Le Métier de Beauté Aurora Kaleidoscope Lip Kit from the Northern Lights Spring 2012 Collection - More Swatches

On March 1, I was privileged to show you the new Le Métier de Beauté Aurora Kaleidoscope Lip Kit ($95) from the Northern Lights Spring 2012 Collection. If you remember that feature, I took my photos on the roof of a parking garage - not ideal conditions for makeup photography, from my perspective. Today, I have a few more swatch photos to show you, including one swatch of all four shades blended.

Today, I did not apply each shade as heavily as I had for the original photos. As a result, you can see how beautifully sheer and spring-like the colors are.

I swatched in an oddball order. Perhaps it was that hour's lost sleep last night (why can't politicians leave something as basic as the sun alone?). I started at the top with Illuminate, a shimmering hot pink with a sheer finish. You can see how beautifully Illuminate reflected the morning sun's rays. The color is drop-dead gorgeous. The second swatch down is a blended shade. The third is Dynamos, followed by Eos and Voltaic at the bottom of my arm.

The second swatch down on my arm is a blend of all four shades. I applied the layers starting at the bottom of the Kaleidoscope with Eos, adding, successively, Dynamos, Voltaic, and ending with Illuminate. All four shades applied together yielded a warm, shimmering pink that I have magnified here for you.

I decided to see if applying the shades with my fingertip would make any difference in the color representation (it didn't - was just messier). In the photo directly below, the other three shades were swatched in the following order, top to bottom on my arm: Voltaic, a satiny nude mauve that may be tamer in finish than the other shades, but shines in the sun; Dynamos, an iridescent coral tangerine with golden sparkles; and Eos, an opaque fuchsia.

Despite the fact that pinks are my sweet spot, I think Dynamos may be my favorite of four favorites. If you look at the swing-out pan in my Kaleidoscope, it's the one that is wearing out the fastest. It has a certain je ne sai quoi that's hard to put into words. My friends at Le Métier de Beauté really need to put it in a tube and make it permanent.

Examine these beautiful, sheer lip shades for spring, and you're going to need them, want them, covet them. You can pre-order the Northern Lights Collection at Neiman Marcus.com if you want to skip the "fuss" of shopping. Use code FSMAR for free shipping. The items are expected to ship March 23.

If you want the experience of a Le Métier de Beauté consultation, I'd recommend any of these wonderful Le Métier de Beauté representatives (I know and can personally recommend all of them). You can't go wrong with their help!

• Dustin Lujan at Bergdorf Goodman, (212) 872-8612
• Michael Reinhardt at Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie (202) 966-9700, extension 2258
• Lisa Corsino at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria, (703) 761-1600, extension 3286
• Sara Wren at Neiman Marcus King of Prussia, (610) 354-0500, extension 2504

Photos by Best Things in Beauty