Disney Dare To Dream Beauty Book: Mulan

I am a Disney lover, always have been and most likely always will be. So, when I saw the Disney Dare To Dream collection at Walgreens (in Hawaii of all places), I went a little purchase crazy.  The Beauty Book I will show you today is Mulan's. It retails for $10 and as far as I know, is Walgreens exclusive.

 

The Beauty Books are fairly thick (about an inch) and do, in fact, open like a book. Some people do not like the art, but I think it is pretty enough, kind of watercolored. It does have a mirror inside and a face chart, as well as all of the ingredients on the back of the book.

 

The face looks are nice and helpful if you want a guide, but I am sure we are all more concerned about what is deeper inside the book!

To be fair, I didn't have high hopes for these shadows. I figured they would be akin to play makeup at best. The colors are striking and unique, though, and I do love the names! I'm such a sucker for a theme, especially if it is Disney. But how do they fare? I did the swatches over a very thin layer of NYX HD eye primer, because I'm not planning to ever wear eyeshadow without primer ever again. The primer is basically nude, so there is no extra brightening going on of the colors.

The first four shadows are more neutral and fared just alright. Porcelain is a crisp white with a sheen and it was a bit chalky. Serenity is a pretty rose pink that has decent color payoff but it is at least smooth. Typhoon is a cream that can be built up easily without shifting, and Honor was disappointing. It is an orange/salmon glitter mess.

The rest of the shades were awesome, in my opinion, especially when compared to my dismal expectations. Tranquil is a red/rust color that is smooth and creamy. Jade is not really a true jade, more like a bright blue with sheen, and it has a thicker, denser formula that needs to be patted on. Blossom is the most gorgeous purple shimmer and Fortune looks more suited for an Ariel look--very mermaid-esque and has the same dense formula as Jade. Destiny is a sparkly black that had incredible color payoff in one swatch.

The book also has two blushes and a little tiny useless applicator thing that will probably never leave this little cutout.

Rounding out the offerings are a tiny black pencil liner and a red lipstick.

The Raven Haired Bun (aka Black) liner works well, but is of your typical $.99 variety. It is super small though, making it would be good for a lower lash line. Mushu's Flame lipstick is a shimmery red with a formula akin to a Wet n Wild lipstick. The blushes are nice! Dynasty Dahlia is a cool-toned pink and Palace Puce (what a name) leans quite red with shimmer. So, down to my final thoughts and the big question, do you need this? Yes if you want it as a collector. It really is a fun set. Double yes if you like the colors. I will be posting looks soon from this book and the other that I picked up, and the shadows aren't half bad. They show up well, blend fairly easily, and last with primer. No, they aren't MUFE quality, but they are better than many drugstore shadows. The blushes are a bonus, but I can't see myself reaching for the liner and lipstick all that often. No if you aren't a Disney fan or fan of Mulan, or just simply don't have room to store the bulky packaging. Also, keep in mind that only 6 of the 9 shadows I liked. The unique shadow colors drew me in and I have had fun playing with them, but they aren't for everyone, that's for sure! These are also made in China, contain a lot of Talc, and I do see beeswax in the eyeliner. No...not the best quality, again, but fun! Who is your favorite Disney character?