Le Métier de Beauté Sheer Brillance Lip Glosses

It's no secret that I am having a Le Métier de Beauté love fest! During the Neiman Marcus Beauty Event, I purchased four Sheer Brilliance Lip Glosses ($32). I started with Summerland, which I bought from Lisa at Tysons and was so taken by the color, texture, and wear, that I purchased three more shades from Lisa at Mazza Gallerie. We have two Neiman Marcus stores in the DC area, and both Le Métier de Beauté representatives are named Lisa!

Le Métier de Beauté promises that Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss will drench your lips in total luxury, with sumptuous, punchy color that saturates the lips in a unique, ultra-lightweight formula that's enriched with emollients and antioxidants.

If you need to be convinced that any product introduced by Le Métier de Beauté has all the right features, here's their list. Every word is true.

• Elegant, semi-translucent, glossy color
• Universal shades
• Vitamin E and lanolin for soft supple lips
• Silky texture and easy-glide formula
• Never heavy or sticky
  

I carefully selected my four shades, looking for glosses that I thought would look good on me and possibly represent a shade - or a nuance of a shade - that would be unique in my gloss collection. After Sabrina wrote about Summerland on The Beauty Look Book, I knew I had to try it. So Summerland because my first choice. Then, once I had worn it and knew I loved the way it looked and felt, I decided to try a few more. I wanted a range of shades, and Lisa Lingis showed me some popular ones. I also shied away from the lightest shades, even though they are stunners. I wanted glosses that could hold their own without lipstick underneath.

What I learned as I tested was that you cannot rely on the Sheer Brilliance shade's appearance in the tube. You have to swatch! The last shade I selected, Uma Paro, looked a little "pushy" in the tube - almost psychedelic. On the skin, it's a gorgeous grape. You can't rely on those little square color representations on Web sites either. These glosses have to be seen on the skin.

Here are my four selections in the photo, taken in full sun, at right. Listed top to bottom, they span the color families available.

• Monaco, a pretty brown with a pink cast
• Summerland, ripe peach with just a hint of pink
• Fraise Crème, rose pink
• Uma Paro, grape and gorgeous

On the lips? Scrumptious! The shades gleam, and they last. They have no flavor or fragrance, which makes them doubly delightful. Others have described a barely there scent. I don't detect it in the tubes I purchased, and there is no fragrance listed in the ingredients.

Here's another photo (at left) taken in slightly different outdoor light. Hopefully, you can see the glimmering character of the shades. There's depth to the colors - a feature they share with Lip Shimmers from Giorgio Armani Beauty. I'll be purchasing more of these! I didn't count them, but there must have been about 20 shades at Neiman Marcus. I have no idea why the Web sites of the stores show fewer shades available.

You can find Le Métier de Beauté Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and online at Nordstrom. If you don't have a counter near you, give one a call. You can call Lisa Lingis at (202) 966-9700, extension 2240. If you can describe a shade you would like to try, or want help deciding within a color family, Lisa, or any Le Métier de Beauté representative, can help you make your selection.

Photo at top courtesy of Neiman Marcus