I’m thrilled that one of my favorite brands Le Metier de Beaute has really taken off in the past year. When I first discovered the brand there were virtually no reviews or photos of the line except from a few lucky New Yorkers. The line was very exclusive to a few select locations around the US. Everyone else (myself included) had to order products over the phone or online sight unseen. For me it was a bit of a risk spending so much on lipglosses and eyeshadows that I had never seen or tested – but I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful colors and high quality. I’m glad the brand is expanding and making itself more accessible. It’s definitely a splurge but the items are indeed lovely.
Today, I have a lovely guest post from a NYer who goes by the screen name Panties on Makeupalley. She took a number of photos from the Le Metier de Beaute counter and was kind enough to e-mail me with a set to share. Check out her profile on MUA for additional photos of Le Metier products among other wonderful things (EB, MAC, Shu Uemura to name a few). These eyeshadows come in a round mirrored black compact and currently retail for $30 each.
I think she’s sparked a few more lemmings for me. I asked her what her thoughts were overall or if she had any favorites? Her response:
“Their eyeshadows are their best products aside from their lip cremes. I’m in love with Chameleon because it really is a unique shade. I actually use Canvas a lot more often than expected because it evens out my eyelids.”
I have to agree with her on Canvas. For me it’s more of a contour color but it does even out the lids. Chameleon does indeed look intriguing – it’s not one that I recall seeing while in San Francisco or Beverly Hills. It definitely looks very unique.
I am still dreaming of the day when I can get to the East Coast! But for now, I am grateful for all the NY makeup aficionados that bring a bit of the city to the rest of us 🙂
Chanel has been on quite a roll with a number of product releases this summer and fall – so much so, I can barely keep up, but I like what I see so far. The Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss collection is beautiful with a diverse range of pinks and reds – I think everyone can find at least one item to suit their coloring. The collection is both classic and modern at the same time. I’m not sure if these items have hit all counters yet. I got mine from Chanel.com and I believe Saks has an exclusive to release the collection first. If you haven’t seen these yet, they will probably be on counters soon.
I knew I had to get all three Le Vernis shades even before I saw them in person. Amy from Café Makeup did an amazing preview of the glosses which helped me tremendously. While I was in San Francisco I went to Saks to see the whole set in person, bought a new rouge allure and another set of all three Le Vernis shades for my sister (she immediately applied Rose Insolent on her toes). My personal three favorites in the collection are of the same color theme. Each have similar names (which can be a bit confusing) and all are soft but noticeable pinks:
Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Confidence #55 Rouge Allure in Confidentielle #66 Le Vernis in Rose Confidentiel #491
What I love about these pinks is that they are natural but with a slight kick. They aren’t your barely-there pinks. They have just the right amount of pigment, brightness and depth to be noticeable when applied yet are natural enough that you don’t have to worry about it being too bright. I do find that the lipgloss and lipstick brighten the face (read on below for more info).
The Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Confidence is a semi-sheer, semi-bright and semi-natural pink gloss with a slight iridescence. I find it applies with enough pigment to wear by itself even even though it’s slightly sheer. The Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss is a new gloss formula with a similar packaging to the Rouge Allure Laques. The difference is that the RAEs have longer tubes, a sheerer and glossier finish and a new wedged shaped applicator. I would describe the pigment as being in between a glossimer and rouge allure laque. These are on the thick side, not exactly sticky but not slippery either – somewhere in between. I’m not a fan of the new applicator – I find the shape difficult to use as it is more flexible requiring more pressure to apply. Also applying straight from the tube will result in getting the tip discolored if you apply over a lipstick. I find it best to apply on the back of my hand and then apply the product on the lips with a brush. I will need to do more experimenting with these. I do like the finish but it feels a bit thick. I’m normally a lipgloss girl, but these days I feel more and more like just wearing a lipstick + liner without the gloss.
Applying to the bottom lip (so you can see the contrast between my natural lip color and the color of the gloss):
The Rouge Allure in Confidentielle is also a natural but brighter pink. It goes well with the gloss. It’s definitely brighter than what I normally wear. Creamy and smooth like all the Rouge Allure lipsticks with full coverage. Those wondering how it compares to other shades, I found it to be in between Rouge Coco in Gardenia and Legende. If you didn’t like Gardenia because of the shimmer or don’t like Legende because you found it too cool or if you don’t like the Rouge Coco formula, Confidentielle is the solution for you. Here it is swatched on my lips but blended with a lip brush for a softer finish.
