Le Métier de Beauté Flawless Kaleidoscope Face Kit

I've been holding out on you, but not on purpose. I knew I had taken photos of the Flawless Kaleidoscope Face Kit ($95) before I used it. I have had the Flawless Face Kit for many months. I just needed to find the photos - easier said than done. Given our recent bronzer talk, I knew the timing was right to find the pictures. This weekend, my elaborate search and recovery mission succeeded, with a little help from Charlie Rascal-Scamp. You have no idea how hard it is to get that pretty face to sit still and pose - even for a feature I told him was about a Face Kit!

This Kaleidoscope Face Kit combines Le Métier de Beauté's favorite face formulas in the clever Kaleidoscope internal stacking system exclusive to the brand. It's the perfect way to create the ideal makeup canvas on the go in a portable, compact kit. Do I use it on the go? Nope! It's firmly rooted at home. I wouldn't endanger this beauty by taking it along.

The four face formulations in the Flawless Face Kit are universal shades are (top to bottom) in the swivel-out compact photos.

• Classic Flawless Face Finish Translucent Compact Powder: A lightweight, ultra-fine milled powder that provides a soft, matte finish
• Highlighter in Whisper: Ideal for that final touch on cheeks and eyes to help illuminate and perfect the complexion, or mixed with Echo to create an entirely different shade
  
• Radiance Powder Rouge in Echo: A universally flattering blush shade with a hint of natural color
• Bronzer: For a gorgeous, sun-kissed, healthy look

The Flawless Face Finish Translucent Compact Powder shade is the shade shown in the swatch photo at top of this feature. For some reason, my own photo, above Charlie, gave it a pink cast. It's not pink. You might be able to see on my swatch photos below that it's beige - darker than my own skin tone, but definitely wearable for me and many others. Remember that I apply colors very heavily on my arm to make them pop in photos. These swatches were applied with a sponge-tipped applicator, and the photos were taken in full sun.

The lightweight, finely milled compact powder gives a radiant, soft matte finish. Silky powders enriched with vitamin E reduce shine and even skin tone, leaving a natural yet flawless appearance. You can apply this powder with a fluffy brush for a finishing touch, a sponge for a heavier application, or a wet sponge for full coverage.

The Whisper highlighting powder, shown below the finishing powder on my arm, is a gorgeous golden peach on my skin. Even if you have cool-toned skin, you will find that it leaves a perfect highlight on the skin. The color is great for summer.

Radiance Powder Rouge in Echo is one of the nicest powder blushes I wear. I've been trying to buy it as a single for at least four months. It must be incredibly popular. It has been out of stock at Neiman Marcus at Tysons Galleria for that long! Since I have one in my Face Kit, I keep waiting, but I'm starting to panic. I wouldn't want to be without this pretty pink shade. Also, the oil-free formula makes it a perfect choice for summer.

Then, there's the bronzer...it looks a lot better on my face than the heavy application appears on my arm. It's brown. There's no mud in this bronzer, although it's a warm brown shade with a subtle shimmer. Applied with a fluffy brush, the shade adds a touch of healthy radiance. I like to mix it on my brush with Whisper or Echo.

Even though it was introduced last year, you can still find the Flawless Face Kit. I know Neiman Marcus has it, and it's available online at Nordstrom. If you missed it, you might want to grab one before they are all gone.

I'm going to go find Rascal-Scamp to make sure he hasn't broken through the screen to go out and eat grass. Replacing screen panels gets expensive.

Photo at top courtesy of Nordstrom; Charlie and swatch photos by Best Things in Beauty

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M·A·C Magically Cool Liquid Powder

M·A·C's Magically Cool Liquid Powder ($29.50) is pretty cool. I was enticed by its description to order a loose powder, even though loose powders are not my favorites - and I don't order every new M·A·C item that hits my inbox. They arrive with such amazing regularity, I tend to overlook them.

A silky, feather-light powder, formulated with 70% water, dusts on to the skin as a cooling mist to set and enhance the look of any foundation. Beyond sheer, light reflecting and translucent. A virtually invisible way to add luminosity and a soft, radiant glow to the skin.

There are three shades available: Truth and Light (yellow cream), Honey Rose (warm pink), and Cajun (brown-toned). I had to select one. I had given myself a limit! Even though Honey Rose didn't appear to be the lightest, I chose it. It appeared online to have more color - and a pink tilt - that made it potentially more interesting to me than Truth and Light.

I was so pleasantly surprised when it arrived, I wanted to show you instantly. Unfortunately, there was no sun to get a photo that day, or the day after, or the day after that. It was only this past Saturday, when the sun made an unexpected appearance, that I was able to get a swatch photo.

The powder is easy to control. The interior lid has little holes in it. If I screw on the cap, turn it upside down, and gently tap, enough powder for a few applications pushes through the holes. It's not a mess, as some loose M·A·C pigments can be.

Honey Rose is a drop-dead gorgeous warm pink on my skin. I am wearing it as a blusher - and as a finishing powder with a light touch. I am really impressed. On my arm, the powder shimmers; on my face, not so much. It adds a glow, but no discernible shimmer or micro-glitter. Figure that out! I think it's the difference between a dusting with a blush brush and a heavy application with a dense foundation brush that I used to apply Honey Rose on my arm for the photo. If I run my finger over the top of the powder, I get shimmer. On my face, I don't.

I hope you can see in my photos, with the very rosy azaleas and roses in the background, that Honey Rose is warm and sheer. It's definitely a pink shade, but it has a fair amount of brown in it, which makes it so desirable - and natural. I think the high water content contributes to its lovely appearance on the skin. It doesn't look like powder, as some powders can if you don't have moist skin.

I am more than happy with my M·A·C Magically Cool Liquid Powder - I'm delighted. I can't always say that when I buy blind online. This one's a hit!

You can find this "liquid powder" online at M·A·C's Web site and at M·A·C stores and counters, I'm sure. Check it out and see if you like it as much as I do. If you have tried it, please let me know what you think.

Photo at top courtesy of M·A·C

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