Featured in the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog, Le Métier de Beauté's MARCHESA Collection for Holiday 2010 ($250) arrived in stores this month (January 2011). Not only was it disapppointly late, it arrived in short supply. I had pre-ordered it. It's a good thing! Lisa Lingis, the Le Métier de Beauté rep at Neiman Marcus Mazza Gallerie received only her pre-orders plus a paltry three extra - and no real explanation for the delay or scarcity. I heard that they received three total at Tysons Galleria. That's what I'd call an "extreme limited edition."It may not matter. The MARCHESA Holiday Collection (also called the Snowflake Set) is a collector's item. Housed in a classy gunmetal grey box, the collection provides four mini-sized items, reminding me of a doll's house and little people. This is not a value set.
The Neiman Marcus catalog had left us guessing about the contents of the bejeweled Snowflake Eyeshadow Trio. The shades had not been revealed. The very small mirrored compact holds three shadows, along with a tiny eye shadow brush. While perfect for those who may want to tuck a pretty shadow compact into an evening bag for late-night touch-ups, it's not terribly practical.
The eye shadows are swatched above right. My photo was taken indoors in a sunny window, and the shadows were applied with a sponge-tipped applicator. The shades are a shimmering peach, satin plum, and deep charcoal.
There is a sample-sized Volumizing Mascasa in Noir. I don't touch up my mascara after I leave home, so I'm not sold on its utility. The same is true for the Night Sky eyeliner. It's a gorgeous liner, and those who have trouble keeping liner in place may appreciate its portability.
The lilliputian
Double Entendre Lipgloss features two fabulous shades: Lip Crème Lip Gloss in Vanilla Crème and Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss in Uma Paro. After my shock at the size of the first MARCHESA double-ended gloss introductions, I grew to like their jeans pocket size. Want ultra-portability from a dynamite gloss? You will appreciate this one. Is it a good ounce-for-ounce value? No. Is it handy? Yes. Are the two shades gorgeous? Definitely!If you are a Le Métier de Beauté collector, you will want to try to get your hands on this tiny boxed set at Neiman Marcus (call ahead). If you want to experience the luxury of Le Métier de Beauté and don't need to have the latest gimmick, buy the full-sized products. You can purchase full-sized Le Métier de Beauté mascara, eyeliner, two glosses, and three eye shadows for about $228, and they will be with you for a long time.
Photo at top courtesy of Lisa Lingis
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7 comments:
I have been completely underwhelmed by Marchesa's holiday collection, and now that spring collections are being released, it seems like much too little too late. I'm sure there are a lot of women out there who, like me, have simply moved on.
Personally, I don't think the Marchesa collaboration has been a particulary successful one. When the first two mundane palettes were released after months of fanfare without a single picture of the contents, there was a lot of grumbling and disappointment. So, what does LMdB do? They do the exact same thing all over again. Perhaps they thought a picture of the crystal covered shadow case would be enough to sell their pig-in-a-poke. That doesn't work for me. I am fortunate to have quite a bit of discretionary income, but if I'm going to plunk down big bucks for a set, I need to know what's in it. I don't think that's asking too much. LMdB must think we're all a bunch of stupid women with more money than brains. I think they should ditch the whole designer collaboration thing and remember that their "M" stands for "métier"; not "mediocre".
I fear I have to agree, Eileen, and it almost pains me to do so. I love Le Métier de Beauté, but I don't think I'll be jumping on the MARCHESA bandwagon again.
At BG in NY, I picked up the Splendid Frost palette and while I was there, Dustin showed me the Marchesa line. The e/s palette is really gorgeous and he told me there are only 50 pieces! As soon as I heard that, I said it sounds like it's much too dear for me! I was fascinated with the lipglosss but not enough to purchase it.
I love Le Metier and just bought the new Kaleidoscope but I can't bring myself to spend the money for this particular set.
Hi Joolz and Maarcia!
There are so many good values from LMdB, including the Kaleidoscopes, I can't recommend these MARCHESA name pieces. They are superb designers, but their names can't support these price points in a fragile economy.
Ok Im scared to wright this now but I will. I love this set I was going on a trip recently and it was the best thing to ever happen to me! So compact and pretty. I was allured by the compact and got my set a week and a half before christmas from bergdorfs along with free over night shipping and a gift from them. All in all Im happy. Granted it is not my daily regime but I feel special when I do use it.
Hi funlove!
Enjoy it! You love it. That's what matters. Anything that makes you feel special is special!
I don't dislike the set...only the price. :)
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