Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Mascara

This morning, I shared one of Ivan Castro's tips for summer beauty: wear Le Métier de Beauté's colored Anamorphic Lash Mascara ($34) in the summer - instead of black. Don't think you'll look surreal in these colored mascaras. Le Métier de Beauté has designed Anamorphic Lash Mascara to be gentle on your appearance and your lashes.

I was first introduced to Le Métier de Beauté's colored mascara by Lisa Lingis (when she was at Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie). She showed me how Midnight Blue would make the whites of my eyes appear even whiter. I was impressed. Then Le Métier de Beauté sent me a lovely gift of three shades, Midnight Blue, Jade, and Aubergine. I've been having a blast with all three of them!

My blue eyes can appear to be green under certain conditions, and I like the various effects I can achieve with these shades. They are not as harshly black as my regular black mascara, and they are amazingly appropriate for day wear, as Ivan recommended.

I'm going to show you the shades on my arm, but these photos are a bit misleading. When you swatch on pale skin, the shades look rather colorful and light. When you swatch on lashes, which normally have color of their own, the shades appear to be tinted, more subtle versions of black.

The swatch photo above right was taken in dappled shade to try to capture the intensity of the shades. The photo at left was taken in sunlight. On the lashes, they are entirely different.

How to show you without taking photos of myself, which I dread? I went to CVS and bought a set of "fashion lashes," 100% human hair lashes. I applied Aubergine and Midnight Blue to them.

Do these look wild and crazy? No! You can barely see the unique color differences in this photo, and I took it in full sun. I can barely see that Aubergine is at the top and Midnight Blue below (they do look reversed, but I'm fairly sure that's right). The lashes appear beautifully defined - and refined. In person, if you look closely, you will see the tint.

Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Mascara is worthy of your attention. One day last year, I spent a long time talking with Dustin Lujan about the deadly ingredients that have historically been found in many popular mascaras - and how hard Le Métier de Beauté worked to ensure their own mascara was good for our lashes.

It conditions as it thickens for a soft, touchable look. It has an anti-clumping brush that defines lashes without clumps or globs. Look at how beautifully it applied to these supplemental lashes! It's long-lasting, won't flake or smudge, and removes easily. Even better, it is free of tar, mercury, and charcoal. Yes, I said mercury, which historically was found in popular mascaras. You won't find mercury in the ingredients of those mascaras; you'll find thimerosal. That conversation made me extra-conscious of ingredient labels!

The FDA banned the use of mercury compounds in all cosmetics except those used around the eyes, where levels are limited to 65 parts per million. In 2007, the use of mercury in all cosmetics was banned in Minnesota. You will find most companies have phased it out of their mascaras. I keep checking.

I'm only mentioning this because Le Métier de Beauté worked hard to develop a great mascara without harmful ingredients. In addition to these three unique and flattering shades, Anamorphic Lash Mascara is available in Black and Brownish Black - both lovely shades - but these colored mascaras are keepers at my house!

You can purchase Le Métier de Beauté makeup at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Nordstrom online in the United States. Check out this link for international locations.

Photo at top courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté; other photos by Best Things in Beauty