Since the Cherry Blossom Kaleidoscope was coming out the same time as the Northern Lights, I ended up picking up both. By initial look at the Cherry Blossom and Northern Lights, color wise I thought I was going to like Northern Lights better. I usually don’t like brown colors; I find it makes my eyes look more tired. After swatching them both, I think both are worth getting. The Cherry Blossom comes out to be a more unique color though.
[Same as Cherry Blossom Kaleidoscope Review] The packaging is good quality, although not the best for the price, or compared to other high end brands. The configuration is fun, but it would be improved on if you can detach the eye shadow individually.
[Same as Cherry Blossom Kaleidoscope Review] The formulation is fantastic; very finely milled and easy to blend. I find the matte shades to be smooth, as well. The pigmentation is also fantastic, including the lighter shades. I had reservations about how good the formulation would be, since this is a very expensive item, but it lives up to the hype.
I am not sure if the colors in this Kaleidoscope match the actual Northern Lights, since I have never seen it in person. It does come with a pink-beige shimmer shade, a light blue shimmer shade, a copper-gold shimmer shade, and a matte purple shade. The layered effect of this Kaleidoscope comes out to this purple with silver and gold shimmer. I used even amounts of each individual shade. It was harder to capture on camera the shimmer than the Cherry Blossom Kaleidoscope, which to me makes it a little bit less unique that Cherry Blossom.
I did use this Kaleidoscope and it truly is fool proof (as Sunny from Neiman Marcus put it). I think the Kaleidoscopes would be great for a beginner to use. You would layer the color from the bottom of the Kaleidoscope up, rising the next shade little bit higher than over the previous one (to create that gradient effect). It was probably the easiest for me to create day-time smoky eye (for day-time just make sure you don’t overdo the darkest shade), because layering means less blending.
Product Info:
$95 @ Neimanmarcus.com
Net Wt 0.49 fl oz. (14 gms)
Pro:
- Great formulation
- Unique layered colors
- Size of product (The high price tag comes with good size product. Here are some comparisons: Tom Ford Quad $7.5 per gram, Chanel Quads $8.53 per gram, Le Metier de Beaute $6.79 per gram)
Con:
- Limited edition (This will go quickly like all their Kaleidoscopes)
- Expensive for a single item
Bottom line: If you are debating between Northern Lights and Cherry Blossom, I would say Cherry Blossom is more unique, but Northern Lights works better on cooler skin tones. Hurry though, they are definitely not going to be in stock for long.
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