CART
This product was sent to me by StyleKorean for review purposes. I was not paid for this post but please note that affiliate links are used on my blog. These go towards supporting Oh My Stellar and future content.
It’s been a short while since I last got myself stuck into a new Moonshot collection (and, to be honest, I have no doubt that they’ve slowed down a bit since the YG Entertainment controversies in Korea) but their new release caught my eye immediately. I actually got an email from StyleKorean about this, since they launched the collection simultaneously in Korea, and was basically obsessed.
With the initial launch, they released the rêve de Paris Collection in a limited edition set. This is what they sent over to me, which includes the palette, one of the lipsticks and a Moonshot branded tote bag. Whilst this is no longer available – because it sold out like hot cakes – the entire range is available individually on the StyleKorean website.
The rêve de Paris Eyeshadow Palette is selling for USD$33 and the Stick Extreme Pro lipsticks are selling for USD$22 each – but definitely get in before the ones you want are sold out. Before you hop onto the StyleKorean website though, let’s get into this review!
The rêve de Paris Collection is inspired by French romanticism, ‘infusing [a] graceful French atmosphere.’ This is their fall collection and is based around mauves and rusty reds; which I personally love regardless of the season. In addition to this, all of the products within this collection are designed to be travel-friendly and pocket-sized, but without sacrificing quality or usability.
Pricing wise, Moonshot has never been cheap but I’m glad that the prices for both the rêve de Paris Eyeshadow Palette and Stick Extreme Pro lipsticks are the same as before. The brand actually falls somewhere between a roadshop and high end brand in Korea, a similar bracket to 3CE. In fact, I actually have a very distinct memory of having to trek all the way to Apgujeong (one of the wealthiest areas in Seoul) to find their flagship store, back when they were more exclusive; and yes, I did get lost every time haha!
Anyway – so the rêve de Paris Collection follows up from last year’s nude/beige range (Honey Coverlet) which had a similar packaging aesthetic and some of the same product types. I was interested in that one as well (and actually own two of the Stick Extreme lipsticks that were introduced with that range) but I think that the rêve de Paris Collection suits my personal make up style and preferences a lot better.
rêve de Paris Eyeshadow Palette | USD$33
As always, the hero of a colour collection is definitely the palette. The rêve de Paris Eyeshadow Palette follows the same layout as the Honey Coverlet Palette but (possibly) in a more compact size. It contains a total of 10 shades (8 mattes and 2 shimmers) which covers a good range of tones. It is also divided into two halves, with one being warmer and rusty, whilst the other is a bit cooler and mauve toned.
The palette has four main selling points:
- 10 colour compositions with all the tenderness of the world (this one doesn’t make a lot of sense but I think it just means it has a pretty colour story)
- HD pigment with just one touch
- Soft blending without clumps
- Perfect size for your pouch
Packaging
The unit carton for the rêve de Paris Eyeshadow Palette is so beautiful. It definitely has a hint of French cinema inspiration, using photography and the rusty-red colour from this whole collection. It has a really nice velvet matte finish and small spot UV (gloss) details over the main text. It also has an added cardboard layer inside to keep the box sturdy, which is especially good if you’ll be getting the product shipped internationally. All of these small details gives the unit carton a luxurious and high end quality that backs up the price point – it would be really nice as a gift!
Opening it up, the palette compact is just as nice as the outer packaging (and has that same high quality feel too). It has a similar velvet matte finish to the unit carton and uses multiple tones of rust-red to give it a monochromatic aesthetic. All of the smallest details have been considered – even the sticker on the back of the case is colour coordinated!
If anything, it’s actually this sheet of paper that I don’t like – it’s a bit too thick and doesn’t sit flat, so is the only part of this packaging that is jarringly imperfect.
