Collection Roundup - Le Metier de Beaute Eye Kaleidoscopes (Part 2)

Okay, so I may have taken a while longer to compile Part 2. I have had to actually compromise and take indoor photos since I rarely have time to take photos since my new job. That said, the pictures are colour accurate (at least to my eyes) so you can still use them as a point of reference if you so wish :)

Cherry Blossom

Cherry Blossom was a kaleidoscope that was released in a very small quantity and exclusive to one boutique. A friend of mine procured it and I was (and am) so glad she did! Its an amaaazing palette. The three top tiers are incredibly smooth and pigmented, without any powdery kick that is associated with soft eyeshadows. The brown liner shade is a little harder in texture, and a little sheerer than the rest. The result on the eyes is a springy, brightening effect with softly smudged lashlines :) Its a little hard to capture the layered effect since my skin is very dark but I assure you that it performs incredibly well under your preferred eyeshadow base.

Chinoiserie Azure

Mmmm Chinoiserie Azure. Mmm mmm mmm. This palette is so deliciously textured I could just eat it up. I love the vivid blues, though my favourite shade is that second tier. Its a greeny blue gold shimmery shade that is so pigmented that a light touch is required unless you want to overwhelm the other shades. When you wear this shade, you get a nice three dimensional blue that has amazing gold pearl shot through. 
 
Violaceous Splendour

Violaceous Splendor is my favourite LMdB palette of all time. No joke. Its not one I wear most often, but the quality and colour combination is just stellar. What I do is usually layer the top two tiers (the red a little lower and closer to the lashline), then dab the orange in the middle of the lid. The black to finish off on the lashline and a little dab on the outer V for depth. Violaceous Splendor is a shining example of bright matte eyeshadows done well. Urban Decay, please take notes. Creamy, smooth, pigmented with no fallout and no powdery mess. The pigments melt into the skin instead of sitting on top of it. SO many things to rave about really. This one is worth hunting down, peeps.

Modernist Merlot 

I have to admit, this pallete is a miss for me. I just don't get it. It will probably look OK on my lid since I am tan, but this palette layered is a muddy mess. I can't imagine what it would look like on someone with fair skin. If you have a different (positive) experience, please do let me know. Overall, this is too dupable to be worth the big bucks. Huge miss.

Devotion 

I feel amazingly lucky to have Devotion. The eyeshadow formulation/standard is on par with the superb Violaceous Splendor and Chinoiserie Azure. I cannot help but be amazed at how it swatches, and the fact that its soft without being powdery. How did they achieve this?? Devotion is a relatively old palette, and I LOVE that it has stayed in the fattier stage till now.

Northern Lights

 I don't like this palette at all. I can't get past how bad the first two shades are. Definitely not up to LMdB's standard and I had high hopes. I think it layers quite nicely but the colours (with the exception of the orange), aren't ones I would wear anyway but I gave it a shot in case LMdB decided to weave some magic in this one. Nope, too ordinary and not worth the trouble to make this work. I do know some people who like this palette a lot though, so maybe I'm just being difficult :P

   
Chauvet Pont d'Arc

This was the palette that restored my love for LMdB. I just find this palette so wearable and can easily create a soft smokey eye in 5 minutes flat. The teal liner shade is such a surprise! And, it is very soft to the touch and very pigmented. I need to be careful not to use too much pressure or it just crumbles. This shade is a little powdery (another surprise!) but its not unworkable.

Pallid Incandescents 

As much as I LOVE the idea of Pallid Incandescents for a colourful eye look, its much too light for me. It looks great layered together, but it shows up on my lid as a pale ashy blah colour unless I wear a strong base like UDPP. On pale ladies, however, its magical. See it in action here.

Out of the 8 palettes I have reviewed and swatched here for you today, I would definitely recommend Violaceous Splendour, Chinoiserie Azure and Devotion as the best palettes. All of these palettes are very very colourful though. For a more neutral palette, Chauvet Pont d'Arc is a nice choice that isn't super boring.  

From Part 1, I like Splendid Frost, Oscar de La Renta and Antiquite Poupee. Le Cirque would be a close fourth! :D

I would really love to have the full complete set of LMdB kaleidoscopes ever released but its a very far fetched dream. What I might do is ask my friends for their swatches and post it for you :) Let me know if this is something of interest. 

