Le Métier de Beauté Vintage Ken Nail Lacquer from Ken Downing's Bordeaux Collection

I wanted to get a professional application of Vintage Ken to show you the gorgeous color. Vintage Ken is the nail lacquer in the I'm Worn This Way/Vintage Ken set, one of the three sets in Le Métier de Beauté's The Bordeaux Collection by Ken Downing for Fall/Winter 2011. See my Quick Peek feature here.



For his second exclusive collection for Le Métier de Beauté, Downing took the essence of the fall runways and distilled it into a beauty collection that presents elegant, coordinated duos to transform you into Lady Chic. The gorgeous sets have catchy names.

1. Ken, Red My Lips (lips) and Gypsy Rose Me (nails) - subtle red with a blushing pinot undertone
2. Ken's Wine on the Vine (lips) and Ken's Bodacious Bordeaux (nails) - rich, crimson cabernet
3. I'm Worn This Way (lips) and Vintage Ken (nails) - Bold berry with a deep grape undertone, as you can see above.

All three sets arrived at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria last week. I decided to start with Vintage Ken. Because I like a professional application, but didn't have much time, I went to Yelp to look for a highly recommended nail salon near my house. The lesson learned here was, "Don't believe everything (anything?) you read on Yelp." You can read the rest of that story below.



I was able to get a few photos to introduce you to Vintage Ken, a gorgeous, deep purple shade. My photo at the top is the better of the portraits. The one below looks a little too blue. The shade will be a dramatic addition to my fall and winter wardrobe. Actually, it's really nice now! I adore purple and grape shades, and I can't wait to add a new Bordeaux handbag to my collection.



Each set in the Bordeaux Collection is priced at $49. The Bordeaux Collection is available at Neiman Marcus exclusively. I'll show you more soon in another feature.



Now for the rest of the story. The young lady who applied Vintage Ken was a total rookie. She couldn't paint a straight line near my cuticle, got nail lacquer all over my fingers (and under my nails), and thought her work looked just fine. She even dribbled top coat on my legs. She never used an orange stick to wipe away her mistakes; instead, she used her own fingernail. It was a fairly disgusting experience.



After I made sure my photos were OK, I removed the utterly gorgeous Vintage Ken because I couldn't repair it myself. It was hard to remove because she had painted it into my nail bed and under my nails. I'll get a real pro to apply the next one, Bodacious Bordeaux. I like a precise application, particularly with a dark shade. Hey, I'm a Virgo!



Photo at top courtesy of Le Métier de Beauté; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

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Quick Peek: Le Métier de Beauté - The Bordeaux Collection by Ken Downing for Fall/Winter 2011

They arrived! All three sets of The Bordeaux Collection by Ken Downing for Fall/Winter 2011 for Le Métier de Beauté arrived at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria today. It was exciting! I wasn't expecting to see them this early in the season. They are drop-dead gorgeous!



For his second exclusive collection for Le Métier de Beauté, Downing took the essence of the fall runways and distilled it into a beauty collection that presents elegant, coordinated duos to transform you into Lady Chic.



I will devote a full feature to the collection soon, with my nails done. For now, I wanted to show you the two sets I purchased: I'm Worn This Way/Vintage Ken and Wine On The Vine/Bodacious Bordeaux.



Wine On The Vine/Bodacious Bordeaux is shown at the top of this feature, and I'm Worn This Way/Vintage Ken is shown at right. Each set is $49. There is a third set, Ken Red My Lips/Gypsy Rose Me that I didn't buy. I struggled to get decent photos of the duos as Irene's clouds started to blanket our area. The moment I put the duos away in their boxes, the sun came out again. I'll get brighter photos for my next feature.





I was able to get swatch photos of the two Moisture Stain Lipsticks in direct and indirect light. I don't normally wear dark lipsticks, so I had wondered if I would like the lip colors in the Bordeaux Collection. I love them. I needed two sets!



My first swatch photo of the lipsticks at left, taken in full sun, shows Wine On The Vine at the top of my arm and I'm Worn This Way below. You can see that neither is pure red. Wine On The Vine is a stunning, deep grape, and I'm Worn This Way appears to be a saturated rose on my arm, but it's red. The photo at right shows the shades when the sun ducked behind clouds. I'm Worn This Way is particularly interesting because the lipstick looks red in the tube, and it is red (not rose as it appears on my arm). On my lips, it's a cool-toned cherry red - one I can wear, which delights me. I think it's the most flattering red lipstick I have ever tried. Your own lip pigmentation will define the shade of these lipsticks (which is normal).



The "lip-matching" Nail Lacquers are exquisite. Vintage Ken is shown at left and Bodacious Bordeaux is shown at right. Both shades will give us the Bordeaux look that will be the "in color" this fall and winter. Bordeaux provides a beautiful accent for so many colors, and it will add a fashionable flair to your little black dress.



The packaging of the sets is unique, with a black, deep red, and fuchsia leopard print removable insert in an elegant black box. The insert cradles the nail lacquer and lipstick. The boxes have a printed Kenneth Downing signature. If you could stand to give one away, it would be a very classy gift. Sorry about the glare from the sun on the window of one of the boxes shown just above right. Isn't the box enticing?



I always warn you when I think something new is going to sell out. Consider yourself warned about the Bordeaux Collection. Call your local Neiman Marcus now. If you would like to order one from my friend Kathy Shoreman at Neiman Marcus Tysons, give her a call on her cell phone at 571-212-8399. Do it today if you can. She's off tomorrow (nursing her broken and bandaged hand), but will be back at work Sunday.



I will be back with a full feature later. I was so excited, I wanted to show you my selections from the collection as quickly as possible. I keep looking at my Wine On The Vine red lips in a mirror. I'm a happy gal.



Photos by Best Things in Beauty

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Le Métier de Beauté Ken's Korals - Exclusive to Neiman Marcus

They've arrived - Ken's Korals were delivered just in time for Camp Gorgeous, Neiman Marcus' summer beauty event! Neiman Marcus Fashion Director Ken Downing, the definitive taste maker for Neiman Marcus, collaborated with Le Métier de Beauté to create two limited-edition products inspired by the bold, uplifting colors seen on runways. The result was Ken’s Korals. The coral-red lip and nail shades were chosen to be universally flattering.

Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick in Ken’s Kissable Koral ($32) is an innovative lip stain and moisturizer in one. Jojoba, lanolin, and shea butter will keep your lips soft, while a shot of rich coral on the lips will adds some drama to the classic sun-soaked summer look. The Nail Lacquer in Ken’s Kontagious Koral ($18) is available in a new, larger size, .40 ounces.

Both items are available exclusively at Neiman Marcus and neimanmarcus.com. If you are interested, you should reserve or purchase them soon. They are bound to sell out.

These swatch photos taken by Kathy Shoreman. As you can see, they are intense colors. Kathy took the photos in the store, I think, with her iPhone. Pretty good for iPhone photos! Isn't she the best?

I'm such a Le Métier de Beauté devotee, I wanted to show you the shades as soon as possible so that you red and coral fans can make sure to get these beauties while they are available. The hot colors are already hot tickets.

Photos by Kathy Shoreman for Best Things in Beauty

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