Moving on to the layout of the eyeshadow pans, I think that this is a great layout. It reminds me a lot of the Smashbox Cover Shot Palettes, which I also enjoy using for travel. The rêve de Paris Palette has two larger pans for the base colours (they are a bit narrower so aren’t too big even if they are double the width), and then eight colours beneath it – which can be mixed up or viewed as parallel quads.
Both quads contain a shimmer, a base shadow, two medium crease shades and a deeper matte – one side is cool and the other is warmer. In addition, the warmer side is also a bit deeper. Overall, the arrangement is really nicely balanced.
Shade Range & Formula
Below is a shot of the palette overall, as well as some swatches. All of these shades work well together and are easy to wear. Whilst they are arranged perfectly as quads, all 10 can also be mix-and-matched to suit what ever look you want – it’s very cohesive. I do think that having two matte base shades is overkill though, so I would have preferred if one of those were a highlight.
The 10 shades all have French-inspired names, as follows:
- Magnolia (light matte beige)
- Petit Twilly (light matte peach)
- Chandelier (cool champagne shimmer)
- Classy Coat (cool matte light brown)
- Eiffel Night (soft warm bronze shimmer)
- Creme Brulee (medium matte burnt mustard)
- Rose Milk Tea (medium matte mauve pink)
- Antic Boutique (warm medium-dark matte brown)
- Sensual Beret (medium-dark matte burnt red)
- Dark Roast (dark matte brown)
Formula wise, these shadows are really soft and blendable. There is a significant amount of kickback when using the matte shadows, but I can work with it. The mattes definitely swatch stronger than they apply with a brush (which is disappointing for me because I had this coined as the best pigmentation in k-beauty) but you can still intensify it with either an eyeshadow primer or application technique.
Personally, I find that the darker mattes give the best pigmentation when applied with a smaller dense brush, and then blended out with a fluffier brush. Going in with just the blending brush softens the pigment, so would require more work and layering. The colours are buildable though.
For the shimmers, I would recommend to use them with a glitter glue or a damp brush if you want an intense effect. They can be used alone, of course, but I find that the shimmers are sparse and subtle. It gives a pretty eye topper effect but isn’t what I was initially expecting, as the shadows have a slight cream-powder texture.
Personal Experiences
To be honest, the rêve de Paris Eyeshadow Palette doesn’t fully satisfy my pigment addiction. I was more impressed with the initial swatches that I did (see above) than I was once I started using it. I feel like this is because I’m more used to intense colour pay-off and having to use my eyeshadows more sparingly for my daily make up. By k-beauty standards, this palette is actually pretty good. I enjoy the blendability and how easy it is to work with – the colours don’t skip or patch up at all.
I find myself reaching for it mostly on quick make up days or when I want a lighter, natural make up look. The colours and tones work really well for me so I don’t need to put in too much effort to create something cohesive and pretty. Someone who likes softer pigmentation or who prefer the light Korean make up look would probably love this. I still think this would be perfect for travel though, partly because of the size and also for its simplicity of use.
Here’s the verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
A 10 pan compact-size eyeshadow palette with mauve and rust tones
RATINGS
- PRICE POINT | 3/5
- PACKAGING | 4/5
- BLENDABILITY | 4/5
- PIGMENTATION | 3/5
- SHADE RANGE | 5/5
- LONGEVITY | 2/5 (without primer)
OVERALL RATING? 7/10
THOUGHTS? I’ll be continuing to use this and keeping it on hand as a ‘travel palette’ too. I don’t think that this will be a favourite in my entire collection, but it’s a good staple to have. The formula is easy to work with and the packaging is really nice so I would mostly recommend this to eyeshadow beginners or natural makeup lovers.
