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Le Metier de Beaute

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Le Métier de Beauté Haute House Hues (Neimans Exclusive)

May 5, 2012

Thanks to Best Things in Beauty for keeping us up-to-date on the latest releases from Le Métier de Beauté. Among all the store exclusives, my favorite collection includes the latest design by Ken Downing: the Haute House Hues Collection which includes a Lip Crème Lip Gloss Duo ($65) in Mum’s the Word and Two Lips and the new Snappy Dragon Nail Lacquer ($18).

The Lip Crème Lip Glosses are perfect for spring. Mum’s the Word is a bright pink with cool undertones. When I saw it featured on twitter I was a bit scared. My counter did not have testers of the items when they arrived but I am glad I purchased. The Lip Crèmes are a highly pigmented liquid creme gloss. They aren’t high shine but aren’t fully matte or satiny either. More of a hybrid lipstick/gloss. Mum’s the Word can be applied heavily or sheer for a soft tint. I was surprised at how wearable it is. If it’s too bright for you, you can always mix it with other glosses to sheer out the color.

Two Lips is a slightly shimmery nude pale peach. The texture applies a bit dry and emphasizes the lines in the lips, but let it sit for a minute and it warms up nicely to apply more evenly. The pigment is quite opaque and covers the entire lip. It gives me a nude-peach lip look which I think will go nicely with a smokey eye.

Here are comparisons to a few other shades:


Snappy Dragon Nail Polish is a shocking bright pink. It’s VERY bright, almost fuschia. There is a neon quality to this shade so it was a bit difficult to photograph. The finish is a satiny semi-matte. Two coats and you get full rich coverage. I’m still partial to the high-gloss finish nail polishes, but this one you can easily just add a clear top coat to achieve the shine.

Compared to the ShoKen Pink from spring/resort, Snappy Dragon is more fuschia/rose with blue tones. ShoKen Pink almost looks orange next to it because it has so much neon in it.

 
Overall perfect for spring to summer.  The colors are fresh and naturally flattering. The lip cremes go perfectly with a simple bronzer or the latest Blush Kaleidoscope kit. To date I believe the collection is limited edition and exclusive to Neiman Marcus.
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Le Métier de Beauté Blush Kaleidoscope

May 3, 2012

Those who missed out on Le Métier de Beauté’s Blush Kaleidoscope ($95) last year will be thrilled to learn that the kit has been released to all Le Métier counters and is now a permanent item in their line (yes, it’s the same one as the first issue from Troy, Michigan). I was one of those who waited and missed, but as soon as I heard it was arriving to all stores, I immediately put myself on the waiting list. Thank you Le Métier de Beauté for reissuing this!

Le Métier de Beauté describes this as a wardrobe for the cheeks and I couldn’t describe it better. Their blush theory is similar to what I’ve experienced with many other lines, according to Le Métier de Beauté’s Director of Color Mikey Castillo:

“When we blush it’s not one shade; it’s a prismatic multitude of color. To express how you feel or the feeling you want to evoke, you need to layer color for that perfect flush. In order to create dimension, there must be at least two pigments that are contrasting in tone or texture. For instance, matte with sheen, satin with matte, pink with coral, or mauve with bronze. Layering multiple shades eliminates flatness while bring vitality to the skin- this is true of color whether it is on the eyes, lips, or cheeks.”

While the concept of layering blushes isn’t new, I think the combination of these particular blush shades in one kit is fresh and unique. I love that this kit offers so many options allowing you to be the artist and create your own custom blend of color to suit a diverse range of looks. The shades from top to bottom include a matte peach with a satiny finish, a matte rose pink with a hint of brown, a shimmering golden honey, a frosted pale cool pink. They are naturally flattering but not boring neutrals. The texture of the blushes are a finely milled powder that allows you to control the intensity of pigment depending on how much you layer or how dense a blush brush you use.

Here are more close ups of the blushes swatched on my skin, also compared to two other blushes from Le Métier de Beauté, Fresh and Whisper. Those afraid of shimmer need not fear this one. I found the frosted shades applied more heavily on my arm and that the flash emphasized the shimmer. On the skin they blend nicely and softly without being too shimmery.

