Le Métier de Beauté Holiday 2011: Antiquité Poupée

What's nice about friends who visit? Friends who visit with the most anticipated Holiday makeup item  in their travel bags. Listen closely and you'll hear a really faint but persistent high-pitched "eeee" in your ears, that's the sound I made when he laid this out before me.

Le Métier de Beauté Antiquité Poupée consists of a light champagne pink, a silver taupe with hints of khaki, a terracotta red, and a midnight blue silver.  I can already envision hordes of people going crazy over the taupe and the blue.

Clockwise: Antiquité Poupée from top to bottom

L-R: Swatched from bottom to top

This monolid shot is for you, Isla!

Utilizing this kaleidoscope with the couches de couleurs (if that term doesn't make sense to you, let me direct you to my Penelope tutorial!) method delivers a soft sterling pink on the lids. Dustin was extensive in his application but I had my eyes closed and wasn't allowed a mirror till it was done, so I can't really say what went on. I know he used the Dualistic Pencil in Champagne as a base. From the pictures, I'm guessing he layered the pink, taupe, and terracotta red over each other, and used the blue-silver shade a little closer to the lashline (already lined with Noir liquid liner) to smoke out the eye. He dipped a liner brush into all four shades to shade the lower lash line, and used the pink shade to highlight the inner corners. For lashes, he used a coat of Anamorphic Mascara in Aubergine.

For lips, he specifically mentioned he wanted a sort of stained look, as if one just finished eating a popsicle, and delivered this vision through a touch of Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick in Bali in the center of the lips with a layer of Clearly Brilliant Lip Gloss. My lips are naturally pigmented so he had to apply concealer to the outer edges to tone down the color. Lastly, he used Rumor blush and some intense dabbing specifically on the apples of the cheeks. The result is a very doll-like countenance, which makes perfect sense considering antiquité poupée means "ancient doll" in English.

We took half a dozen of photos where I looked like a fail ninja geisha person until I was told not to smile and the photo finally turned out decent. I was completely overshadowed, of course. 

The pictures below were taken after I got home. The lip he created for the look had already faded and in my attempt to recreate it I realized in total dismay that I did not own a clear lip gloss. Some appropriate adjectives to describe this situation: appalled, incredulous, uh... (the writer has short-circuited).

Anyway, concentrate on the eyes!

Le Métier de Beauté Antiquité Poupée is the stuff of dreams. The shadows are not only quadruple-milled but also pearl-based, so imagine Le Métier shadows but even softer. When he applied them on me it felt like he was sweeping clouds on my eyes (perhaps important to note: he used the brand's eye shadow brush). I'm sure all this sounds like hyperbole and the skeptic in you have your (perfectly tweezed/threaded/waxed) eyebrows raised. But only a hundred of these will be produced, so do you really want to take the chance?

Antiquité Poupée will retail for $95 and will be exclusively available at Bergdorf Goodman on December 1. I bet half of you already know Dustin's number by heart, but in case you don't, call 212-872-8612 to pre-order yours now. Historically speaking, clichés like "flying off the shelves" and "selling like hot cakes" apply to every single one of Dustin's creations. How I ever got my hands on them (before I knew him) is a complete mystery to me. 

Don't say I didn't warn you!

For more coverage on Antiquité Poupée, visit The Black Panties and Product Doctor.

Butter London Holiday 2011: Tart With A Heart, Fairy Lights, and The Black Knight

Holy sparkle! Butter London dishes up holiday cheer with oodles of glitter. I grew up in a tropical climate, so we never had four seasons, much less snow, and my family does not celebrate Christmas. Thus, year-end festivities were relegated to tacky mall decorations and monthlong blaring Christmas carols (which I secretly enjoyed - I used to be part of a caroling troupe singing at malls), snow globes and glitter sparkles on every corner. 

But really, you don't need my dose of nostalgia to enjoy the new Butter London Holiday collection polishes. Here are some pictures to illustrate my point.

The Black Knight

Tart With A Heart

Fairy Lights

L-R: Tart With A Heart, Fairy Lights, The Black Knight

The collection consists of three nail lacquers. Tart With A Heart contains pink and blue reflecting glitters suspended in a pale gray-pink base, Fairy Lights is a "liquid metal" rose pink, whereas The Black Knight is pink, silver, and blue glitters in a black base. 

The naming of the polishes confused me. I thought Tart With A Heart should have been called Fairy Lights considering the explosion of reflecting glitter that comes with the polish. It's like a Christmas party on your nails. 

