Thursday, April 28, 2011

Le Metier De Beaute's Kaleidoscope Comparison Swatches - Golds

Le Metier De Beaute's Goldish Browns

A quick post to show the difference among the various kaleidoscopes. This one focuses on the golds or browns. 'Mulberry' is available for purchase for $30.00 and is part of their regular, permanent line. 'Mulberry' is very sheer and was swatched approximately four times for the color to show up versus one swipe for the other colors. 'Mulberry' was previously reviewed here and has golden peach undertones.

'Spectacle' is part of the Le Cirque kaleidoscope that came out in the Fall of 2010. 'Spectacle' has an undertone that is more blush brown.

'Love Struck' is part of the Smoldering Embarkment kaleidoscope that premiered for Valentine's Day. It is a deeper brown with golden flecks in it.

'Crystal Ball' belongs to the celebrated holiday Splendid Frost kaleidoscope with more bronzy beige undertones.    

All kaleidoscopes are limited edition and do sell out rather quickly. My best suggestion is if you see something you like to purchase, buy it! It may not be around again if you change your mind. All these kaleidoscopes are sold out, with the exception being Splendid Frost. Splendid Frost can be found for sale at http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/le-metier-de-beaute-kaleidoscope-eye-kit/3124765?origin=category&resultback=103 for $95.00.

Keep in mind no camera can truly capture just how stunning some of these colors are in person. I just hope these pictures help some of you that were wondering what certain colors really looked like. 

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Le Metier De Beaute's Kaleidoscope Comparison Swatches - Reds

It was requested that I take detailed pictures to show the difference of each shadow. So as promised, here are the more detailed pics displaying the comparisons between various kaleidoscopes. It is a beautiful, sunny day here in Southern California, so the beauty Gods were on my side and I was able to  take these. *Please note - these pictures were taken outside in the direct light to reflect the gorgeous sparkle each shadow possesses, these photos were not altered in any way.*

Le Metier De Beaute's reds

Overall, these colors could fall under the 'red' category but they each possess different undertones. 'Alexandrite' has purple undertones, 'Enrichissant' has goldish brown, 'Bordeaux' has more of a brick red, while 'In Love' has more orange-y undertones.

'Alexandrite' is available as a single color for $30.00 and is part of their permanent line.

'Enrichissant' is from their Le Cirque kaleidoscope that came out in the Fall of 2010.

'Bordeaux' is also part of their permanent collection and can be purchased for either $30.00 or is part of their 'Tunisian Trist' kaleidoscope (exclusive to Bergdrof's or Neiman's online only).

'In Love' is part of their 'Smoldering Embarkment' kaleidoscope. Although each shade is similar, they are all different in their own right. Overall, I love how richly pigmented each shadow is and how nicely they blend together. It is also worth mentioning that these shadows have true staying power (you can get a full's day wear out of these babies). You really do get what you pay for with Le Metier. Christa, I hope this helps you out!  :)

This shows how pigmented they are


What colors are your favorite from Le Metier?   

An Overview of my Le Metier De Beaute Kaleidoscope

Le Metier De Beaute's Kaleidoscopes

I'm currently working on taking pictures of each kaleidoscope in detail. I know having to bring a toddler to and from everywhere I go can be a turn off from me wanting to go and browse leisurely at a cosmetic counter. Having a toddler sometimes forces you to need an exit strategy - a way to get in and out effectively, with what you want. I've mentioned before that pictures on websites can vary greatly from those that are taken in detail by bloggers. My aim is to help you, the reader, get a more accurate picture of how beautiful each shadow is (each kaleidoscope possess a color that blows me a way with their complexity and uniqueness).

I've only started seriously liking Le Metier de Beaute (LMdB) about six months ago, but in that time I have amassed a fairly decent and respectable collection, including five total kaleidoscopes, four for the eyes, and one for the lips.

Here is an overview of the kaleidoscopes:

Tunisian Trist is the latest kaleidoscope that I purchased and at the time was exclusive to Neiman Marcus online, but now I see Bergdorf's also carries it (online only). It was previously reviewed here.

Smoldering Embarkment was created by Dustin Lujan to commemorate Valentine's Day of 2011. This kaleidoscope can only be purchased at Bergdorf Goodman's in store or by calling up Bergdorf's directly at 212.872.8612. The colors in this particular kaleidoscope include from top to bottom -First Love, Love Struck, In Love, and Lovelorn.

