New Year's Eve Face with Le Metier de Beaute Bauhaus Kaleidoscope

It's not New Year's Eve makeup unless it's shiny and metallic. Le Metier de Beaute Bauhaus Kaleidoscope might be the kit for the ultimate metallic smoky eye.

All four shades in this limited-edition palette are intensely pigmented with a beautiful burnished finish. The Beauty Look Book has spectacular swatches alongside comparisons. Here I'm going to focus on my replication/interpretation of the video tutorial by Mikey Castillo on Zuneta. Pulling the look into a more dramatic direction ended in a captivating face perfect for evening parties where you want to outshine everyone in the dim, crowded room.

I followed most of the video tutorial's steps, tweaking a couple of them. First I drew Le Metier de Beaute Dualistic Eye Pencil in Noir along the waterline and the upper lash line, then used a fingertip to smear the black over the lower half of the eyelid. From that point on, it was simply a matter of layering all four shades, top to bottom, onto the eyelid. I was careful not to go beyond the crease since these colors really are pigmented. Layered, they morph into a refined, grown-up metallic brown.

The video tutorial suggested softening the black-lined waterline by also applying some shades along the bottom lash line. I applied all four, and the compression meant a darker color. So I went back and added more of the final shade, a deep gunmetal color, along the outer edge of the eye. I was pleased by the resulting gradient. In doing the eyes, my goal was to keep everything close to the lash lines and not to let anything migrate upward. In other words, stay horizontal: there's enough drama going on already with the metallics.

My upper lashes received definition from Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic Lash Mascara in Black, then I moved on to the rest of the face. I tried out RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek in Promise along the cheekbones, and instantly fell in love with the shimmering salmon shade. It brings so much light and warmth, it's positively luminous.

My lips turned out unnecessarily complicated, for I lacked the medium rose shade shown in the video tutorial. I did have NARS Semi-Matte Lipstick in Transeurope Express, though, which is a deep almost-red rose. I applied a couple of layers, blotted, and then layered on top Le Metier de Beaute Lip Creme in Creme Caramel. The latter's frosty finish was too metallic, so I had to throw on a third layer: Le Metier de Beaute Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss in Cannes. Phew.

  

This look can easily be turned up or down by intensifying or de-intensifying the Bauhaus eye shades, and by switching around lip and cheek colors. My own interpretation is admittedly over the top, but I figure I have the bone structure to pull it off. And the little black dress, and the heels . . .

Have a wonderful Happy New Year's Eve, everyone.

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Face with Guerlain Liu Palette

The Guerlain Liu Eye & Lip Calligraphy Palette is rich and sumptuous, like the opera it is named after. With this, you can create an elegant, dramatic look for any party.

Guerlain Liu comes in a sleek palette within a velvet pouch. Lenallure has dreamy shots and swatches. Clearly, this palette would make a wonderful gift for the holidays.

I followed the "Calligraphy" look laid out in the enclosed little booklet. (Only now do I realize that I missed the "beauty mark" at the end of the cat-eye tip.) The top shade is so light that it barely showed up as a brow bone highlighter. The second shade is my favorite, with its rich gold-orange effects. The third shade is a subtle shimmery gray-taupe, while the black shade works as a smooth eyeliner. I used my own brushes to apply the shades, and added the first shade as a highlighter to the inner corners of my eyes. Le Metier de Beaute Dualistic Eye Pencil in Noir was used to line my inner rim, and a couple of swipes of Dior DiorShow Mascara in Mitzah filled out my lashes with sparkling brown. 

 

The final look was surprisingly understated. The colors are luxurious, but semi-sheer. You look like you're going to the opera, and not performing in one! What I love about the "Calligraphy" look is that you are at your most stunning whenever you blink, and the people around you will appreciate the unexpected flash of beauty.

 

The palette contains two creamy reds for a bold lip, one leaning cool pink and the other leaning warm orange. I chose the latter, of course. The enclosed lip brush is serviceable and allows you to apply with precision. On the lips, the warm red turns out to have quite a bit of pink which makes it very wearable. It wears well into the night, too, with a moisturizing formula that fades evenly.

I applied Rouge Bunny Rouge Cheeks in Bloom Blush Wand in Rubens along my cheekbones for a baroque sangria-tinged flush, and this completed the look.

The Guerlain Liu Palette is a beautiful, tightly curated collection of colors that gives you a classic party look with an Asian flair. Get this one before it's too late.

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Gloss d'Armani in #405 (Wild Rose) and Pink #508 (Blush) from Spring 2012

I procrastinate so much on swatches sometimes. Case in point: these Armani lip glosses came out for spring 2012 and I tried them on last winter, fully a year ago. The sweater I'm wearing in these photos look so cozy, I felt like I ought to bring this series out just before Christmas.

Gloss d'Armani Rouge #405 (Wild Rose) is a stunning rosewood. The rose color is just this side of rusty, which actually makes this gloss more appropriate for autumn than spring. It reminds me of Chanel Troublant from fall 2012, though Armani's gloss has more sparkle.

Then there is Gloss d'Armani Pink #508 (Blush) which is perhaps the prettiest, barest pink I can get away with wearing. The pastel pink is blue-leaning, and I really like how on me it turns into a twist on the nude lip. This shade would look amazing on truly fair-skinned women (I have olive undertones, and don't tan only because I stay out of the sun).

The Gloss d'Armani formula is my favorite. It is slightly sticky, as opposed to slick, and plumps up your lips beautifully. The subtle sparkle and shine make it clear that this is a lady's gloss, not a teenybopper's gloss. How wrong is it that these are the only two glosses I own from the line? Must rectify this soon.

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Face, featuring Le Metier de Beaute Nouvelle Vague Kaleidoscope

The kaleidoscopes from Le Metier de Beaute are foolproof. The colors are so dynamic, the pigments so forgiving, that you can throw them onto your eyelid any which way and always come out looking fabulous. Le Metier de Beaute Eye Kaleidoscope in Nouvelle Vague allows you to easily create a soft pink-neutral eye or a dramatic smoky eye. For this look, I went with the second.

Nouvelle, the first shade, is a "sheer mink negative." It barely shows up on my skin tone, and works as a brow highlighter. The second shade is named Gamine and is described as a "satin pink celluloid." This translates into an opaque shimmering cool pink. The third shade, Icon, is exactly as advertised, a "silky matte Parisian mauve." It's a rather dark color. The final shade is called Fin, and is an epic "smoldering black carbon." It is intense but smooth. (Both Temptalia and Messy Wands have superb swatches.)

To create this look, I washed the first shade all over the eyelid and browbone. The second shade went on the eyelid up to the crease, and the third shade was restricted to the lower eyelid. The black shade, Fin, was tricky yet easy to work with. It's so pigmented that even a tiny amount can go overboard, but it moves around and blends effortlessly. I lined part of my upper lashline with Fin, then blended it upward, adding a little extra to the crease. Then over this, I added more of the first two shades to the center of the eyelid. I also lightly drew all four shades down along the lower lashline. Voila.

To finish off the eyes, I lined the lower waterline with Le Metier de Beaute Dualistic Eye Pencil in Noir. My upper lashes received Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic Lash Mascara in Black. This is my favorite mascara: it simply enhances your lashes without making it obvious that you're wearing mascara. I call it MLBB (My Lashes But Better).

My cheeks gained a pop of color from Le Metier de Beaute Creme Fresh Tint in Mystique. I had been anticipating a misty wash of pink, and instead got a bubblegum pink so bright it was practically fluorescent. At a distance my cheekbones have a pretty flush, but up close you can see the unnatural cast to them: Mystique is not a color I would ever blush in real life. I suspect blondes could pull this shade off, however. If I were to redo this look, I might go with a sheer luminizer such as the pink Aura or white Halo crushed pearl & 24k gold leaf balms from Belmacz, both of which I just ordered the other day.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Succulence of Dew Sheer Lipstick in Dark Juices is described as "shiny, sheer blue-toned plum, shimmering with silver." On my lips, this shade is an intriguing multi-dimensional copper mauve that echoes the eyes beautifully. The shimmer made it difficult for me to capture a good close-up. Both Best Things in Beauty and Perilously Pale both have spectacular natural-light swatches.

The base for my face was merely Omorovicza Complexion Perfector BB SPF 20 over Visoanska VV5 Solution. Nouvelle Vague is a lovely, classic kaleidoscope from Le Metier de Beaute. It makes even an amateur like me look good.

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Guerlain Shine Automatique in Lou-Ling 760

Perfect timing. Just as I was complaining that the season would no longer allow me to wear my summer color, Chanel Rouge Allure Belgravia, along comes the winter version of this shade in the form of Guerlain Lou-Ling (760) Shine Automatique.

Lou-Ling is a stunning fuchsia-raspberry with sparkles. I defy you not to smile when you see this shade on your lips.

