MY PALETTE OF THE YEAR! SHISEIDO FESTIVE CAMELLIA PALETTE FOR CHRISTMAS 2015

Above is the outer box packaging for the palette and below is the palette itself again.  As you can see, Y's designed a holiday package with haute couture elegance - using the camellia flower as both muse and motif.  The top of the palette is padded (reminiscent of needle pads) in fine silk material just like in Y's clothes; and it has been specially printed in Kyoto, using bold and vivid colours - so, soooo pretty!  You will also note that the design is quite asymmetrical and adds interest and a modern take to its already gorgeous aesthetic.  The rest of the palette's packaging is made of cardboard so it's lightweight and travel-friendly.  It also has a very strong magnetic closure so it's nice and secure.  I like that there is no additional velvet pouch or applicator brushes provided as these often do not get used.  The only issue I found with the palette is that the eye shadow pans isn't as secure as I would like.  I received mine with a few of the pans not sitting as flatly as they should and for a moment I thought that the pans could be taken out and replaced with new colours (what a great benefit that would be to be able to reuse this palette over and over again in a customisable way!).  However, when I tried to pull them out I discovered that they were indeed glued on, but the glue had softened - perhaps due to the warm weather.  Luckily, I was still able to press them back into place as the glue was still soft and tacky.  So, just be cautious!

The creative inspiration:

Below are a couple of close-ups of the divine camellia motif.

The shades are inspired by the camellia so they are gorgeous, colourful and fresh - perfect for spring and summer Christmas down-under.  They have great pigmentation and the texture is delectably silky smooth and exquisite - very typical of Japanese eye shadows.  So, they're extremely easy to apply and blend with no fall-out - making even the brightest shades super quick and easy to work with and are very wearable.  All the shades as mentioned can be used on the eyes and face (yes, even the vivid pink!) :)

// Snow: a delicate silvery white with a subtle trace of cool lavender.  Beautiful for the inner corners of the eyes.  This has a lovely texture - not chalky at all like some white eye shadows can be.

// Velvet: a sensuous deep purple, slightly warm and semi-matte for elegant definition.  Lovely for the outer corners of the eyes and/or the lash lines.

// Winter Rose: a clear, fresh pink shade.  Crisp and cool.  I'm very happy this is in the palette because it is my all-time favourite colour at least for the cheeks (really beautiful on olive skin tones).

// Petal: a warm semi-matte brown tone for subtle, natural definition and shading.  I like that this is brightened and slightly orange toned rather than your typical dull, brown colour - so you could certainly wear this on its own on the eyes and still look alive and it also means it pairs really well as an eye contour with the brighter, colourful shades if you wanted to.  And, despite it's orange tones, I find that somehow this is still works for contouring the face or as a bronzer.  I think it's because it blends really well and can be sheered out.  You would need to use it sparingly as it's quite pigmented and too much can make you look muddy.  It will work best on the face for those with warm skin tones.  Cooler skin tones may find it too orange or too warm.

// Heart: a rich brownish-violet (mauve) enlivened with shimmering multi-coloured pearls.  My favourite shade in the palette, which I would gladly wear on its own all over the eye lids on a daily basis!  Beautiful!