Splendid Frost was LMdB's holiday kaleidoscope for 2010, the colors are from top to bottom - Crystal Ball, Empire, Rockette, and Sugar Plum.

Le Cirque debuted in the Fall of 2010. The colors include, starting from top to bottom - Flamboyantes, Spectacle, Enrichissant, and Dynamique.

Les Artiste lip kaleidoscope complemented Le Cirque and also came out in Fall 2010. From top to bottom the colors are - Illusionists, Acrobates, Magiciens, and Danseurs.

*Look for future reviews on each kaleidoscope and shadow in detail*.


Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Chanel's Pink Peony Lip Gloss Review

'Pink Peony' 

When you look at my stash you can clearly see, that I'm a sucker for a pink lipgloss and no one does a lip gloss better than Chanel in my opinion. I'm allergic to lanolin, which is featured in some cosmetic line's lip glosses which can be limiting. Thankfully, Chanel has omitted lanolin from their lip products (yay!). I picked up two of the three lip glosses, for $28.50 each, featured in their summer line, Pensee (#277) reviewed here and Pink Peony (#267). I decided to pass on Aurore (#287) because it just looked like it would add sparkle to my lips, but not color. I really need to be picky when it comes to lip glosses because I find some are so easily dupable.

Pink Peony, although very pretty and sparkly in the tube, is a tad bit misleading. I purposely did not enhance these photos because I wanted to show the true nature of just how sheer this lip gloss really is. I'm a little disappointed that the color isn't as strong on the lips as it is in the tube. It still is a very pretty and I still will use it up till it is gone. I think layered over a lipstick it would be the perfect compliment.

By now, I have everything that I want from the Chanel Summer Collection. Overall, I give this collection, two enthusiastic thumbs up! I hope you enjoyed my reviews on the collection. I had a lot of fun buying everything and reviewing it.

Here you can compare 'Pensee' (on top) and 'Pink Peony' (on bottom) in the tube.

Swatches of 'Pensee' (towards the bottom of the image) and 'Pink Peony' (top of the image)


'Pink Peony' on lips
As you can see from the picture of the swatches, these two Glossimers are incredibly close in color (or lack thereof). I feel this is for the die-hard Chanel fan's out there (and we all know there are plenty to speak of) that will pick up one, two, or all three.

You can now enjoy free complimentary shipping from http://www.chanel.com with offer code : 0411SHINE (expires 5.31.11, not valid on orders placed to Hawaii, Alaska, PO Boxes, or APO/FPO addresses). Now, go shop your socks off!

  

Monday, April 25, 2011

NOTD Deborah Lippmann's 'Tiny Dancer'

'Tiny Dancer'
Manicurist to the stars, Deborah Lippmann, has created a streamlined nail polish collection. I was on the hunt for the perfect pale pink polish, one that added just a dollop of color to my nails. I think I nailed it (pun intended) with Deborah Lippmann's 'Tiny Dancer' a -"sweet spot pink". The name is ideal because this color is so delicate, I can picture lots of young girls donning this for their first recital. At the same time the color is quite sophisticated and I imagine plenty of women have slipped on 'Tiny Dancer' while saying "I do". Nude polishes make your hands almost disappear so everyone can appreciate and "ooh and aww" over the bling of your engagement and wedding rings (what woman doesn't want that?). 'Tiny Dancer' is sheer but with two coats the color is deeper and more opaque.

The application was flawless with two coats depositing evenly, although I could have gotten away with just one. For the sake of taking pictures I've added two coats of Seche Vite -- 'the world's finest top coat'. Seche vite is beloved because a) it dries super fast and b) it delivers superior shine. I personally, like my nails to be extremely shiny.

All of Deborah Lippmann's polishes are what is referred to in the cosmetic industry as being three free. They contain no toulene, formaldehyde, or DBP. No animal testing is used with her products either. 

Deborah Lippmann polishes can be purchased directly through her webiste at http://lippmanncollection.com/2011dl/index_new.php  they can also be found at high end department stores for $16.00. I picked mine up at Nordstrom's. 

full hand with 'Tiny Dancer'


On a side note, I've been blogging exactly one month today and I wanted to say "thank you" for the warm reception. I sincerely thank all of you that have taken time out of your day to read my blog and/or comment it means more to me than you know!

What are your favorite nude polishes?