While it doesn't bother me, I thought you should know that like all glitter polishes, Tart With A Heart and The Black Knight comes with serious grit, even after smoothing a top coat over it. These two are easy to apply, and the glitter spreads evenly as you pull your brush along. They also seem to dry a lot quicker than usual polishes. While Tart With A Heart only requires one for sparkle aplenty (I did two, as you might expect of me), The Black Knight requires at least two coats to achieve the above opacity. 

Fairy Lights proves to be the only one out of the trio to give cause for concern. The age-old problem with metallic polishes is visible brush strokes, as in you'll most likely have them. I found that the best way to tackle that issue with Fairy Lights is to not scrimp on polish. Thick is the keyword for success. Compare the application on my middle and index fingers above, where the middle finger was painted with two thin coats, whereas I oozed polish onto the index finger. While one coat was enough to achieve opacity, I definitely suggest two coats for this. 

More pictures for your viewing pleasure:

I know glitter polishes are done by every brand under the sun for holiday, but I think The Black Knight can be a huge contender in that massive field. I personally am partial to Tart With A Heart because it reminds me of swirling snow globes and looking at it saved me from biting a (very disrespectful) person's head off. Something about pretty polish distracts me and calms me down.

One last note about these polishes: I keep hearing people groan about the torture of removing glitter polish but I didn't find it all that difficult. I soaked a cotton in nail polish remover and pressed it onto my nail and waited for 5-10 seconds, then proceeded to wipe it off like how I would any other polish. Worked like a charm. 

Butter London Holiday 2011 retails for $14 each and is available at butterlondon.com and select other retailers. I usually purchase Butter London from ulta.com (though it doesn't seem like this collection has arrived on the website yet). 

The products in this post were sent to me for review purposes.

Le Métier de Beauté Flawless Kaleidoscope Face Kit

I'm brimming with happiness while writing this review. It has been too long since a kaleidoscope graced this page, and not only is this kaleidoscope great, it's not limited edition. It's still available on counters so I know all of you can go out and grab it if you wish. 

This review is long overdue, as is my acquirement of this kaleidoscope. By all logic and common sense this should be one of the first few kaleidoscopes to own from the brand, but I managed to accumulate around thirteen of the lip and eye kits before getting to it. When I confessed this to Dustin he just shook his head in disbelief.

Le Métier de Beauté Flawless Kaleidoscope Face Kit contains four basic shades to set, highlight, and contour your face. I'd consider you fully armed on the face front if all you have in your makeup drawer is Flawless. The few Le Métier makeup artists I've met all swear by this kaleidoscope. Shawn from the Boston counter shared a story of how this kit was a lifesaver when he needed to prep all the models for FNO Boston in a pinch. He just whipped it out and used it on all of them as needed. It's a no brainer, as you'll see why.

From top to bottom, Flawless contains the Classic Flawless Face Finish Translucent Setting Powder, Highlighter in Whisper, Radiance Powder Rouge in Echo, and a bronzer. I will talk more extensively about the bottom three in this review, but first, the setting powder. It is imperative that you know I don't use much setting powder. I usually forgo that step because I like the finish my foundations give me. That said, this setting powder is finely milled and blends well into the skin when applied on the face. It is a beige yellow that is a smidge lighter than my skintone, but it is not apparent when I wear it. I think most women would find it very useful to have in this kit. 

However, if you don't find it as useful, there is a hole under each of the swivel-out compacts that allows you to pop the shade out and replace it with any other shade you might prefer (you'll have to provide the shade yourself, unfortunately). This is a good tip to remember about all your kaleidoscopes!

The three bottom shades are what makes Flawless a no-brainer. I used the word "basic" before in the best possible way. Whisper is an opal pink highlighter while Echo is a coral blush with understated shimmer. The bronzer looks like it contains shimmer in the pan, but swatches decidedly matte. Without a doubt, these are universal shades that will complement everyone within the light to medium range of skintone.

Dear reader Katie was the one who gave me the inspiration for the structure of this review (thank you for your patience, Katie!). She wanted to know how Le Métier de Beauté blushes performed and was also concerned about the bronzer being too dark for her skintone. In true Messy Wands spirit, I'll show you how it works the "right" (though I believe there is no correct way to apply anything) way, and how it'll look if you overdo it. 

If you are new to face contouring, I suggest visiting my previous tutorial on contouring before reading ahead. While that tutorial is written using NARS Multiples, the concepts applied are the same.

Here's a picture of me before applying any of the face powders. Note that my cheeks are colorless to a fault. 

