EOTD Le Metier De Beaute Penelope

I just happened to be walking through utopia the cosmetic section of Newport Beach's Neiman Marcus when who do I stumble upon, but none other than the fabulous Kayla from Le Metier. You know, the charismatic brunette who does all those fabulous Le Metier Youtube videos we are all fascinated by, and also widely known by Twitter followers.

I was greeted with a great and warm response. I'll admit I was a bit starstruck shy to meet her. I was immediately put at ease by her down-to-earth attitude. We conversed about makeup and Le Metier as if we were old friends.

The best part was sitting in her chair and having her do my makeup! I was so excited to see the look she created on me unfold in front of my eyes. First, she lined my lower lid with Le Metier's Dualistic Eye Pencil in 'Tamarack' and smudged it onto my eyes. Then she used their 'Penelope' kaleidoscope and applied 'Black Emerald' and put it over my lid focusing on the lower half. Then, she skipped to 'Satin Amethyst' and blended the dark, forest green in with the lavender (that alone was beautiful). She then applied my favorite shade, 'Bronze Topaz', and finished off blending in 'Blonde Amber'. She lined my waterline with 'Tamarack' and applied some of the color below the eyelid as well. She mentioned that you need the bottom of the eye to reflect the top of the eye for balance. I thought that was a really good makeup tip and something worth passing on to those with these wonderful kaleidoscopes. She then used their Precision Liquid Eyeliner in 'Noir' to make the smallest line along my lashes over the 'Tamarack' pencil. The finishing touch was Le Metier's Anamorphic Lash Mascara in 'Midnight Blue' (which is now on my wish list). That complimented the green and purple from the kaleidoscope so well. Afraid of color I am not and I really loved the dramatic effect she created for me. I think it really brought out my eye color!

Onto the rest of my face. She touched up my Peau Vierge in the lightest shade and used their Classic Flawless Finish Concealer in shade number 6 (they do not go in order from lightest to darkest), then used their Blushing Bronzed Duet in 'Travita' to bring out my cheekbones.

(Sorry, Kayla if I missed a step. I really hope I didn't. I was enjoying myself too much to pay full attention to the details of it all).

It was also a delight to see how much fun Kayla was having doing her "job" - she really came to life applying my makeup and it was a real pleasure sitting in her chair and "playing". I encourage anyone who is fortunate to live near her (she travels to throughout the West Coast frequently) to go pay her a visit. I'm so glad I worked up the courage to introduce myself -- she even recognized me (*blushes*). I seriously could not stop staring at my makeup. I just wish I could do half as good of a job as she did!

Here are the pics of the finished look:

Close-up shot

With my eyes open, doesn't the color pop?

I promise this looked so much better in person. This was also taken with a flash and I'm sure that washed the coloring out a bit.

Thanks again, Kayla! 

Sneak Peak

Here is a picture showcasing some of the goodies that I will be reviewing in the next week. I hope this picture whets your appetite! I'm excited to try my first Rouge Bunny Rouge eye shadow, and Becca nail polish sent by the fabulous Jane at Modesty Brown. I am also excited to use my Le Metier De Beaute brushes as they are made from high quality materials.

Have a fabulous extended weekend for all those stateside. To all my international readers have a great weekend! 

Le Metier de Beaute's Midnight Sky Eye Shadow

'Midnight Sky'

Le Metier De Beaute's True Color Eye Shadow in 'Midnight Sky' ($30.00) was not a color I was at all familiar with. While looking on Neiman's website for swatches I skimmed right past it because on the computer screen it looks like a mid-tone brown. Brown it is not. I was encouraged to try this color from the very talented and lovely Kayla known by many loyal Le Metier Twitter followers.

Like me, she has hazel eyes and per her recommendation on colors that she uses, suggested 'Midnight Sky' for me. Already a mega fan of 'Sugar Plum' (that is hands-down my favorite out of all of the Le Metier De Beaute shadows) I was game for it's color cousin.

At first glance, I was very pleased with the color. The color is nothing short of beautiful. One complaint is that it is so similar to 'Sugar Plum', the redundancy is not necessary (especially given the 10's of other colors I am currently lusting after). In fact, I put 'Sugar Plum' on one eye and 'Midnight Sky' on the other and even I could not tell the difference! 'Midnight Sky' is deeper in the pan with black undertones and 'Sugar Plum' is a lighter navy with pink and purple sparkles in it, but on the eye they look painfully similar.

A word of caution when applying this shadow you will definitely want to apply your eye makeup first  and then the rest of your "face", as the fall out from this shadow is immense. I was walking past a row of mirrors today in a home improvement warehouse and noticed the glitter on my cheeks! Eeeks! I must admit, as much as I hate to write anything less than a glowing review for anything Le Metier, this shadow for some odd reason fell flat of my admittedly high expectations. It wasn't very pigmented on the lids and applied chalky and was sandy to the touch as well.

