Le Metier de Beaute Écumes D'or Lip Kaleidoscope (Part II)

If you missed out...here's Part I
Moving along, here's Part II.

Dustin with Écumes D'or

Luckily for me, I had an awesome volunteer who is a bit darker than me in skintone so you can get an idea of how it looks layered. You know, there are questions if you're darker than NC30+, how will it show up? 

So the lovely lady had her full face on then took off her lipcolor for my review :D

Her natural lip color. She's probably around NC35

Dustin working his magic on her. He's like a NC20 for comparison. 

The bottom color on her lips.

The purple on top of the pink. You can kinda see the cool cast where the flash hits the lips.

the final result on her

Dustin lightly lined her lips on the edge for some definition

kaleidoscope on top of lipstick (bottom swatch for reference) no flash.

with flash

pictures of the Le Metier de Beaute lip brush

you remove the cap from the bottom and that's how it retracts

Le Metier de Beaute Summer 2011: Penelope Kaleidoscope + (edited 5.19.11)

So I rushed on over to Bergdorf Goodman about an hour ago because they have the tester Penelope Kaleidoscope. It's been one I've been curious about since I had a hard time imagining how the colors from the promo photo would layer on.


Top color is a warm soft gold color. It's not as warm or as vibrant as Nutmeg, but it's definitely a pretty shade. I can see myself using this one as a soft lid color on it's own.


The second shade is a matte greyed lavender. At first I didn't know what to think of this shade, or quite understood the purpose of it, but after Dustin layered it on his hands, it neutralizes the top shade a bit. I'm not one for purples, but I can see why this color was added. I do adore the soft buttery texture of this matte shade. :)


The third shade: it's slightly deeper and a higher sheen than Jojo. This one took me by surprise. It's sooo lush <3


The last shade: At first I thought it would end up looking like Jade, but it's deeper and it has a charcoal aspect to the color. It's a nifty color to pack on the color for a smokey eye, if necessary. 


Swatches are below:

So Dustin and I were playing with the colors and I asked him how it would look like layered together, so he decided to be creative and draw on my fist. Forgive my crappy fist because I had a hard time staying still from sneezing. :( 


Couches de Couleur Quick picture tutorial:

You apply the top color all over the lid up to the crease (see that little black line in between the lid and brow)? Yea, that's supposed to be your crease lol

Next, you layer the second color all over the lid into the crease as well.   

Then you add the third one.  

Then you add the green towards the lashline to darken, or make a soft smoky eye. 

The last picture Dustin added eyeliner and the eye brightener on the browbone and to blend any harsh lines. 












Overall thoughts? I think it's a really pretty kaleidoscope, and it was a nice surprise because a part of me thought it would be something boring, when it totally isn't. If you're into warm colors, then this is definitely a palette worth getting. :) 


Bergdorf Goodman will have the palette tomorrow in stores. You can call 212-872-8612 to make your order. 


(edit): The top shade is not as orange based as Goldstone. It's slightly lighter and more yellow. Totally different colors if you ask me.

Giorgio Armani Summer 2011: Mediterranean Eye Palette, Sheer lipstick #34, Sheer lipstick #35 +

So I went back to the Armani Store again since I work close by, and I met their other makeup artist, and she showed me the palette and lipsticks. 

Mediterranean Palette: This is the first time that I've seen Armani just do an eyeshadow palette, because years before there would be a bronzer with their eyeshadow compact (2 in 1). Anyway, so I'm not really a big fan of their eyeshadow quality...I mean it's not great, but it's not horrible. I'm usually someone who loves a soft buttery texture when it comes to eyeshadows. Plus their limited edition palettes always seem to have one color that I would never use (it's usually their thing to put a green or teal color). I wanted to see it because it looks pretty in pictures and this palette has won me over. It consists of 4 warm goldish/brown colors, so it's pretty easy to use in terms of using all of them together. The texture is a bit nicer than their regular eyeshadows, so from those two factors (better than the norm texture, plus I can see myself using all the colors) I decided to get it.

Sheer lipstick #34: This is the deepest lipstick shade. It's a terracotta/cinnamon color. Honestly I don't know how else to describe it. It's soooo pretty. On my pigmented lips its like a glazed cinnamon-y with a kick. I asked a couple of other people how to describe the color and they couldn't. The swatch will speak for itself.

Sheer lipstick #35: this is a soft pinky coral color. Think of a rosy pink, but with some coral mixed in. It's not an "in your face" coral (when i think of a loud coral, think MAC virgin aisle CCB). Maybe I'm just experiencing writers block. 

left to right:

Mediterranean Palette:

Sheer lipstick #34

Sheer lipstick #35

Giorgio Armani Summer 2011 Blushing Fabric #4, #5, and #37 Sheer Lipstick

So today I found out the only place in New York City that has the Armani summer collection is at the Armani store on 55th-56th Street and 5th Avenue. Normally I go to my MA, but since I'm leaving the country in a few days, I'm under a bit of pressure to get them now. 


Formula: If you're familiar with Face Fabric foundation, imagine the texture and feel, but in a blush. It's basically a silicone based gel formula. You literally need the size of a pinhead on your finger to use on both cheeks, because it's pure pigment. They're so easy to blend out and sheer, but they do set pretty quickly. Once it's on your face, they last a long time. ;) Last year I purchased Blushing Fabric #1 and #3 and I reach for these quite often. 


Blushing Fabric #4: The best way to describe it in terms of color is...cinnamon. It's a slightly burned terracotta kind of shade? Uhm, let's just stick with cinnamon. This particular one will be a learning curve for me, because it seems like if I apply too much of this on, it can be easily seen as a sunburned kind of look. I know I can pull it off, but when I return to the USA, I'll have to talk to my MA on how to use it. 


Blushing Fabric #5: It's a pinky purple color and it's really a gorgeous shade. sigh. I know I'll be using this one often. I know this one will sell out quickly because it's a fool-proof color. 


Sheer lipstick #37: The the best way to describe it is...imagine a very soft orange cream color (like ice cream), but add in a hint of beige with a beautiful sparkle. On me it lightens up my natural lip color and on my hand it looks kind of ordinary (as in you can find another color in your stash that looks similar). But the effect and shine on your lips is incredible. SO incredible. It's soft enough that it doesn't scream orange, but it's definitely not a boring clean peach color either. Lighter skintones will adore this one. On me it's a light orange-beige. sigh. I wasn't even planning to buy a lipstick, but I may have to try the others, because they look so beautiful. 


Onto the swatches. I rushed to swatch them so they are a bit uneven, but you can get the idea:

From left to right:


Blushing Fabric #4


Blushing Fabric #5


Sheer lipstick #37

*accurate lighting