* Note – I realize my lip swatch photos are odd because I always manage to angle the camera in a way that focuses on my hair rather than my lips, also my hair is black except when the sunlight shines on it (directly or indirectly) which is why you see the red in some shots. These are definitely a work in progress.
Note, these may all look the same on your screen. Legende is a mini sample that I have and the most blue-toned. I found it too cool for me and have not purchased it. Gardenia is more frosty. Confidentielle is in between the shades and the most creamy.
The Gloss in Confidence over the Lipstick in Confidentielle: Layering the two gets you a rich and luscious lip look. Almost too luscious for my taste. Perhaps more suitable for a date night. The result with both is really glossy and opaque. Right now I like these with only 1 applied at a time, although experimenting with less gloss will probably work better for me.
One more view:
The new Le Vernis in Rose Confidentiel is another gorgeous classic rose pink shade. Smooth and rich in pigment, this applies very well with 2 coats. I wouldn’t say it matches Confidence and Confidentielle exactly, but it does go well with the colors. Compared to the lips, I would say the nail polish is less bright, a bit deeper, and more of a classic dusty rose. Great for fall and perfect for year round. I’ve reviewed it in my Rouge Fatal, Rose Insolent & Rose Confidentiel post here. I’ve also compared it to a couple other shades in my Chanel Les Khakis de Chanel post here. Here it is on a pedi, 2 coats.
One last view:
Hope everyone is enjoying the last bits of their weekend!
Ordering online has both pros and cons. While it can often times be more convenient, it can be frustrating to get something different than what you see online. I was in San Francisco when I received the e-mail for a 15% off promotion. Being a huge fan of their shimmer powders (both pressed and loose) I ordered a few fall items online from my iPhone because the promotional photos were stunning, but the items that arrived were not quite what I expected.
Prairie Moon Palette comes in a sleek brown mirrored compact (same size and style as all previous Becca palettes). The shades in the palette left to right are:
Macchiato Gloss – sheer light chocolate red
Voile (Demi Matte) – matte ivory
Nappa (Demi Matte) – matte dusty grey-tan-brown
Chenille (Shimmer) – shimmery forest green with grey and gold shimmers
Sagebrush (Compact Eyeliner) – deep forest green shimmer
Here you can see it’s not quite like the promotional photo:
The Macchiato gloss was surprisingly sheer from what I saw in the compact. It has a super sheer tint similar to the Black Chocolate lipgloss from Bobbi Brown’s Black Velvet Collection. I don’t have the new BB to compare to directly, but from what I tested at the counters, the Becca gloss seems to have slightly more pigment.
The eyeshadows have medium pigment and are very easy to blend. In typical Becca style, they layer with each other beautifully. Voile and Nappa seem more of a true matte rather than a demi-matte like other Becca shadows of the same formula. Other “demi-mattes” like Doeskin, Boucle, Tweed, Chantilly etc. all have a soft semi-matte base with the slightest bit of glimmer. I don’t see any glimmer in the Voile/Nappa shades. Chenille is stunning for a sage green-grey sparkle. It’s making me reconsider checking out other khaki greens for eyes. Sagebrush is also beautiful – I’ve swatched it both dry and wet to show you both methods of application. I think these are meant to be applied with a damp brush.
Swatches of Prairie Moon, each photo has the same order:
The color palette goes well with this season’s military theme, especially Chanel’s Khaki Vert:
Fig Beach Tint is also new for fall, online it looked like a pretty mauve pink with a hint of plum:
The actual product is a nude pink. It has a strong artificial cherry scent and the finish is very sheer when blended out. This was also very different from what I expected. When I applied it on my cheeks I could barely see anything. I’ll need to experiment more to see if it will show up better with more layering.
Prairie Moon is not the first Becca palette I’ve purchased that looked completely different from the promotional photo, so this order wasn’t a complete surprise. The palette is still very wearable and the colors are very well suited for the fall season. I think it’s a great palette to keep in your purse for touch ups on-the-go or for a quick look that is easy to pull together. While the eyeshadows have a green/khaki theme they do appear very versatile and I see them going well with most of the colors I have in my closet. However, had it not been for the promotional discount or if I had been able to see or test this in person first I probably would not have purchased these items.
