Steady my heart, when I saw Le Métier de Beauté's limited-edition Splendid Frost Kaleidoscope ($95), my first purchase from the Le Métier de Beauté Holiday 2010 collection, I swooned. This palette is drop-dead gorgeous! Forget the fact that I've already joined the legions of Le Métier de Beauté addicts. I don't know how anyone could live without the new Kaleidoscope!I purchase mine on Wednesday at Neiman Marcus at Mazza Gallerie and promptly went home and applied every shade. It's unmitigated love!
The shades, shown in
Le Métier de Beauté's photo at top and my photo at left, are amazing. From top to bottom, Crystal Ball, Empire, Rockette, and Sugar Plum are housed in a new frosted white case for holiday. When layered from top to bottom, or worn alone, these shades create the quintessential holiday elegance of New York City, with their swanky New York names.I took some swatch photos in my office this morning, but most of them were unusable. I had planned to get better photos when I went to Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria this afternoon after work. When I got there, I made a beeline for the Kaleidoscope, only to find that someone had removed Crystal Ball from the tester. Is there nothing people won't steal? Granted, Crystal Ball is theft-worthy, but how hard did someone work to take it - and did she care how much the rest of us would miss it?
I'm going to rely on my description of that shade (and the dismal photo below right) to show you its incredible taupe color. Gaia at The Non-Blonde has better swatch photos, so make sure to visit with her. Crystal Ball is the ultimate taupe. Although it was described as platinum champagne, to my eye it's taupe in its purest, most beautiful incarnation. When I saw the Kaleidoscope, I flipped
over Crystal Ball. When I applied the shade the first time, I knew I would end up hoarding it. There's no excuse - none at all, period - for theft, but this shade would bring out the taupe zealot in anyone.I applied Crystal Ball to my arm with a brush (note to self: take sponge-tipped applicators to work), and this photo was taken in direct morning light inside my office window. I wish I had a better photo. I will try to get one to add as an update to this feature. Winter, which hasn't officially started yet, is conspiring against my swatching.
I was able to get swatch photos of the other three shades at Neiman Marcus. The photo below left shows them applied to my arm with a sponge-tipped applicator. I took the photo in store lighting.
Empir
e is fittingly grey (given its name). It's matte to my eye, but there's a gleam to it nonetheless. It may be the "perfect grey" to accent my eyes. It's pure, with no leanings toward another shade (such as blue or green). Rockette is a pretty peach, and I plan to use it as a blusher. It's a bit too peach for my eyelids, unless I layer it with another shade. On my cheeks? It's as good as it gets! Don't let my preferences sway you - try it on your own eyelids. It is sheer, like all Le Métier de Beauté shadows, so you can control the intensity.Sugar Plum, shown in my swatch at the bottom, is a shimmery dark blue. Not too shimmery, and not too blue, it's an amazing shade. Just look at the swatch and tell me you aren't dreaming of the many ways you would use it! I wore it as a liner today, but it's amazing applied as an accent color with a shadow brush. The blue is tempered with a sheerness that's wearable during the day. I applied it fairly heavily for the photo.
I have to make a comparison to one of my favorite palettes ever (something I don't often do): Chantecaille's Tiger in the Wild. Since I got it, I have reached for Tiger more often than any other palette in my house. Splendid Frost will compete for my attention. With taupe (or grey, depending on your skin tone and eye), peach, and navy shades, they have a similar color story. It's one I find irresistible.
You can purchase Le Métier de Beauté's Splendid Frost Kaleidoscope for Holiday at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, and you should. There, I said it - an enthusiastic "buy!" You need this one.
Photo at top courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté
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17 comments:
Thank you so much for this, I have been looking everywhere for proper photos of the Holiday Kaleidoscope. Now I can email it to the husband. Thank you!
