Le Métier de Beauté Smoldering Embarkment Eye Kit

There's not doubt in my mind that Le Métier de Beauté's latest Kaleidoscope for eyes was intended to create a multidimensional, seductive, smoky eye. The shades smolder, so it's named perfectly. The Smoldering Embarkment Eye Kit ($95) has four shades, all very different, that are perfect for layering and blending to create a smoky eye.

I called Dustin Lujan, Le Métier de Beauté national makeup artist extraordinaire, at Bergdorf Goodman to order mine. I had seen an advance peek at Fab over Forty. I had expected it to ship Monday. Yesterday, I was thrilled to read Gaia's review at The Non-Blonde, which sent me into a greater state of anticipation. Hours later, mine arrived via UPS. Despite the fact that I don't often create a smoky eye (I lead a relatively boring life), I'll be happy to reach for this eye kit when I want some drama.

Gaia had names for the shades, so I am using her names. All of the shades shimmer. My swatch photo was taken indoors in sunlight. I applied the shadows using sponge-tipped applicators.

The top shade, First Love, is the base shade in the palette, and it's appears to be a very light, skin-toned beige in the compact. On my skin, it has a white cast that makes it a perfect highlighter. The next shade, Love Struck, looks brown in the pan. Instead, it's a vibrant dark khaki with golden shimmer. That swipe on my arm at right was created with one pass of the applicator! I have to remember that when I use it, with a brush and swiped across the pan with much less pressure.

The shade that appears in the kit to be red, In Love, is actually an orange-copper on my skin (pfew!). Shades in this family bring out the blue in my eyes, so I will play with it with a light hand. The shade reminds me of Enrichissant from Le Cirque Kaleidoscope, which looked equally scary in the pan.

The bottom shade, Lovelorn, may be my favorite. It appears to be a pure charcoal in the pan. On my skin, it adopts a hint of brown. With its silvery sparkle, I think it's a chameleon. I suspect it's going to be a bit different on everyone.

I haven't had the Kaleidoscope long enough to work with it to discover its potential, but I know Le Métier de Beauté well now. I know there are enchanting secrets to be discovered through experimentation.

Le Métier de Beauté's True Color Eyeshadows offer versatility, superior blendability, and great color pay-off. They are ulta-fine powder shadows that cling to the skin and last forever. They offer adjustable coverage, from very sheer to intensely pigmented - all up to you and your hand. Interestingly (to me), they are never exactly the color I expect when I look at the pan in the store - or even at home. On the skin, they are transformed into shades that find a way to flatter, even when I have my doubts. I don't know how they do that!

Le Métier de Beauté has been building a Web site, and I discovered this morning that it's alive now. Gals without access to a counter can surf and window shop. Smoldering Embarkment was introduced for February, and so far, it has not arrived at Neiman Marcus. I don't know if Nordstrom has it either. I believe the only place you can get it now is at Bergdorf Goodman. No one at Neiman Marcus has been able to tell me if or when it will be available. So, give the Bergdorf Goodman counter a call if you want one. The store number is (212) 753-7300. The shipping was $12.50, but there was no tax charged.

Weekend Roundup - February 19

Is your weather as crazy as ours is? We got a taste of spring this week, but Mother Nature yanked it away overnight. Yesterday, the temperate in DC was 77 degrees. Today, it's cold, and we are having a wind storm. I just got my power back after a two-hour outage - not too bad, all things considered. No matter what the weather, though, I think we are all dreaming of spring.

Let's start the roundup with spring makeup. Gaia was one of the first to get her hands on Le Métier de Beauté's Smoldering Embarkment Eye Kaleidoscope (mine arrived last night). You have to visit her at The Non-Blonde to see it!

Carla at Product Girl has the scoop on Butter London's spring collection, straight from Nonie Creme herself, the brand's creative director. Find out the inspiration behind the painterly palette and her nod to greige nails.

Amy shared her experience with Chantecaille's Sea Turtle Palette at Café Makeup. Even though it arrived slightly damaged (probably from being knocked around by UPS), the palette is a keeper! Amy's photos are gorgeous.

The brief arrival of Chanel's newest line of lipsticks, Rouge Coco Shine, had a lot of us buzzing. It was released early in one shade, Boy. I paid $10 to get my $32 lipstick delivered from Florida! Jane at Daly Beauty got her hands on it too. See what she thinks of Boy.

Tired of paying department store prices for your makeup, but can't find quality in the drugstore brands you've tried? Chelsea from BeautyXposé shared her experience with the new Maybelline Fit Me line.

I am smitten with Clé de Peau's La Beauté Éblouissante Collection for Spring 2011, with pastel looks for the eyes and brilliant, shiny lips, the collection is right up my alley. You can see it by scrolling down or clicking this link.

Did you see the Grammy Awards red carpet last Sunday? Kari from Fab over Forty gave us the details on the fabulous over 40 Nicole Kidman and her beauty look, created by Carol Shaw and LORAC cosmetics. Kidman looked better than I've seen her look at an awards show in years. Worth replicating, so make sure to hop over to Fab!

