Giorgio Armani Scarabeo Kaleidoscope Face&Eye Palettes #1 Mystic Blue & #2 Venomous Green Swatches

I briefly talked about yesterday's haul but I haven't said how bad it was... I am holding it for the time being and would like to start with introducing the two new Face & Eye palettes. On the package it is written that these are "Scarabeo" edition. Scarabeo, as you may guess, means "scarab" in English, which explains the iridescent green blue purple tones and all the beetle names of the six new Eyes To Kill shadows, but I am going to come to that one later on. 

After the first two releases of Face & Eye Palettes, I was not very excited about them. Mainly it was the steep price point that pushed me away. As you know these palettes have two tiers, the top tier hosts a face product, like blush/highlighter or bronzer. The second tier has the eye shadows. 

I was wishing they could sell the eye and face products separately to make it more affordable for those who are interested in just one but not both. After getting both of the spring palettes during a clearance and playing with them, I started liking it. The summer palette was almost like a dream, the peach and bronze tones, that golden bronzer and the pattern was to die for (previously reviewed here). So when I have seen the new ones with rather interesting beetle colors, I wanted to run home and try it right away.

After taking a few photos, I started swatching the colors and look here is what happened, the middle colors changed when the overspray was removed! So don't get deceived by the sprayed colors, the purple on Palette #1 Mystic Blue is more of a turquoise, the green in the second palette (middle shade) is not a golden green but rather a deep forest green. 

The following swatches are taken under full sun, after the overspray is removed.

Tier 1: This is a gorgeous coral blush with subtle sheen on it. Especially after the spray is removed, it is just lightly brightening and it doesn't emphasize my pores. The color showed up on my MAC NC 20-25 skin nicely. 

Tier 2: Three eye shadows are as follows:

Tier 1: This is a gorgeous light pink blush leaning slightly coral, again with subtle sheen and very close to the one from Mystic Blue, but lighter. For it to show up on my complexion, I had to swipe it a few times.

Tier 2: Three eye shadows are as follows:

The shades are a little "interesting' so I didn't know they they would look like in action. I was dying to find out, so today I redid my make-up several times and played around with those. I didn't test the mileage, but I think this should be au pair with other Armani eye and face products. 

The first look I tried out was with #1 Mystic Blues. Since the middle and the right shadows are close in color, I wanted to use them interchangeably on the lids. I applied the blue (right) on the inner and outer corner, padding in between the turquoise (middle) shade. Then I defined the outer corner and the crease with the darker matte plum (left). I also used a mix of turquoise (middle) and blue (right) along the lower lash line. Finished the look by applying matching eye liner along the lower water line and using plenty of mascara on top and lower lashes.

I also applied the blush with a duo fiber brush on my cheeks. You can see the result below. This look turned out to be a rather heavy on eye evening look. Of course if you use the matte shade (left) on the lid and just define the corners lightly, it will be less vibrant and more wearable. I really liked the look and didn't want to take it off for the next application. I will definitely wear this one during upcoming holidays.

The second look I created was with the second palette, Venomous Green. The shades of this one are definitely more muted, meaning not as vibrant and also not that iridescent as Mystic Blue. I wanted to layer those to see the effect and started with the light blue shade (right) all over the lid. Then I padded the green (middle) on top, starting halfway of the lid towards the outer corner. Then I blended them all with a fluffy brush and added some definition with the darker shade (left) to the crease and outer corner. I used the middle green shade along the lower lash line. I used a slate gray pencil to along the lower and upper lashes as well as lower water line, finished the look with generous amount of mascara (Le Volume de Chanel).

I applied the blush to the cheeks, which gave a very natural flush which was hard for the camera to pick up. The blush on that one is definitely lighter compared to the one from Mystic Blues. . The green color is not very vibrant, so this look turned out to be rather wearable. I was not feeling "wow" like I felt after Mystic Blues but yet again I know I will reach for this palette more often. I suspect this might give the same effect as the new Dior Palette from Fall 2013, called Bonne Etoile.

Final thoughts: After I found out that the middle shades have overspray, I was a bit disappointed. But after playing with both of the palettes, I am very excited for the quality and the shades. #01 Mystic Blues is more of an evening palette with more iridescent vibrant colors. #02 Venomous Green is more natural and day appropriate. Those are released in Germany and I am sure will reach the counters around the world in the next weeks. Both of the palettes are limited editions. If you like the colors, be sure to check them out.

Do you like beetle colors on eyes? Which one is your favorite look? Which one would you like to wear?