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

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

Le Métier de Beauté's Aurora Lip Kit ($95) from the Northern Lights Collection for Spring 2012 arrived via UPS yesterday. My UPS guy had no idea how he brightened my day. I did a little happy dance, but only after I shut the door.

For an Aurora Borealis of your own, you'll definitely want to try Le Métier de Beauté’s new spring Northern Lights Collection. The Aurora Kaleidoscope Lip Kit ($95) has four options in Le Métier de Beauté’s delicious Lip Crème lip gloss formula. Begin with Illuminate, a shimmering hot pink with a sheer finish, the top level. Next, layer on Voltaic, a satiny nude mauve. For a pop of color try Dynamos, an effervescent coral tangerine. Finish with Eos, an opaque fuchsia. Or create your own combinations! With this kit, you'll have every trendy shade for spring.

Today, the sun was shining brightly at lunchtime, and I did something I've never done before. I went to the rooftop level of the parking garage and started snapping photos. I was sure someone would think I was a bit eccentric, but I didn't care. I don't know most of the thousands of people there anyhow. One guy who spoke to me was very kind; he acted like what I was doing was normal, as I sat on the ground snapping photos of the Lip Kit.

I applied each shade fairly heavily, swatching from the top level to the bottom level of the Kaleidoscope, beginning with Illuminate and ending with Eos. I had no idea how the photos would turn out, with the two backgrounds I had available to me: concrete and cars. I'll include several so that you can get a clear picture of these gorgeous, sheer, happy shades.

There isn't a shade in this Kaleidoscope I won't use gleefully. I love them all. I'll wear them alone and layered, creating my customized look for each day. The shades are sheer, shiny (or glossy), and long-lasting - I'm sure they were tailor-made for me (sometimes I can be delusional).

If I can get better swatch photos tomorrow morning, I will post them here. For now, these rooftop photos are the only ones I have. I'm not thrilled with the backdrops I had available today. The landscape at home is so much nicer.

The Northern Lights Collection will be available in stores any day now (my pieces were press samples from the company). I'll show you the Northern Lights Kaleidoscope Eye Kit as soon as I can get photos. In the meantime, if you want to ensure you can get your hands on these limited-edition beauties, you'll want to give Dustin Lujan a call at (212) 872-8612 Bergdorf Goodman or try Michael Reinhardt at Neiman Marcus at (202) 966-9700, extension 2258. Both of them will take great care of you. Naturally, you can call your favorite Le Métier de Beauté rep. They are all eager to receive the collection. The Northern Lights Collection should be available no later than mid-March.

Photo at top courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté; rooftop photos by Best Things in Beauty