YSL recently came out with some new single eyeshadows called Couture Mono Eyeshadows. I decided to try several browns: Facon, Exces and Dedale. They come with the signature YSL gold case, they are slim and the sponge tip applicator and brush snap into the lid:
These are finely milled and smooth. There is a little variation between shades as far as texture goes. Facon or #4 is a light neutral milk chocolate brown with a hint of silver/white shimmer. So it's not matte, yet not really a full on satin. The texture is buttery, smooth, applies evenly, blends well and is well pigmented. Exces or #11 is a medium dark cooler brown with more of that very tiny silver/white shimmer. This one is a satin, it's buttery like Facon, pigmented, blends well and applies evenly. It also applies darker and a touch cooler than it looks in the pan. Dedale or #17 is odd, it looks like a shimmery medium bronze brown in the pan. When you swatch it you see a medium bronze brown with copper shimmer. I thought it would apply really warm or copper, yet when applied on the lids it's more neutral medium brown than copper/bronze and the shimmer becomes less apparent. So try this one on your lids besides just swatching it if you're interested in it. You can see in the comparison swatch how much less warm it is than a typical bronze. There's no fall out, this shade is less buttery in texture and feels slightly thinner, but it applies even and blends well, it's silky and pigmented. I wouldn't consider this one a metallic or frost shade, satin would fit the way it looks on the lids.
Overall, they are a great formula, they wore and performed well, the colors are great staple browns. I like the brush and applicator in the cap, since I usually remove them anyway and don't use them. It keeps them out of the way. They retail for $30 for 2.8g of product. They had other shades that looked nice, they just weren't my colors. These colors were actually hard to photograph, the tones and shimmer changed in the light easily, especially Dedale. So I have some pictures in sunlight to show the shimmer, others indoors to show color better, and some comparisons.
L to R #4 Facon, 11 Exces, 17 Dedale:
Top to Bottom #4, 11, 17:
#4 Facon:
#4 With Similar Shades:
Top to Bottom: YSL #4, Cle de Peau #111, Bobbi Brown Blonde, Charlotte Tilbury The Sophisticate(Upper R shade), Surratt Ombre, Surratt Greige:
#11 Exces:
#11 With Similar Shades:
Top to Bottom: YSL #11, Edward Bess Intimate, Armani Maestro #32, Le Metier de Beaute Mulberry:
#17 Dedale:
#17 With Similar Shades:
Top to Bottom: YSL #17, Surratt Haute Chocolate, Charlotte Tilbury Golden Goddess(Bottom R shade):
What a great post! Thank you for the swatches, helped me to understand which of those 3 I need 🙂
Thank you so very much -- you have a great eye for color. Enlightening and very informative!