Do you ever just stop and stare up at the sky as it changes colors at dusk? As the day slinks away? Doesn’t it look like someone’s cranking up the saturation on everything? Okay, yeah, so it might sound kinda boring, but you gotta do it every so often.
Estee Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux says that’s the kind of light — the colors that emerge at the moment day turns to night — that inspired the company’s new Blue Dahlia collection (have you seen the 1946 movie of the same name?).
The punchy purples, electric blues, pale pinks, elegant taupes and juicy raspberries in the 16-piece limited edition release tell a tale of cool-toned colors for eyes, lips and nails.
Today I explored five of Blue Dahlia’s delights…
Both the Blue Dahlia Five Color Eyeshadow Palette ($42) and Sepia Sand Eyeshadow ($20) to my eye demonstrate how far Estee Lauder’s eyeshadows have come over the last few years, both in terms of color and quality. They strike me with a sharper edge than the EL of days gone by.
Despite how pigmented they are, these soft, smooth powder shadows could almost blend themselves. They’re everything I love most about what Estee Lauder has become — rich, classy and eminently wearable. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
The non-sticky $19 Pure Color Gloss Sticks in creamy Mauve Mirage and creamy pink Night Bloom lavish lips with smooth, rich color and shine. I also really 
the light strawberry flavor and scent, and I have a feeling that Night Bloom (my fave) will look stunning partnered with smokey eyes. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
Pure Color Gloss in Twilight Petal ($20) adds a peachy pink opalescent glow to lips that reminds me of the shades that hide in seashells. With its non-sticky texture, medium thickness and moisturizing formula, it’s one of the most comfortable glosses I’ve come across in years (feels similar to Becca’s Sheer Lip Tints). LOVE THIS! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+
Blue Dahlia Five Color Eyeshadow Palette ($42)
Sepia Sand Eyeshadow ($20)
Pure Color Gloss Stick in Night Bloom (left, $19), Pure Color Gloss Stick in Mauve Mirage (right, $19)
Pure Color Gloss in Twilight Petal ($20)
Swatches of Blue Dahlia Five Color Eyeshadow Palette ($42) on NC35 skin
Swatches from left on NC35 skin: Sepia Sand Eyeshadow ($20), Pure Color Gloss Stick in Mauve Mirage ($19), Pure Color Gloss Stick in Night Bloom ($19), Pure Color Gloss in Twilight Petal ($20)
Wearing the Blue Dahlia Five Color Eyeshadow Palette and Sepia Sand Eyeshadow
Wearing the Night Bloom Pure Color Gloss Stick
Wearing the Mauve Mirage Pure Color Gloss Stick
Wearing Twilight Petal Pure Color Gloss
Blue Dahlia might not rock the socks off gals who prefer warm colors and/or bright, bold looks, but it might be just the thing to tempt girls who love classy, cool-toned shades. It’s one of my favorite collections to arrive for fall. Tommy baby, ya done good! 🙂
Let me know what you think of Blue Dahlia in the comments. Does it move you or make you want to turn away?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Toni says
July 29th, 2010 at 6:23 pmI have been seeing pics of this and people doing eye looks with the Blue Dahlia palette and I luvs it! I am so tempted to buy that palette, but I haven’t had the best of luck with blues lately (mostly from a MAC palette). However, if they’re soft and blendable, I might be persuaded to buy it. Does the Pure Color Gloss in Twilight Petal have a fragrance? You know I love my non-sticky, non-scented lipglosses! Thanks for the review!
Karen says
July 29th, 2010 at 6:35 pmThe Pure Color Gloss does have a scent. It’s kinda fruity, but not overly so.
Alix says
July 29th, 2010 at 6:34 pmRun out and get the Surreal Violet polish, too — it’s GORGEOUS!
Karen says
July 29th, 2010 at 6:36 pmThe Blue Dahlia polish is sitting on my desk waiting to be swatched. 😀
Sarah says
July 29th, 2010 at 6:36 pmI’m sooo tempted by the blue! I love putting blue shadow/liner on my lower lash line with more neutral colours on my lid. This is such a lovely fall look!
