(Scarlett Johansson, brand ambassador)
As soon as I came across the first photos of the line some time ago, I was drawn to the luxurious gold cases. However, I wasn’t sure how they would come across in person. (Some gold packaging photographs well but looks much less opulent in person.) At the counter, it was nice to see that the packaging looked as good as it appeared on the website. Compared with YSL’s gold packaging, Dolce & Gabbana’s has no hard edges and conveys a more sensuous feel but it looks equally glamorous.
I was impressed with the soft texture of the eyeshadows. Most colors are either moderately or well pigmented, and they glide (on the back of my hand) very easily. (I never use counter testers on my face.) At the moment, none of the duos or quads took my fancy, but I will definitely keep an eye on future releases.
(Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Stromboli)
Another item that left a fairly positive impression is Perfect Finish Powder Foundation. Available in 12 shades, it has a soft and smooth texture. It seems to impart a subtly luminous finish, and I think it will probably suit those with a drier skin type better. Shade-wise, I think Caramel and Cinnamon are relatively good yellow-toned shades for light-to-medium complexions.
Four of the five Luminous Cheek Color shades are on the warm side, with Provocative being the only cool shade. Hopefully there will be other cool or neutral-to-cool shades in the future.
Both Classic Cream Lipstick and Shine Lipstick have a rich and creamy texture. Shine Lipstick is slightly sheerer and glossier than Classic Cream Lipstick, which has a satiny and subtly glossy finish.
Price-wise (in the UK), Dolce & Gabbana Makeup is in the same category as other designer beauty brands such as Chanel, Dior and YSL. Here are the prices of some of the items:
Smooth Eye Colour Quad: £35
Smooth Eye Colour Duo: £22
Lipsticks (Classic Cream & Shine): £20
Perfect Finish Powder Foundation: £33
(Classic Cream Lipstick)
Overall, this is a promising makeup line and the standard of the current products appears to be good. Dolce & Gabbana obviously wanted the launch to be exclusive, but, with popular Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson chosen to front the ad campaign and Pat McGrath (one of the world’s best-known makeup artists) sharing application tips on the line’s website, it seems that the line is aiming at a broader appeal. It would also be interesting to see if the line will try to enter the East Asian market, which is not the easiest market to crack due to its sheer competitiveness.
Related posts:
Makeup Review: Illamasqua
(also available in Selfridges)
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi PJ this looks interesting! The eyeshadow quad makes me think of Guerlain. I’d be sure to check it out if it ever came here :)
I bought a lippy and I LOVE IT!!!!
This collection looks great
I usually enjoy golden packaging and big, luxurious cases but I'm not smitten with D&G make up collection . I'm not fond of Scarlett, either!(LoL)
this is exciting!
Hi Paris,
I do hope Dolce & Gabbana Makeup will make its way to some countries in Asia one day. It will be interesting to see how well it does in the Asian market.
Thank you for posting your comment again! :)
Hi,
The texture of the lipstick does seem quite nice and it is great to know that you like the lipstick!
Thank you for stopping by my blog! :)
Hi Suzyp,
Thank you very much for posting your comment! :)
Hi Eru,
I see. I think, between YSL and Dolce & Gabbana, I would have to say I still prefer YSL's gold packaging. For me, they are definitely among the most glamorous makeup cases.
Thank you for stopping by my blog again! By the way, congratulations on your scholarship!! :)
Hi Whit,
Thank you very much for stopping by my blog! :)
Hey PJ
I was down in london so invested in an eyeliner, lipstick and 2 eyeshadows in this range. So far so good! Will review them this weekend :)
Hi Rowena,
It’s good to hear from you again! Hope you are well. :)
It is great that you are having good experiences with the items. I am looking forward to your review!
Thank you for stopping by again! :)
I have the lipstick in Devil (the one Scarlett is wearing in the promo pic) and it’s beautiful, but I find it does bleed without a liner (and I rarely have this problem.) The eyeshadows are gorgeous.
Hi GraceLondon,
Thank you very much for telling me about the lipstick and the eyeshadows. I didn’t try anything on my face, so it is great to hear about your thoughts. (The Devil lipstick does look gorgeous.)
Thank you for posting your comment! :)
Hello,
I bought 2 items of collection at Selfridges yesterday: the ES quad in Stromboli and the Coffee eye pencil.
Texture and pigmentation is very good in this particular quad. The finish for Stromboli is inbetween satin and shimmer with fine gold sparkles. The colors blend easely (and if you layer the bronze with the dark grey you get a nice taupe). From natural to extremely smokey you can do it all. I wasn't really interested in the other colours. I haven't tested them, so I can't say if they are equally as good. Only downside is the size of the pans: a bit smaller than £20 pence/$5 cents/€5 cent coins (that's much smaller than a MAC ES). The size of the compact itself (which is in nice heavy metal) is the same for the quads and duos, so the duo ES are larger because there is more room.
The eyepencil is very smooth and also has gold sparkles. You could even use it as sort of a cream ES or layer it under your powder ES so you have something for them to stick to. Unlike Dior or Chanel there wasn't a pencil sharpner included in the box.
Overall I think P&G did a good job with the D&G makeup line. At least for the 2 items I bought, they went for real "prestige" quality and not just Covergirl (another P&G brand) in a fancy packaging. Something other big groups sometimes dare to do, but that's another story.
Sorry for the long post, I got carried away…
Hi CedriCeCCentriC,
I am sorry for my late response!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts on the Dolce & Gabbana items that you tried. I really appreciate it, and I am glad that they are working well for you. I did think that the texture of the eyeshadows seemed quite good, and it is great to know that you think the same.
It is likely that I will try something from the line (probably an eye quad or a blusher), but I will wait for more items to be released and see if there is anything I like. On the other hand, I do like the line's packaging so I know that, if I do get something, it will look good on my dressing table. :)
Thank you very much again for posting your comment! :)