Le Metier Aurora Lip Kaleidoscope

I've been waiting for Le Metier de Beaute to come back to the UK for what feels like a very, very, very long time!  So, when Zuneta announced they were going to be their exclusive UK stockist from now on, I was very excited!  Then, when Zuneta initially put the products on the website, I was devastated, as the prices were astronomical.  Always a super-premium brand, I thought that Zuneta and Le Metier were taking the mickey with the price increases - the Kaleidoscopes had increased in price from around £55-65 and were now selling for £90! When I queried this with Zuneta, I was assured that this was an error, and the prices were immediately changed by around 20%, so the kaleidoscopes (when they're in stock) now retail for around £75.  Whilst I'm loath to cast aspersions, I can't help being sceptical that no one had thought to double-check both the prices on the website and on the email that was sent out before they were released to customers, to be honest.

But then, I am both deeply sceptical and an accountant, and double/triple/quadruple checking the numbers before information goes to people is what I do ... I'll get back to talking about quality control shortly though.  Yes, I pick nits, it's my job.

I was sent this lip Kaleidoscope in Aurora a few weeks ago, and it's taken me a while to write about it because, well, I'm disappointed with it.   You'll see why in a minute.  It is, in all actuality, very beautiful, and I love that it was inspired by the Northern Lights.  As always in a Le Metier Kaleidoscope, there are four shades, designed to be used either individually, or layered in the brand's trademark "couches de couleur" technique.

The shades are, from top to bottom:

Illuminate - a sheer, shimmery pink:

Second down is Voltaic - a rosey mauve in a cream finish:

Sharp-eyed readers will have noticed my problem by now

Then there is Dynamos, a sheer coral shot through with golden shimmer:

And finally, at the bottom, there is Eos, a creme fuchsia shade:

Two sheer shimmers, and two creme shades in one palette, there's a lot of scope for mixing and matching these pretty colours. 

Here's how they look in swatches:

 L-R Illuminate, Voltaic, Dynamos, Eos.

But, let's go back and take another look at shade number two (Voltaic) again, shall we?

That's a lovely thumbprint, isn't it?  It's not mine, by the way, this is how the palette arrived from Le Metier HQ in New York, and I'll be honest, it made me very disappointed with the palette.  It also, I don't mind adding, made me feel a bit sick.

When a brand is as super-premium as Le Metier, then I don't really expect massive thumbprints in the products.  And, sadly, it's not the first time I've had a problem with this sort of thing with Le Metier palettes, in my le Cirq kaleidoscope there was a damaged eyeshadow, and in last year's Penelope Kaleidoscope that I was sent, there was an entire eyeshadow missing!  And, in spite of me mentioning it to the brand on several occasions, they never did anything about it, which is why you didn't see it on the blog.   Something appears to be seriously amiss with Le Metier quality control - I own three of their palettes, and every single one has something wrong - one has 25% of the product missing, and the company didn't really care about my concerns.

So, on the one hand, I'm very glad to see Le Metier back. thumbprints, dinged shadows, and missing parts and all.  Then, on the other hand, I'm extremely unlikely to buy anything from them till I'm assured they they're really pulled their socks up over their quality control.  At these (newly reduced, but still extremely expensive) prices, there is less than no excuse not to provide perfection.

 The Fine Print: PR Sample.


This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Guest Post - Le Metier Lip Creme Fraise

A new discovery, but rapidly becoming a favourite, owing to a shared interest in lipstick (and Le Metier de Beaute) is The Black Panties  blog.  Through her posts, I can live vicariously in Bergdorf Goodman ... and today, so can you!