This is definitely a holiday party shade: the sparkles are chunky and highly visible. Since this is Guerlain, however, you look elegant rather than a teenybopper.

Lou-Ling appears much darker in the tube than it does on the lips. I was expecting a vampish color, and discovered instead a semi-sheer wash that requires more than a few passes to build up. The result is so alluring, however, that I must forgive Lou-Ling's false advertising.

Unique and beautiful, Guerlain Lou-Ling is the perfect unexpected antidote to the winter blues.

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Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick in Belgravia

Last week we had our first freezing night, which means it is time to put away the things of spring and summer. Among them is sadly Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick in Belgravia. This is a vibrant, shimmering rose-fuchsia that always cheers me up.

Belgravia wins my heart for managing to be bright yet cool. The juicy formula is effortless, and the intensity can be controlled by layering: the color starts out quite subdued, and becomes progressively bolder without ever losing its elegant finish. Me being me, I end up piling on something like ten layers.

What else can I say? Adore, adore this shade. I don't know if Belgravia is still available anywhere, as it was part of the limited edition Chanel Harrods mini-collection released in fall 2011. I'm just glad I can look forward to wearing it come next spring.

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RMS Beauty lip2cheek in Rapture

RMS Beauty lip2cheek in Rapture is aptly named. I'm in raptures over it.

This was my first taste of the ultra-organic makeup line by Rose-Marie Swift, and I'm kicking myself only for waiting so long. I had to order sight and touch unseen.

The product is packaged in a sturdy squat glass jar that comes inside a charming white cardboard box. On the back of both the box and the jar itself is the complete ingredient list, of which Xiao from Messy Wands has an excellent close-up.

Touching my finger for the first time to the surface of the cream, I was not quite sure what to expect. Would I have to dig in? Just what would the texture be like? How much of a color payoff would there be? The answers turned out to be: not at all, smooth and creamy, and intense. I felt like I was applying a rich lip balm, the way the color glided easily onto my lips, but the cream also gave me the control and precision of a lip stain. A little goes an extremely long way. I pressed my finger to the surface three times (you can see the slight indentation I made in the jar shot above) and built up thick layers of saturated red. And what a saturated red it is. 

Rapture is described as a "rich deep brown based red suitable for all skin tones." This is spot on. Rapture leans toward brick red, but still can function as a true red. While bold red lipsticks are notorious for being temperamental, RMS Beauty has come out with a product that makes it almost effortless for you to apply and maintain a dramatic red lip. There is absolutely no bleeding or feathering, and over the hours Rapture mellows down to more of a stained red. I was able to wear this dramatic color on a bare face without any other makeup. I test-drove Rapture through a full dinner, and it faded evenly while avoiding both chapped lip lines and that dreaded "ring of death." I have only one caveat to give: as long as it's layered up on your lips, Rapture will transfer to anything and everything. The necks of water bottles, white mugs, napkins, other people's lips, your fingers. But you'll continue to look great, and isn't that the important part?

  
Rapture is called a lip2cheek, but I have yet to test it on my cheekbones. I'm having a hard time imagining how I'd pull off a brick-red blush. Perhaps I could take Xiao's cue and do an ironic china doll face, but I don't think I have the bone structure for that! RMS Beauty also suggests that, "used sparingly," Rapture "intensifies one's natural lip color." That sounds perfect for me and my ghastly pale lips; a smidgen of product should bring a healthy flush to my lips for the winter.

Xiao also sadly reports that RMS Beauty plans to discontinue Rapture. What? I need to stockpile backups, and you need to try this color before it goes away.

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RC Apothecary Grand Opening & Scotch Naturals Vignette

Another bit of local news: tomorrow evening, RC Apothecary is holding its grand opening.

Located inside vintage home and modern apparel shop Silk & Burlap, RC Apothecary consists of a glass counter stuffed with Paul & Joe makeup, and a wall cabinet overflowing with skincare and body products, one brand being Persephenie. There is also the cutest Scotch Naturals display.

I had heard of this non-toxic line, but online photos do the colors no justice. In person, the miniature bottles are like vibrant gems. The design is clean, simple, and smart.

I wanted to take home the entire collection, but contented myself with just three. From left to right, To Hell with Swords & Garter (what a name!), Celtic Mix (a wonderful creamy pistachio), and Stone Fence. I also got the base coat and the top coat; I'm curious to see how this line performs. Very well, I hope, because I really could fall in love with each and every color.

Tomorrow evening, I plan on checking out RC Apothecary in more detail. There's also going to be wine. I don't need further convincing.

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