For his first Dior beauty collection, Peter Philips – Creative and Image Director of Dior Cosmetics, was inspired by the ‘plural forms of femininity and the idea of multi-faceted beauty‘, and thus, the Fall 2015 Cosmopolite Collection was born. Having already shown you the new liquid Fluid Shadows of this collection (reviewed here), today’s focus is on the two limited edition 5 Couleur Eyeshadow Palettes, 866 Eclectic & 766 Exubérante.

Housed in Dior’s iconic navy lacquered compact cases which bear a full-sized mirror on the inner lid along with 2 small dual-ended brushes (that actually do a decent job, although I still prefer using my own brushes and rarely bother with these – but they work well in a pinch), each palette hast four eyeshadow shades in varying finishes that surround a centre highlighting hue. The surface of each eyeshadow palette displays the Dior lettering in a raised and intentionally chaotic design, and as with the rest of Dior’s 5 Couleurs compacts, the premise is that you can use the top two lighter shades (along with the centre hue) for a more daytime look, or switch over to the bottom two deeper shades (with or without the centre hue) to ramp things up for evening.

In collaboration with renowned film director, videographer & photographer Pierre Debusschere, the three looks created by Peter Philips were captured in this video using three separate types of lighting and a ‘scanning light’ for a unique new effect, where the images appear to melt into the skin – morphing seamlessly from one look to another.

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 866 Eclectic & 766 Exubérante Eyeshadow Palettes

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 866 Eclectic & 766 Exubérante Eyeshadow Palettes

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 866 Eclectic & 766 Exubérante Eyeshadow Palettes

866 Eclectic (CAN $70.00) | The more cooler-leaning of the two palettes, there is still enough warmth in most of the hues to help them transition easily onto warmer-toned complexions as well. A breakdown of the shades:

• top left – berry/plum with ultra fine purple & silver shimmer, light colour saturation but can be built up – much more intense when applied damp
• top right – pink/nude, creamy satin-matte texture, pale-hued but with excellent pigmentation
• centre – (brilliant silver overspray) silvery white, light iridescent finish, smoothly applying, perfect for inner eye corner, brow bone or as a layering shade
• bottom left – blackened pine green, satin finish, medium colour saturation that can be easily built up or super intensified when applied damp
• bottom right – deep aubergine, satin finish, displays some initial powdery kickback, but applies with good saturation of colour after that

An absolutely stunning palette for those with green (like me!) or blue eyes, as the purplish shades will really make your peepers the star attraction. The top left shade was surprisingly lightly applying compared to the intense colour you see in the pan, but I prefer it that way as it does not come across as garish, while you always have the option of layering it for more depth (or applying with a dampened brush). The creamy texture of the top right shade blew me away and needs to be felt with one’s finger to understand what I’m talking about – it doesn’t hurt that application of this hue is just so incredibly smoothly applying. The bright silver of the centre shade is an overspray, but happily the colour underneath remains silver, but in a totally modern and wearable format. The deep green colour of the bottom left shade was another surprise, as it applies with less intensity than you’d imagine, but once again, I love that I can build it up if need be, or wear it as more of a wash (which is actually a pretty cool way to wear such an obvious dark shade). The only one of the five to feel a little chalky initially, is the bottom right colour – but after a few swipes of my brush, application now seems to be significantly improved and smoother in texture.

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 866 Eclectic Eyeshadow Palette

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 866 Eclectic Eyeshadow Palette

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 866 Eclectic Eyeshadow Palette

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 866 Eclectic Eyeshadow Palette (swatches)

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 866 Eclectic Eyeshadow Palette (swatches, deeper light)

766 Exubérante (CAN $70.00) | The more obviously warmer-leaning of the two palettes, although once again that can be deceiving, as there are enough cool undertones in several of the hues to make them suitable for cooler complexions as well – it’s all in the layering options. A breakdown of the shades:

• top left – taupe, satin finish, exceptionally creamy texture
• top right – palest peach, satiny-matte finish
• centre – (brilliant pale gold overspray) pale oxidized gold, light iridescent finish
• bottom left – denim blue with an ultra fine peacock blue iridescence
• bottom right – mink brown with mauve undertones, satin finish & a creamy texture

An interesting mix of neutral shades with that one blue stunner in the corner to shake things up, this palette has surprised me on so many levels – all in a good way. The top left shade has that same creamy-to-the-touch texture I mentioned earlier and is probably my favourite taupe powder eyeshadow EVER. The top right hue is quite light against my skin tone, but works beautifully as a warming transition shade, especially when applied along the crease. That vivid gold of the centre shade looks amazing in the pan, but not exactly easily wearable (unless you’re going for a more editorial look), and happily that brilliance is only an overspray, revealing a stunningly smooth ‘antiqued’ gold hue underneath. The bottom left blue shade is a bit of a chameleon; what appears to be peacock blue, is in fact more teal-toned than that, with the fine shimmery bits adding a little something extra. Once again, this is a shade that needs a few swipes of the brush to get the initial hardness out of the way, but which then blends like a charm. The bottom right shade is SUBLIME: perfect pigmentation, application, finish, and texture. I would buy multiple backups of this beauty if it were released as a single, I kid you not.

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 766 Exubérante Eyeshadow Palette

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 766 Exubérante Eyeshadow Palette

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 766 Exubérante Eyeshadow Palette

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 766 Exubérante Eyeshadow Palette (swatches)

Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 | 766 Exubérante Eyeshadow Palette (swatches, deeper light)

Without question, Dior creates some of the most exquisite eyeshadow palettes in the beauty world, with a carefully executed attention to detail (that gets me every.single.time), and lately it seems like the brand has also stepped up their quality game as well, as far as their eyeshadow palettes are concerned. Both 866 Eclectic and 766 Exubérante exhibit eminently wearable colours with superb finishes, displaying deep & rich Fall-like tones but which can be so easily adapted beyond the season as well. The downside? Two words: limited edition. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

The Dior Cosmopolite Fall 2015 Collection should be available now at all Dior counters nationwide (Canada) – find more information via www.dior.com