The highly anticipated Les Khakis de Chanel nail polishes for Fashion’s Night Out have finally arrived ($25 each). These are exclusive to select boutiques in the US so you won’t be seeing these at your local department store counters, unless they have a Chanel Studio that carries exclusives or imports collections. I’ve been anxious to see what these look like in real life as each swatch photo I’ve seen looks different. These are some other websites I’ve seen pictures on:
All the Khaki shades have a smooth cream finish with no detectable shimmer, even in the bottles. They apply with absolute perfection – creamy & opaque with 2 coats. The colors are so not me – but I still caved. Curiosity got the best of me because it’s Chanel. My descriptions:
Khaki Vert – forest khaki green cream (my favorite one)
Khaki Rose – warm brown taupe, there’s nothing “rose” about this once it’s on the fingers (only looks slightly pink next to Khaki Brun)
Khaki Brun – deep brownish green, resembles green pea soup
Outdoor lighting, no flash:
Four sets of swatches in different lighting, Khaki Rose looks slightly pinkish here only because it’s next to a green and a brown, but scroll down below for the comparison set to see how un-pink it really is. All with 2 coats, no base coat or top coat (hand swatched by me, so excuse the messy finish and unclean cuticles).
High flash and natural sunlight definitely bring out the color, but I find the above photos are more accurate.
From the promotional images I had wondered how these compared to existing shades. While I should have known what to expect with the khaki military colored theme – I kept thinking in my mind, “maybe they’ll be more wearable than they sound.” Right now I’m undecided. My favorite in the bunch is Khaki Vert. While the following comparisons are not exactly dupes, I hope they will give you a better idea of what the shades are like. I don’t own many medium browns or greens for nails.
Rescue Beauty Lounge Om, Chanel Rose Confidentiel (here too), Chanel Khaki Rose
* Funny how pink Rose Confidentiel looks next to the brown, when by itself, it’s not all that bright of a pink
*Update* Someone commented how close Particuliere looked to Khaki Rose. Upon reviewing my swatches/photos I saw how it might be misleading so I did another proper comparison set. Here is Particuliere v Khaki Rose v Khaki Brun. Interesting how Particuliere almost looks purple now.
Overall thoughts: I have gone way outside of my comfort zone in buying these colors. My favorite color in the trio is Khaki Vert. I normally think Chanel does it best with the nail colors, but in this case I much prefer RBL Diddy Mow to Khaki Vert. (I bought Diddy Mow because it looked so good on Cafe Makeup – see her swatch/review linked.)
I can definitely see myself wearing Khaki Vert and Khaki Rose. The Brun shade – I’m not sure. It has me going “hmmmmmm …” I think if I had seen and tried it in person myself I would not have purchased it. Still, I have to give kudos to Chanel – only they can manage to capture my attention and $$$ with these odd shades for the nails.
All shades purchased by me. These are available at select Chanel boutiques around the US and is rumored to be online starting 09/10/10 for Fashion’s Night Out.
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The reviews on Burberry Beauty Eye Definer – Eye Shaping Pencils $27 have been mixed, yet swatching them at the counter got the best of me, especially with the multi-dimensional shimmer and sparkles Midnight Brown 02 & Midnight Ash 03. Not all of the eyeliners are shimmery, but the two I picked up are. The colors are simply beautiful for a pretty defined eye.
Midnight Brown 02 is a shimmery deep cool brown with different colored sparkles. I could not find a dupe for this color. My interest was peaked when I saw it swatched by Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog. I think her review was spot on.
Midnight Ash 03 caught my attention when it was reviewed by Lisa Eldridge. It looked lovely on her and her video is divine (in case you want to fast forward, the eyeliner application starts at 5:53).
Swatched on my hand:
The good: In terms of the pigment and wearability of these eyeliners, the quality is excellent. They are perfect for that flawless definition. Although the colors are different, the result is a fairly similar effect. If you’re interested in either, I don’t think you need both.
The bad: We all have different expectations and preferences for how we like our makeup. Sometimes I don’t care so much about lasting power, but for eyeliners I do. I find that these eyeliners did not last well on me and faded pretty fast. Granted these are not created as waterproof, so I would say they last about the same as your average eyeliner. After I swatched these on my arm, I used my Neutrogena Makeup Remover in a swiping motion to see which one came off first. Normally the longer lasting ones need a few good scrubs before they come off my arm or hand. The lasting power of the Burberry is the same as the NARS pencils and those 2 were among the first to come off.
