Have a Cup of Warm Cocoa with the Dolce & Gabbana Sweet Temptations Collection’s New Eyeshadow Quad

Power to the plebs! We’re on the cusp of the Labor Day weekend here in the US, which for El Hub, Tabs and I hopefully means an extra day to sleep in (YAY!). It also, unfortunately, means that summer’s almost done (BOO!), but not before I’ve feasted at least one more time on some of my favorite seasonal treats, like watermelon, peaches, tomatoes, corn, cocoa…

Yep, cocoa — as in the new Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Cocoa ($59).

Don’t the chocolate and cream colors in this fall quad look good enough to eat? And the orange shade…could it be a sherbert, perhaps?

I can see it now…

Fast forward to tonight. I’m sound asleep in bed and having a dream in which I’m pouring myself a bowl of Special K Chocolatey Delight, except that instead of cornflakes, the bowl is filled with these shadows! 🙂

This Cocoa — which, by the way, isn’t safe to eat (damn!) — is part of the new 11-piece Sweet Temptations collection that just launched on select Saks counters and online, and it shows what a good Dolce & Gabbana quad can be. The pigmented, easy-to-blend shadows don’t crease, fade or look as if they’re just sitting on top of my skin.

Impressive, but then it should be for $59. The colors in Cocoa also lean very, very warm, and that might be another big factor to consider in addition to the price.

A few notes on the shades…

• That matte beige in the upper left is the business! I love uber clean, minimalist eyes with winged liner along the upper lash line (think Angelina Jolie), and I think this bad boy would be great for looks like that. It is beige, but not a blah beige. It hides a hint of gold — just enough to keep it bright.
• As for the orange, well, it’s orange. Like really, really orange, and so pigmented that it can easily go off the rails if you don’t use a light touch. The first time I played with it, I went a little too far with it in my crease and ended up looking all sorts of wrong, like a Gaga backup dancer having a bad makeup day.
• Both of the brown shades, while quiet, do bring the goods. I’ve been using the reddish, bronzy brown in the lower left sparingly, because when I don’t it makes me look like I’ve been crying. The plummy brown in the lower right seems to be somewhat easier to use, but both have a lovely, understated shimmer that’s subtle, yet luxe.

Dolce & Gabbana gals who like subdued neutral eyes might really dig Cocoa a lot. The orange shadow isn’t my favorite of the four, but I’m determined to find a good job for it one of these days. I love the browns and beige, though, and because of them I can see this quad making the transition from fall into winter and spring.

PRICE: $59
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Saks Fifth Avenue Stores and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen