Lancome Naturelle Seduction

RRP: $42 USD from www.evecare.com; $60 NZD

--What does the promo say?--
"Naturelle Seduction contains 1 x Blush Subtil, 1 x Rouge Absolue, and 4 x Color Focus Eyeshadows. The perfect kit for a natural look. A universal range of colours to suit all complexions."

--Packaging--
Comes in its own black velvet pouch, which picks up dust quite easily, but in doing so keeps the palette itself clean and undamaged. The palette is made from shiny black plastic, and has a very small gold Lancome logo at the point where the palette opens. It's easy to open and close, and everything is laid out very nicely inside, including three different applicators, one of which is double-ended. It also has a very generously-sized mirror.

--Application--
The blush and lipstick are easy enough to use, but the four eyeshadows provided can make things more overwhelming. You can of course use them separately; if you wish to use them all together, however, the best course of action seems to be to use the yellow up to the brow bone, the pink up to the eyelid crease, the brown as a liner along the top lashes, and the white as a highlighter just at the outer corner of the brow.

--Appearance--
All of the colours combine beautifully to create a really natural look, no matter what your skin tone. In the palette, the colours are really shown at their best against the jet-black packaging. Depth is created around the eyes, a healthy rosy glow is given at the cheeks, and the lip colour is a very natural pinky red.

--Texture/consistency--
The blusher is not too powdery, which is good, as it means mess is minimised. The lipstick is really lovely and soft without being glossy. The pink and yellow eyeshadows are more powdery, but the liner and highlighter are more difficult to describe: they seem denser and less powdery, and travel across the skin much more smoothly (though they are more difficult to pick up with the brush).

--Longevity--
The lipstick puts up a good fight, but will need to be reapplied by lunchtime. However, the blusher lasts ages and the eyeshadow stays flawless all day.

--Value for money--
This is mostly available in airport duty-free areas, so is bound to be at a fairly attractive price (must be: it's how I got mine!). However, this is worth purchase alone for its top-notch eyeshadow and to-die-for soft lipstick.