Do you ever wonder how fashion designers all seem to share a hive mind when it comes to picking the "in" color for the season? It actually has nothing to do with a Fashion Borg Queen, and everything to do with Pantone.
Pantone, the "color authority," annually chooses a Color of the Year. This year, it's Tangerine Tango. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®, describes Tangerine Tango as such:
“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it. Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”
This year, Sephora partnered with Pantone to create the first-ever Color of the Year cosmetics collection. Included in the collection: lipstick, a nail enamel set, two different blushes, a lipgloss set, an eyeliner set, eyeshadow, false lashes, an eyelash curler, a brush set, and a makeup bag. They also have a Color of the Year Set, including six of the products, which my friend Crystal and I bought together and split. Onto the review...
Color of the Year Creme Lipstick, $18
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| Left: Lipstick |
This is what I was most excited for in this collection, and it didn't disappoint. I'm a redhead, so I wear my fair share of bright oranges if I happen to be rocking a neutral eye that day. But the Tangerine Tango is just slightly different than the other brights; it's got just a touch of pink undertone, which makes it unique and gorgeous.
This gave me about 5-6 hours of wear (over Too Faced's Borderline Lip Pencil, which I wear with all my lipstick). It's very creamy, and has enough pigment to cover your lips in just a couple of swipes.
The packaging on this is also very sleek, with a magnetic base which snaps tight to the lid.
Verdict: Love it! I highly recommend this one.
Color of the Year Nail Enamel Set, $24
Four variations of Tangerine Tango come packaged in this set; a matte creme, a glossy creme, a sheer shimmer, and a glitter. They're all fairly thin.
In the photo, I'm wearing two coats of the cremes, three of the shimmer, and four of the glitter.
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| L-R: Creme, Matte, Shimmer, Creme, Glitter |
Glitter: Love the color; it's bright and fun for summer but it's versatile enough to work with autumn tones as well. I only wish there would have been a little more glitter; it's very sparse and took four coats to cover my nail entirely.
Matte Creme: I normally love matte polish, but only if it will cover my nail in one coat. Otherwise they tend to look streaky. I've got two coats of this on, and you can still see my nail beneath; not a good look. I wasn't too thrilled with this one.
Glossy Creme: Again, you can still see my nails through two coats of this. I'm just not up for layering coat after coat of nail polish.
Shimmer: This would be pretty over something but, on its own, it isn't substantial enough to cover the nail. I applied three coats and it still doesn't cover.
I really wanted to love this set, but I just didn't. I do wish they came separately, because I'm seriously coveting the glitter-- even though it's a hassle to put on all those coats, it's such a gorgeous color.
Verdict: Not worth it. There are lots of oranges out this season, and OPI's A Roll In the Hague, Mod-ern Girl, Atomic Orange, or In My Back Pocket will give you the year's hot color-- in one or two coats.
Color of the Year Prisma Chrome Blush, $16
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| Right: Prisma Chrome Blush |
When the Prisma Chrome eyeshadows came out earlier this year, I was eager to try them. I ultimately didn't end up buying any, because I like something with a bit more pigment-- and, well, let's be honest, I have enough eyeshadows at home. But I was glad to see a Prisma Chrome pop up in this collection, because I love the texture. It's like a cream and a powder combined... so velvety and lush.
This is lighter and less pigmented than the blush duo, but if you're looking for something more subdued than the bright tangerine, this might be your way to try the orange trend. It's a light apricot with a golden glimmer, and gives your skin a healthy glow.
Verdict: The blush duo is the better product if you like the brighter hues; if not, try this one.
Color of the Year Lipgloss Set, $20
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| Middle: Tangerine Tango Luminous Lip Gloss |
The Pantone lipgloss comes in a set of four shades, all variations on the Tangerine Tango. There's the plain tangerine, a tangerine with shimmer, a tangerine with gold shimmer, and a tangerine pink with gold shimmer.
The lipgloss set was unavailable for swatching, but I did end up with a single lipgloss, since Crystal and I split the big six-piece set. It's a full color gloss, which gives a lovely color without being too overpowering. It's not sticky at all, and it's got good staying power.
