Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit Review, Photos, Swatches
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit ($95.00 for 0.49 oz.) consists of four shades: Blonde Amber (sand-hued neutral), Pale Satin Amethyst (light purple), Bronze Topaz (alluring metallic), and Black Emerald (deep ocean green). The eyeshadows come in a swivel out compact with a flip-top mirror. It’s fun, functional packaging that’s travel-friendly and sturdy.
Each eyeshadow is approximately 0.12 oz., which is over double the average eyeshadow (MAC eyeshadows contain 0.05 oz. each). There are four shades, which makes each shade $23.75 a pop. Their individually available eyeshadows are $30 each (and 0.13 oz.). The cost per ounce is $193.88/oz. for Le Metier de Beaute’s kit, as compared to MAC (which is not–technically–a comparable brand, as Le Metier de Beaute is a luxury brand), which comes in at $290.00/oz.
- Blonde Amber is a soft, gold shimmered wheat with a subtle metallic sheen.
- Pale Satin Amethyst is a rich, cool-toned lavender with a pearly sheen.
- Bronze Topaz is a metallic, toned-down bronze.
- Black Emerald is a luxurious jewel-toned blackened emerald green that maintains depth without becoming dirty.
All four shades had excellent color payoff with buttery textures that applied smoothly. The texture is so finely milled, which is what I noticed when I initially swatched these. There are times when I’m photographing and swatching where I have a moment of awe, and they aren’t all that often, but as soon as I swatched this kit, I couldn’t wait to write about it. The silky texture made these a cinch to work with, because they lay down so easily and blend effortlessly.
They’re definitely some of the best eyeshadows I’ve worked with (theBalm eyeshadows come pretty close to these–very similarly textured). I’m terribly disappointed that I never made the commitment to one of the Kaleidoscope Kits, because I’ve missed several of the seasonal ones that are no longer available–but boy do I really wish I could buy them now!
Where to Buy: May 2011 @ Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom
The Glossover
Definitely worth the investment if you love all four colors--if you just love one or two, you might want to take a look at their permanent line of single shadows to see if something there grabs your eye instead.
See more photos & swatches!
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Blonde Amber, Pale Satin Amethyst, Bronze Topaz, and Black Emerald
Disclosure
This review contains a sample product sent for consideration by the brand or its PR firm. Our priority is to you, and we honor that commitment by being honest! We don't do paid reviews or guarantee reviews. We're going to give you the truth and nothing but! For more information, please read our editorial/review policies.
Product & Review FAQ
Where can I purchase Penelope? How much is it?
Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, $95. I haven't spotted its availability online yet.
Is it limited edition?
Yes.
Any dupes?
For Blonde Amber, try NARS Cyprus. For Pale Satin Amethyst, try NARS Party Monster (not as blue-based). For Bronze Topaz, try MAC Sable, which is a little redder. For Black Emerald, try theBalm Jordana.
i love the pigment in the eyeshdow/
I just realized I left the wrong comment on wrong thing. My qs is, do u know of Penelope kaleidoscope is Paraben free? Thanks.
I believe the whole brand is.
Just bought the Penelope but would like some color combos if you have any? especially for a daytime look for work? Thanks, Shannon
I just bought this do you have any combos that you have used yet? something for a daytime look for work? i love the colors but lost to combing the colors Thanks Shannon
All the 4 shades are lovely!
i would love to buy JUST that purple color.. wow that is gorgeous..
Christine, Just saw 3 different Le Met Kaleidoscoes at a dept store in NYC and thought of you. I asked how they had so many different types left, and she said they get the most shipment out of any other store. I got the card of the sales woman, as she said they ship no problem. E-mail me if you want the info.
Emailed you!
very lovely, but way too expensive in my opinion.
auuugh I love the packaging of this! and the Black Emerald is so pretty.
Very pretty, but Le Metier de Beaute do realize that "alluring metallic" isn't a shade description, yes? Ha ha.
I love Pale Satin Amethyst and Blonde Amber.They're totally gorgeous! I couldn't see myself really using the other two though. And I could never justify the price on the money I make.
Is the green color similar to the Milani Mix it up baked eyeshadow?
Christine, thanks for swatching this Kaleidoscope! I wonder if you end up swatching more Le Metier de Beaute Kaleidoscopes, if you would consider some swatches of the colors layered? (Since that is the intended technique with these products.) I think it might give more of an idea of the versatility of the palette. It's so interesting that Le Metier de Beaute suggests this technique, but it can be hard to imagine how the colors will look when layered in different combinations. I'd love to see swatches like that for this palette, or any other Le Metier de Beaute eyeshadows you might swatch in the future! I realize it's more work but ... well, they're just so pretty!