Kelly reviewed pieces from the skin-care line By Nieves at Gouldylox Reviews. The line received accolades for Best Local Skincare Line by SF Weekly. Be sure to read the review and see her glowing results.

Brushes are an important piece to the beauty puzzle. How they work can change a look completely. Sabrina shared with us her must-have eye brushes at The Beauty Look Book. You will want to read her feature!

Debbi of DivaDebbi was on the hunt to find a replacement for her long-time favorite blush. Read about her dilemma and what she found during her Sephora Safari.

I hope you enjoy your weekend!

The Friday Forum - February 18

The good news is that the sun is shining, and it's supposed to be 70 degrees outside today. Spring will arrive, but not without a last gasp from winter, I'm sure. There is a fuzzy prediction for some potential snow next week.

The bad news is that my knee still won't straighten entirely. The photo here hits close to home. My physical therapist spends a lot of time pressing down on my knee (yes, it's agonizing), and I have been doing exercises to straighten it, bend it, and strengthen the muscles around it. Now, unfortunately, I have a new torture device, a Dynasplint. It's a splint that runs from my thigh to mid-calf, and it puts pressure on my knee joint to straighten it. I have to wear it for increasing amounts of time and pressure on the knee each day. The first night I wore it, I was extremely uncomfortable. I have found since then that it's best to wear it while I'm distracted - by Steven Tyler (on American Idol) or by work - although it's difficult to prop my splinted leg under my desk.

I really appreciate all of your kind notes, comments, and e-mails. They have helped inspire me to keep working hard. In fact, I am going to do my exercises now. I'm delinquent so far this morning, but I'll make up for it throughout the day.

Last night, I attended a fabulous blogger event in the beauty department at Neiman Marcus at Mazza Gallerie. It was my first foray from the house for anything that wasn't medical. We were introduced to all the new beauty products - those that have just been introduced and those that will come in the spring. I can't wait to tell you about them! I will start this weekend with the incredible La Prairie skin care and makeup.

What's new in your life? It's time for The Friday Forum. We use the forum to share information and chat. Did you find any deals you couldn't resist this week? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By Monday, most readers have moved on.

Don't forget that the Sephora Give Me Some Lip giveaway contest ends tomorrow night. Have you entered yet?

Thanks for reading Best Things in Beauty! Got anything you want to talk about?

Photo courtesy of sjsu.edu

Clé de Peau La Beauté Éblouissante Collection for Spring 2011

Clé de Peau Beauté's La Beauté Éblouissante Collection for spring is compact, but rich. A loose translation of "éblouissante" is brilliant - a perfect description for the colors.

There are two new Eye Color Quads, three new shades of Touche de Rouge lipstick (see feature below), and four new shades of Rouge à Lèvres (Extra Rich Lipstick). Today, I will recap the new colors. I think I have better swatch photos of the Eye Color Quads than I grabbed earlier in the week.

The Eye Color Quads ($55) are #206, at top in the photo at left, and #207. The overlay with Clé de Peau's logo gives them a very classy look, but you will lose those logos as soon as you use the shadows. No matter, these sheer, shimmering shades are luscious.

My swatch photos were taken outdoors in full sun. The shadows were applied with sponge-tipped applicators. The first quad, 206, is swatched at right. The base color on the left side of the palette is shown at the top, and I swatched left to right (for both quads). The base shade is almost skin-toned, so I had a very hard time getting it to show up in the photos I snapped. In the pan, it appears (to me) to be slightly darker than my skin tone, but once it's applied, it's pretty close. I hope you can see that it has slightly more beige-pink in it than my skin has. The next shade is grey, although it appears taupe in the pan. On my skin, it translates to a gorgeous, shimmering, light grey. The copper shade offers punch to the palette. It coordinates perfectly with the narrow band of light, camel brown that's on the right of the palette and at the bottom of my photo. I will have many combinations to explore as I wear these shadows.

The equally gorgeous 207 is shown at left. The base shade, shown at the top of my arm is rose gold, and the next shade below is a much lighter version of it. These are two of the prettiest rose golds I have ever seen. The two grey shades have a hint of ice blue, making them very interesting. Don't these four shades coordinate beautifully?

There are four new Rouge à Lèvres ($60) shades. Extra Rich Lipstick, inspired by nature's temptress, the rose, creates a creamy, rich texture that intensely moisturizes the lips with every application. It's filled with ingredients to soothe the lips, including vitamin A acetate to help prevent and diminish lines and retain moisture (creating full, smooth-looking lips); and Clé de Peau's exclusive Transparent Red Powder, a special pigment with spherical powders that allows it to retain its vibrant, translucent color over time without dulling.

On top of that, the baguette diamond shape allows you to achieve a precise and beautiful finish - as if the lipstick were applied with a lip brush. The corners of the baguette shape are designed to draw smooth, natural lines and fill in the corners and edges of the lips.

The four new shades are R7 and R8 and T6 and T7. T6 and T7 were perfect for my coloring, so they live at my house now. They are shown on my arm, with T6 at the top and T7 below. My photo was taken indoors in sunlight. Beyond being gorgeous, these shades are saturated (without being opaque), shiny, and, in my opinion, gorgeous. The two I didn't purchase are in the red family. I'm partial to the Ts. They suit me nicely.

