Le Métier de Beauté Antiquité Poupée Kaleidoscope Eye Kit

Le Métier de Beauté's limited-edition Antiquité Poupée Kaleidoscope Eye Kit ($95), designed by the incomparable Dustin Lujan, launched a few days early at Bergdorf Goodman. I received mine yesterday - in a box autographed by Dustin!

To recap my earlier feature, which you can see at this link, the shades in Antiquité Poupée are shades that Dustin says are perfect for every skin tone. Here is how he describes them.

• The Dusty Rose on the top looks similar to Champagne, but it’s not the same shade. There's almost a little grey tone to it. It's pearlized for a special glow.
• Burlap Sorrel is a dusty brown, a multi-toned brown and grey actually, that's slightly luminous.
• Tarnished Russet, the shade Dustin says "makes" the Kaleidoscope, is matte. He wanted it to be flat, but not lifeless. It's a flat rust tone that's warming. Rust embodies antiques (and the doll). You can use it with the other shades in the Kaleidoscope, or use alone by using Refresh Eye Brightening and Setting Powder and gently dusting the color on lid.
• Ember Ash at the bottom is a blue-based charcoal, with slight radiance, but no glitter or pearl to the finish.

I quickly swatched it today. I applied each shade heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator, giving the shades more oomph than they have when applied "normally" with an eye shadow brush - or the crease brush Dustin prefers. I swatched from Dusty Rose at the top to Ember Ash at the bottom. Then I did a quick blend to show you one option for layering the shades.

These shades, with the exception of the rusty Tarnished Russet, will look gorgeous on my eyelids when worn alone or paired with other Le Métier de Beauté shades I love. The top two are "darn-near perfect" for me! OK, maybe they are perfect (she says with a big smile). Tarnished Russet does exactly what it's supposed to do when blended with other shades; it warms them. Let's take a quick peek at each shade.

Dusty Rose is a peachy rose on my skin. It gleams without glitter. It's absolutely exquisite. So is Burlap Sorrel, described by Dustin as dusty brown-grey, it's a luminous taupe to my eye - seriously breathtaking. OK, then there's the rust shade. Fine for some of you, but not a shade I can wear without bending. Maybe I'm too conservative. I'm sure Dustin could show me how to wear it alone, but he doesn't seem to want to leave home and visit us lately. Ember Ash is stunning. Have I used too many superlatives yet? Dustin was spot-on in describing the blue-based charcoal. It's radiant without sparkle. The shade leaps off my arm - don't you agree?

Let's blend. I'll admit I did a blended swatch too quickly. I should have taken my time, but instead I got excited and just slapped the shades on, one over the other. I can see where my Tarnished Russet is a little uneven, the result of my slap-dash blend. Nevertheless, the blended shade is beautiful to my eye. It's a warm, dusty taupe! As a total taupe addict, I'm extremely happy.

The pretty ornament was packaged separately from my Kaleidoscope in a gift box. It will dazzle on a white gold chain. I intend to wear mine - and send positive vibes Dustin's way when I do.

I think that all of the Antiquité Poupée Kaleidoscopes sold out. You never know, though. More may be produced, or some crazy woman might return one, unused. Call Dustin at the Le Métier de Beauté counter at Bergdorf Goodman at (212) 872-8612 if you want one.

Update 12/2: News from Dustin! Because the Antiquité Poupée Kaleidoscopes sold out so quickly, Bergdorf Goodman is ordering 60 more! Definitely call him if you want to be on the pre-sale list for the second batch.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty