Review: Dior 5-color Eyeshadow Quint in Beige Massai

If only one eyeshadow palette was allowed (nightmare!) I would own Dior Beige Massai. I can't say enough how much I adore it! The more I use it the more I appreciate the brilliant design of this quint. The swatches as you'll see below don't signal much of its gorgeousness and versatility that it can do for you. Dior, please bring Beige Massai back as it was!!! Please don't turn it into pearly/frosty/shimmery boredom we've seen repeatedly in your recent releases (and remake of Stylish Move :( ) of 5-color palettes.

Dior Beige Massai (0.21 oz) represents the very best of Dior eyeshadows, quality-wise and color-wise, in my opinion.

Beige Massai contains a matte ivory, a satin brownish tan, a satin rusty coral, a matte peach and a satin rich neutral brown. What you see in the pan is how the shades turn out in reality. My favorite shade is the rich neutral brown, the most pigmented in the palette. I only need to use a blending brush (e.g. MAC 217) to pick up the color then tap off the excess before dabbing it on my lids. It's the most gorgeous brown for the crease but also defines the lash lines wonderfully.

Close-ups 

Beige Massai works well on its own. You can coordinate any three shades vertically, horizontally or diagonally (the lighter shades on the lids and the deeper shades on the creases, like here). I manage to wear all but the rusty coral for wearable looks. I'll add the rusty coral for more dramatic effects.

Beige Massai is the perfect company for all of my eye makeup. The matte ivory is a great highlighter for brow bones, inner corners of the eyes, cleaning up falls outs and crisping up the winged eyeliners. The brownish tan compliments my skin tone extremely well, creating a hazy effect while defining my eyes at the same time. The peach matches my skin tone almost exactly so I also use it to brighten up my under eye areas. It brings in the balance for cool or warm looks. I've always use it to soften edges between colors. Many people use MAC Soft Brown to do this, I'll go for the peach in Beige Massai. The rusty coral concerned me at first since this family color tends to make my eyes look bruised (and I solely based my purchase on oneline swatches). But as soon as I paired it with Rimmel Spice Bronze, I was completely sold. For more smokey effect, I add the deep brown, especially to silvery taupe like Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Pulp Fiction. Stunning!

Swatch under direct sunlight

Indoors

Beige Massai has diverse finishes from matte to semi-satin to satin, making it incredibly versatile. The matte shades don't look plain and the satin shades give my eyes a sophisticated sheen. All are buttery smooth without being powdery. The texture is finely milled. All this is achieved without an inclusion of pearl or shimmer that has become a cliche in most Dior eyeshadows today. I really hope that Dior will bring back Beige Massai or at least the finish of this palette. Yes, I do say this twice.

Like other great Dior 5-color eyeshadow quints, Beige Massai stays fresh for over 10 hours (until being removed) with a standard primer. 

It still baffles me why this classic beauty is discontinued. What was Dior thinking? I emailed their customer service and received a confirmation on this. Anyway, some ebay sellers still have some. I got both of mine from ebay and was very pleased with the quality. As long as you do business with a top-rated seller, you should be able grab an authentic Beige Massai. 

Bottom line. Every girl needs one Beige Massai, better yet get two before it forever disappears even in the flea market.