Le Metier de Beaute Spring 2010 Preview

The Spring 2010 collection from Le Metier de Beaute is being released slowly- while several items (including the much-anticipated Magic Lustre Creme* and two colors of a cream blush) will not be available until March 15th, the counter at Bergdorf Goodman already has the testers for the eye and lip Kaleidoscope kits and both are as beautiful as Le Metier fans would expect. Inspired by the Jardins de Villandry in the French Loire Valley, the colors are rich and vibrant with an exceptional depth. The Eye Kaleidoscope Kit is simply stunning- I immediately fell in love with the midnight blue eye shadow (perfect for lining). The colors have a very delicate sheen you can't see in the photo, but it's there in person.

The shadows in every Kaleidoscope Kit are meant to be layered, not just blended. By doing this you create the full effect that is beyond wearing a specific color- it adds dimension without looking painted. Dustin Lujan, Le Metier de Beaute's brilliant makeup artist described the texture of the Kaleidoscope as a luxurious lamé fabric. He showed me how these four colors work together. He used all of them on my eyes but you'd never know that I was wearing the scary copper and magenta. With a few light brush strokes he created a serene depth that actually looked like part of my face and was more natural than the neutral Les Regards de Chanel I had put on earlier that morning.

To complete the look Dustin layered the black and bright blue Precision liquid eyeliners which created a soft, muted line (you can achieve a similar result with your favorite navy or blue ink eyeliner) and the Anamorphic Mascara in Midnight, which is probably the best blue mascara I've tried so far- since my lashes are a very (very) dark brown, most blue mascaras either disappear or create a weird and somewhat harsh look. Not this one, though. I should have bought it on the spot, considering I spent the rest of the day admiring my eye lashes (I'm already on my second tube of the Jade mascara, so no surprises here, really).

The new Lip Kaleidoscope completed the look. There are two dark colors and two light ones, so you can blend and create the perfect combination for any makeup look. The spring colors complement the eye shadows, and from my previous experience with the lip kits I own, I already know they are fool-proof.

Bottom line: March 15th can't be here soon enough.

* Magic Lustre Creme  has first appeared as a component in the Roopal Patel Collection. It's a gel-like glaze you mix with any makeup pigment in powder form- eye shadow, powder blush, etc. and transform it into a sheer stain or gloss you can use on eyes, cheeks or lips. I'd buy it by the pint.

Photo of the Jardins de Villandry- chateauvillandry.com
Images of the Lip & Eye Kaleidoscope Kits- Le Metier de Beaute