*****

 

My obsession for the past month or so has been Le Métier de Beauté's Fraise lip crème. What makes lip crèmes stand out is their texture because they're a hybrid between a lipgloss and a lipstick. They're slightly reminiscent in terms of texture of the discontinued Dior Creme de Gloss. I find lip crèmes much more long lasting and it just feel softer on the lips. What's also great about them is that I can eat a meal and several drinks and it's still on my lips without any feathering (approx. 5 hours). I was sold on it when the associate was wearing it and she's NC15-20. It's a soft, wearable red with tiny gold sparkles. I know there are people who have their reservations about red because it's too bright or just too much. Trust me, Fraise is one you can wear at the office. It's scented like strawberry crème and be aware that it does have lanolin (to those who have allergies). Otherwise, it is a must have on your makeup bag, because it's truly a unique shade. The price is $36 + tax and it's worth every penny.

(L-R) MAC Venetian lustreglass,  LMdB fraise lip creme, LMdB framboise lip creme

*****

Get Lippie says: Man, I miss Le Metier de Beaute.  The quicker they get themselves back over here, the better.

This post originated at: http://getlippie.com/ All rights reserved.

My Picks of 2010

Needless to say, you'll have seen a million of these posts already, and I was in two minds whether or not to post my selections too, but some of these products have been life-changing for me, and I thought I'd share them anyway ...

Bath Products of The Year:


Aromatherapy Associates

Early on in the year, I was sent an Aromatherapy Associates Miniature Bath and Shower oil selection, which I adored, and since then, I've been through two - count them! - full-size bottles of the Deep Relax bath oil.  Both heady and relaxing, this stuff has seen me through an operation, a change of job, and moving house, I can't recommend it highly enough.  A capful (or two, in my mega-bath's case) is more than enough to soothe my aching bones, and ease my weary head.  You can also use it as a shower oil, or, in extreme cases, you can dab it on your pulse points and sniff as required. They do great candles too.


Lipstick of the Year

Guerlain Rouge G in Georgia

Adore the packaging, love (love!) the colour, and the fact that it's both £10 cheaper than Tom Ford's Pure Pink, alongside being slightly easier to wear makes this glorious shade my pick of the year.   The Tom Ford Private Collection lipsticks did grow on me throughout the year (to the extent that I now own three of them), however, this is the shade I'll be buying  back up of very soon.

Shampoo/Conditioner of the Year:

Andrew Collinge Smooth & Shine

An oldie, admittedly, but a damn good one.  I found this moisturising, and made my hair behave beautifully.  Easy to rinse, and it left my hair with an amazing shine, and at a bargainous £4.99 for a 500ml bottle, it lasted forever too!  If it were SLS-free, I'd be using it still (I had a keratin treatment at the end of year, so am using SLS-free formulations right now), but I had no issues with colour-stripping whilst I was using this on my dry, colour-processed hair.

Blusher of the Year

Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush

2010 was the year I really started to get into blusher, it started with Estee Lauder's Bronzed Goddess bronzer, and ended with Nars Douceur, but in between were these little gems. I love them still, and now own three, in Truth, Cherub and Dare (plus I intend to get my hands on Flush and Gentle at some point too), as they're practically perfect.  Long-lasting, buildable and perfectly tinted, after I learned to handle them, I fell in love.

Eyeshadow of the year

Le Metier de Beaute Kaleidoscope in Le Cirque

To be fair, everything I've tried from Le Metier this year has been great, but the Le Cirque Kaleidoscope blew me away a little bit. Beautiful and endlessly versatile, this is practically the only eyeshadow palette I've reached for since I bought it a couple of months ago. Alas, it's limited edition, so I'm glad I arranged a backup when I could.

Foundation of the Year

A tough one, this, so there are two winners (and a runner up ...):

 Guerlain Lingerie De Peau and Bourjois Healthy Mix

Both great for a glowing finish (even though the Bourjois is technically only a "satin" or semi-matte finish), I genuinely couldn't choose between the two.  The Guerlain is a lighter-than-air, dewy finish that I find works best when set with just the tiniest bit of powder, whereas the Bourjois doesn't need setting, but I find the coverage is a little heavier.

Just want to give a mention to a distinguished runner up, which is Armani Face Fabric.  Amazing mousse texture, but for me, I need to be having a really good face day to do it justice.  But this is great stuff:

Nail Varnish of the Year

Deborah Lippmann: Hit Me With Your Best Shot. 

