Le Metier de Beaute Nouvelle Vague Kaleidoscope: Review & Swatches

Le Metier de Beaute Kaleidoscopes are something I've been wanting to try ever since I started reading beauty blogs. The majority of them are almost impossible to get your hands on if you live outside of the US (and even then it sounds like an epic struggle more often than not), but a select few do get a wider release.

I'll admit that at first I was drawn to this particular Kaleidoscope because of it's name. As my blog name makes clear, I'm a bit of a francophile. I'm also passionate about film, so an eyeshadow palette inspired by and named after the French New Wave was always going to capture my attention. 

I held off purchasing it as I was on a shopping ban, and of course by the time I decided I needed the Nouvelle Vague Kaleidoscope it was long sold out on Zuneta and Beauty Bay. Luckily a lovely US based friend was able to track one down for me.

The Kaleidoscope is everything I hoped it would be and more. The quality is astounding. I have a couple of LMdB singles, but I don't think I grasped just how wonderful these eyeshadows are before using Nouvelle Vague. 

 LMdB is famous for an eyeshadow application method they call Couches de Couleur. It's a way of layering the shadow in order to create a unique prismatic effect.  The first shade used should be brightening, the second shade should add warmth, the third shade is the focus of the look and the final shade should add depth.

See Couches de Couleur in action here:

I'll happily admit I only succeeded in making a muddy mess the first few times I attempted using this technique. It took a lot of playing around with different brushes before I found one that worked (for me it was the Real Techniques slanted eyeliner brush from the eye kit) and got a result I was happy with, but the effort was worth it. LMDb eyeshadows layer beautifully. When done right, the Couches de Couleur technique creates incredible depth and interest. It's definitely subtle, but nonetheless captivating. Of course you don't have to use this application method, the shadows are just as beautiful worn in more traditional ways, but it's definitely worth trying.

Nouvelle

Described as a sheer mink negative, Nouvelle is a frosty warm peach. In certain lights it has a slight rose gold sheen to it, and I think it would come across a little pinker on darker skin tones.

Gamine

A frosty blue-toned pink, this kind of cotton candy colour might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think 'Parisian chic', but trust me, it works. If however this just isn't a shade you want going anywhere near your eyes, it can easily double as a blush!

Icon

 I can never have enough matte mauves. The colour is my go-to crease shade and this is a beautiful addition to my little collection. The texture and pigmentation are exceptional, it applies with an ease you don't usually see with matte shades. I can see myself hitting pan on this very quickly.

Fin

 Described as a smoldering black carbon, Fin is quite easily the richest, deepest black eyeshadow I've ever had the pleasure of using. For a matte eyeshadow (there is a generous dusting of fine shimmer mixed in there, but it doesn't translate to the eyelid), the texture is really something. It's so soft and smooth, no chalkiness to be found here. The pigmentation is out of this world. One gentle swipe is all it takes to get blacker than black, fully opaque colour. Being so pigmented it's not the easiest eyeshadow to work with at first (fall-out during application is an issue), but once you accept just how little product you need it's a breeze.

L-R: TheBalm Serious, NARS Pandora, LMdB Fin

I compared Fin to my two most used blacks, Serious from the TheBalm's Nude 'Tude palette and the black shade from NARS Pandora duo. Hopefully you can see the difference. I couldn't get a picture that accurately captured just how black Fin is. In RL the the other two shades looked positively grey beside it. 

I'm so happy I bit the bullet and bought my first Kaleidoscope (my second, Bauhaus, arrived as part of an embarrassingly large Zuneta order today, but more on that later). I have a lot of make-up, most of which I love, but some things stand out as items to be treasured. This is one of those.

At $95 USD (usually about $115 AUD on Zuneta and Beauty Bay, though Zuneta does deduct VAT for Aussie shoppers) Kaleidoscopes don't come cheap. But in comparison to other eyeshadow palettes you get A LOT of product for your pennies. Chanel quads retail for $98 AUD, for which you get 6.8g of product. Burberry quads cost $85 AUD and in return you receive 5.4g. Tom Ford quads will set you back $99 AUD for not quite 10g. Le Metier de Beaute Kaleidoscopes contain a whopping 16g of product!

As of right now Nouvelle Vague is still available from Neiman Marcus, though they of course don't ship to Australia (grrrr). However in my opinion this is one beauty product worth the hassle of parcel forwarding. 

Have you tried any of Le Metier de Beaute's Kaleidoscopes or single eyeshadows?