Here is how my cheek looks with just one swipe of bronzer below the cheekbone (I used a MAC 109 brush). Note that if this is still too dark for you, you can always blend it out.

Here is how it looks with about four or five stabs of the bronzer piled on top of each other. 

Here is a soft swipe of Echo placed above the bronzer, and Whisper placed above Echo.

Here is how a couple of punches of Echo would look, and a hard swipe of Whisper above it.

Another picture to show you the luminescence that Whisper creates. Sometimes I don't know why I bother using anything else.

A portrait picture to show you how ridiculous I looked when all this was happening.

However! Let's say you made a mistake and came out like above, with one side of the cheek much more pigmented than the other, just take a fluffy brush and blend - you'll see the color diffuse on your face. The opposite to that works as well. If you want more color on the face, all you have to do is add another swipe. As demonstrated above, these powders are buildable. You really cannot make mistakes with this thing.

When worn above Chantecaille Future Skin, the powders last all day. Sure, by the end of the night the intensity would lessen, but it was still visible on me. This doesn't happen to many of my blushes (and in case the distinction is crucial: it also does not happen with many of my blushes over Future Skin).

(On a side note, yes I realize the Future Skin review is also long overdue. I just want to make sure I've got everything covered before writing it. Thank you for your patience!)

One last picture from a different photoshoot session:

Flawless Kaleidoscope Face Kit retails for $95 and is available wherever you find Le Métier de Beauté counters. This includes Neiman Marcus in-stores and online, select Nordstroms, and Bergdorf Goodman. I know Dustin has plenty lying around at his place so you can also give him a call at 212-872-8612 to get your very own. If you do call him, please let him know you came from Messy Wands!

I hope you enjoyed this review. I certainly had fun writing it! Let me know if you have Flawless and cannot live without it, or suddenly have an urge to run to a counter to procure it. You know I love friends to gush makeup with!

Some Upcoming Beauty Collections

Even before I began writing Messy Wands I used to collect information on upcoming collections way before their release dates, just so I could get down to the counter and be the first one to play with new stuff come launch day. Now, I actually have an outlet to share my madness! *cue maniacal laughter

Below are links to some collection previews that crossed my way this bright Friday morning:

Chanel Spring 2012 product images available on Beauty Crazed. I'm not terribly excited about this, but the palette looks like it could be a killer basic. I suppose we'll find out in two months (or less).

Karl Lagerfeld x Sephora collection (was I living under a rock? I did not know this was even happening) product images via be.com. However, according to fashionista.com, it will only be available in Europe and Singapore.

Le Métier de Beauté Holiday kaleidoscope preview and swatches (!!) via The Black Panties. You don't even need to ask if I will be getting this.

Le Métier de Beauté Holiday Stoc-Ken Stuffers nail collection press info and swatches of All That Glitters via Pink Sith and Best Things in Beauty.


I will be attending a Guerlain Master Class later in the evening and I expect to come home with at least one new Great Red. How will you be spending your weekend?


Updates: British Beauty Blogger has details on Lancome Spring 2012: Roseraie Des Delices. In case you wanted to know, mint green/green will be the "it" color for spring. You only need to take a peek at Dior Spring 2012 to know it's true.

Yes, we're skipping seasons.

Sneak Peek: Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Swatches

Hooray! The Chanel counter at Neiman Marcus Boston came through and I was able to get swatches of the new Chanel Rouge Allure Velvets. I took these after I got home so I probably smeared half of it on the inside of my coat. Picture more vibrancy to the colors below for accuracy.

Clockwise: 40, 41, 34, 39, 32, 37, 38, 36

Here's what the numbers correspond to:

32 - La Ravissante

34 - La Raffinée

36 - La Caline

37 - L'Exuberante

38 - La Fascinante

39 - La Somptueuse

40 - La Sensuelle

41 - L'Exquise

My fleeting impressions after wearing La Caline for an hour (do note that these are first thoughts based on brief experience and are subject to change):

• Formula is smooth. Does not tug during application - a novelty when it comes to matte formulas.
• It is not moisturizing, but I don't think it's necessarily drying. When I applied La Caline my bottom lip was chapped, and the lipstick picked up on the dryness and emphasized it. But my top lip was fine and the lipstick looks a-okay on it. This is a potentially high maintenance lipstick because you'll have to exfoliate beforehand.
• Very pigmented.
• Doesn't seem to be completely matte. There is the slightest sheen/glistening when you apply the lipstick. An hour in, that glistening has faded somewhat. The lipstick settles to a very very natural-looking finish (after all, our lips are naturally matte).
  

