LANEIGE Ideal Shadow Quads: Swatches and First Impressions

LANEIGE updated their eyeshadow collection this month, and relaunched 10 quads in mostly new color combinations, repackaged in sleeker silver-lined cases. These are all currently available at LANEIGE counters and boutiques, as well as Lazada.sg and Zalora.sg.

I've been quite a fan of the older Pure Radiant Eyeshadow quads and had likened some of the color compositions to Tom Fords before, so let's get the head-to-head comparisons out of the way. The Ideal Shadow Quads:

• have 6g of product (1.5g per shadow, same as standard MAC/MUG pans), same as the Pure Radiant quads
• are S$42, $2 more than old Pure Radiant quads
• have updated formulas
• come in a mix of neutrals as well as a few more edgy color options
• have more mattes interspersed among the quads, so you have more options and textures

Shade overview - new LANEIGE Ideal Shadow Quads

The older compacts are smaller, and it looks like there is more product in the new quads, but they actually contain the same amount. I'm not complaining though; they've been quite good about keeping the price stable instead of taking the chance to jack the price up with this revamp.

The new quads DO look a lot nicer compared to the older ones which have a tendency to look a little "cheaper", not as grown-up, and a bit outdated.

"Old" Pure Radiant eyeshadow quad

I did have one palette where the pans came totally loose after I laid it upside-down to look at the numbering on the back. They stuck right back on, but I'm just letting you know so you can be careful with yours. Shake gently before opening, in case anything has come loose. Sometimes the warm weather can cause the glue to soften in some shadow palettes. You don't want to drop and break any of your pans accidentally when opening.

Overall, the color selection of the 10 quads leans more towards the warm-tones, in keeping with recent trends and the general preference in Asia. There are only about 2 cooler-toned quads; No. 3 Midnight Hyacinth and No.9 Taupe Smog.

A selection in cool, neutral and warm tones.

Without further ado, I'll share the swatches of all 10 palettes below, along with my notes on each. 

*** denotes my special recommendations

1 Tangled Tangerine and 2 Cafe Solo

• #1 Tangled Tangerine - a star quad in the old line, LANEIGE has re-released it in the new formula. I find this to be as good as the original, and a great soft orange option for paler skins though it will work on medium tan skins too. I would called the color grouping Peach rather than Tangerine personally.
• #2 Café Solo*** - classic champagne-bronze scheme; this is a perfectly composed quad and all four shades have impeccable quality. A smooth matte ivory base, a silky satin camel transition shade, a rich deep bronze for definition, and a to-die-for luminous champagne beige for the lid. Not the most adventurous or versatile quad but a fantastic beginner or minimalist quad where you can and will use every shade within.

3 Midnight Hyacinth and 4 Deep Crimson

• #3 Midnight Hyacinth - one of the few cooler toned palettes, this is a muted pink and purple quad that is not too dramatic for day/work.
• #4 Deep Crimson - one of the more interesting quads in the line, this contains the currently popular "burnt orange" Autumnal tones and one sparkly antique bronze. Great for those who want a simpler compact option instead of buying a huge palette. I do feel this color scheme is more flattering on medium to deep skin tones.

5 Pink Maroon and 6 Soft Powder

• #5 Pink Maroon - one of LANEIGE's star palettes in the new collection, this is a very "safe" and typical Asian-style palette with all iridescent shades and one sparkle overcoat. The only con to it is the lack of a matte shade, but the medium bronze shimmer shade is gorgeous. If the dark brown was matte, this would get *** from me.
• #6 Soft Powder - this is essentially a beautiful neutral matte trio with an interesting warm-wine undertone and a shimmering pearl shade thrown in for dimension. Great for sculpting and contouring the eyes. HOWEVER, this quad also has the only matte shade in the entire collection that I find a bit harder to work with. The dark burgundy brown takes some effort to blend and build evenly. If not for that, this would get *** from me.