Stick Extreme Pro | USD$22
The Stick Extreme Pro is a compact lipstick with a hydrating powder matte finish. It’s the same formula as was in the previous Stick Extreme lipstick but with special packaging (of course). It’s four main selling points are:
- 6 different rich colours
- HD pigment with just one touch
- Smooth texture but a velvet and matte finish
- Portable
As stated, this product comes in six shades in varying nude, mauve and red tones. I’ve listed the shade names and descriptions below, though I did reword it a bit as the original text was a bit over the top:
- 601 Seine: Nude rose inspired by the Seine River’s evening glow
- 602 Chai Tea: Orange brown inspired by a warm and mellow mood
- 603 Rose Bon Bon: Pink red inspired by a calm and romantic mood
- 604 Urban Mauve: Mauve pink inspired by dried rose and a drop of plum light
- 605 In the City: Maple burgundy inspired by urban charm
- 606 Moulin Rouge: Chilli red inspired by the red windmill
Out of these three, I chose to try out Urban Mauve, which is my perfect daily colour. I was already confident that I would love it. Regardless of what your personal preferences are though, all of these are very flattering and wearable, so I think that there’s something for everyone.
PackagingThe packaging for the Stick Extreme Pro lipstick has basically the same aesthetic as the palette, and I love it. The product comes in a velvet matte finish unit carton that has a hint of spot UV (gloss) accent. The shape of the box is rectangular, which is larger than the actual tube and gives it some added protection during shipping. It also gives more presence to the photograph on the front – it’s actually beautiful.
Opening up the unit carton, you can see that the tube also has the same soft matte plastic and monochromatic colour scheme as the palette. It has a squared shape with slightly rounded edges, which I find handy as it doesn’t roll around, but also doesn’t look too bulky.
In addition, this tube is purposefully designed to be shorter (in comparison to the original Stick Extreme) so it’s easy to carry around in your make up bag. However, the size of the bullet and the amount of product it contains is actually the same, so you’re not compromising on value or quantity.
I do wish that these tubes were somewhat colour coded though because, if I owned more than one of these, it would be very difficult to discern them. Aside from that, I like the packaging and also the idea to compact it without making it a mini.
A comparison of the original Stick Exteme with the new Stick Extreme Pro
Finish & Formula
The formula of the Stick Extreme Pro lipstick is absolutely beautiful, and is one that I’ve started to keep around just for every day use. It’s hydrating and the velvet finish is beautifully matte. The best thing about this formula though, is that it is essentially weightless and also blurs lines for a feathered finish. Although the longevity of it is quite average, in that it doesn’t last through food nor leave any stain, it’s comfortable enough to reapply throughout the day.
Colour wise, I would say that this can have bold, almost opaque pigment. However, it’s buildable and I personally prefer to wear it slightly sheered out (for a more worn in look). This type of formula is easy to blend out for a gradient lip too.
I really enjoyed using the Stick Extreme Pro lipstick and the Urban Mauve shade is so beautiful. The finish looks really flattering on lips and I like that it’s hydrating, but also powdery. The blur and lightness of the formula also makes it super easy to apply (I have definitely been bold enough to reapply without a mirror before – I wouldn’t recommend that to anyone though). Of course, the packaging is also pretty, which helps.
So, here’s the verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
A velvet powder finish compact lipstick with 6 wearable shades
RATINGS
- PRICE POINT | 4/5
- PACKAGING | 4/5
- HYDRATION | 5/5
- PIGMENTATION | 4/5
- SHADE RANGE | 5/5
- LONGEVITY | 2/5
OVERALL RATING? 8/10
THOUGHTS? I will most definitely be buying more shades in the future, and I hope they keep releasing more of the Stick Extreme formula. I think this will be a staple in seasonal launches (fingers crossed). It is a formula that I would be recommending to people, especially those who like lightweight matte formulas but want something that is also hydrating.
And that’s the rêve de Paris Collection! If you want to pick anything up, make sure to jump over to the StyleKorean website where everything is currently in stock. Let me know what you end up getting and, of course, your thoughts on it too. I’d love to know!
By Oh My Stellar!
Email: stella@ohmystellar.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohmy_stellar/
Blog: http://ohmystellar.com/
