Lise Watier has always been a luxurious name to me… I remember seeing it on the premium counters at  Shoppers Drug Mart and saving my money as a little girl to buy a gift set for my mom for Christmas.  It still has the luxurious look and feel to me, especially with the launch of the Lise Watier Summer Sunset Collection for Summer 2012.  These limited edition items are available until July, so be sure grab any pieces that you like before then!  I’ll be showing some more items from the collection soon, but I wanted to start off with the ones that stood out to me the most, the Summer Sunset Eyeshadow & Bronzer Palettes!

Each palette is encased in a gorgeous clutch-like case with summery orange and hot pink stripes (did I mention those are my two favorite colors for the season).  Each palette comes with small applicators, and the base is actually removable so it can be used as a clutch as well.

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Eyeshadow & Bronzing Powder Palettes

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Eyeshadow & Bronzing Powder Palettes (Note the size)

The Bronzer

It was love at first sight with the Lise Watier Summer Sunset Bronzing Powder ($35 CAD), with five beautiful complexion-enhancing shades to illuminate the face with a soft summer glow.  The strips are made up of bronze, beige and pink tones that blend together to create a totally natural bronzer shade.  It’s sometimes hard to imagine what the final color will look like in palettes like these, where the powders are meant to be blended together, so make sure to look at the swatch!  It’s a very soft, warm bronze (but not orange) and would be great for light-to-medium skin tones.

It has a satin finish, which I love, because it gives a gorgeous glow to the complexion without adding noticeable shimmer.  I’m really loving this powder! It blends so smoothly onto my skin and even though I have to build it quite a bit for it to be noticeable, it still stays natural looking.  The bronzing powder comes with a small pink and black bristled brush which isn’t the best for applying it, but in a pinch (or on the go) it works pretty well.

RATING: A

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Bronzing Powder

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Bronzing Powder

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Bronzing Powder

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Bronzing Powder

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Bronzing Powder

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Bronzing Powder Brush

The Eyeshadows

The Lise Watier Summer Sunset Eyeshadows ($38 CAD) are available in two different palettes; Paradis, a collection of cool tones (shown here) and Tropical, a collection of warm tones.  Each palette features five different color-coordinating shades that work well in various combinations.  The palettes come with two small double-sided sponge-tip applicators, which I’m not a huge fan of but because of the eyeshadow partitions, they are actually useful.  The eyeshadow partitions are so shallow, that it makes it difficult to pick up an individual shade.  Almost impossible with fingers and still difficult with brushes (I could only use my super small precision brushes).

The formula of the eyeshadows themselves is fantastic, very smooth and blendable.  They aren’t the most pigmented shades in the world, and some are more pigmented than others (as usually in palettes like these).  In general, the lightest shades are the least pigmented, the mid-tone shades are a bit better and the dark brown is very pigmented.  I love the range of shades, because I can mix colors or neutrals and colors for a variety of different looks.  I always recommend wearing an eyeshadow primer underneath to really extend the wear of your eyeshadows, but especially for these ones (I find they fade quite easily on their own).

RATING: B+

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Eyeshadow Palette in Paradis

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Eyeshadow Palette in Paradis

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Eyeshadow Palette in Paradis

Lise Watier Summer Sunset Eyeshadow Palette in Paradis

The Clutch

When I read that these palettes are convertible into a clutch, I was so excited. I love the design and the colors, so I totally would use it as a clutch.  The first problem is that only the powder insert comes out- the mirror insert is stuck in.  While I understand it would be nice to have a mirror in the clutch, I’d rather have the decision to remove it if I wished (without breaking it…).  The second problem is that they are just too small for my liking.  If I think about the essentials that I would keep in a clutch… it would be my phone, my key, a few cards and some cash.

The length of the clutch is just barely too small to hold an iPhone (quite the standard for phone size, I would assume).  So unfortunately I won’t be using it as a clutch.  It does hold cards nicely, so maybe I’ll keep all my extra non-essential cards in here, just because its cute.

Empty Lise Watier Summer Sunset Eyeshadow & Bronzing Powder Palettes

Clutch used for cards

Clutch to small for an iPhone! :(

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Summary

• Price: $35 CAD for 0.39oz / 11g (Bronzer) and $38 CAD for 0.14oz / 4g (Eyeshadows)
• Availability: Drugstores (Click here for a list of retailers)
• Selection: One bronzing powder and two eyeshadow palettes available.
• Overall: I think these palettes are super cute and very summery. I’m totally in love with how natural and soft the bronzer looks!  The eyeshadows are nice too, but I wish the pigmentation was a bit more consistent. I also found it a bit hard to pick up eyeshadow from a single shade.  Using the palettes as clutches is a great idea, but fell short in a few key areas like being able to hold an iPhone.
• Rating: A- Overall (Individual products rated above)