Review: Dior 5-color Eyeshadow Palette in 734 Grege

After all those years delving into the world of beautiful makeup, Dior still holds a special place in my heart. My favorite eyeshadows of all time are still their 5-color quints. I'm late in the game for Dior 5-color eyeshadow in 734 Grege ($60 for 0.21 oz). It was released a couple of years back and creating quite a buzz among the neutral eyeshadow wearers. I had my eyeshadow-addict radar on alert but the color theme wasn't appealing to me. Until this video by TiffanyD. As it always happens, you watch/read a beauty video/blog post, then you have to have something. hehehe

From left to right clock-wise, you'll have a satin light tan, a shimmery frosty white, a satin medium grey, a almost matte deep plumy brown and a satin silvery mauve in the center. These shades blend so easily together and complement each other really well. That's a big thumb-up for Dior 5-color palettes in general. You can use 3 shades in diagonal line or 3 shades along the side of the square, or 4 or all colors at once. It will cover a day time look to a smoldering smokey look.

A closer look

Dior 5-color palette Grege has the finish that leans more toward traditional Dior like Beige Massai, Stylish Move, i.e. subtle satin finish (my favorite eyeshadow finish!). So if you're like me or you have more mature eyelids, you might prefer this type of palette over the new generation of pearl finish Dior has perused in recent years. Not that the pearl finish isn't pretty (Rosy Tan, for example, is deservingly popular). It becomes plainly boring after overly made by so many brands for so long. There's only one pearly shade in Grege, the white. Good enough for me because this white is soft, leaving a sheen rather than frost on the skin. 

Direct sunlight

Just like the other Dior quints I own (Stylish Move, Sunset Cafe, Rosy Nude, Rosy Tan, Beige Massai, Smokey Design), Grege has a lovely buttery smooth texture but not overly so. It glides on the skin seamlessly without any fall-outs. It also layer very nicely on the skin for different intensities. 

All but the silvery silvery mauve in the center has excellent color payoff, especially the plumy brown. What a shame because I love the center shade. It's has a perfect balance of mauve, silver, and a hint of plum. This is one of those colors that brighten up your eyes. These are soft colors so it might not show up well on deeper skintone. I would recommend you tanner ladies use this palette wet or on top of an opaque eyeshadow base or a cream eyeshadow. 

The center shade is the farthest right. 

Although pretty, Dior 5-color palette Grege isn't without flaws. My first complain is the lack of pigment of the center shade. The second complain is the wearing of this palette in general. I usually got solid 8-10 hours of staying-put eye makeup with Dior quints. Grege looks good for 6 hours only, and that center shade last about 2 hours (on top of a standard eye primer). I can deal with sheer colors but sheerness and short-wearing are kind of unforgiving. 

The reason Grege still has a spot in my collection is due to its versatility. It's not too cool not too warm not too neutral nor too shimmery nor too plain. Just a perfect balance of everything.  

Bottom line. A staple for neutral eyemakeup wearers. Not the best quality from Dior. I still highly recommend you check it out. The lovely color coordination and luxurious powder finishes might help you to overlook the drawbacks.