Quick Peek: Le Métier de Beauté - The Bordeaux Collection by Ken Downing for Fall/Winter 2011

They arrived! All three sets of The Bordeaux Collection by Ken Downing for Fall/Winter 2011 for Le Métier de Beauté arrived at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria today. It was exciting! I wasn't expecting to see them this early in the season. They are drop-dead gorgeous!

For his second exclusive collection for Le Métier de Beauté, Downing took the essence of the fall runways and distilled it into a beauty collection that presents elegant, coordinated duos to transform you into Lady Chic.

I will devote a full feature to the collection soon, with my nails done. For now, I wanted to show you the two sets I purchased: I'm Worn This Way/Vintage Ken and Wine On The Vine/Bodacious Bordeaux.

Wine On The Vine/Bodacious Bordeaux is shown at the top of this feature, and I'm Worn This Way/Vintage Ken is shown at right. Each set is $49. There is a third set, Ken Red My Lips/Gypsy Rose Me that I didn't buy. I struggled to get decent photos of the duos as Irene's clouds started to blanket our area. The moment I put the duos away in their boxes, the sun came out again. I'll get brighter photos for my next feature.


I was able to get swatch photos of the two Moisture Stain Lipsticks in direct and indirect light. I don't normally wear dark lipsticks, so I had wondered if I would like the lip colors in the Bordeaux Collection. I love them. I needed two sets!

My first swatch photo of the lipsticks at left, taken in full sun, shows Wine On The Vine at the top of my arm and I'm Worn This Way below. You can see that neither is pure red. Wine On The Vine is a stunning, deep grape, and I'm Worn This Way appears to be a saturated rose on my arm, but it's red. The photo at right shows the shades when the sun ducked behind clouds. I'm Worn This Way is particularly interesting because the lipstick looks red in the tube, and it is red (not rose as it appears on my arm). On my lips, it's a cool-toned cherry red - one I can wear, which delights me. I think it's the most flattering red lipstick I have ever tried. Your own lip pigmentation will define the shade of these lipsticks (which is normal).

The "lip-matching" Nail Lacquers are exquisite. Vintage Ken is shown at left and Bodacious Bordeaux is shown at right. Both shades will give us the Bordeaux look that will be the "in color" this fall and winter. Bordeaux provides a beautiful accent for so many colors, and it will add a fashionable flair to your little black dress.

The packaging of the sets is unique, with a black, deep red, and fuchsia leopard print removable insert in an elegant black box. The insert cradles the nail lacquer and lipstick. The boxes have a printed Kenneth Downing signature. If you could stand to give one away, it would be a very classy gift. Sorry about the glare from the sun on the window of one of the boxes shown just above right. Isn't the box enticing?

I always warn you when I think something new is going to sell out. Consider yourself warned about the Bordeaux Collection. Call your local Neiman Marcus now. If you would like to order one from my friend Kathy Shoreman at Neiman Marcus Tysons, give her a call on her cell phone at 571-212-8399. Do it today if you can. She's off tomorrow (nursing her broken and bandaged hand), but will be back at work Sunday.

I will be back with a full feature later. I was so excited, I wanted to show you my selections from the collection as quickly as possible. I keep looking at my Wine On The Vine red lips in a mirror. I'm a happy gal.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty