Le Métier de Beauté Northern Lights Kaleidoscope Eye Kit from the Northern Lights Spring 2012 Collection

Spring is looking up, literally. For hues inspired by nature’s most mysterious phenomenon, the Aurora Borealis (aka the Northern Lights), look no further than the night skies of the north. The Aurora Borealis dazzles the skyline with a vivid light show only nature could create, a symphony of color, inspiring Le Métier de Beauté in its creation of th Northern Lights soft, colorful Kaleidoscope Eye Kit for Spring 2012 ($95).

Caused by a collision of naturally charged atomic particles in the atmosphere, the Aurora Borealis turns the sky from green to purple to blue. Magnetic color abounds. I saw it once from the air (our pilot made sure we didn't miss it), and it was amazing.

Beauty becomes a natural extension of nature with soft-focus, yet edgy hues, flattering every face. “I think of the Northern Lights like watercolors in the sky,” explained Mikey Castillo, Director of Color and Education for Le Métier de Beauté. “No matter what the color, the sheer background of the night sky grounds the look, creating a subtle color that looks amazing on every woman.”

The patina of golden neutral, silvery blue, bronze, and violet in the Northern Lights Kaleidoscope Eye Kit will create your own collision of color for a prismatic finish. The unique shade combinations will give you many choices for your day and evening looks.

The Northern Lights Kaleidoscope Eye Kit ($95), shown above, contains Ionic, a satin/matte neutral sunset; Sky, a pale shimmering skyline blue; Magnetic, a blazing copper; and Equinox, a satin/matte twilight violet. Applied using Le Métier de Beauté’s signature Couche de Couleur layering format, the result will be multidimensional. Create your own combinations every day, and you will have a new wardrobe of color for spring.

The Northern Lights shades were hard for me to photograph early in the morning. It was my best option - better than dashing outside at lunchtime to an office parking garage rooftop. Please try to overlook the goosebumps on my arm. I used a sponge-tipped applicator and applied all shades heavily in the top to bottom order of the Kaleidoscope.

Ionic, shown at the top of my arm is a satin/matte neutral pink. It's warm enough that you won't resemble an albino bunny when you wear it near your eyes. Use it to top your look, as a base shade, or as a highlighter. It's an adult pink. It was hard to make it show in the photos because it's close to the color of my skin.

Sky, a pale shimmering sky blue, is a blue that works. Because it provides a veil of color, it's modern and pretty. Magnetic, a blazing copper, is trendy and flattering no matter what your skin tone. I can't get enough copper and rose gold this year! Want your eye color to pop? Wear copper. Equinox, a satin/matte twilight violet can be more intense than my photos suggest. It depends on the application. Apply it lightly, and it's a periwinkle shade. Layer on more, and you'll develop the deeper shade that competes with photos of the Aurora Borealis.

I will snap some layered photos for you later, demonstrating the many looks you'll be able to create with this gorgeous Kaleidoscope. The Northern Lights collection should arrive at Neiman Marcus, Neiman Marcus online, Nordstrom, Nordstrom online, and Bergdorf Goodman this month (my pieces are press samples). It's not a counter or store exclusive.

Photo at top courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté; Aurora Borealis photo from iStock; other photos by Best Things in Beauty