Discovering Napoleon.

"Not to prime is a crime!" This according to Napoleon Perdis, a Greek Australian makeup artist who entered the beauty business in the 1990s. He catapulted to fame soon after he opened his very first concept store in Sydney.

If my memory serves me right, I first came across the name Napoleon Perdis while reading Christine's popular beauty blog, Temptalia. As many of my readers know, I have a strong bias for Asian cosmetic brands (Korean brands, in particular). But every once in awhile I'd come across western or European brands that would pique my curiosity and eventually get my seal of approval. Like this one, for instance.

Napoleon Perdis Tropical Heat Collection in Sand.

In the summer of 2011, Napoleon Perdis released the Tropical Heat Collection - a multi-kit that includes a Prismatic Eyeshadow Quad, a Cheek to Chic Blush Duo, and a Prismatic Lip Veil. I can't remember the regular price of this set, but I got this at a discounted price of $39. Not bad considering you're actually paying for three different products. The collection comes in three shade selections - Ocean, Coral, and Sand. The latter, as depicted above, easily became my favorite.

For some reason this set got relegated to the bottom of my makeup stash; I reckon it has something to do with my going gaga over dark eyeshadows and smokey eyes last year, haha. But now that I'm leaning towards nudes and neutrals and looks that are 'school-friendly' (as in something that I can wear to my son's school functions or PTA meetings), I find myself reaching for the eyeshadow palette and the blush quite often these days. And although this collection was intended for summer, the colors can pretty much be worn anytime of the year.

Now I'm not so sure if this collection has been discontinued or not. After all, it's been two years since its release. But I do know Napoleon Perdis has just released its Spring 2013 collection, and I'm already eyeing a few lippies from the DeVine Goddess line! :)