Le Métier de Beauté True Color Eye Shadow

Every time I go to a Le Métier de Beauté counter, I buy more True Color Eye Shadow ($30). During the recent Holiday Beauty Soiree at Neiman Marcus at Mazza Gallerie, I continued my newest habit, picking up two more: Spicy and Mulberry. Pretty soon, I'll have them all! Each time I hang out at the Le Métier de Beauté counter, I buy a few and add a few more to my wish list.

Santa, how about just dropping them all off for Christmas? Can you even imagine? A Le Métier de Beauté holiday courtesy of a savvy Santa. He could slide down my chimney with one of everything from the line. That would be the best Christmas gift of my life.

True Color Eye Shadow provides outstanding color payoff with weightless, true-to-color pigments. The shadows are sheer, providing adjustable coverage, with transparency or intensity, depending on the shade you select. The shadows are available in a range of finishes - matte, shimmer, and satin.

• Matte: A smooth, velvety texture offering full coverage without sheen
• Satin: A rich, silk-like consistency offering sheer coverage with a subtle sheen
• Shimmer: A refined, pearl-like texture offering full coverage with maximum sheen

The powder eye shadows are creamy, offering a luxurious finish and smooth coverage. Each elegant, black compact has a mirror. I can add these two to my beloved Corinthian to create my much-loved neutral-toned looks.

Spicy, shown at left in my photo above, has a gorgeous shimmer finish. It is much more intense than Mulberry, shown above at right. Mulberry has a satin finish, and it's very sheer. I consider it the perfect everyday neutral.

To show you the huge difference in these two "brown-toned" shadows, I swatched them with a sponge-tipped applicator and took my photo in full sun. Spicy, shown at the top of the swatches, applies quickly with one swipe, giving me a bright, shimmering copper look. Love it! Mulberry is a very cool brown with just a slight hint of pink. The shade looks nothing like it looks on the Web on those little swatches, which make it look lavender. Dustin Lujan, Le Métier de Beauté national makeup artist and representative, says that Mulberry is too cool for many women. He said it's a difficult shade for women with warm-toned skin to wear; they have better choices from the many shades available in this fabulous eye shadow collection.

I thought Mulberry was perfect for me, and he (and Lisa Lingis) concurred that it would work nicely on my cool-toned, fair skin. I didn't even try it on my eyelids at the store; I knew I would love it from a quick swatch. To get the color intensity for this photo, I swiped the applicator across my arm four times. The color built with each swipe, and I finally stopped, knowing when it was time for its photo op. It's that light and sheer!

Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman show 32 shades of True Color Eye Shadow available on their Web sites. Nordstrom shows 33. There's a shade for every taste, look, and skin tone. I need to show you the other Le Métier de Beauté True Color Eye Shadow treasures I purchased in October. I promise I will do that soon.

Le Métier de Beauté is available at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Nordstrom (online only). It appears that Le Métier de Beauté will soon have its own Web site. It has been under construction for the few months since I started checking.

You might want to consider these luxurious shadows at Neiman Marcus this week, when you will receive a nice clutch bag with fragrances samples with an $85 purchase in the beauty department - or during In Circle in December, when there will be gifts with purchase galore.

Photos by BTiB