Le Métier de Beauté Summer Kiss Bronzing Kit Preview: Traviata and Bella

I'm sticking my toe in the water of luxury brand Le Métier de Beauté, in part enticed by a recent gift with purchase offer that was hard to pass up.  A while back I had signed up to receive emails from Le Métier de Beauté's Beauty Vault, which features limited edition, hand selected pairings of items.  Given Le Métier de Beauté's steep prices, the Beauty Vault makes items a little bit more in reach - or perhaps I should say - purchasing items slightly less painful to the wallet.

I purchased the Summer Kiss Bronzing Kit, which includes a blush/bronzer powder duo called Traviata and the liquid illuminizer Bella.  Bella has long been discontinued, but a slightly larger version of Traviata (.49 vs. .3 oz) is still available at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Dermstore for $65. I guess another appeal of the Beauty Vault is that items no longer part of the regular lineup are brought for a week at a time, giving you a chance to snag favorites once again or try items that had received rave reviews.  Scarcity does drive demand, I've found.

The gift with purchase was the Bauhaus lip kaleidoscope, a $95 value.  I'll be reviewing Bella, Traviata, and Bauhaus in separate posts, but for now I'll leave you with this:  I can see the appeal of Le Métier de Beauté.  The packaging is sleek, the attention to detail is there (I received a hand written note thanking me for my purchase), and the quality is undeniable.  Paying those prices is still painful, but I can see the appeal.

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.