Quick update: Rae from The RAEviewer posted a review of La Ravissante and it looks ravishing on her. Take a peek at her post to see how the Rouge Allure Velvets perform in action.

Released in conjunction with the new lipsticks are three new limited edition nail colors and one limited edition matte top coat. The nail colors are a red-fuchsia Pirate, fuchsia Rose Exubérant, and rose beige Rose Caché. I was unimpressed by Pirate till I placed the Mat Top Coat over it, where the color deepened into what we see in the promo ad. I purchased all four of these polishes and will review it in full soon.

The photos below are terrible, but I hope it gives you at least some inkling of how the polishes look. 

L-R: Pirate (layered with Mat Top Coat), Rose Exubérant

Rose Caché

As mentioned yesterday, the Rouge Allure Velvet lipsticks ($32 each) and new nail polishes ($25 each)  are already available on the Chanel website. I purchased mine from Neiman Marcus Boston. It should arrive at all other Chanel counters soon, if not already. What do you think? Will you be picking any of these up?

Le Métier de Beauté In The Know Bordeaux and Framboise Crème

Le Métier de Beauté In The Know Bordeaux and Purple Haze are finally available (more accurately, no longer backordered) on the Neiman Marcus website and I thought I should give those who own Framboise Crème a quick comparison, hopefully ending the "to buy or not to buy" dilemma. Those who don't, well, here are two excellent lip crèmes just waiting for you to agonize over!

Top-bottom: In The Know Bordeaux, Framboise Crème

L-R: In The Know Bordeaux, Framboise Crème

In The Know Bordeaux, as discussed, is the color du jour of this year's fall. You really cannot do wrong with this elegant cabernet hue. Framboise Crème, a neutral red infused with orange/gold shimmer, is part of Le Métier de Beauté's permanent lineup. 

L-R: In The Know Bordeaux, Framboise Crème

In retrospect, there really isn't much to compare since both are entirely different colors. That said, while Framboise Crème seems to be the more timeless option, if I had to choose only one (for now) I'd go for In The Know Bordeaux, solely for its limited availability.

In The Know Bordeaux and Framboise Crème both retail for $36. In The Know Bordeaux is exclusively available at Neiman Marcus and neimanmarcus.com, while Framboise Crème can be found at other Le Métier de Beauté counters (Nordstrom and Bergdorf's) as well.

In The Know Bordeaux was sent to me for consideration by the company, while Framboise Crème was a gift with purchase.

Some Nail Shots and Chanel Graphite

Here are some scattered shots of a couple of the nail polishes I've already featured on Messy Wands - just thought you might like seeing how they perform on actual nails instead of nail wheels. Have to say Rouge Carat and Dior Exquis entirely blew my expectations apart. They didn't even take effort. Just flowed right on. 

Chanel Rouge Carat

I was particularly surprised by the Dior lacquer. I once wrote that I wasn't fond of the brushes in Dior nail polishes, but applying Exquis made me reconsider my stance. I wonder if they tweaked the brush since, as the brush that came with Exquis fitted the curves around my cuticles just so. 

Dior Exquis

Close-up of Exquis

I checked Chanel.com to make sure Graphite, one of the three Fall collection nail colors, was still available for sale before featuring it here. Chanel's Fall collection was released in July so throughout the tail end of summer all I saw on surrounding fingers were metallic foils rather than the fun, bubbly pops of color that should have ruled the sunny season. I was adamant on not putting these on till Fall arrived, and since the leaves outside my apartment are finally showing red... voila.

I might not be "on trend" with this (but isn't it supposed to be a Fall colour?!) since it's all about the reds and wines now, but I have to say Graphite is a pretty amazing polish. If you don't own it yet I urge you to consider a trip to the Chanel counter (or well, the website since it's most certainly not at counters anymore). Like the two above, Graphite almost applies itself. The first coat goes on slightly gritty but with the second you'll get a smooth surface. In fact, its texture is a betrayal of how the polish actually looks on the fingers. I can't help but marvel that I'm not feeling grit when I run my fingers over these, but I guess that's what makes it so interesting.


Last thing: The Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet collection has finally reached us! I will be visiting my regular Chanel counter tomorrow and hope the collection is in so I can give you my impressions. For now, you can feast on the goodies on the Chanel website. Let's just say it's taking me all of my willpower to not take advantage of the complimentary shipping offer this instant.