Understated Elegance: Dior 5 Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow in 609 Earth Reflection

I've recently come to the realization that I may have finally gotten big eyeshadow palettes out of my system. It's not that I don't reach for the ones I have in my collection - I do all the time - but at some point, you just start accumulating doubles and triples of the same shades over and over. So, I think I'm done on that account (watch me as I pick up another neutral eyeshadow palette in a couple months' time...), which of course doesn't mean I'm not interested in eyeshadows anymore. I've simply switched my attention to singles, duos, trios, quads and quints, like this one: the Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow in 609 Earth Reflection ($62 for 0.21 oz).

I've actually had this on my mental wish list for a very long time, but just couldn't quite pull the trigger. Last week, I spotted it on an Instagram sale (watch out, blog sales, there's a new kid on the block!) for $30 with shipping, and so I wasn't able to resist it any longer.

Here's the deal: from swatching Earth Reflection multiple times in-store and reading reviews online, I knew it wasn't going to be anything earth-shattering (har har) in my collection. I could probably find near dupes scattered among my other palettes and singles. But! But there's just something so luxuriously elegant about Dior quints. From the simple packaging to the effortless formula inside, they're oh so very chic. They're not trying hard to impress with their pigmentation, texture, complex shimmers or uniqueness. They just are what they are. And I quite like that.

After playing with the palette for a couple days, here are my general thoughts: it's a great basic palette for fair and light skintones. I believe medium and dark skintones may have issues getting a complete eye look out of the palette, due to the fact that it contains three very light shades and the darkest shade is more or less the same depth of MAC Satin Taupe, which I know is a lid shade for most (I've always used it in the crease and outer corner in the daytime on my fair skin).

All five eyeshadows in Earth Reflection are shimmers, or pearl/frost finish (not metallic, not glittery, just smooth sheen). While for some it may be a deal-breaker, I was able to get a balanced look using just the quint, since the darkest shade I used in the crease isn't very reflective when blended out on the eyes. Another thing worth noting is that the three lightest shades (a warm champagne, pale pink in the middle, and ivory pearl) come across quite similar on the eyes - I wish especially there was more variation between the pink and ivory.

But other than those slight drawbacks, I very much enjoy Earth Reflection. The two taupe shades are absolutely stunning, and I was happy to see that I could use the lighter taupe on the lids quite easily for an everyday look. As you can see below, for this post I did more of a smokey eye using the darkest shade to add drama, but you could also get a barely there look with this quint using the champagne on the lid and the light taupe in the crease; quite similar effect to my beloved Shiseido Luminizing Satin Trio in Nude. The texture is smooth, easily buildable and blendable, and I haven't noticed any fallout on the eyes during application or wear time.

Dior 609 Earth Reflection swatched clockwise from top left corner, with the pink in the middle swatched last

I don't know you guys, there's just something about this that I deeply enjoy. I can definitely see why these Dior quints are so popular - they're just so effortless. I already know that I'll be taking Earth Reflection with me when I travel, simply because you can do a whole eyeshadow look in minutes without thinking about pairing shades together or their careful placement.

In the face shots, I'm wearing lighter taupe on the lids with a bit of champagne layered over it in the centre, darker taupe in the outer corners in a more cat-eye/ elevated shape, lightest ivory in the inner corners, and the combination of taupes on the lower lashline. I've also tightlined my upper waterline with Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir. I'm wearing Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee in Getaway Red with Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil on the cheeks and Essence Stay With Me Lipgloss in Candy Bar on the lips, since the weather suddenly turned very summery here in NYC.

Do you own any of these Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadows? What is your favorite colorway? Do you prefer smaller palettes like this or the larger ones with 10+ shades?