Sunday, September 12, 2010

Le Métier de Beauté Le Cirque Kaleidoscope Eye Kit

The latest darling at my house is Le Métier de Beauté. I splurged in the last few weeks. One of the items I bought was the Kaleidoscope Eye Kit Le Cirque ($95) from the fall collection. Yesterday, I learned that Neiman Marcus at Tysons Galleria had sold its last piece. Clearly, it's a hit!

Wrapped securely in a black box, bubble wrap, and silver foil, the makeup wardrobe for eyes is designed beautifully, with each of the four shades tucked into the round compact. You can swivel out all four shades as shown here, or just one - however the mood strikes you.

Flamboyantes, a shimmering, neutral stone color is perfect for the lid. The same is true for the mauve Spectacle. Your own skin tone will determine how you use these shades. The red-bronze Enrichissant and the purple shade on the bottom, Dynamique, gave me pause when I first saw them. Red tones are hard for me to use, but I was delighted with their transparency and with the way you can change their character by mixing them with the lighter shades. I've learned that layering is a hallmark of Le Métier de Beauté's approach to color. Works for me!

Here is an arm photo with each shade swatched, top to bottom in the kit. I applied the shades heavily with an eye shadow brush. My photo was taken in drizzle! The light outside was adequate, but it certainly wasn't bright (that may actually have been good).

I hope you can see how gorgeous Flamboyantes and Spectacle are - shimmering neutrals with nuance! Enrichissant is a red-toned bronze or red-copper. I couldn't wear it alone, but mixed with Flamboyantes, it becomes a new color. I was pleased that Dynamique is a blue-purple. Red-toned purples are a no-no for me; they make me look like I've been crying. I can wear purples with blue tones as an accent or close to the lashes as a liner. Just like the other shades, Dynamique can also morph into another color by layering a more neutral shade over it.

At left and below are some close-ups of the shades, taken in the same drizzly light. I think the close-ups show the richness of each shade better than the four-color swatch above. I find Flamboyantes and Spectacle breathtaking.

Spectacle has some of the same qualities Corinthian has. It's a chameleon, a shadow with multiple personalities, depending on the way it catches the light.

These are luxurious shadows - with their sheer finish, soft texture, and long wear. I'm so happy that I can now purchase them locally.

I should mention that the Kaleidoscope Eye Kit is a bargain. If you purchased four True Color Eye Shadows, the price would total $120. With the kit, you get four shades for $95.

I'm glad I selected my Kaleidoscope Eye Kit at Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie before Beauty Event started! Hopefully, you can find it at a Neiman Marcus near you or at Bergdorf Goodman. I haven't been able to find it online yet, so call a store. Nordstrom now offers Le Métier de Beauté online, so they should also be offering Le Cirque soon.

More to come on my Le Métier de Beauté shopping spree!

Top photo courtesy of popbee.com

12 comments:

Elizabeth Donskaya said...

yummy colors but sooo expensive!

Charlestongirl said...

Think about it this way, Lizzard. You get four shadows for $95, and they are a very generous size. The kit will last me for years!

Eileen said...

You are going to have so much fun now that you've started up a relationship with Le Métier de Beauté. I hope you have a wonderful LMdB SA because she can show you ways to combine colors that might never have occurred to you. As I said in a previous comment, some of the colors can look pretty fierce or odd in the pan, but when the SA starts showing you ways to combine them, you'll be inspired to create all kinds of lovely and flattering looks. And, definitely book an appointment when there is a visiting MA. They've been trained to work magic :-)

MarciaF (Beauty Info Zone) said...

I'm writing my post about this palette and how much I love it. I love all the combinations I can make with the shades. Layering Le Metier is what makes it so special. They have complex colors that I just love.

Anonymous said...

what is the name of the product Le Metier makes that turns a powder product into a cream product for those of us who have dry skin? the name escapes me....

Eileen said...

Hi Anon. Eileen here. It's called Magic Lustre Creme. It was originally part of a palette but was released on it's own by popular demand. If you're really into LMdB, it's something you'll want to have.

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Eileen. I just got up here on the East Coast. It's nice to know there are experts three hours "behind" us who can answer questions.

I bought Magic this weekend. I had tried to buy it last week, but the LMdB rep had returned a whole batch she said didn't look quite right.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Eileen,

Fierce, yes, like that reddish brown! It's amazing to me what you can make with it.

I will definitely sign up for a MA session. Both counters have a product specialist named Lisa, so I hope one of the Lisas will let me know. :) Sure is easy to remember that name.

Marcia, I didn't have time. Hope you will show us some layered combos!

Unknown said...

I was little skeptical when I bought Kaleidoscope because the colors looked too much like others I have, but the pigment of LMdB is amazing! Pale, shimmering colors like Flamboyantes and Spectacle often turn to colorless silvery ash on darker skin, but these are lovely! The reddish Enrichissant is a nice crease color for me, and perhaps will look good on lighter skin if layered over Dynamique or under the Spectacle and Flamboyantes.

Charlestongirl said...

Ava, you have to go back! Did you see the Neiman Marcus Mazza offer? I don't have many DC readers, so go for it!!

Unknown said...

I ordered the Devotion Kaleidscope and Corinthian eyeshadow over the phone. I told them I'm a "Best Things in Beauty" reader so they will include the goody bag when I pick everything up and enter me in the shopping spree drawing. Thank you!

Charlestongirl said...

Yea! That means you are entered in the drawing too. Good Luck Ava!