Red Rapture Kaleidoscope Lip Kit by Le Métier de Beauté

Red Rapture is a limited edition lip kaleidoscope from Le Métier de Beauté that I received in my VIP subscription box.  Each of the first month boxes had a kaleidoscope, although it could have been a lip, eye, face, or cheek kaleidoscope.  I've yet to see anyone else receive the no longer available Red Rapture as part of the VIP box, which makes me feel kind of special :-)  I doubt I'm the only one, so perhaps I'll see a review somewhere down the line.

While the individual colors are not labeled, Neiman Marcus did identify the names as Leeds, Monaco, Castelo and Tremezzo. I'll assume that Leeds is the top and proceed on down with Tremezzo as the bottom layer.  The kaleidoscope kits feature rather unique packaging, with four layers that unfold and remind me of a nautilus shell.  You can unfurl one or more layers at a time.

Source: Sliced Nautilus shell showing inside chambers by William Creswell

The glosses are very comfortable to wear and last a good 3-4 hours on.   I've been applying the more sheer glosses with my finger, but the pigmented reds work best with a lip brush for more precise application.

Leeds, Monaco, Castello, Tremezzo

Leeds is a red ochre with a metallic finish.  Over bare lips it gives a wash of shimmer, which makes it a good candidate for layering over other colors.

Monaco is a true red that approaches the pigmentation level of a lipstick.

Castelo is a surprisingly more muted color than it looks in pan, a sheer brownish red gloss that is a very wearable day color.

Last is Tremezzo, an intensely pigmented red creme that puts the ooh in ooh la la :-)  To give an idea of how it looks as a gloss over lipstick, I'm wearing it over Le Métier de Beauté's red matte pre-release lipstick in the second lip photo.

Red matte lipstick only

Red matte lipstick with Tremezzo gloss on top

LMdB glosses are meant to be mixed in order to achieve your own unique colors, and the different finishes and levels of pigmentation definitely lend themselves to that end.   In this photo I'm wearing Leeds on top of Castello.

So, while Red Rapture may not be available any longer (although you never know when Le Métier de Beauté is going to bring something back), there are other lip kaleidoscopes available if these intrigue you.  At $95 each, they are an investment, but the quality is definitely there!