The colors and the packaging are amazing, but 95$ for 4 eyeshadows is too much!!
The deep green and the blue are GORGEOUS, but I just can't justify $95 on four eyeshadows >< Ugh, though - I want! So pretty, and that deep green would look so good with my current hair color.
Pretty, but the price! I know that technically it's a good value, but on the other hand I've got enough shadows that I'll never pan out, so more isn't necessarily better, more is just more. Le sigh.
The last 2 shades are what I expected Nars Rajasthan to look like! How does it compare?=)
I'm really perplexed. This brand always creates palettes with odd choices of colours. They're awful together! And not only in this palette :-(
That's the beauty of these eyeshadows Vale. They give you unexpected combinations you would never think of and they work beautifully. You can layer the colours without them looking muddy. I thought it was an odd combo too until I tried it....and fell in love with it!
These are beautiful...however $95 is a little steep but for a once in a while treat I can say they might be worth it. :-)
Oh wow, Bronze Topaz and Black Emerald are gorgeous! They'd make a great duo too! : )
Are there any dupes for Pale Satin Amethyst? It didn't look like they sold it separately on their site.
I love the packaging and that green! Won't be purchasing but thanks for the review!
$95? lol no thx
Those are gorgeous eyeshadows!! I love the lavendar and the green ones. But 4 of them for $95? Yikes. I'll pass.
omg these are so pretty!! with a pretty price too! lol this is definetly an investment I would have to ponder on...
Wow, that green is amazing! I wish I had the money to spend that much on eyeshadows.
they look beautiful but the colors look dupe-able. also, too much for me, but i guess it is worth it for a luxury brand. if they come out with a set that has more unique colors, i will grab it. i do hope that you will continue to review some of their items in the future. :)
I gotta say no eyeshadow is worth $95.
There are four eyeshadows - it's not just one.
Love the swatches! V. expensive but if the colour payoff is that good then it's worth it I say! Great combo of neutral and pop(s!) of colour. Can't wait for you to do an EOTD with it :D
These are gorgeous!
None of these colors do it for me separately or as a set. And for $100, I better love those colors!
I will take ANYTHING that's similar to the Balm eyeshadows. They are seriously amazing. Thanks for the review, I never would've bought this on my own! :)
I have this and love it! :) Thanks for posting up great swatches!
I hate to sound like a ditz but how does one calculate cost per ounce?
Christine- how did you swatch these? Your swatches are far more vibrant than those I've seen on other sites (especially the green).
I take a sponge tip applicator or the edge of a palette knife and dislodge a tiny bit of product (basically, fluffing up the powder), then lay it on the tip of my finger, and then I use my finger to blend it out. I don't use fingers directly in the pot, just because it can transfer oil from your fingers into the product. I don't find sponge tip applicators accurate, which is why it's more about finding something to get a little product out and then smoothing it onto the arm. To ensure this technique yields the same results as using a finger in the pan, I did comparisons across 55 different eyeshadows over 8 brands. I haven't read reviews on this, so I don't really know what other peoples' swatches look like.
OH MY GOD. I had never heard of this brand until now, and now I am frantically trying to calculate a way to buy this! /drool
The most beautiful green I ever seen.
OMG! I just received mine today from Bergdorf and I can't wait to play with it. I just started collecting LMDB, I have the crochet limited to Neimans and Bergdorf eye kaleidoscope and the face kaleidoscope which are loves and great for traveling.
Black Emerald is gorgeous but pricey! I'll check out the Balm's dupe.
These colors are amazing, but even with all the money I spend on makeup I don't know if I can do this!
I'm interested in this, but I just can't picture those colors in a look. Are you able to do a look featuring this palette? Maybe I'm just need being imaginative enough.
I read an article online about these sets, and the article said that these shades are actually made so that they work alone, or layered over each other. So presumably you can layer the amethyst color and the emerald color on top of each other to create a smoky blue color. Giorgio Armani's spring pallet, La Femme Bleue is capable of being used the same way, the purple and teal colors layered create a smokey deep blue color.
The colors are meant to be layered on a process they call Couches de Coleur while layering the colors play off each other giving you a different look each time or of course you can also where them alone.
Oooh! They make it sound so sophisticated! I guess it better be for the price! I would love to see a look with this pallet using the Couches de Coleur technique.
That green swatch is the bomb.
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