Yria Eyeshadow Duo

RRP: £9.00/3g
# of shades available: 5 (prune, naturel, blue, brown and khaki)

--About the brand--
Yves Rocher is a discount makeup, health and beauty chain that has branches in the UK, Europe and the US. It has several 'own brands', of which Yria is one.

--What does the promo say?--
"Make up your eyes without looking harsh. Transforms your eye for a younger, refreshed look, thanks to its gentle smoothing pigments that draw light away from lines, as well as its elegant shades that bring out the beauty of your eye colour. Contains white tea extract. Your look is totally transformed."

--Packaging--
The rectangular compact is a nice size - about the size of my palm. The colour scheme is a sort of Christian Lacroix-esque dark red and gold, which indicates it probably isn't aimed at my age group. In truth, I can see my mum or even my gran buying this. However, the low price means it may well attract young people, and once the colours are on your eyes it hardly matters what age bracket the packaging it aimed at. It's a plastic flip-top casing, and contains 2 eyeshadow brushes as standard (one flattish, and one that's sort of pointy).

--Application--
This eyeshadow duo even includes a leaflet for all the makeup novices showing best how to apply the two shades in ways that complement one another. Nice touch.

--Appearance--
In the box the colours are subtle but striking and on the eye they prove their mettle. You can use the colours together or separately for a subtle pastel look or for something more sophisticated and with greater depth.

--Texture--
Fine, smooth particles, making it easy to apply.

--Longevity--
Doesn't crease. No need to reapply throughout the day.

--Does it do what it says it will?--
Can't say it takes much attention away from my under-eye lines, but I can believe that over time it would help stave off eyelid creases owing to the white tea extract (contains powerful anti-ageing antioxidants, don't you know). I can't think of any other eyeshadow that uses this as such a key part of its promotion.

--Value for money--
This isn't the cheapest shadow on the market, but it's far from being the most expensive and I consider the white tea extract to be a distinct advantage. You seem to have to scrape the brush over the shadow a few times to get enough to colour your eyelid fully, which casts aspersions over how long the duo is going to last. However, if it does run out quickly, this at least gives me an excuse to try the other colours in the range :)