Inspired by a single strand of pearls with subtle gold, silvery gray, metallic pink, and shimmering white tones, Givenchy's Holiday 2009 collection exudes a tender romanticism. The tones are soft, with frosted rather than metallic finishes to provide a fresher, dewier look that's all the more sophisticated in its subtlety. It has an Old World feel to it, a precious quality that makes the pearl references in the products' names all the more fitting.
Here's a look at the collection. Hopefully, you'll see the why the products feel like they deserve a spot in a jewelry box.
Le Prisme Pearls Precious Pearls
The crown jewel in the collection, the Le Prisme Perles eyeshadow quad in Precious Pearls, features four gorgeous, shimmering shades: a soft silvery gray, a tender pink, a glimmering white, and a pale yellow with golden tones. The shades have a feathery, silky feel on the skin, which makes the eye shadows easy to apply and blend. The hues themselves have a frosted finish that will illuminate your entire face. These shades aren't meant to yield tons of drama but rather, to give you a fresh and dewy look— in fact, when you apply them on the skin, you'll notice all of them look powdery soft and that the difference between the tones is slight (especially with the white, yellow and pink hues). The collection not only captures the shimmering reflections of each tone, it captures you in your best light.
Take a look at how the shades look on the skin (from left to right: yellow, white, silver, and pink):
Givenchy Le Prisme Pearls in Precious Pearls, $51.50. Visit Sephora.com
Gloss Interdit in Tender Pearl and Radiant Pearl
These lip glosses aren't heavy on pigment concentration but, then, that's not the goal with this collection. Instead, they provide just a tad of color and tons of shine, as if they had tiny crystals embedded in them. When I first saw the Gloss Interdit in Elegant Pearl (the silvery gray color), I was utterly confused — while a silvery lip gloss wouldn't have come as a surprise in collections from edgy, color-happy brands like MAC or Illamasqua, it didn't seem like a fit for Givenchy. But then I applied it, and I realized the effect isn't a space-age silver, but rather a soft silvery glimmer like the kind you'd get from tiny icicles and snow crystals perched on a window pane's edges. Needless to say, I'm now completely in love with it (even more so than the Tender Pearl Gloss Interdit).
Here's what they look like on the skin (and keep in mind just how light these colors are!):
Givenchy Gloss Interdit in 20 Tender Pearl and 21 Elegant Pearl, $24.50 each. Visit Sephora.com
In its tube, the Rouge Interdit Shine in Pearl Shine looks like a glossier, slightly lighter version of the pink found in ballerinas' pointe shoes. When you apply it on the skin, however, it's considerably lighter— in fact, it's practically clear. The lipstick is, however, extremely luminous, like a winter frost.
To get a better idea of what it looks like, check out the photo below. The Rouge Interdit Shine in Pearl Shine is the hue at the far right — it's barely detectable against the skin but, if you look closely, you'll notice the speckles and the washed pink tint to the near-clear hue.
Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine in 24 Pearl Shine, $27. Available at Sephora.
Parad'Eyes Liner in Tender Pearl and Elegant Pearl
The collection includes two shades of Givenchy's Parad'Eyes Fluid Liner: Tender Pearl, a metallic pink to correspond with the gloss of the same name, and Elegant Pearl, a metallic silver that also matches the gloss of the same name. Unlike the glosses, though, these liquid liners pack a bit more punch in terms of the concentration of color.
Below, you'll find two photos showing how the liners look like on the skin. The first shows the colors in a low light setting, whereas the second photo shows how the liner colors glimmer in the sunlight.
Givenchy Parad'Eyes Liner in 6 Tender Pearl and 7 Elegant Pearl, $27 each. Visit Sephora.com