I told you about the new Touche de Rouge ($52) shades yesterday, so there is no sense in my gushing again. Just scroll down to read that feature or click here.

I am unequivocally smitten with Clé de Peau's La Beauté Éblouissante Collection for Spring 2011. I feel like I stumbled into a gold mine. Make sure to look for the new colors when you go shopping at Nieman Marcus, Saks, Nordstrom, or wherever you purchase Clé de Peau.

Photo of Amanda Seyfried by Clé de Peau Beauté

Clé de Peau Touche de Rouge for Spring 2011

I had hoped to write a comprehensive review of the Clé de Peau Spring 2011 Collection today, but events, including physical therapy, conspired against me. Stay tuned for that feature tomorrow morning. I got some good photos today.

I did want to show you more of the collection, so I decided to write a quick feature on the three new Touche de Rouge ($52) shades. Touche de Rouge is a superbly soft and gentle lip color that melts onto the lips to give you sheer, elegant, and silky color. If you've been reading Best Things in Beauty for any length of time, you know I prefer sheer lipsticks. I've been using Touche de Rouge, with its classy slim line tube since the moment I was introduced to it. Love it!

There are three new shades for spring. Shade #129, a gorgeous, warm rosy pink that's shown on my arm at right. The other two shades didn't suit me as well. Shade #130 is a pure peach - without a trace of pink to my eye, at least in the swatch photo Kathy Shoreman sent me from Neiman Marcus. Shade #131 is coral through and through - very trendy for this season.

Kathy's iPhone photo at left shows #129 at top, #130 in the middle, and #131 at the bottom of her hand. The moment she sent me the photo, I reserved #129. It's pink (a perfect, easy-to-wear shade - sheer, shiny, and flattering.

The key ingredients of this wonderful lip color include moisture-wrapping oil to create a moist, luxurious-looking luster; Clé de Peau Beauté's exclusive, advanced moisturizing Hydro-Wrap Complex; and argan tree oil for smooth application and wear (one of our favorites!).

I realize it's a little pricey, but if you can handle the price, you will find a Touche de Rouge shade that will addict you. They are that nice. You can purchase Clé de Peau Beauté color at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks, and other fine department stores.

Photo at top courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté

Kinerase Under Eye Rescue

Is there a "perfect" eye cream? Probably not. I have found one that comes pretty close.

I have been using Kinerase Under Eye Rescue ($78 at Sephora, but you can find it for less online) for years and recently returned to it. It is designed with the active ingredients Kinetin (treats the visible signs of aging), eyeseryl tetrapeptide (helps alleviate the appearance of under-eye circles), palmitoyl tripeptide-3 (a peptide that helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles), and aloe vera (soothes the skin).

Does it moisturize the eye area (over and under) without creeping into my eyes? Yes. Does it reduce the appearance of tiny wrinkles? Absolutely, and it does that well! Does it banish dark circles? I'm not sure. I'm not the best tester for that. Dark circles are caused by many things, but most often they are from tiny capillaries exposed by thin or translucent skin. Can you fix that? Yes, but I'm not sure many of us want to develop fat pads or puffiness under our eyes to hide the capillaries. I have read that vitamin K works, and there is some evidence that laser treatments work.

I have been fickle with my eye creams. Most recently, I was using Dr. Perricone's Cold Plasma Eye, and I liked it a lot. I ran out, and I found a fresh tube of Under Eye Rescue in my bathroom. So, I am using Under Eye Rescue again, and I'm pleased with the effects.

How about you? What is your favorite eye cream and why? I'm always on the hunt for a new one to try, so today, I'm asking for your advice.

Photo courtesy of Sephora

Clé de Peau for Spring 2011 Preview and Swatches

Makeup for Spring 2011 has been an embarrassment of riches. What seemed to be "as good as it gets" just got better. The new Clé de Peau eye and lip colors just arrived at stores, and there are must-have eye color quads among them.

I am writing this preview to show you the Eye Color Quads ($55) and swatches quickly. I will do a more thorough job when I have more time. I was so blown away by the pretty eye shadows, I couldn't wait to show you.

The palettes in my photo at left are #206, at top, and #207. The overlay with Clé de Peau's logo gives them a very classy look, but you will lose those logos as soon as you use the shadows.

Here are two swatch photos. I swatched from left to right in the palettes as shown above. I used a sponge-tipped applicator to apply the shadows, and I took the photos indoors in sunlight. Eye shadow quad #206 is shown at right. I think these shades are luscious. Quad #207 is shown below left. Again, the shades are lust-worthy. In a spring with lots of greys, the two in #207 are gorgeous. If you are a Clé de Peau fan, how could you resist buying both?

These palettes in my photo above look a bit strange because Clé de Peau sells the case for their quads separately, and I won't pay for it. I can deal with plastic just fine, and I don't plan to take them anywhere. I would rather have more makeup than pay for the compacts.

I will show you more swatches of these lovely eye shadows, along with my new lip colors, tomorrow.

Photo at top courtesy of Clé de Peau