YSL Beauty has been making eyeshadows for years, but I heard they were mediocre. It wasn’t until they created smaller versions of the Couture Clutch palettes in 2023 that my YouTube and Instagram feed became flooded with posts about them. I could not escape the hype for these. Praises were thrown all year after they launched, many calling them the best luxury eyeshadow formula, so I believed there had to be some truth to it.

The two factors holding me back from buying any were the color selections and the price. So, when the brand released four new quads, I was very interested in Over Brun, which is basically the warmer version of Stora Dolls. Only a few weeks after they launched in Europe, all the quads (including the new ones) were discounted at various retail websites. The lowest I saw, in the month of July that I started working on this post, was 32 Euros for the older ones and around 38 for the new ones. That was the push to get me to finally try these eyeshadows out!

*DISCLOSURE: A highlighted word section like this indicates that it is an affiliate link. If you click it and choose to make a purchase, I will get a commission. Words that are bolded in blue font alone like this are regular non-affiliate links. I have no affiliations with YSL, no affiliate links with the brand, and I purchased all products discussed in this review with my own money. My opinions are my own. I feel it’s important to clarify this, especially since I hold the product in high regard.

I purchased my quads in four separate orders through the retailer Beautywelt DE. The packages came with a few free samples, shipped the same day of ordering (except the last one that took a week to be shipped), and arrived the next day! They had a discount code featured at the top of the website, but I found a better one on the first Google search results page and it was not a one-time-use code. What luck!

Yves Saint Laurent Couture Mini Clutch in 700 Over Noir, 710 Over Brun, 810 Over Orange, and 300 Kasbah Spices

Like the Guerlain quads, the shades are numbered in a clockwise direction instead of up and down from left to right.

I didn’t anticipate needing to review these individually, but my experience has not been the same! So, we’ll start with the best one.

Over Brun is practically perfect. I’ve tested it with concealer as primer, MAC paint pot, and an eyeshadow base. It performs the same with all of them. I have no issues with longevity. There has been no fading, creasing, or fallout even with the sparkly shade! I’ve had no need to spray my brush to get the sparkly shadow to stick to my eyes or be intensified. The eyeshadows are all easy to pick up on my natural hair brushes, even squirrel ones. If I’m applying shadows to my lower lash line, I don’t need to press hard or make multiple passes due to the lash hairs being in the way. The shadows adhere on the first go. They blend well and quickly.

I should specify that I use laydown/packing brushes with this formula, such as the Koyudo Pine Squirrel Eyeshadow Brush. I’ve seen some people talking about issues with fallout while they’re using fluffy crease brushes or synthetic ones. Using different tools could effect the experience. It also depends on which quad one buys.

The texture of these shadows (shades 2, 3, and 4) are like a more buttery version of Pat Mcgrath’s cream powders from the 5-pan palettes that I was obsessed with. These are more buttery than Suqqu eyeshadows, more powdery than Surratt eyeshadows, and more pigmented than both. They’re not damp like a cream, just incredibly smooth. The brand describes the texture as silky. The closest comparison I can think of to describe the consistency of it is the Westman Atelier Butter Powder Bronzer.

In theory, I love that each quad contains a sparkly shade to amp up the drama. These are all called Shade 1 in the top left position. However, I still want a more pigmented glimmer shade for their palettes going forward because I don’t need multiple semi-sheer base eyeshadow toppers when there are only four options to choose from per palette.
This was my one complaint when I only had the Over Brun palette. Little did I know that all the other Shade 1 eyeshadows in the YSL quads have even sheerer bases and perform like true toppers! Shade 1 in Over Brun and Over Orange are the odd ones out in a good way. It’s still a bit unfortunate for me that those colors are so similar on my skin.

Over Orange has all the positive qualities that Over Brun has, except when it comes to Shade 3, the vibrant pop of Orange. This particular shade is a bit more powdery, it takes a little more effort to apply evenly without sparse portions. If I’m using a primer that’s on the drier side, I sometimes have to reapply it so I can pat the orange shade back on and have it stick. The way pure pigments and neon eyeshadows tend have rougher texture and have to be handled a bit differently, like the Terra Moon Neon Mattes, explains on the smallest scale what is happening with this shade. It’s the tradeoff for getting this kind of vibrancy. This is me nitpicking a bit though. When the shadows are all working so well, I can’t help but notice the slightest difference. The amount of work I have to put in is still fairly low effort because I don’t use my driest eyeshadow base that often.

I love the terracotta eyeshadow (Shade 4), but the depth level and strength of the orange tone within it make it less easy to differentiate when used right next to Shade 3. So, placement is key when it comes to making distinctly different looks using every shade in the quad.

As for Over Noir, it performs identically to Over Brun, except with Shade 1. As I mentioned earlier, it has a clear base. Unlike the previous formulation, this particular color looks wet and reminds me of the original Fenty Diamond Bomb Highlighter (How many Karats).
I rarely enjoy wearing silver or cool toned shadows on my eyes, but this shade is stunning!
It also adheres just as well to my eyes as the other new ones. I might sometimes get a few particles that fall on my lashes or under my eyes while applying, but whatever is on my lids or inner corners stay there without giving me more fallout as the day goes on. Although I don’t own Over Dore, I assume this is a feature of all the new quads and part of the slight tweaks they made to the formula when they supposedly reformulated them.

