Lancôme's collection for Spring 2011, Ultra Lavande by Aaron De Mey, is a lavender delight. If lavender is your color, you will love it. Even if it's not, there are some gorgeous pieces to wow you.The new blush
is a twist of two signature items of 70's style: the bow tie and the butterfly, designed by Alexis Mabille. In fashion, wearing a bow tie is the ultimate chic attitude - a way to express your inner free-spirit and total lack of concern for convention. The butterfly is a multicultural symbol of a free soul, femininity, and beauty of nature. Combined, with shades of lavender, pink, and blue, Butterflies Fever Healthy Glow Mineral Blusher in Glowy Ballerine ($40) is a collectible palette.Lancôme says you should mix the the three shades for a healthy flush or use them separately. I think it would be difficult to use any shade but the pink in the bow tie separately. You will need a very small brush - and patience. The company suggests you use pink ballerina shade for a natural, rosy flush; the beige ballerina shade to sculpt your face; or the lavender shade to unify your complexion on targeted, red areas.
This "blush" is incredibly light. I think it's better called a highlighting powder than a blush. The blue-pink shades are beautiful, but they won't add much punch to your cheeks if used as a blusher, unless your skin is porcelain pale.
I struggled to get a swatch photo. The one at right is the best I could do. I applied the blush heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator. My photo was taken outdoors in the sun. The shade at the top is a mixture of all the shades in the compact. I picked up the colors by swiping diagonally from the upper-left corner of the palette to the lower right. The shade below was swatched from the pink bow tie. It's fairly easy to use that shade alone, but you'll have to use a small blush brush.
The blended shade is bluer than the bow tie shade. That's because of the blue flower and lavender butterflies. I might be able to wear the bow tie shade as a blush, but I have very pale skin. I'd like to see how Glowy Ballerine looks on someone with medium-toned skin. When I apply the blended shades with a brush brush, Glowy Ballerine flushes my cheeks with a pale pink glow. It's very pretty - and spring-like.
See what you think when you visit your Lancôme counter. I like it! I purchased mine online from Lancôme. Neiman Marcus has received the full display, so I suspect the other stores will have it soon - if they don't already.
Photos at top courtesy of Lancôme