OK, so where do I begin?

This beauty is the Melange de Colour Fashion Palette by Le Métier de Beauté, and it is probably going to be the last eyeshadow buy for me in a long, long while (unless something remarkable comes out and I need to get it, stat).

This was a palette I was going to pass up whilst on my makeup ban a few months ago. I was trying to pool together my ‘beauty budget’ for that trip to Japan that I ignored some of the later-announced Spring releases, and this was one of them.

I came across a post by Emilie of the Cogitation Project, and of course I became obsessed with finding it. I looked at eBay but couldn’t afford the 50% markup + shipping + taxes, and then I resorted to the LMdB Facebook page, where an SA was saying they had a couple more left department store and could probably get one to whoever emails him/her. Of course I did, and after a few weeks of correspondence, it went nowhere and I was subsequently ignored. I even looked at blog sales and failed to win any, lol.

Anyway, I just figured it wasn’t meant to be and forgot all about it. But, I checked Neiman Marcus weeks and weeks later to see if the Silk Road Kaleidoscope was still available (I was writing the Guerlain/LMdB comparison post), and lo! The Melange palette was in stock.

So now, I have it.

The Melange Palette is pretty much a steal at $95. Le Métier de Beauté manufactures truly remarkable cosmetics. I’ve tried their eyeshadows, lipstick, lip creme, and lipgloss, and they are all fantastic. The color selection is superb and quite sophisticated, and the quality is top-notch. I sound like a PR release, but it’s true! This 18-pan palette is no exception. You read that right—18 colors.

The pans are small—penny-sized—which is a far cry from their eyeshadow singles (about $30 each) and Kaleidoscopes/quads ($95), but this is a great introduction to the brand, if you were looking to try them out but can’t seem to figure out where to start.

Here are some swatches, by row, in threes. The descriptions are the closest approximations I could do for the shades. 🙂

1st Row, L-R: Deepest Noir (dark, dark matte black base with silver micro-shimmer), Gunmetal (midtone grey with a lot of silver flecks), Silver Foil (frosted silver)

2nd Row, L-R: Dark Chocolate (dark brown with copper flecks), Tannish Brown (red-toned brown with gold micro-shimmer), Beige (un-beige-iest beige: a pretty copper-champagne lovechild)

1st Row, L-R: Cinnamon Gold (metallic peachy gold), Gold (warm frosted gold), Nylon Stocking (frosty off-white cream)

2nd Row, L-R: Amethyst (metallic violet base with gold reflects), Mauve (frosted purple-tinged champagne), Rose (frosted cool-toned light pink)

1st Row, L-R: Lilac (matte cornflower base with silver micro-shimmer), Sapphire (metallic silvery jewel-toned blue), Cyan (frosted teal)

2nd Row, L-R: Black Emerald (matte black-green with green micro-shimmer), Pistachio (frosted apple green-gold), Glass (matte white base with silver shimmer)

Nylon Stocking and Glass look similar, but Nylon Stocking is more of an off-white cream whereas Glass is a straight-up white.

Now I understand why people were so mad at these little applicators. They look and feel cheap, and I agree that they brought down the aesthetic o the entire palette. I also don’t see the point of including 2 sponge applicators in a set of 18 eyeshadows. That’s just asking for a mess right there.

This is how big the entire palette is. It’s actually pretty ideal for traveling, since it’s not that big and you pretty much have all the colors you could ever need, plus it’s got a big-ass mirror that stands on its own at a slight incline so you don’t have to try getting an even face base with a tiny compact mirror.

Here are the ingredients, if anyone cares.

Also, funny thing: there’s a Made in Canada sticker and a Made in the USA sticker on the ingredients label. I’m assuming the case is made in Canada, but that’s just me trying to work it out.

I noticed that while they had a variety of finishes, from matte to metallic to frost, they don’t really have a “true” matte and they like adding shimmers to their colors, whether subtle or obvious. I don’t think it’s necessarily a negative, because I think the shimmers are actually really a thoughtful touch and add complexity to the shades.

While it might lose points as an end-all, be-all palette (kind of like how I feel about NARS’ And God Created the Woman Palette), it does stand on its own as a palette with not-so-dupable shades. You could find similar colors, but the added impact of the shimmer or glitter and whatnot does not make it quite the same shade.

That said, I don’t think this is a “must-have” palette, though if you are a makeup lover, you might want one of these (if you can still find them). For Le Métier de Beauté fans, this is quite a great fricken deal, considering how much their shadows go for at regular price. If you want to get into the brand, this is something to consider as well.

I am so glad I managed to somehow get this palette. I really was resigned to drooling over it from a distance.

You can try calling a retailer near you, to see if they still carry this palette or can get one for you. Sometimes SA’s announce new availability over at the Le Métier de Beauté Facebook page, too. Check under “Posts by Others” and something should pop up over there. If all else fails, there’s always eBay.

Le Métier de Beauté is cruelty-free and does not test on animals.