today, i’d like to share with you a palette i’ve had in my possession for quite a while.  i picked this up last year, probably in my july trip to asia.  it’s a duty free exclusive.  why am i only sharing it with you now?  well to be honest, it sat neglected in my stash for a while.  they’re not the sort of eye catching colors that i’m drawn to, but i picked this up because i wanted to test Clinique’s eye shadow formula and thought the palette had a good range of colors.  it’s something i could be happy with on a short trip (5 days or less).  i liked how compact and light it was, as i am currently trying to shrink my travel makeup bag down to a more acceptable size.

as i began to work with the palette more, i slowly began to realize how great it was.  while the colors don’t make you scream “OMG, gotta have it!!”, they turn out to be colors that look soft and elegant and work well together in a variety of different combinations.  i also like that these are colors work in any season, and i often reach for this palette when i need something to go with the single eyeshadows in my collection.  it’s rare that i own a palette where i enjoy every single color, but i can honestly say that there really isn’t a dud in the palette.  it’s not surprising, as Clinique combined a few of their popular duos and quads to make this palette.

from left to right: in All About Shadow Soft Shimmer formulation, light pink from Going Steady Quad (10), both shades from Cocktail Duo (23), dark shade from Jammin Duo (20), white shade from Jenna’s Essentials Quad (02).  in All About Shadow Super Shimmer, dark shade from Wave After Wave Duo (08), light shade from Jeans And Heels Duo (22), Graphite Single (33).  the dark shade from Jammin Duo looks way off in this picture.  it’s a lot more blue than pictured.

here’s a better picture of the Super Shimmer formulation.  the white shade from Jenna’s Essentials Quad is kind of an in between in shimmer power.  it’s more shimmery than the rest of its Soft Shimmer siblings but not quite shimmery as the Super Shimmers.

all the shades are easy to blend and have decent to good pigmentation.  the lighter colors are a bit sheer, but they don’t apply patchy.  they can kick up a little bit of powder, but they’re not as bad as the Kat Von D eye shadows.  my only real complaint is that the shimmers are a bit much to act as brow highlight.  i wish the white had been a matte shade instead. now to the good part, seeing them in action!

here you see Clinique Going Steady 10 light pink in the inner corners, Cocktail Duo 23 light shade on the lid, and Jammin Duo 20 dark shade in the outer v.

like i said before, my camera pulled out the reds of the purple so here’s another pic of the look taken with my iphone 6 in the shade of a building.

 

here you’re seeing Jenna’s Essentials 02 white shade as brow highlight, Wave After Wave 08 dark shade on the lid, Jeans and Heels 22 light shade as a transition in the crease, Graphite Single 33 in the outer v.  here’s the look look in context.

 

below you’ll see Clinique both shades of Cocktail Duo 23, and Jenna’s Essentials 02 white as inner corner highlight.

here’s that same look in natural light.

 

looking at these photo’s, i’m sad to report that they really don’t do the shadows justice.  in real life they look a bit more pigmented and vibrant.  clearly i need a bit more research and practice with photography, but i hope they’re enough to pique your interest.  i particularly love the dark purple, green and grey shades in this palette.  Graphite in particular is a nice shade in the evening when you want an elegant smokey look, without it looking over the top.

Readers, what do you think of Clinique’s Eyes To Go?  do you like to travel with singles, quads or palettes when you go away for a week or more?