Hello all! I come bearing a really beautiful thing today. This is the thing that came in the May box (sooo articulate…) for the Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP subscription. May was also conveniently the month that sign-ups for current subscribers opened back up for the next round. You can sign up here, if this interests you, but I’ve decided not to re-sub. More on that later, but believe me, this month’s offering nearly made me sign up again.

For this month, I received an 18-pan palette called Sexy Eye Palette. If it looks familiar, I have a similar palette called Melange de Colour Fashion Eye Palette, which retailed for $95, like the LMdB Kaleidoscopes. They’re pretty different, but someone on MakeupTalk.com found a Neiman Marcus GWP that looks a whole lot like the Sexy Eye Palette, but it was named Galore.

Here’s a closer look at the Melange de Colour Fashion Eye Palette next to the Sexy Eye Palette:

So, the Sexy Eye Palette comes with 18 super small itty-bitty eyeshadow pans, but they’re a very usable size. I actually find that regular LMdB pans are kinda too big, so this is a great size, especially for such a big palette. I have no clue what the shades are, though the one I already have had shade names. This is the main thing that has consistently frustrated me about the LMdB sub service. They very rarely have information about anything, haha. Anyway, I don’t know what the shades are, but this is more of a show-and-tell than a review, so I guess that’s OK.

And here are some close-ups. Check out the weird shouldn’t-have-bothered applicators:

And swatches! These are pretty much the same order as the palette, going bottom-top from L-R. Make sense?

The textures in this palette were impeccable. They really made me want to re-sub again. I think the Sexy Eye Palette is a great Spring/Summer collection and is a bit more fun than the other one I have, which seems a bit more basic. Mind you, these swatches were made on bare skin. I put in some close-up swatches because these are really such good colors:

The purple in the top row/rightmost column is so pretty and iridescent. I’m not a fan of a lot of the matte shades by LMdB generally, and this wasn’t an exception. They’re meh. I love the selection of this palette. A lot of them remind me of existing NARS duos that I’ve had my eye on but can never pull the trigger to buy.

The dark blue in the column second-to-the-left is so pretty and flecked with what looks to be copper pigment/shimmer. The last two shades are reminiscent of the NARS China Seas duo from their High Seize collection last year. Not the same, but quite close.

I found a few similar colors (missed out on that emerald green, though) within the two palettes, but I haven’t sorted through my current LMdB stash to find more.

L: from the Melange Palette, R: from the Sexy Eye Palette

Upon closer inspection, the brown shade’s definitely not the same shade, but the other two are quite close. Again, not the same exact shade, but pretty unnoticeable when worn, I think.

Anyway, the bottom line is that I love this month’s box. I’m an eyeshadow girl through and through, and I feel like LMdB is big on eyeshadow, too, if this subscription service is any indication of that. However, I won’t be signing up for a third year, and here’s why:

• It’s just too much money. Yes, it “paid for itself” by the third or so box, but I have to go through a mail forwarder, so I pay shipping for every box, every month, which sucks.
• I hate that I don’t get information about anything. Sometimes their box arrives with just the product and some tissue paper. Nothing else. A suggestion I think would be coming up with an email. I don’t know why, but it irritates me so much.
• I don’t like how their CS is so inconsistent. I’ve had pretty OK experiences with it, but there are some irritations that I’m too passive aggressive and lazy to pursue. Anyway, I just don’t like emailing them (they respond erratically) when I run into problems, which are unavoidable when you sign on for a year.
• I have too much stuff. It’s true.

Don’t let that deter you from signing up, though! I’ve had a great 2 years and I’m a little sad that I won’t be joining in on the fun this year. I can’t drop $348++ on beauty products at the moment, though, even if it is a year-long ride. It’s a great way to test out Le Métier de Beauté, which has been a personal top favorite beauty brand for years.

If you need more convincing, check out my tag, as well as Glamorable and Bon Vivant Beauty, as they regularly review LMdB boxes, too. As far as I know, Glamorable decided not to resubscribe, and BVB did. 🙂

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