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Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit Review, 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 ($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!

Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit Review, Photos, Swatches

A+
10
Product
10
Pigmentation
10
Texture
10
Longevity
5
Application
100%
Total

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

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

Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Blonde Amber, Pale Satin Amethyst, Bronze Topaz, and Black Emerald

94 Comments

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Ashley Sarah Avatar

The compact is creative and definitely travel friendly. The colors are nice, however for me it’s not something I’d buy.

asl87 Avatar

Oh Christine, I’m so happy you tried this! I have the Le Cirque Kaleidoscope and it is amazing… as are all their eyeshadows. It was an expensive indulgence but the quantity and quality make it such a no-brainer. If you can get your hands on Le Cirque, do! You won’t regret it.

Tamara Avatar

As if I need any more eye shadow lemmings.. LOL.

These shadows look absolutely gorgeous.. especially Black Emerald, it reminds me of a discontinued Lancome shade.

Perilously Pale Avatar

I’m so glad you’ve finally tried the Le Metier de Beaute eyeshadows. I’ve had Penelope for a couple weeks now and am thrilled with it! So much so I did different eye looks for three different FOTD’s for my review. I never use the same thing 3 days in a row!! I too regret not discovering LMdB sooner. I have the Le Cirque, Splendid Frost and Smoldering Embarkment Kaleidoscopes as well and they are all fabulous. I regret missing out on others 🙁

Perilously Pale Avatar

Try contacting some counters. There are still the odd Le Cirque around…I think. It is absolutely a MUST! Smoldering Embarkment was a counter exclusive to Bergdorf Goodman and is unfortunately sold out.

Carrie Avatar

You can actually get it through nordstrom.com, all you have to do is put it in your shopping cart, and go to shopping cart page, then click the “edit” buttom on the left, thus you’ll be able to choose the shade, le cirque or splendid frost.

Pia Avatar

It will help to speak to someone. I had the same problem. I wanted Le Cirque but the picture they had is of Splendid Frost which she told me was also available.

Pia Avatar

I was able to get Le Cirque from Nordstrom just last week but had to speak to an online rep (not store SA). She thought it was odd that she could find it but it’s not in the online store. I got a notice that it has shipped so the rep came through. Hope you find some!

rezel Avatar

if you call different Neimans like the SF one they still have Emerald Isle, the kit which has combo of eyes and lips/cheek sorry forgot the names and Bergdorf has plenty of different kaleidoscopes. You should also try their face kaleidoscope.

kate Avatar

So beautiful! Although it might seem like a lot to put down at once, the price is actually surprisingly good for what you get and I adore every single colour. Wish it were easier to get these up here.

Valerie Avatar

AWE, I just purchase Kaleidoscope Croquet on Bergdorf Goodman website (i’m from Canada so it is not available here) and now i’m waiting for the delivery! Cant wait to play with it. If I like (but knowing myself I know i will Love it!) I will see if I can get my hand on Penelope. I almost purchase Splendid Frost (Nordstom website call it Le Cirque – kind of confusing-) but I wasnt sure with the colours. Croquet seems more cohesive.
But the swatch on Penelope is really amazing!

rezel Avatar

Le Cirque and Splendid Frost are two different eye kits. Le Cirque came out during X’mas and Splended frost is the one before Penelope. I wasn’t crazy about Le Cirque but Splendid Frost is better but skipped on both and bought Crochet limited to Neimans and Bergdorf. Now I have Penelope and I love their face kit as well.

Tabitha Avatar

Hey I’m also from Canada, if you don’t mind me asking how much extra was it to get it shipped across the boarder?

I really want to get one but I will be going to New York in August and probably should wait till then but don’t want to lol 🙂

Becca Avatar

While that’s lovely, I cannot imagine shelling out that kind of money for those colors. At $24 a pop I need to pick out my own colors.

Roberta Avatar

I’m so glad you reviewed this pallet, I’ve been kinda on the fence about ordering it. I have three other kaleidoscope pallets and I really do love them even though some the colors I questioned at first, it didn’t matter the shadows still look amazing when I tried them on me. I hope to see more reviews from this brand.

SJean Avatar

Pale Satin Amethyst looks amazing. And the packaging is totally fun! I’ll just ignore the price and appreciate it for what it is and that it exists, lol. 😛

Nichole Avatar

I’m so glad you like these eyeshadows Christine! I just bought 8 individual shadows. This was the first product I bought without reading your review first. I also picked up the red shimmery gloss you liked by this brand.

Kat Avatar

The colors are beautiful, but there are so many dupes for these shadows. As for the cost…holy shiz. I can’t and never would put that much money down for a few shadows! It better have magical powers and make a girl look hell a skinny &/or make her look like a super model!!!

Michelle Avatar

WOW! I saw these on their website and bypassed them because in the pan I feel they look a little meh… but on the skin they just look AMAZING!!!!!!

Tammie Avatar

Very pretty, I love all the colors! However even though it’s a good deal technically it’s still too pricey for me unfortunately. Maybe if I was a maniac eye girl I would go for it, but I am not 😉

Evelyn Avatar

I love this palette, I really liked the name and the colors seemed so pretty I had to buy it. Just amazing colors and they look great on in whatever combination you wear them! I’m not a green person but that shadow right around the lash line does amazing things smoked out. lol

Cassy Avatar

oooh Black Emerald! I feel like I need it, but what I NEED to do is use up what I have. Now that my makeup drawers don’t close, it’s officially time to say knock it of for a while

Mariella Avatar

Very nice shadows but I think I have dupes for all of them (including Jealous Jordana). Add to that the fact that there is no Nordstrom, Bergdorf or Neiman Marcus near me (I’m in Canada) and I have no choice but to LEAVE this one (maybe a good thing considering the cost!)

Eva Avatar

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.

rezel Avatar

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.

Eva Avatar

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.

rezel Avatar

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.

Julia Avatar

Christine- how did you swatch these? Your swatches are far more vibrant than those I’ve seen on other sites (especially the green).

Christine Avatar

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.

Melissa Avatar

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! 🙂

Meta Avatar

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 😀

Michelle Avatar

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. 🙂

Vale Avatar

I’m really perplexed. This brand always creates palettes with odd choices of colours. They’re awful together! And not only in this palette 🙁

Perilously Pale Avatar

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!

Carrie Avatar

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.

Tiffani Avatar

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.

Ann Avatar

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!

Diane Avatar

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.

KTB Avatar

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.

Shannon Avatar

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

Shannon Avatar

Just bought the Penelope but would like some color combos if you have any? especially for a daytime look for work?
Thanks,
Shannon

Lorrie Anne Avatar

I just realized I left the wrong comment on wrong thing. My qs is, do u know of Penelope kaleidoscope is Paraben free? Thanks.

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