A glimmering steel-grey shade with hints of multi-coloured micro-shimmer, I've reached for this polish again and again since it arrived in my stick little paws, I love it, and it just edged out Dolce & Gabanna's Perfection (which it very nearly is) as my pick of the year.  Unfair as I still don't think House of Fraser have it in stock yet, but when they do, snap this one up!

Candle of the Year

Jonathan Ward Idina's Locket

No competition - unless you count the rest of the candles in this superbly-scented Amber range from Jonathan Ward, of which I bought the entire range of the day it was released!  And I know I wasn't the only person to have done the same, either. Warm and evocative, this candle smells like it was stolen straight from the boudoir of  Coco Chanel herself.  I now have more candles from Jonathan on my "Candle Wall" than I do from any other maker, and the reason for that is because they are wonderful, not to mention very clean burning.


Perfume of the Year

Untitled by Maison Martin Margiela

A possibly controversial choice,  but my blog, my rules, so ... I have to say that out of all the mass perfume releases I smelled this year, this was by far the most interesting, and it's definitely the scent that's responsible for getting me interested in perfume at all during 2010, so for that, it was a very important discovery for me.  Not every perfume in store smells like sweeties, and thank goodness for that.  You're going to be hearing a lot from me about perfume in the coming months, so you can all blame the 'Martin.

Skincare Range of the Year:

 Much like Le Metier above, where I haven't had a duff product from them all year, Alpha H has been the same for skincare.  I've tried practically every product from the range now, and (one exploding eyecream aside) I've liked (at worst) all of them, and loved some of them.  Start with Liquid Gold, try the facial oil, then move onto the masks, you can't really go wrong.  I'll have some more in-depth reviews of a couple of things coming up soon, but this is a great, no-frills brand, and I highly recommend them.

You might also want to have a look at Mir Skincare, which is formulated for sensitive skin, and is a bit of a marvel, in particular I loved the (vegan-friendly) Argan Oil, which I'll shortly be placing a replacement order for.

And finally - if you're still reading!

Overall Product of the Year

Clarisonic

Quite simply, it's a life (and skin) changing bit of kit.  I've banged on about it at relentless length several times before now, so I shan't go on, but suffice to say, I can't imagine life without this now.  Even if it is, essentially, a giant toothbrush for your face.

This has been one massive post, sorry!

Le Metier de Beaute - Turkish Smoke

I'm a big fan of Le Metier de Beaute, I think every product I've tried from them this year has been a winner, with the exception of one lipgloss I was given for my birthday (and that's only because it gave me concealer lips, which is merely a problem of faulty shade selection rather than anything else) so when I was given this lipgloss at a makeover recently, I was delighted.

Then I swatched it and started to worry:

It's a very dark browned-purple with some gorgeous gold and red shimmer particles. I was a bit worried, as I'm better wearing bright shades rather than dark shades on my lips these days.  It swatched very opaquely (which was nice, even though this was billed as a "sheer" lipgloss), but still, I worried it would be unwearable.

On my lips:

On my lips, it actually applies a lot more sheerly, and you just end up with a lovely glossy berry-coloured stain.  The gloss lasts averagely, but I do find that the Le Metier formula is a very moisturising one, if a little stickier than a balm.  I like it a lot!

Le Metier products are now available exclusively from Selfridges (and I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am that the counter has disappeared from Liberty!) and the sheer lipgloss costs £20.

Le Metier de Beaute - Le Cirq Kaleidoscope

This is the latest limited edition kaleidoscope palette from Le Metier de Beaute and it's currently available from Selfridges.  I finally saw it in the flesh last week and simply couldn't resist snapping it up.  Costing £65, it consists of (from top to bottom) a glorious almost duo-chrome grey/stone (Flamboyantes), a mauvish-taupe (Spectacle), burgundy (Enrichissant) , and a great matte purple/navy (Dynamique) at the bottom.