I'd recommend this if you want to dabble in the color craze but don't want to go too out there with bright orange on your lips and eyes; it's a great way to get in on the trend.
Verdict: Divide the price tag by four and, essentially, each lipgloss costs $5. Definitely worth it!
Color of the Year Eyeliner Set, $22
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| Eyeliner: Top Left |
These three eyeliners come in tangerine, brown, and black. Like the other Sephora eyeliners, they stay pretty well, they don't tug too much, and they're creamy. I swatched these on my hand and left them there; they stayed in place, but did come off with soap and water. Again, I wish these came separately; I don't have an orange eyeliner like this, but I've got black and brown already (as I'm sure most of us do), and I don't use the waterproof Sephora eyeliners for my black and brown, which doesn't make this a smart purchase.
Verdict: If you love the Sephora liners, and you love the tangerine, get the kit. Even if you've got the black and brown at home, you'll use them eventually.
Color of the Year Blush Duo, $26
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| Top: Matte, Bottom: Shimmer |
The Color of the Year Blush Duo is a set of tangerine blushes: one packed with ethereal shimmer, one a muted matte. When I swatched the shimmery one, I fell in love at first sight! Its sister is a lovely soft matte. These blushes are very pigmented, so a sweep of color will give you a solid flush; it's also been long-wearing (I've had it on for 9+ hours). On cheeks, these two colors are beautiful, especially on those with red hair. I'm a staunch cream-and-stain-only girl when it comes to cheek color, but this won me over. Crystal got this when we split the set, but I bought it separately... neither of us were leaving without it!
The packaging is also very cool... the lid snaps onto the palette with a magnet in each corner.
Verdict: A winner! You won't regret buying this.
Color of the Year Eyeshadow Quad, $28
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| Eyeshadow: Top Right |
Since Sephora increased the amount of pigment in their products, I've been more apt to use them. (See above: that amazing blush!) The mono eyeshadows, however, are still lacking. Since the Pantone collection was such a highly anticipated line, I figured the quality of these shadows would be better; unfortunately, that wasn't the case. You have to really dig in with your brush and use a lot of shadow to get a decent amount of color. I tried using it wet, but the color clumped together when I tried to blend, so that's a no-go.
It's too bad, really; the colors in this quad are beautiful, and the nude, plum, and black shadows complement the orange well, making it incredibly wearable. And the packaging, like the blush duo, is mod and magnetic.
Verdict: Skip it. For a good, pigment-laden substitute to this less-than-impressive quad, head to Beauty From the Earth and pick up Lace, Chaos, Shadows, and Black & White. They're $6.50 a jar (which amounts to $26 for the four), and you won't have to pile on layers of shadow to get a good color.
Tangerine Tango Brush Set, $68
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| Photo: Sephora.com |
The Tangerine Tango Brush Set comes with five brushes: powder, blush, foundation, shadow, and crease. They've got clear acrylic handles and orange bristles, and the set comes with a white acrylic stand to store the brushes when you're not using them.
The thick, square handles of the set are incredibly awkward, and not comfortable-- or easy-- to balance in the hand. I do like the stand, but that's about the only up side to this set. Definitely not worth the $68.
I'd recommend saving your money and purchasing the Two Tone Portfolio Brush Set for $44 instead; the brushes are the same quality, and you get one extra brush (included: powder, blush, shadow, angled shadow, concealer, and retractable lip brushes). With the cash you save, you can pick up on some Tangerine Tango you can actually wear. Or, you can nab the Advanced Airbrush Set for $65, which are Sephora's high-quality brushes (included: Powder, Foundation, Concealer, Crease, and Shadow. This is my personal favorite brush set).
Verdict: too large, too cumbersome, too square. Fashion-forward bristles aren't worth $68.
Chime in: what are you looking forward to buying or trying? Have you tried anything from this collection yet? What do you think of it?
4:38 PM
LOVED this review! I was so excited about this collection, so it's nice to know what's really worth the money!
great review...not too many reviews out there yet on this collection, keep up the good work!