I would say purchase this if you are wanting a deeper navy with shimmer and missed out on Splendid Frost (the holiday 2010 kaleidoscope). I am actually gifting this to my sister who has blue eyes and this really makes her baby blues pop! So sister = 1, my wallet = 0.

'Sugar Plum' is on the left on 'Midnight Sky' is to the right

'Sugar Plum' on the left and again 'Midnight Sky'  is to the right.

'Midnight Sky' on the left and 'Sugar Plum' on the right. This picture best demonstrates the differences but this was with two generous swipes of my finger.  You can see how jerky the 'Midnight Sky' looks here as well. 

For those that own 'Midnight Sky' was this your experience with this shade as well? I wonder if mine was just part of a bad batch? 

Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush vs. Le Metier De Beaute's Crease Brush

<Boxing announcers booming voice> : "Laaadieees and Gentlemen, tonight, we are going to witness the most anticipated match in crease brush history. Are you ready? In the left corner of the ring we have, standing at 16cm Edward Bess' Luxury Eye Brush and in the right corner, standing at 11 cm we have Le Metier De Beaute's Crease Brush. Let's get ready to rumble..." Ding, ding, ding.

To continue with my Edward Bess theme (?) I thought I would share some thoughts with you over his Luxury Eye Brush retailing for $40.00.

I was asked by a fellow beauty blogger (Jeanie!) which brush I would choose and at the time I had just received both and had not had the opportunity to use them both yet and could not provide her an answer.

Now, that I've been using this brush for a little over a week I can provide an answer. Although I like it just fine, I find myself reaching for my Le Metier de Beaute eye crease brush in #1 (for $45.00) more often. Despite the fact that the Edward Bess brush is taller and sticks out of my beakers, I find myself gravitating towards Le Metier. I guess I like the way the LMdB brush sits in my hand due to its shorter, rounded-end handle. I like the stiffness of the LMdB brush better than the Edward Bess brush even though it is not "stiff" at all. I guess what I am trying to say in a not so eloquent way is that the LMdB helps me blend my eye shadow in better with less "give" than the Edward Bess one. In my mind, the less give the brush has, the more control I have to achieve a more blended eye look. Because like they say "blend, blend, and then blend some more" with your makeup.
Round 1 Goes To: Edward Bess for handle length

Perhaps it is the pony and goat hair of Le Metier De Beaute's brush that I prefer over the natural bristles (I could not find out exactly what his brush was made from) on Edward Bess' brush that give it its extra softness.
Round 2 Goes To: Le Metier De Beaute for softness

Another thing to keep in mind when/if you are debating over the two brushes is your eye lid size. I have smaller, droopy eye lids and the Le Metier brush is perfect for that. I find that when I do use Edward Bess' brush it tends to swallow up my eyelid and extend to my brow bone. This is not exactly suited for blending my eye shadow into my crease.
Round 3 Goes To: Le Metier De Beaute for the actual brush size for my eye shape and size

Considering both are so similar in price, with LMdB's brush only being $5.00 more expensive, I wouldn't really use that as a factor. I think both brushes are made from superior quality so it really does come down to size for me. So if you were debating between the two, the winner is...
Round 4 Goes To: It's a tie for price and value

...Le Metier De Beaute's Crease Brush!!! (crazy applause from the audience).

What is your favorite crease brush?

NOTD Butter London's All Hail The Queen

I had been wanting Butter London's 'All Hail The Queen' nail polish ($14.00) ever since I heard it was universally flattering on skin tones. I had liked what I saw online and was eager to try it out firsthand. I'm pretty gun shy when it comes to buying cosmetics sight unseen, so I waited until I could find it in a store. The only problem was for months it was sold out where ever I went. Imagine my delight when looking at The Butter London stand at a local Nordstrom's a couple of weeks ago there was 'All Hail The Queen' and the tester too! Every once in awhile, I feel like the cosmetic gods like me.

With one swipe on my finger I knew that 'AHTQ' was a no brainer. It went on smoothly, dried quickly, and most of all I find the color to be sophisticated. Yes, there is shimmer, but in an intriguing "is there or isn't there" kind of way? Plus, it adds depth to the color.

All of Butter London's polishes are '3 Free' which means they are free from products that are known as carcinogens and do not contain: formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP (Dibutyl phthalate - a known cause for birth defects).

I think the color is perfect as a neutral for those that want a departure from baby pinks. I also like how easily this polish applied, seriously I found no flaw in applying it. I think it is appropriate for the office and would also look great if you were stepping out onto the town.

*As always I apply my polishes in two coats (unless it is unusually stubborn like 'Mimosa' was) with Seche Vite as my top coat and Butter London's Nail Foundation as a base coat.*

Can be purchased for $14.00 USD in high-end department stores (Nordstrom). Internationally http://www.zuneta.com/ carries the non-toxic brand.

So glad to have 'All Hail The Queen' in my collection, what polish would you like to add?