Sarah recently posted … Sunshine on a Cloudy Day
Karen says
July 29th, 2010 at 6:37 pmThanks, Sarah. 🙂
BTW, that’s my fave wear to work blues, too! I also love it on the lid with a bronze or brown in the crease.
ace says
July 29th, 2010 at 6:40 pmi generally dont like estee lauder, but this looks great!! and it looks beautiful on you…
ace recently posted … Too Faced La Vie En Rose
Karen says
July 29th, 2010 at 6:42 pmThey’ve had some very nice releases in the last couple of years. You should give ’em another chance!
ace says
July 29th, 2010 at 7:16 pmi do really love the pure color eyeshadow… unfortunately, the color range isnt great. i do have two of them, and i really like the two i have11
ace recently posted … Too Faced La Vie En Rose
Karen says
July 29th, 2010 at 8:30 pmWhich ones do you have?
ace says
July 30th, 2010 at 10:45 ami have cinnamon and smokey!
ace recently posted … Too Faced La Vie En Rose
Amber says
July 29th, 2010 at 7:17 pmOhhh, pretty. I am loving all the shimmery navy shadows in the last couple years. I need to add one to my stable.
Also, I want to move next door to you and play with your makeup stash all day. 🙂
Amber recently posted … Night Flight earrings by Ornamental Things
Karen says
July 29th, 2010 at 8:29 pmI wish you did too! You could play with makeup and I could mess with your camera lenses. 😀
Amber says
July 29th, 2010 at 9:03 pmSounds good to me. Call me if you need an intern. 😉
Amber recently posted … Oddball
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:23 amYes ma’am!
Happy Friday, btw. WOOT!
Amber says
July 30th, 2010 at 9:06 amWoohoo, happy Friday! Can I go home yet??
Amber recently posted … Oddball
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 9:51 amLOL… I wish we could all take off early and just troll the makeup section at the mall.
And eat french fries.
And a vanilla shake…
Wow, I’m PMS-ing!
Amber says
July 30th, 2010 at 10:15 amHa! I don’t know what my excuse is, but I’m way deeper than I ought to be into this ‘family-size’ bag of Twizzlers that I bought just two nights ago…
Amber recently posted … Oddball
jenn says
July 29th, 2010 at 7:22 pmThis palette looks gorgeous on you! Will you be giving us a tutorial about how you put the look together? That would be great!
Karen says
July 29th, 2010 at 8:28 pmHi Jenn,
The eyes are really super easy. Here’s a quick breakdown:
1. Apply Sepia Sands to lid and crease.
2. Apply taupe shade to lid; layer black shade into outer 2/3 of lid, and then blend together.
3. Line waterlines (upper and lower) with the black shade.
4. Apply teal shade along lower lashlines.
5. With an angled brush, layer dark blue shade along the outer 2/3 of the lower lash line (try to get as close to the lower lashes as possible)
6. With a big fluffy brush (like the MAC 217), dust the glittery white shade over lids (from lash line to crease) to add some sparkle.
That’s it! Lemme know if you have any questions. 🙂
Michelle says
July 29th, 2010 at 7:40 pmNow, if only the fireman came to the door when you were wearing this hot look 🙂 LOL
Love the pop of blue — so pretty! So glad Estee Lauder is stepping up their came (they have pretty much been off my radar). Might have to swing by to take a look at these . . .
Karen says
July 29th, 2010 at 8:24 pmHa ha, isn’t the universe funny that way? The only time a hot fireman comes to the door is when you look COMPLETELY NUTS!
It you end up checking this out lemme know. 🙂
Almost to Friday…
Michelle says
July 29th, 2010 at 7:41 pmUmm, I meant “stepping up their game” . . .
BlovetBeauty says
July 29th, 2010 at 7:49 pmThe blue really makes ur eyes pop! love the intensity of it!
BlovetBeauty recently posted … Weekend Beauty Buys & Finds
Karen says
July 29th, 2010 at 8:23 pmThanks! 🙂 Hopefully you’ll be able to swatch/play with this palette soon.
Paris B says
July 29th, 2010 at 8:11 pmThank you Karen! This totally reinforces the fact that I need this palette 😀
Karen says
July 29th, 2010 at 8:22 pmIt’s really very beautiful. I think you’d like it a lot!
Kayann says
July 29th, 2010 at 8:53 pmWhile I love the way that looks, I may love your top more!
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:23 amI got it at Marshall’s about a month ago!