I believe this kit is a must-have for all Le Métier de Beauté lovers. The colors are different enough from the current line of singles to justify owning. I asked Le Métier de Beauté if they planned on offering the shades individually but at this time it appears they do not. I think the kit is more than worth it. Those who are new to the line will find this Blush Kaleidoscope Kit a beautiful introduction to the brand. It’s perfectly fresh for spring and summer. Suitable for everyday and great for night as well. As someone who always layers 2-3 colors on the cheeks (sometimes bronzer as the first layer, plus blush and then a soft swipe of highlighter), I love love love this kit. It’s pure genius.
When this arrived at my local Neimans it sold out as soon as it arrived due to the wait list. Don’t fret – while your counter might be sold out of the first shipment, I’ve been told that they expect to receive more soon. It should be arriving at other Le Métier de Beauté counters this month as well. I am hoping to snag one more for Mother’s Day.
I’m sure everyone has seen the lovely swatches on other blogs, but if you haven’t be sure to check out the swatches on Café Makeup (ingredients are listed here too!), Best Things in Beauty and Beauty Info Zone to name a few. Also check out the Le Métier de Beauté Facebook page for updates and news.
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Latest from Le Métier de Beauté: Blush Kaleidoscope & Haute House Hues Collection by Ken Downing

May 2, 2012

A quick look at the latest from Le Métier de Beauté: re-release of their limited Blush Kaleidoscope (swoon!) and Limited-Edition Haute House Hues Lip Crème Lip Gloss Duo in Mum’s the Word and Two Lips and the new Snappy Dragon Nail Lacquer. More detailed thoughts, photos and swatches to come this evening, but I can tell you – call your Neimans counter ASAP if you’re interested. The Blush Kit arrived in very limited supply.

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Le Métier de Beauté Resort 2012: Jet Set Sheer Brilliance Glosses in HibisKiss and Orange Juiced

January 12, 2012

This spring Le Métier de Beauté and Ken Downing of Neiman Marcus have created bold and bright lip and cheek colors for Resort 2012 with their Jet Set Collection. There are two new Sheer Brilliance Glosses ($32 each) that come in two juicy shades: Orange Juiced, a hot golden orange glow, and HibisKiss, a sheer but bright fuschia red. Both come in that classic sheer Le Métier glow infused with subtle shimmer and have a high-shine finish. The colors look shockingly bright in the tubes but luckily for me, they apply on the lips with a sheer wash of color. More photos and swatches below.

Another view of the swatches plus the 2 shades mixed. I love mixing and layering Le Métier shades. The colors are layerable over other Le Métier lipsticks and work well over other brands too. Here you can see that HibisKiss dominates when you mix equal portions of both colors:

Extra close shot so you can see how fine/subtle the shimmer is in the tubes. They glow!

HibisKiss goes on a warm fuschia red, which is odd because I usually associate “fuschia” with blueish-cool tones. This one is more of a neutral red leaning slightly towards the warm side. It has a sophisticated subtle shimmery glow. I found it too bright for me alone. It is definitely outside of my comfort zone although it does photograph well. In real life/in person it’s a bit too bright for right now. Perhaps I will feel more comfortable with color once the weather warms up and once I get my tan back.

Oranged Juiced was a pleasant surprise for me. In the tube it’s a borderline neon golden orange. It looked extremely unflattering at first glance but the shimmer looked beautiful and having fallen in love with other LMdB glosses I tried it with an open mind. It swatched on the hand orange but on the lips it sheered out to give a soft warm golden glow. There are neon tones in this gloss so it doesn’t always photograph well with a digital camera. The photo below was the best I could get. Sometimes neon shades tend to look, well, extra-neon-like with a camera.

Overall beautiful high quality shades. Those who like an extra punch of color will fall in love. I personally feel it’s a bit too early in the year to be completely won over right now. Even with year-round perfect weather in Southern California I’m just starting to get into spring mode and I’m more into the softer shades right now for this time of year. I do think I will pull these out for more use in a few months, although Orange Juiced seems to be versatile enough for layering and warming up other colors. These days I’m lemming their oh-so-hard-to-find exclusives like their Blush Kaleidoscope and Jan’s Jewel Lip Creme hoping they will eventually make their appearance at all Le Métier counters (one can wish).

I highly recommend reviews by Best Things in Beauty and Messy Wands for extra thoughts, photos and swatches on the glosses. These lovely ladies also have reviews of the 3 new nail lacquers on their blogs as well (equally shocking and bold as the glosses, if not more).
Le Métier de Beauté’s Resort Jet Set Collection will be out this month exclusively at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman and online at both retailers as well. Have you spotted these yet in store? What are your thoughts?
These were provided courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté for review.
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Le Métier de Beauté Antiquité Poupée Kaleidoscope – Bergdorf Goodman Exclusive for Holiday 2011

December 4, 2011

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?