Oh yes, Diane, the perfect holiday gift! You are welcome!
hmmm..price increase? other kaleidoscopes are/were $95. i like them better at $95 :)
I am soooo sorry! It is $95. I spent $125 while I was there and looked at the bottom line, not the price of the Kaleidoscope. This is why I shouldn't write features when I am really tired (after a very long day). I fixed it in the post.
I even have another source, the e-mail from Lisa Lingis, telling me it's $95, so you are absolutely correct - and you should be relieved. The $30 makes a difference!
For me, Sugar Plum is the unquestionable star of this particular kaleidoscope. It's such an unusual blue. As Gaia of the Non Blond noted, LMdB certainly has a way of coming up with utterly unique shades of blue.
I also love Rockette. And yes, Charlestongirl, I wear it on my eyes :-) although I also love the notion of using it as a blush.
Crystal Ball is not only a beautiful shade, but it is highly functional as well. (Now, that doesn't sound like beauty talk, does it?) It saves the whole thing from looking like a technocolor dream and makes the colorful Rockette and Sugar Plum work together to create that sophisticated NY look of which you speak.
The only color I'm not crazy about is Empire. It just doesn't work for me; so I substitute one of my lighter dove grays that is similar, but better suited to my coloring. I think the inclusion of a gray really is an important step in the layering process. When I told the lovely MA what I planned to do and asked if that made me a traitor, she laughed and said, "Oh, Eileen, just have fun!"
LOL, Eileen, it is about having fun. That was good advice. Colors that are perfect for me aren't going to be perfect for everyone else, and vice versa. I love that, actually. Every time I get a shade that doesn't work for me, I run around my office color-typing friends to give it away. A Rouge Coco lipstick went to a new home this week.
Doesn't that pretty peach shade remind you of Thulite?
yeah, it's "only" $95 (compared to $125). :) but do i really need another eyeshadow (actually, four shadows). my brain says no but every other part of my body says "it's LMdB eyeshadow. Are you kidding?"
You ladies who blog try so many different products. I can well imagine how popular you are when some of those luscious cosmetics need a new home :-)
Actually, Rockette looks much different on me than CdP's Thulite. When applied, Thulite is more of a light golden coral whereas Rockette registers as a warm medium toned pink. Also, Thulite has more of a bold sparkle whereas Rockette has a softer shimmer. Both are gorgeous shades, though.
To. die. for. Omg the white packaging is dead on. Calling Neimans now.
Eileen, Interesting...it's so much fun how color translates on different skins. On my skin the peach in Thulite and this new Kaleidoscope shade are very similar. I agree, though, the sparkle is pronounced on the CdP shade.
I would love to be able to sample products on everyone to know these things - maybe I should work at a makeup counter. :)
Sparklehead, make sure to spend enough to get the In Circle GWP. I think it ends today. This is a must-have. BTW, our local NMs got the new nail polishes in today.
I'm glad to find out it's $95 and not $125. I wasn't happy with the idea that they'd raised the price that much. I know my local Neiman has it in but Nordstrom doesn't which is too bad since I have reward money there. But I'll be picking this up for sure.
Marcia,
I'm so sorry I misled people overnight with my ditzy reading of my receipt. I think $95 is a bargain for four nicely sized pans in the incredibly cool swing-out container.
Your misprint did me right. I went to NM ready to pay $125 and was delighted to find that it was only $95. I got to splurge and still feel like I got a bargain! Hooray!
Kaygirl, now I don't feel half as badly about the typo! Cool!
Just got back from Tysons Galleria (ya Nova!) and had Lisa do my makeup. She used the Le Cirque Kaleidoscope, along with a ton of other stuff, and I am in love. I think I saw this still in their display and am tempted to call and have them hold it for me. But almost $200 in eyeshadow in 2 days, yikes! My wallet has already run away. I have been to the LMdB counter in DC, do you have a preference?
Hi Kellinicole!
I love both Lisa's! Each LMdB counter in our area has a Lisa. Isn't that a coincidence?
You can't find nicer eye shadow. Just consider your wallet-busters an investment. :)
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