Review -- Lancome Jason Wu Collection Color Design 6-Pan Palette in Dark Romance

It's been years since I tried a Lancome eyeshadow -- I currently only have one single in my collection and I've probably had it for at least four years --so when they had their Friends & Family sale recently, I decided that it was time to take the plunge ... again.

(I promised myself I wasn't going to buy much before the end of the year, but I caved in the face of all the amazing Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Friends & Family sales. I am weak, weak, weak.)

I was just going to buy a single shadow or two when I saw the Jason Wu Collection Color Design 6-Pan Palette in Dark Romance and I was so drawn to the colors that I had to give it go.

The palette is apparently inspired by Jason Wu's 2014 Fall Collection and Lancome's website describes it as combining "rich autumn colors with hints of metallic glam for on and off the runway looks."


The compact is made of black plastic that's easy to wipe clean and features a good sized mirror inside. It's fairly slim too, so it's easy to store.

Lancome Jason Wu Collection Color Design Palette in Dark Romance

The palette is pretty shimmery over all, with only one true matte shade, so if you're not a fan of sparkle, it's probably not for you.

I love sparkle, though, so it is right up my alley.

The six shades in the palette include: Nouveau Nude, a shimmery ivory with slight gray undertones; Eclair, a shimmery purplish taupe with silver micro-glitter; Sparkling Garnet, a wine shade with purple and red micro-glitter; Hypnotic Hazel, an olive green with gold micro-glitter; Mink Mahogany, a dark brown with silver and gold micro-glitter; and Nouveau Navy, a matte navy blue.

Lancome Jason Wu Collection Color Design Palette in Dark Romance

Now right of the bat, this is a pretty dark palette, which means it's perfect for smoky looks.

But while the shades are dark and perfect for fall and winter, they're slightly muted shades so they wind up looking really soft and flattering even on super fair skin like mine.

And though the palette lends itself to smoky looks, you can get a pretty natural look with it too -- I use Nouveau Nude all over the lid from lashline to brow bone with Eclair in the crease and I'm good to go.

From l. to r.: Nouveau Nude, Eclair, Sparkling Garnet

From l. to r.: Hypnotic Hazel, Mink Mahogany, Nouveau Navy

As far as the formula goes, I wouldn't say these are the nicest shadows I've ever used -- the texture is slightly drier than I like, but they apply and blend easily and are all nicely pigmented.

Because they're all fairly dark and shimmery shades, though, there can be some fallout with this palette. Using a sticky base and making sure to tap off your brush thoroughly before applying can help, but you may want to do your eyes before your foundation when using it if possible.

(A total aside, but am I the only person who just can't do their eyes before foundation? I always seem to cover at least some part of my eye look with foundation and end up having to redo it, which drives me crazy.)

My one complaint with the palette is probably its price -- it's $51 for a total of 4.5 grams of product.

To give you some perspective, the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette contains 18.9 grams of total product and retails for $49.

There's no noticeable difference in quality between the two palettes, so the Lancome Jason Wu Dark Romance Palette's price seems a little steep.

I did get it for 20 percent off during the F&F sale, so I only paid about $40, which seems like a fairer price to me.

Ignoring pricing issues, though, I do recommend this palette. It's perfect for this time of year when you want to do a smoky, sultry look -- and the sparkle in the shadows makes them nice for holiday get-togethers too.

Have you tried the Lancome Jason Wu Collection Color Design 6-Pan Palette in Dark Romance? What's been your favorite new shadow palette this fall?