7 Rosebay Garden and 8 All Shook Up

• #7 Rosebay Garden - an old fave of mine and a star quad for LANEIGE, Rosebay Garden is composed of blush and coral-red tones. Highly flattering and surprisingly easy to pull off. Unlike Tangled Tangerine, the new Rosebay Garden is a bit different from the original. More comparisons below.
• #8 All Shook Up*** - A great supplement or "transformer palette" for jazzing up a neutral or matte shadow collection. I wouldn't use all 4 of these together without anything else! I prefer to pick one shade and pat over an existing eye look as a veil of sparkles, or dabbed in the middle of the lid to add dimension. The new formula sparkle shades are creamier and more pigmented than the older ones. And these 4 warm Autumnal sparkle tones are gorgeous.

9 Taupe Smog and 10 Red Fox Fur

• #9 Taupe Smog - the 2nd cooler toned palette in the series even though it's technically still in the neutral category. Before you dismiss it as boring, this is a gorgeous and flattering palette that can take you from office to bar depending on how much of the smoky grey you use. The bronze-and-silver color scheme also reminds me of the very much more expensive Tom Ford Silvered Topaz quad (minus the sparkly shade). Not a dupe, but something in the same direction.
• #10 Red Fox Fur** - the quad that made me go "wow" when I saw it for the first time. The "red" shade goes on more vermillion orange on the skin, and I have to say I would pick this one over #4 Deep Crimson because I find that popular "burnt orange" pumpkin tone less flattering on paler Asian skins in general. Trends be damned. You can still channel that orange/brown vibe with this palette, but the more vibrant orange here is more forgiving in my humble opinion.

Now we've gotten that out of the way, I'll get into the comparisons between the two re-released quads.

New LANEIGE Ideal Shadow Quad No.1 Tangled Tangerine versus Pure Radiant No. 11 Tangled Tangerine

The two Tangled Tangerine quads are very very similar in quality, with the key differences being:

• the matte peach shade is a touch deeper and more saturated in the new quad
• the sparkle shade is smoother and more sparkly in the new quad

Overall, I find the newer version to be superior to the older one, which is  good thing. Also, with the matte peach being a bit more saturated in color and the sparkle shade having more color clarity and shine, the new palette will work better and look less ashy/chalky than the old one on deeper skins.

New LANEIGE Ideal Shadow Quad No.7 Rosebay Garden versus Pure Radiant No. 10 Rosebay Garden

The two Rosebay Garden quads are a bit more noticeably different to me. Even in the pans, the shades look slightly different. The key differences are:

• the new pale peach-beige and medium rose are more matte and muted than the old quad
• the old peach-beige has more of a champagne-gold undertone, which gives it more contrast against the red tones. The new peach-beige is duller and more rosy, so it doesn't stand out as much against the other shades.
• The new sparkle overcoat is more sparkly and smooth; it looks like they're using a better quality or higher quantity of synthetic fluorphlogopite in their new formula

Overall, it's a mixed bag. The sparkle shade is better in the new quad but they lost some of the vibrancy of the two softer pearl shades. Many people don't realize that it was the glowy champagne highlight shade that "made" the old Rosebay Garden by bringing out the red more. With the new highlight shade and medium rose being a lot more muted, you may not get that same effect. It's still very nice, but if you have the old quad, I'd hang on to it!

Eye look created using the original Rosebay Garden

I find it great that they've included a balance of mattes and deeper tones in most of the quads, so that we can get some contrast and dimension. I find it especially important for a lot of East Asians because many of us have flatter, less defined eye sockets or hooded eyes, and need to add in some contour and shape.

Overall, this is a very nice release, and there really isn't a palette that I dislike. The formula is silkier and finer grained than the previous line in general, even though I prefer the finish in the old Rosebay Garden quad. I love that they've become a bit more trendy and fun with their color schemes, although in typical East Asian form, they still steer clear of greens and blues. All in all, very worth checking out if you want manageable compact palettes in chic colors, with high-end formulas, at reasonable prices.