Christy says
July 29th, 2010 at 10:59 pmThis is really pretty pallet ! Matter of fact, Blue tone is perfect for my eyes. Thanks for sharing….You are one busy lady…
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:21 amHi Christy,
If you wear blues well you might really like this palette. Have a good one!
Vesna says
July 30th, 2010 at 12:42 amPalette is just wonderful! I still don’t have anything from EL. In Croatia this brand is ridiculously expensive, like it’s Guerlain or somethin’….
Vesna recently posted … When Beauty Goes Bizarre
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:20 amReally? That’s fascinating! I guess every country has certain things that are pricey.
Steph B says
July 30th, 2010 at 6:14 pmI noticed how similar this palette was to the fall Guerlain as well. Their palette is twice as expensive. It is very pretty and you do get an eyeliner, but c’mon.
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod114210021&parentId=cat13520734&masterId=cat11760731&index=0&cmCat=cat000000cat000285cat4830738cat000294cat000308cat11760731cat13520734
makeup morsels says
July 30th, 2010 at 12:42 amI like the look you did with these! I’m not sure how well these eyeshadow colors would work with my skintone, but I love the finish of those Color Gloss Stick.s. Definitely have to check those out
makeup morsels recently posted … EOTD- Black and Gold
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:19 amI wasn’t sure at first either because the colors seem very cool in the pan, but they’re actually really wearable. You could definitely pull off the blues and the black shade in the middle.
Tiffany says
July 30th, 2010 at 4:45 amLove your eye look with the turquoise on the bottom! The lippies and gloss look great too. And i want your shirt!
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:19 amLOL, that’s a $15 Marshall’s shirt! Gosh I love that place.
Holly says
July 30th, 2010 at 5:01 amWow Karen, the blue under your eyes is really gorgeous! it really makes your eyes pop 🙂
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:18 amHi Holly,
It’s an easy way to wear color without having it be too much. Do you wear lots of blues?
Holly says
July 31st, 2010 at 1:35 pmHey Karen 🙂
Yes I do love to wear colour 🙂 Today I was wearing purple on the lower lashes.
I love blues too, it can look so fresh and pretty if done right 🙂
Martha says
July 30th, 2010 at 5:13 amI got the Blue Dahlia palette and LOVE it! I am have used it quite a few times already. Estee Lauder will be getting more of my moolah if this is the direction they are heading!
Martha recently posted … Blue Dahlia FOTD
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:18 amHi Martha,
Things have been on the up and up with the line, especially in terms of color. Did you check out their summer stuff? I thought it was great!
Kim says
July 30th, 2010 at 5:40 amI really love the navy, but it is almost impossible to get me off a neutral pallet (I’m terrified of looking like Mimi from Drew Carey). Btw, EL should actually use your FOD instead of their promo pic – yours is 100x prettier! 🙂
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:17 amI know what you mean. When I first started wearing blues I was terrified of the same thing. You could always start slowly — maybe try it along the lower lash line like in this look (w/browns or taupes on the lid).
Kim says
July 30th, 2010 at 12:23 pmYou’re giving me courage.. I’ll seriously consider it! I have very green eyes so I always think purple will be a good choice. It’s just hard to find the right shade. Maybe I’ll split the diff with a purpley-blue? 🙂
Carolina says
July 30th, 2010 at 5:48 amOh, how beautiful!
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:16 amIt’s a gorgeous palette, right? Are you going to check it out?
gio says
July 30th, 2010 at 6:08 amThis is a beautiful palette and I love the look you did with it. The blue on the lower lashline really makes your eyes pop.
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:16 amThanks, Gio. 🙂 Have a great day!
Nina says
July 30th, 2010 at 6:38 amLovin both the eyeshadow palette and the single. OMG Estee you make my heart skip!
Your look is awesome, Karen! 🙂
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:16 amThanks, Nina!
We made it to Friday… WOOT!
What are you doing this weekend?
Nina says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:36 amYay for Friday Witwoo! 😀
Were going to Old Town Spring (around 30 mins away from Houston) to just walk around and browse tomorrow.
Sunday – were going to make home made noodle soup, but before that were going to hit 99 Ranch for the stuff to make it with.
Hubs is off all of next week, im off some days so were kinda stoked for that.
How bout you? 🙂
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:52 amWe have 99 Ranch Stores here too! Not so much in the area where I live (the minorities here are mostly Latino), but in the East Bay where I grew up there’s an Asian store on every corner.
