Yves Saint Laurent Beauté | Wildly Gold Palette

The holidays usually showcase a queen’s ransom of new beauty collections, and while many are geared specifically for the season, there are others that seem to naturally rise above and transcend the occasion; case in point is the limited edition Wildly Gold Complete Make-Up Palette (Can$100.00) from Yves Saint Laurent Beauté that was released as part of the Holiday 2014 Collection. Let’s break this little gem down, shall we?

To begin with, this stunning compact is roughly the size of an iPhone 5 and comes bound in black leather which bears a leopard pattern down the middle along with the brand’s ‘Cassandra‘ logo, all stamped in gold. The closure is magnetic and also includes the added protection of a slim elastic ‘belt’ to hold it securely fastened, with a black satin tassel that trails down the corner for a final luxe touch.

The contents of the Wildly Gold Palette include 3 dedicated eyeshadow shades in tones of gold, bronze, and black, with a silvery hue that does double duty as either eyeshadow or highlighter. There are two lip shades in pan form, one from the Rouge Volupté range that applies more sheer, and the other from the Rouge Pur Couture line with its more saturated format. The blush is of a well proportioned size and is conveniently located on the end, making it easy to access as well as work with. The bottom of the palette holds three brushes: 1 sponge-tipped applicator, 1 lip brush and a small blush brush, and while I don’t usually like the dinky brushes that come in palettes, I appreciate their inclusion here, as it really does turn this into an ‘on-the-go’ type of product – no need to carry around any extra brushes for touch-ups.

Yves Saint Laurent Beauté | Wildly Gold Palette

Yves Saint Laurent Beauté | Wild Gold Palette

Eyeshadows, from the left:

Silver satin shimmer – ultra finely milled, sheer application that give a subtle but visible glow, pale pink hue in the base for added warmth & brightness
Gold shimmer – fine gold base hue with visibly larger gold shimmer particles throughout, sheer application with a much better opacity achieved when applied damp
Bronze satin shimmer – ultra finely milled with a complex shimmer, brown based, smooth application and a good level of pigmentation
Black satin shimmer – velvety texture with a unique blueish finely milled shimmer that appears somewhat prismatic, the base hue leans more charcoal that black but can be easily built up for a deeper intensity

Applied with a dry brush, the two lighter shades of the Wildly Gold Palette lean rather sheer and have much more obvious sparkle, while the two deeper hues display significantly more colour that can be quickly built up for more depth and saturation. The silvery hue works beautifully as a highlighter, especially when worn on the high planes of the face, while the gold shade looks amazing along the inner eye corner or when pressed over another base shade for a dash of extra oomph. Both the bronze and black hues are gorgeous to work with, especially for a smokey eye look, as they offer effortless blending and last incredibly long, in particularly when worn over primer. Applying any one of these shades with a dampened brush not only adds depth and intensity, but brings out every bit of their complex shimmers and significantly boosts their staying power, although you lose the option of then blending them out.

Yves Saint Laurent Beauté | Wildly Gold Palette, eyeshadow swatches (dry)

Yves Saint Laurent Beauté | Wildly Gold Palette, eyeshadow swatches (damp)

The lip shades, top: Rouge Volupté Sheer Candy, bottom: Rouge Pur Couture Fuchsia.

Rouge Volupté Sheer Candy – glossy sheer cotton-candy pink
Rouge Pur Couture Fuchsia – glossy semi-opaque hot pink

The two lip shades of the Wildly Gold Palette seem to look almost identical in their respective pans, but a quick swatch proves how different they are. The top shade – Rouge Volupté Sheer Candy – applies much more sheerly and is of an obvious lighter hue, while the bottom shade – Rouge Pur Couture Fuchsia – applies with a deeper opacity from the first swipe and is significantly more vivid. What these two lip products have in common, is a non-sticky texture, a high gloss factor, a somewhat fruity scent (which dissipates quickly after application, but still worth noting for those with sensitivities), the stain they leave behind upon the lips once the initial colour has faded, and how totally hydrated your lips feel throughout their wearing (as well as after). Staying power is naturally less with the lighter hue – approx. 2.5 – 3 hours, and improved with the deeper shade – easily 5 hours plus.

arm swatch

Rouge Volute Sheer Candy

Rouge Pur Couture Fuchsia

The blush shade is a soft ballerina pink with an incredibly fine-ground silvery/pearl shimmer in the base that provides a gorgeous lustre to the skin, while the powder is very finely-milled and seems to melt into the skin when applied. I experience absolutely no powdery kickback when swirling my brush through the pan, and while this shade falls on the light side, it still bears a good amount of pigment that enables you to build it up easily, if desired. Interestingly enough, while this shade may appear more obviously cooler-leaning, I have no problem getting it to work with my warmer skin tone and will even go so far as to say that it gives my complexion a nice overall boost. Something to note: for those with darker skin tones, this blush will look simply amazing worn as a highlighter & sheered out along the high planes of the face (cheekbones, temples, cupid’s bow).

Yves Saint Laurent Beauté | Wildly Gold Palette, blush swatches

As someone who has stated several times that I’m not a fan of multi-product makeup palettes, I seem to have an incredibly attraction to them just the same – especially when they look as stunning as the Wildly Gold Palette does, not to mention perform as well. Admittedly, I am a sucker for fine detail, but if the contents fall short of my ~~rather high~~ expectations, it becomes a deal-breaker for me. Luckily, that’s not the case here. I love how slim this compact is (but which nevertheless still manages to hold a good amount of product) and with its exterior of such fierce beauty, it can easily pass for an evening clutch – a very, very clever touch and one that no one will ever guess holds makeup. Call it the beauty world’s version of animal magnetism.

Still available now at select Yves Saint Laurent Beauté counters, visit www.yslbeautyus.com for more brand information