a rather hefty compact. The compact itself inevitably attracts fingerprints, but a quick wipe will make everything look pristine once again. The eyeshadow quad comes with a dual-ended sponge tip applicator, which is perfect for on-the-go, as well as a dual-ended brush -- excellent for detailed crease work and smudging. While both applicators are great to have, they are unnecessary for the Elegance shadows, as these apply with nice pigmentation with brushes. Again, not full-on pigmentation like Urban Decay eyeshadows but soft and buildable colors like we would expect from Asian cosmetics.

The eyeshadows themselves are a joy to work with, easily my favorite eyeshadow formula from all of the Japanese brands I have tried! (Trust me, as an eyeshadow snob, that says a lot!) I would even go as far to say that I prefer the formula of Elegance eyeshadows over Suqqu's, in terms of its buttery texture, blendability, and lasting power over primed lids. Suqqu eyeshadows just seems drier and not as finely milled, in comparison. What makes the shadows in the Elegance quad stands out is the fact that I hardly experienced any fall out from all four shades -- not even with the darkest chocolate brown shade! Also, the glitter particles do not translate onto the eyelids either.

Eyeshadows: (clockwise order starting from the top left)
#1) Shimmery, borderline metallic, light champagne. This is great as an inner highlight or as a browbone highlight (when used with a light hand!)
#2) Shimmery, light peachy-beige. This works well as an all-over lid color or even to blend out the other darker colors from the palette.
#3) Shimmery, glitter-containing dark chocolate brown. As mentioned previously, the glitter particles are not noticeable when applied. This is marketed as a liner, but I do find it is just as good of a crease (or even outer V) color.
#4) Shimmery, light neutral brown. On me, this shade -- thankfully -- pulls more neutral than warm. This is a wonderful all over lid shade, as well as a good crease color.

I personally chose the quad in 02, because it looked like an everyday, work-appropriate palette for me, and I could not be any happier. If anything, this palette had my name stamped all over it. I like to be able to incorporate all of the colors in a quad for an eye look, and 02 easily allowed for such application. From simple, yet polished eye looks to the most gorgeous brown smoky eye, this palette is actually quite versatile. Given the shimmery nature of all four shades, I can still apply any of the three darker shades in my crease and not look garish (like a lot of other shimmery shades can when popped in the crease.) Truth be told, the shades are not unique, but for the price point of the quad, I knew I had to get one that I will get a lot of mileage out of. Wear time-wise, this held up through 10-hour work days and through sweating without any signs of fading. That alone, makes this palette worth every penny!

My foray into the world of Elegance is a dangerous one! To be honest, I never knew the line even existed until one day, I decided to spend some quality time on Ichibankao.com. Now, it has left me wanting to own more products from the brand -- specifically more Nouvelle Eyes, a Poudre Haute Nuance, and an Aurora Storm Face Color. An eyeshadow quad runs about $75 USD, when you factor in additional shipping charges, so it is -- for me, at least -- reserved for those moments of splurge.