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Le Métier de Beauté Come One, Come All Kaleidoscope Eye Kit

November 21, 2011

Le Métier de Beauté Come One, Come All Kaleidoscope Eye Kit ($95) was recently released as an exclusive to Nordstrom Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Maryland. Many thanks to Best Things in Beauty who told us all about this the morning it was released for the Trend Show. She provided detailed descriptions, contact information, swatches and photos and I called to order as soon as I saw it. The colors & descriptions (thanks to Charleston Girl for providing the names as well since the kits don’t have names on them):
  • Haute Honey is a glistening warm champagne gold
  • Tawni Taupe is a shimmering frosted taupe with gold shimmer and slight olive tones
  • Montgomery Mauve is a mauve reddish purple
  • Bethesda Brown is a deep brown with gold flecks

Haute Honey

Tawni Taupe

Montgomery Mauve

Bethesda Brown

It took a little over a week to arrive from the East Coast and when it did, it took my breath away. I was however slightly let down for two reasons: 1) The kit contains yet another warm burgandy/plum/mauve shade which I feel are in too many Le Métier Eye Kits (I find these difficult to wear on my eyes, even with layering). 2) I found that three of the four colors are duplicates from other kaleidoscope kits, Splendid Frost from last holiday and Silk Road from this past fall. Makeup Magpie has also identified the same dupes. I highly recommend you check out her beautiful photos and swatches on her blog to see them on different skintones. (I did not photograph my swatches of the dupes but they are indeed identical. You can click for larger viewing.)

I applied this on the eyes as soon as it arrived using the Le Métier couches de couleur method of layering from top shade in the kit to the bottom color. The result: unexpectedly gorgeous. Yes, I detest warm reddish shades, but layering these colors resulted in a really stunning eye look (not to sound vain, but the color combination is really astounding). So I take back part of my pouty attitude, the colors are really very wearable. I wore this kit every day for the last week. I still cannot take good eye pics so I tried to layer on my arm to show you how they look mixed. I love the convenience of this kit.

At this time I do not know if the kit is still available but check out Best Things in Beauty for the contact info for the counter. If you have Silk Road and Splendid Frost, I don’t think you need this one. I still haven’t found a good dupe for the top shade although it reminds me of Chantecaille’s Rose Gold Eyeshadow (currently missing in action, I’m just disorganized at the moment).
Even with the dupes, many might ask: was it worth the $95? I think so, but I could have lived without this. Curiosity got the best of me. Still, I adore it and I would have never thought to combine the colors together like they are in this palette. The versatility of this palette is amazing. I think that Come One, Come All should have been released for fall instead of Silk Road since it appears to be more neutral and universally flattering. Silk Road is indeed gorgeous, but a bit difficult to pull off because it’s so warm (at least in my mind but of course I still caved even though I did not review/feature it).

Many have been asking if I will order Dustin’s new kit from Bergdorfs (see preview on Messy Wands). I’m still undecided. That rust-shade scares me but every NY girl tells me it warms up the look wonderfully. I’m still not sold … yet.

Copyright © 2009-2011 The Beauty Look Book.
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Le Métier de Beauté Merry Metallics

November 12, 2011

Le Métier de Beauté has released two beautiful nail sets exclusive to Neiman Marcus this holiday. Each set is priced at $32 and contains four beautiful metallic nail polishes with a stunning leaf ornament. You can see Café Makeup for the press release details and Karla Sugar for swatches of both sets. I died for Merry Metallics and did not hesitate to buy an extra set as a gift. Each come in the signature mini Le Métier nail polish packaging, the colors:
  • Plum Puddin’ – a rich light plum spun with sheer silver and micro-glitter sparkles
  • Red-E and Waiting – a sheer red with metallic gold undertones
  • Tarnished Silver – a moonlit highly metallic platinum
  • Lamé Entertain You – a foiled shimmering copper with silver undertones

Red-E and Waiting is a beautiful rich red with a gold shimmer infused throughout. On the nail it applies beautifully and smoothly with just one coat although I did not really see any gold shimmer on the nail once applied. I adore this color. One simply cannot have enough reds.

Tarnished Silver is a highly metallic frosted platinum with blueish tones. It’s very similar to OPI Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous but more blue. I find it very festive and gorgeous for holiday. Even though the shimmer factor is high, it’s still office appropriate.

Lamé Entertain You is a beautiful complex coppery pink silver frost. It’s almost foiled-like when you apply it. I adore this one. I put it on as a full manicure and it lasted all week without any chips or tip wear. This color screams “holiday” to me. I want an eyeshadow this color.

Plum Puddin’ is the most fun color in the set but least office-appropriate (in my mind). Still for a glittering purple it’s more wearable than most other frosted purples. I’m not a glitter fan at all but the tiny micro-sparkles in this shade add a kick to make this fun to wear. I found the finish on the sheer side even with 2 coats.

One last photo since I know everyone likes comparisons. I found each shade in Merry Metallics unique but here are a few other shades to help you gauge the color based on varying computer screens and my skintone.

Bottom line: Totally gorgeous, festive, and fun. The Le Métier de Beauté StocKen Stuffer Nail Sets are $32 each and currently exclusive to Neiman Marcus. I found mine in-store. The set is worth every penny. Happy Friday to everyone!
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