I have a LOT of cleaning to do. The in-laws are coming on the 12th to stay with us for a few weeks and the place looks like it got hit by a tornado. I hate cleaning… sigh.
Nina says
July 30th, 2010 at 11:29 amI hate cleaning too, mostly because I get bored and my allergies act up! Good luck, I hope it works out perfectly w/ you and the cleaning!
Love love 99Ranch, I actually get my shampoo and facial cleanser and other toiletries there too! 🙂
If the great noodle soup experiment goes well, were going to have my bestie and her family. my sister and her best friend over one sunday afternoon for noodle soup and dessert, probly after the Hubs’ birthday!
lexi says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:36 amOOOOH I like this on you. I do have to ask – if I had to choose between Benefit’s Scene Queen in Annie or this – what would you choose? Just based on shadow choices of Scene Queen.
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 8:50 amHmm. That’s a toughy. I’d give this a slight edge because the shadows last a reeeeeally long time (seriously, I put the black shade on my waterline yesterday and it was on until 10 at night), and it’s more portable.
lexi says
July 30th, 2010 at 10:10 amOkay – I am taking your word for it!
How did you use the black shadow on your waterline? Did you wet your brush with it and then lined? Did you use your MAC Pencil brush? I am very intrigued now! Also did you use a primer?
Melissa W. says
July 30th, 2010 at 10:08 amThis looks like my ideal collection of shadows. I love it. That is such a nice deep blue shadow. 🙂 I love what you’ve done with these shadows, Karen!
Melissa W. recently posted … Perfume Review- Kenzo Amour
Patty says
July 30th, 2010 at 12:36 pmI seriously love those taupe shades. Is That Sepia Sand on your lid or the taupey shade from the pallette?
Karen says
July 30th, 2010 at 12:40 pmHey Patty!
That’s Sepia Sand on the lid and crease, and then a layer of Taupe mixed w/Black (outer 2/3rds) on the lid.
Patty says
July 30th, 2010 at 1:02 pmThanks! The combination is just beautiful and different than most taupey shades. I just did a “chat” with an EL advisor to ask if the shade in the palette has a name…it doesn’t. I told her to check out your blog to see how gorgeous it looks on you and she said she definitely will do so! I really wasn’t too interested in this collection until I saw it on you and now am going to open my tightwad purse and go shopping.
LOve and a gentle hug to the Tabser!
Katrina says
July 30th, 2010 at 1:36 pmOooh those shadows are beautiful! i don’t know if I could wear them though, I don’t tend to do well with cool shades
Margaret McDermott says
July 30th, 2010 at 2:28 pmI’m a sucker for blue eyeshadow and this one look s gorgeous!! That alone has me sold on the Blue dahlia! 🙂
Margaret McDermott recently posted … Fierce Plus Size Fashion- Monif C
Leslie says
July 30th, 2010 at 2:49 pmThose colors are gorgeous on you. Neiman’s is having a great EL GWP next week, so this post is timely. I cannot wait to check out the collection in person.
Sharon says
July 30th, 2010 at 4:24 pmI really like the palette and the Mauve Mirage gloss stick. Both would get a lot of use from me (the darker blue in the palette is especially pretty).
Diana says
July 30th, 2010 at 4:42 pmIt’s gorgeous on you. You look so good in greens and blues! Work it, girl!
Vonvon says
July 31st, 2010 at 4:53 amI have been lemming for this collection so much! Thanks for the swatches. They just give me more reasons to own this collection!
Vonvon recently posted … Photos- My Little Girls Nail Spa Session & Hair Highlight
Sam says
July 31st, 2010 at 10:37 amI NEED this palette! The look you created is gorgeous!
Joey Chong says
August 1st, 2010 at 2:06 amCan’t wait to check this collection out when it’s available here 😉
Diva Style says
August 2nd, 2010 at 7:05 pmOooohwheeee!!! Love the blue shadow as liner. 🙂
Diva Style recently posted … -Dorm Room Design Day-
krista says
October 12th, 2010 at 6:20 amWhat is the number of “Twilight Petal” lipgloss? does anyone know? Was asking today, and the checkout girl kept asking me product number, but all i knew was the name of lipgloss “Twilight Petal” so i didnt get it…? HeEEEElp!!!