The top three shades are gloriously soft and blendable, and the matte blurple is very soft too, the shadows apply with no dragging or pulling, and even without a base are surprisingly long-wearing. Using the Le Metier "couches de couleurs" layering technique, you get a surprisingly wearable and unique shade, quite unlike any other effect.  I adore this palette.

I also had a look at the Le Metier/Marchesa collection, and there's a lipduo I think I have to have in La Figue/La Raisin but at £25 for two - tiny! - lipglosses, I'm afraid I couldn't make the leap into paying for it.  The Marchesa compacts are deeply pretty, but I avoid mixed (powder and cream) palettes like the plague, finding them too prone to giving you sticky powders and powdery creams after a while in usage, not pretty, and not nice.

I adore the Le Cirque palette, however, if you decide to splurge make sure you check your palette carefully.  When I unwrapped mine, I noticed there was a ding in the burgundy:

I wasn't happy.  Then when I went to use the shade properly, I saw that the shadow was damaged even more badly than I fiirst thought:

 (Click to enlarge)

I'd have been miffed - yes, miffed! - enough if this had happened with something costing a tenner, but in a palette costing £65?  Not cool.  Not cool at all...

Le Metier De Beaute Summer Event

A few of you might remember that I discovered Le Metier de Beaute recently, and fell in love with their Anamorphic Mascara. Well, I’ve just found out that Ivan Castro, the talented international makeup artist behind behind the brand - and responsible for some of the gorgeous looks sported by the likes of Nicole Kidman and Rhianna - will be available for one-to-one makeup lessons between 3-5th June at Liberty. I’m going to be popping down to see him, and get him to overhaul my eyeshadow application on Thursday next week, and I’m really looking forward to it! Wonder if it’ll look better than my NARS makeover?


Appointments cost £20, and that cost is fully redeemable against purchase, but if you spend £50 (and admittedly, that would be very easy to do!) you will get a free blushing/bronze duo which is worth £30. To book, call 020 7734 1234 ask for extension 2506, and maybe I’ll see you there!

Review - Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic Mascara

I've been very lucky, and have been invited to a lot of beauty-related events lately, and I'll be drip-feeding my reviews of some of the things I've been introduced to as a result of these events throughout the next few weeks, you know me, I like to test the heck out of stuff before I talk about it here.

Recently, I was invited to Liberty to find out more about Le Metier de Beaute, a brand I'm familiar with from reading the likes of LondonMakeUpGirl, Visionary Beauty and The Beauty Look Book (who are three of my favourite blogs, do check them out if you haven't already), but hadn't got around to trying yet.

I have to admit to being very impressed with the quality of many of the products, the powder items seem to be extremely pigmented, and are beautifully soft and blendable.  They have a unique style of application too, based upon layering to build up pigment, rather than applying in a sort of regimented order.  I'll bring you a FotD with one of their beautiful shadow palettes right after payday ...

Anyhoo, onto the mascara, the shades shown above are (top) brown-black, a nice subtle shade for daytime wear, which still manages to give a decent amount of definition to your lashes, and aubergine (below) which is a purplish-black, which is a touch more dramatic.

As you can see on the brush, there isn't a huge amount difference in the shades, but on the lashes, there is quite a difference.  The brush is a little on the large side, which means it can be easy to blob it on your lids when applying until you're used to handling it, and the first time I used it, I wasn't that impressed with it as I was applying it.  It didn't volumise as much as I normally require from my mascara.

However:

(one coat on uncurled lashes)

That is one heck of a difference!  What it lacks in the volumising department, it makes up for in lengthening, and in spades! It's a fairly natural-looking mascara with one coat, but with two, you can get a far more dramatic look, which I've been pairing with lots and lots and lots of kohl lately (but more about that another time), this has very rapidly become a favourite mascara for me, which I've been alternating with my Precious Cells, for different looks.

Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic mascara costs £22, and is available exclusively from Liberty