wearing the $36 Nutcracker Suite Act II palette on my eyes and cheeks, along with the Chubby Stick baby Tint in Flowering Freesia and blended face Powder in Snowflake Dreams, all from Act II of Clinique’s The Nutcracker Suite holiday collection
Part deux of Clinique’s holiday collection, The Nutcracker Suite, puts the spotlight on soft, romantic colors… and purple!
The overall collection is split into two parts, with the first part, Act I, being pumped up about pink, and the second part, Act II, being passionate about purple.
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In Act II, purple eyes and a sheer purple lip pair with pretty pink cheeks, and for the eyes, there’s The Nutcracker Suite Act II Eye and Cheek palette ($36).
Clinique’s The Nutcracker Suite Act II sub-collection, clockwise from the purple pencil on the left: Chubby Stick baby Tint in Flowering Freesia, blended face Powder in Snowflake dreams and The Nutcracker Suite Act II Palette
The Nutcracker Suite Act II Eye and Cheek palette ($36)
The Nutcracker Suite Act II palette ($36)
I like wearing purple eyeshadow…but often it stresses me out.
Not because of the blending (after all, that’s what transition colors are for), but because some of them — and I don’t know why — make my eyes tear up, particularly when they touch my water lines and outer corners.
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Weirdly, wonderfully, the purples in Clinique’s The Nutcracker Suite Act II palette don’t bother my eyes at all, which makes sense, I guess, for Clinique and their “Allergy Tested” identify line.
The purples in the compact are preternaturally easy to blend, and my favorite one, the darkest shade, is a moderately pigmented matte plum you can sheer out or build up. I like to pat it in the outer corners and sweep it along the outer crease.
A small amount normally does drop down ideal under my eyes, which is a tad annoying, but it’s nothing that a quick swipe from a makeup wipe can’t fix.
A shimmery white shadow (good for a brow bone or inner corner highlight) and plummy pink blush join the purple eyeshadows in the palette, which I expect to want to wear beyond Valentine’s Day into spring.
The Act II palette eyeshadows (four on the left) and blush (swatch on the far right)
Um…and not to be your makeup pusher or anything (famous last words), but I bet the purples in this palette would look extra-stunning on brown, hazel and green eyes.
I’m just saying.
PRICE: $36
AVAILABILITY: available now exclusively online
MAKEUP and appeal blog RATING: A- (the fallout is a minor issue but not a deal-breaker)
Mah home away from home: HomeGoods
For real though. My friend Marisol and I spent a good chunk of time cruising the aisles there on our lady-date last night.
I walked out with a butter dish and some porcelain canisters for the kitchen, a couple of gourmet Spanish chocolate bars that were half off (because you never know when you’ll need to anxiety eat some emergency chocolate) and, for reasons completely unknown to me now, this silver deer head…
My problem is that I know absolutely nothing about home decorating, and I have no natural aptitude for it (oh, well), but someone told me once that if something moves you in some way, choose it.
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So I did.
Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,
Karen