Sunday, May 11, 2014

All New YSL Couture Palettes and My Day with Pamela Morgan, YSL National Makeup Artist

I'll bet you've seen Pamela Morgan. When I met her, she was a national makeup artist for Guerlain. I used to watch her work at events, and I was always impressed with her artistry - and her personality. Very recently, Pamela joined YSL and is now a national makeup artist for them, traveling the country making women beautiful. If you get a chance to book an appointment with her, do it!

Yes, I am getting shorter by the year. I look like a shrimp next to the statuesque Pamela Morgan. I'm going to have to start carrying a step stool around.

Pamela visited Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria this weekend, right after a wonderful week of training in Paris - and just as all-new YSL products arrived. It will probably take me all week to tell you about them. I want to start with the new Couture Palette 5-Color Ready-to-Wear eye palettes. There are 11 of them. They are replacing the older palettes.

This "stylized" picture from YSL does not do any of them justice. I did a quick take when I saw them and selected three. Pamela and I both thought that they would be the first three to sell out. Then, after our makeup session, I photographed them (below) and chose a fourth that absolutely had to go home with me. Four new eye makeup palettes, and I've got my eyes on a fifth. I selected numbers 2, 3, 4, and 8.

The colors are stunning. Even when they appear to be over the top in the palette, they apply beautifully to create a sophisticated eye. Pam and I had fun playing with some of the colors that appeared to be outré and found them amazingly wearable.

In the photo above, I am wearing #3, shown directly below. The upper-left corner shade is intended to be the base shade; the upper-right shade is intended to be the highlighter; and the three colors, lower right and left and center and labeled "colors." Don't let those or any guidelines stifle your creativity. Wear the beautiful shades any way you like.

I'm sorry about the glaring reflection in the photo above. I normally see those sunspots, but I was blinded by the palette's colors. I took my photos in full, high-noon sunshine, and the sun was bright. I swatched all five shades with a sponge-tipped applicator, starting at the top left corner and working clockwise, ending with the center shade.

This palette of bronze and complementary tones is absolutely perfect for summer. I cannot tell you how many compliments I got before I left the store. The colors made my eyes pop green, aided by YSL's wonderful Beauté Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils Long-Wear Cream Eyeliner in Black Cherry (or is it Cherry Black?).

One really nice thing about these palettes is that the highlighter colors (second down on my arm) are pigmented. They aren't just glitter and glitz.

I decided to show you the pretty greens in #8 today too. My camera has difficulty with greens, so the photos above shows more grey than green in the palette. Trust me, these are gorgeous greens.

My swatch photos, taken at the same time (high noon) and in the same way as the #3 photos, tell the green story a bit better. I am so thoroughly smitten with these colors, I will be wearing them to work tomorrow. It's going to be a green day.

The green at the top does have some grey in it, making it a most unusual shade. I think it's drop-dead gorgeous. the pink blends into my skin. I can see it in the photos; I hope you can too. The softer green is like a mint teal. Stunning! The antique gold will pay nicely with the greens, and the darker charcoal is the perfect liner. It shows its green in strong light. Sorry, my swatch is uneven on the right.

I think these two palettes are beautiful. I have two more to show you as soon as I can get photos. Today, I used up sunshine time to spend time with Mom, but as soon as I can catch those rays again, I will get photos of #2 and #4. Meanwhile, you need to get over to a YSL counter and see all the new pretty treasures. I'll be featuring them all week.

The Couture Palettes has just arrived at Neiman Marcus, so call your favorite counter before you go. They may be available online. I haven't had time to check every site. Don't forget to take any opportunity to work with Pamela. She is a superstar!

 Two photos courtesy of YSL; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

14 comments:

Lori Jenkins said...

You look so gorgeous!!!!!

Jo said...

You look gorgeous CG! What is on your cheeks? It is a perfect blush shade for you. BTW, I stopped by NM this afternoon and bought the Chantecaille Luster highlighter. I am in love with it - it is SO pretty.

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you, Lori! All credit to Pam!

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you, Jo! Two shades of the new cheek/lip product. Will try to feature tomorrow. Pam had a great application technique.

Eileen said...

Lovely, indeed! That cheek color has you looking positively radiant. And, that eye palette really suits you. Pamela's color placement is flawless and that bit of gold highlighter right under the arch of your brow really lifts and opens up the eye area. You have such gorgeous full eyebrows, I'm sure all the MA's love to call attention to them. Eyes, lips, cheeks--Pamela created a cheerful warm and sunny look for you. I'd venture to say your foray at the YSL counter was a huge success :-)

I've always loved YSL's five color palettes and have been looking forward to the arrival of the new collection. Seeing these lovely palettes and your gorgeous makeup look have inspired me! I can't imagine leaving the counter with just one. . . or two. . . or three. . . LOL

Estelle said...

You look absolutely gorgeous! So nice to see a big photo of you. Can't wait to see the post about the cheek & lip products.

Victoria said...

Just lovely! You look stunning and I just love the swatches. I am a brown eye shadow junkie and just drool over the latest shades :) These look so beautiful!

Anonymous said...

You look so pretty. :)

Meredith said...

Wow, you look fabulous! This is a wonderful collection and it's so interesting to me how someone like Pam can make these colors wearable. When I first saw them I thought "Too much color" but you look gorgeous! My husband is cracking down on my spending so I'll only pick one. The green one I think. Really pretty and unusual colors.

Lisa C said...

Oh I'm loving how these look! Especially #3. You look absolutely beautiful!!

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you all!

HRH Paula said...

You look just as beautiful! I love your makeup, It's beautifully translucent!

Anonymous said...

You are looking AMAZING & keep up with the good work! Loove reading your blog everyday.

Bonnie C. said...

Just wanted to check in, been thinking about you a bunch lately. Thanks so much for sharing these shadows with us, they are so pretty! Of course, I'd expect nothing less form YSL! :-)