The Yves Saint Laurent Northern Lights Collection for Holiday 2012 includes the beautiful Yves Saint Laurent Boréal Palette in Arctic Night ($58 USD / $79 CAD), the signature key piece in the collection. This limited-edition palette contains four beautiful wet/dry eyeshadows encased in a signature YSL Pure Chromatics compact and tucked inside a festive, sequins holder. This limited-edition collection is now available online and at Yves Saint Laurent counters.

The photos don’t do the packaging justice- that sparkly, sequins holder is so much more beautiful in person (you know, how sequins just glisten)! You can either store your palette in it, or keep it in your purse to hold your business cards, cash or credit cards! The palette itself is a standard, gold YSL Pure Chromatics eyeshadow palette with four wet/dry eyeshadows and two double-ended applicators. The interior lid features a mirror as well!

Yves Saint Laurent Boréal Palette in Arctic Night & Sequins holder

Yves Saint Laurent Boréal Palette in Arctic Night

Note the size

Use the case as a business card or credit card & cash holder!

The shades include a very unique, rosy brown with flecks of blue shimmer, a pale icy blue with irridescent shimmer, a striking aqua blue shimmer and a deep royal blue with flecks of silver sparkle. I love the choice of shades- how the blues work together so nicely, yet there’s an unexpected clay brown that still has a bit of blue sparkle to tie the shades together. Unique, a little hard to work together, but beautiful none-the-less.

The quality of the eyeshadows is fantastic- I haven’t really met a Pure Chromatics palette I haven’t liked. They are much more pigmented and opaque when used wet, but still have a pretty, soft wash of color when applied dry. Be careful not to use too much water or mixing medium though, as I find they can get a bit clumpy quite easily- I like to use just a tiny but of moisture, then apply dry powder on top to set it (this also makes them easier to blend together). The one thing I always look for in a palette is variety in texture, and this one is quite shimmery overall so that’s a bit of a disappointment- but it is quite a dramatic palette, so it’s not really something I’d reach for on a daily basis anyways.

The included applicators are nice to have for touch-ups, but I’m not a fan of the actual application with them (the dense sponge one is meant to be used wet, and I don’t like how it works at all). I much prefer using my own brushes… but in a pinch they will do!

As always, I encourage you to wear these eyeshadows on top of a primer, but they do look quite vibrant without one. I find them to stay put very nicely and stay on throughout the day, even without a primer. I have to say that it’s one of my favorite holiday palettes… I think I’m going to be using it for New Years Eve!

Yves Saint Laurent Boréal Palette in Arctic Night

Swatches: Top (L-R) & Bottom (L-R)

See more photos of the look I created using this palette here!

Summary

• Price: $58 USD / $79 CAD
• Availability: Nordstrom, Holt Renfrew and other YSL counters.
• Overall: A stunning combination of shades inspired by the Northern Lights! These wet/dry eyeshadows are striking and I love the interesting choice of shades. They are very shimmery overall, but it makes for a beautiful, dramatic look!
• Rating: A-