Have a good day!

xx Cindy

Le Metier de Beaute Giveaway!!!

I've been dying to host a giveaway for a while now, but I had to bide my time and accumulate enough awesome goodies to give my followers (old and new!)

Let's not waste anytime shall we?

Here are the prizes up for grabs:

1 x LMdB Daily Renew Cleanser (100 ml) BNIB

1 x LMdB Eye Makeup Remover sample

1 x LMdB Red Velvet Lip Creme BN (didn't come with a box)

1 x LMdB Chauvet Pont d'Arc Summer Kaleidoscope (BNIB) - Reviewed here

The prizes will be shipped to the winner using Airmail. Depending on where you are - this could take between 3 to 10 days. Please note that shipping from Australia is hideously expensive so I may have to split the prizes into two parcels if it means spending less money on my part.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love

Cindy

LMdB Chauvet Pont D'arc Kaleidoscope - Review & Swatches

Updated: I did take a myriad of other photos with my camera of each tier from top to bottom but alas, I did not have time to upload them today. I will update this feature tomorrow with those photos. New photos have been added! :D Enjoy <3
 
My Zuneta order came yesterday and I was so delighted to open up my new LMdB Kaleidoscope in Chauvet Pont D'arc . Here is the promo spiel from Zuneta if you haven't already seen it a gazillion times before:

The Chauvet Pont d'Arc Kaleidoscope Eye Kit, ($95, shown above), for Summer 2012 was inspired by the Chauvet Cave Paintings in France, the oldest in the world. The cave paintings, found in Chauvet Pont d'Arc, which is located in the south of France, are among the most significant prehistoric art sites known to mankind. The hues are richly pigmented - beautiful and intense. Painted by ancient artists wielding extraordinary skills, the images evoke the burgeoning life of centuries long past and, with protection, will last and be enjoyed for eternity.

The shades in Chauvet Pont d'Arc are:

• Umber - umber-toned satin mauve
• Ocher - shimmering sandstone ocher
• Madder - shimmering terracotta
• Crystalline - silky matte desert teal

Umber is a really lovely irridescent mauve. The texture of the shadow is soft and buttery with medium level pigmentation. If you really blend this shade out, it becomes a sparkling light mauve and I can see it being a gorgeous standalone shade for the office.

Ocher is a darkened dirty shimmering gold. This shade is again very soft and buttery and is the most pigmented shade in the kaleidoscope kit.

Madder is a gorgeous teracotta shade with small silver shimmers. Compared to the top two tiers, this shade is noticeably less shimmery but it is not matte either. The pigmentation level is medium.

Crystalline is a bright teal which is a little chalky and is probably the sheerest out of the four. However, I would never call this shade sheer. The pigmentation is definitely there, but the chalky texture makes it a little difficult to blend and there is some fallout when you apply this as a liner.

 

I took a crappy phone pic this morning before I rushed off to work and this is how Chauvet Pont D'arc looks on me. Its a little difficult to show the dimension and the intensity of the colours but I hope you get the picture.

Couches de Couleur #1: Top three tiers layered, fourth tier added as a liner

Couches de Couleur #2 : Madder all over, Crystalline dabbed over that, concentrating on lower lashline, Ocher applied on the middle of the eyelid, and Umber to blend out edges

The photo above was taken four hours after application, and it was late at night after my anniversary dinner with the hubby so please forgive the photo quality :)

Couches de Couleur #3 : Umber all over the mobile lid and slightly past the crease, Crystalline lightly dusted over Umber, Crystalline used as liner

This photo was taken 4 hours after application, using Couches de Couleur #2

Bottom Line: This is one of the best kaleidoscopes from the recent releases of kaleidoscopes in my opinion. The one kaleidoscope which possibly tops Chauvet in terms of usefulness, creativity, and quality would be the Blush Kaleidoscope. I do suggest that you run to your nearest LMdB counter or Zuneta to purchase this kit. For reference, my skintone is Sand Beige in Laura Mercier Silk Creme, which is about NC37 (Mac).

Have a good start of week!

xx Cindy