Comparison Swatches with Urban Decay 24/7 Zero swatched first as a true black baseline:
* Note Midnt is short for midnight so I could fit all the letters in the photo, and I apologize for the type on Clinique Egyptian
Conclusion: Still lovely and worth checking out. There are a number of eyeliners I love for the color and still use even though they don’t last so long. I find applying powder eyeshadow over sometimes helps the color last. I think I’ll still get use out of these by using them as a smudged base for darker shadows along the upper lash line.
Any of those who love these pencils, do you have tips on how to make these last?
One thing I love about San Francisco is that they have the most beautiful stores. I stopped by the Neiman Marcus in Union Square and it was breathtaking. I was thrilled to find that they carry Le Metier. I’ve had my eye on Le Metier de Beaute’s Summerland Sheer Brilliance Lipgloss $32 for quite some time and finally indulged my cravings. Luckily they had 1 left in stock. It was meant to be.
* click photos for larger viewing of the sparkles *
Summerland is the Sheer Brilliance formula, but I find this to be one of the more pigmented ones. It’s packed with loads of shimmer and swatches on the hand very frosty. I would describe it as a complex bronzey peach that has slight pinkish tones with a silver sheen and tiny micro sparkles. It’s probably the most complex gloss I own making it hard to describe.
In the tube, it flashes bronze, peach and has slight pink reflecting shimmers.
On the back of my hand, it swatches with a silvery sheen and diamond-like micro sparkles. It’s so complex swatched on the hand it’s almost blinding.
On the lips, the shimmer is more subdued but still significantly more glitzy than most other Le Metier glosses (which I find are similar to Chanel’s Aqualumiere Glosses in the finish, only the Le Metier glosses surpass Chanel in their complex shimmers and unique colors). It looks silvery, bronzey-pink and bronzey-peach with silver depending on the angle. I find it very complicated.
Swatched next to other bronzey peach glosses, Summerland almost looks pink. (Scroll to the bottom.)
There’s a soft scent – it reminds me of cotton candy and vanilla, but it’s not overpoweringly sweet which I like. The texture is glossy but less slippery than the other glosses from the line. It seems to be in between the Sheer Brilliance Lipgloss and Lip Creme formula.
Swatched blended out & swatched heavily:
I couldn’t find a similar shade, but pulled a few other glosses I thought would help for comparison purposes.
Left to right: Bobbi Brown Spun Gold, Dior #522, Le Metier Captiva, Le Metier Summerland, Le Metier Papaye Creme, Laura Mercier Ambre Rose
Odd how, when swatched next to other shades, Summerland almost looks pinkish. While I would say it’s clearly not a straight pink. But then Papaye Creme is deceiving as well. Looks like a deep melon red in the tube, on the lips it applies like a light warm melon-gold shimmer.
Le Metier de Beaute is available at Bergorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus stores. Check their websites for listings of other retailers. They recently launched on Nordstrom.com as well. The price points are indeed expensive, but I find them to be a true luxury brand. I’ve been pleased with the quality and exquisite colors of 90% of the items I’ve purchased.
Butter London Yummy Mummy is described as a magical shade that flatters every skin color. It’s one of those shades I have been intrigued by for quite a while but have never really been able to figure out from online photos and reviews. Is it a beige? Nude? Nude-mauve? Brown? Taupe? I think that’s the “magic” of this color. It looks different in every review and swatch due to different skintones. In the bottle I would describe it as a greige beigey fawn with silver shimmer. On the nails the color is different depending on what angle I look at it. Sometimes it looks mauvey. Sometimes it looks like a nude beige tan. Other times it looks like a mushroom. It’s odd how it changes color depending on the light.
Overall it applies smoothly without streaks but I find it very sheer, much like Tea With the Queen that I reviewed a few days ago. I had to apply 3 coats to get it to show up, with each progressive coat thicker than the previous. It did dry pretty fast however which is a plus. It has the slightest bit of pearl to it which makes it so it’s not completely flat. It’s not really shimmery, but the shimmer is definitely more noticeable than that of Chanel Jade Rose or Paradoxal.
I pulled all the shades that I had envisioned as possibly being a dupe – this was BEFORE I actually purchased this shade. Then I pulled all the shades that were ACTUALLY in the same color family. As you can see in Set 1, my original estimates were completely off.
Comparison Set 1: What Sabrina thought were dupes
Comparison Set 2: Actual comparable shades
In terms of dupes none have the exact finish like Yummy Mummy. It’s most similar to Rococo Stone Cold Karma. RBL Grunge is similar – just paler and without shimmer. Revlon Grey Suede is similar from arm’s length but is more pinkish.
