Many thanks to the NY bloggers who gave us sneak peeks, swatches, and even a few eye-looks of Bergdorf Goodman’s latest holiday Kaleidoscope from Le Métier de Beauté, Antiquité Poupée ($95, limited edition, exclusive to BG). I was hesitant to buy for several reasons, mainly because it contained a warm matte rust shade and also because it was not available for sale online. The Black Panties and Josie pushed me over the edge though, both assuring me that the reddish color warmed up the eye look and was easy to pull off. It looked stunning on Messy Wands as well. I typically try to avoid any eyeshadows and liners that contain red but decided to give this a try and ordered two kits (one as a gift). The colors and descriptions are as follows (thanks to The Black Panties for providing the names for us):
- Dusty Rose – a soft shimmery pink with a subtle gold shimmery sheen
- Burlap Sorrel – a warm shimmering taupe
- Tarnished Russet – matte rust brick
- Ember Ash – a deep shimmering blue-grey
Close ups of the shades #1 Dusty Rose and #3 Tarnished Russet
Close ups of the shades #2 Burlap Sorrel and #4 Ember Ash
I applied it the second I received it using the Couches de Couleur layering technique, starting with the top shade all over the lids, then working my way down, applying the remaining shades in a gradient towards the lashline. The result: a truly stunning smokey eye. I was really amazed at how wearable the rust shade was when layered over the pink and taupe (although I dusted it with a loose fluffy brush to apply sheerly). I’ve tried to show it layered in a few swatches here. The pigment is rich but easily blendable. The shimmer is exquisite. Texture is soft, luxurious and easy to blend.
When I reviewed the Come One, Come All Kit, one of my readers mentioned she purchased the new Antiquité Poupée and said the taupey shimmer was the same as the taupe in Come One, Come All and Splendid Frost. I pulled out all my Le Métier kits and singles to do the comparison myself. Unfortunately, to my dismay, I discovered that my reader was right, the Antiquité Poupée has a repeat taupey shade compared to other previously released kits. I now have 3 of the same shade among 3 different kits. Not a complete deal-breaker for me, but still, I had hoped for something truly unique and different, something more silvery/grey. Here are comparisons for all four shades.
The more I wear this kit, the more I fall in love with it. The color combination is pure genius, especially considering the fact that I have never been able to pull off warm reddish colors. It’s suitable for a daytime look to wear to the office yet also perfect for night by adding a bit more of the darker shades to give a smokier effect. Yes, this kit contains colors that are similar to other existing shades from Le Métier (including the one true dupe in the taupe color), but I still like it. I am now no longer afraid to wear reddish eyeshadows, but my heart still belongs to neutrals and I am hoping that future Kaleidoscopes from Le Métier will include more neutral or cool toned shades.
Bottom line: Was this worth another $95 (times two for two kits)? Almost. One of the two kits I received had a packaging flaw. The glue used for the pans seems to have been so hot it melted the plastic bottoms causing it to shrink which made the actual shadow pans pop up (they were uneven). I was worried that I would damage the product if I didn’t open super carefully so I proceeded to spend over an hour using my blow dryer, flat iron, screw driver and scissors to try and depot/melt/flatten the plastic casing. (This is something I do not recommend, thank goodness there were no shadow casualties. Hours later it was fixed with only a few melted spots on the sides. FYI, the one photographed was the kit that was perfectly intact, the swatches were from the one I fixed.)
Overall I am pleased with this kit. I would have never thought to layer these four colors together and the convenience of having all four shades in one kit is a huge plus. I am really astounded at how beautifully these colors layer together for a pretty smokey eye. The texture of Le Metier’s shadows is hard to beat (in my opinion). If the taupe been different and unique and if the packaging hadn’t been flawed for 1 of the kits, I would have been 100% in love, but I am still one happy girl to be able to own Antiquité Poupée.
From what I’ve read on Twitter and Facebook, I understand this kit sold out immediately, but BG still might have a few more left coming in. If you’re considering this at all, I recommend calling the BG counter ASAP. If you missed out, the upside is that I believe you can achieve a similar effect with other shades from Le Métier de Beauté.
Did you purchase Antiquité Poupée? What were your thoughts?