The first two Noir eye looks were done in a rush. I am attending Sprachschule again with limited time during the week to do makeup looks with access to natural light directed through the window. I basically wanted to show what could be done in a rush versus the third one with a little more time. I was also rushing through the eye looks for the Over Orange quad, but since those tones are warmer and not as deep, it’s a lot more forgiving. So, when I say all the YSL quads are quick and easy to blend, there is the tiniest caveat which is that I shouldn’t be heavy handed with any black or dark gray eyeshadow no matter what brand it’s from. I’d also done multiple looks on the same eye with micellar water used in-between. So, the fact that they turned out okay is a testament to the quality.

The new round of YSL quads are phenomenal. However, I have to review Kasbah Spices differently. Starting with Shade 1, I get fallout. Using the same brushes I mentioned earlier doesn’t make it better and applying it damp doesn’t. The only thing that helps is glitter primer, and even then I still get some fallout as the day goes on. Glitter primer is still the better option than how my eyes look without it.
This shadow feels smooth to the touch like all the other sparkly shimmers, but it doesn’t adhere the same way. It has more of a scattered effect on the eye, which I usually don’t like. I can change that entirely by wetting my brush at least (seen in look 2 of 3 below). The downside again is that it settles awkwardly in the deepest line in the crease of my eyes.

The rest of the shades in the palette are mattes and they also don’t adhere as well. I’ve tried various primers and bases, just like with the other quads, but eyeshadows in Kasbah Spices performs differently with each primer. The drier the better, it seems. Less dry primers cause settling in my deeper eye crease.

The strangest part about this all is that they feel no different to the touch than the newer launched quads, but they obviously are different. The Kasbah Spices mattes also look dustier on my eyes. The warm orange-brown gave way less depth than I expected. It reminds me of a creamsicle/dreamsicle type of color. I have to spend so much time packing on that color and Shade 2 in the looks above. Shade 4 gives me hardly any depth. I have to basically leave it partly unblended so it can be more visible in photos.

Other than these problems, which might be less of an issue for someone with a lighter skintone, these aren’t the worst eyeshadows I’ve ever used. The fact that I can still get a nice sparkle and enjoy the outcome if I resign myself to making a soft glam type of look makes this an okay quad for me. Ironically, the Shade 2 (all brow bone shades for me) in this quad is my favorite, but I intend to eventually declutter this palette. The equivalent light shadow in Over Orange is a very good alternative option. In fact, I consider Over Orange to be the Kasbah Spices for those with darker skin.

The packaging for all these quads is lightweight, but it still feels luxurious because of the black and gold coloring. Also, I love quilt patterned faux leather purses, so I find the lid appealing, and the bonus is that the raised parts are squishy. It’s a pleasant feeling gripping the quad in the hand. If they made a compact mirror like this, I would want to buy it to keep in my purse because of how enjoyable it is to handle!

Going back to these new eyeshadows, I don’t think there is a more perfect eyeshadow formula out there for me and my needs. They nailed every type of finish. My biggest complaint is the lack of colors available beyond neutrals. Even if this is the best version of them, the colors aren’t different from a ton of other neutral palettes I own. I was already content with Guerlain’s Royal Jungle, Pat Mcgrath’s Bronze Bliss, Tom Ford’s Honeymoon, etc.
YSL has a Europe exclusive blue palette, but that’s my least favorite color in the rainbow. So, if the brand comes out with colorful quads that are more to my style, they will have truly done something in my book. It’s one thing to have the best formula, but quite another to have enough shades in that formula to make more than just a few looks. Even if I wanted to use YSL eyeshadows exclusively from now on, I couldn’t because of the limitations. Owning 4 out of the current 12 still hasn’t added enough variety for me to be fully satisfied. I think 12 of the 12 would not either, so I’m still looking to other brands for my eyeshadow desires.

Of the newest two I saw sneak peeked, I think the pastel packaging is stunning, but not my kind of color story inside unless the shades are more saturated in person. The upcoming holiday quad is gorgeous, but I would need to see swatches to know if those shimmer shades will have enough pigment to look different enough from what I own.

Regarding my purchases, the only one I regret is Kasbah Spices. At the same time though, I would have never known about the performance difference if I hadn’t tried it for myself. I watched a lot of reviews (trying to be an informed consumer too) and most people could not tell a difference at all. The few that did only noticed it with the sparkly shades. So, it might be the case that it’s only noticeable on someone with oily lids or just eye skin like mine.

I love Over Brun, and that’s what got me into this, so I have no regrets there. Over Noir is the quad I bought specifically to wear for my husband. I had a smokey gunmetal eye look on my first “fancy” date with him. Ever since then, smokey colors with gunmetals or pewters have been extra appealing to him. Ironically, I rarely wear those and don’t have many of them in my collection. I have one particular eyeshadow I saved specifically for those looks, but it’s quite old by now. Over Noir has been hubby-approved as a replacement.

I edited this post to include a photo from that date night I mentioned with the smokey eye look!

Over Orange is one that I like, but technically I could have skipped. It really wasn’t a necessary purchase, but I’m happy with it! I can enjoy using it on its own, but I’ve been liking how it pairs with Over Brun and sometimes use them together. It’s, once again, what I originally hoped I could do with Kasbah Spices, but am using Over Orange for instead.

That’s all for today! I hope this has been helpful. Knowing what I know now, I would have still bought Over Brun and Over Noir at full price because of how strongly I feel about them for myself and for nostalgia. However, I always recommend trying to get things discounted if possible! I would not have gotten the others otherwise.

Thanks for reading!

-Lili ❤