Swatches + Review: The Dior Backstage Eye Palette in 003 Amber Neutrals

I was feeling a bit bored of my eyeshadow options lately, so I decided to buy the Dior Backstage Eye Palette in 003 Amber Neutrals (P3,550) from the Dior store in The Podium. I do have a few eyeshadow palettes in this warm-reddish-bronzy color story, yes, so it’s not really “new” in my collection. So, oops, I guess? It’s Dior though!

I think I’ve seen this palette in the Tiktoks of bridal makeup artists, specifically. I think it’s a great color selection for a natural bridal look, with the nudes, warm shades, and a mix of matte and shimmer finishes! It’s also pretty affordable for a Dior product considering you get nine pans at a total of 10 grams for the entire palette.

The top left pan is actually eyeshadow Primer, which I thought was really clever. It’s in cream format so the powders have something to stick to, and I love that I don’t have to pick up a separate product while in the middle of application. However the primer isn’t really long wearing. It’s really more of a wet base to improve adhesion, but not staying power necessarily. It will crease in a few hours without an actual eyeshadow primer.

The next two shades, Bronze (a a highlighter) and Ombre (a sculpting powder) are for refining the details of the eye look. They’re more base colors, with the former I use as a browbone highlighter and the latter I use for contouring the crease.

Orange, a shimmer, was a bit of a letdown for me because I wanted something more pigmented that would really pop out. But it works ok as an overall lid color. Red Copper (shimmer), Red (matte), Brick (matte), and Smoky Brown (matte) are all nicely pigmented in the way designer eyeshadow is done. To really showcase them, they need to be layered a couple times (or even more) to create depth.

Top, from left to right: Primer, Bronze, Ombre, and Orange

Bottom, from left to right: Red Copper, Sienna, Red, Brick, Smoky Brown

I love the Dior print on top of the eyeshadows. I thought it would come off easily, but in the close up photo of this palette here, I’ve already used the palette at least five or seven times. I really smooshed my brushes in there too! Color me impressed.

Overall, I think the Dior Backstage Eye Palette in 003 Amber Neutrals is a handy palette to have whether you’re a beginner or a pro because of the color and texture selection. You can do a daytime look or go more dramatic for the evening. It’s quite compact so it’s easy to travel with (I’ll probably bring this to Japan when I go there in April), and is quite unfussy no matter what your application style is. It’s well-priced too for something from Dior, I think! My only wish is that it was 20% more pigmented because I prefer not to layer as much when I apply it.

Let me know if you’ve tried it, and what our experience was like with this palette!