Yves Saint Laurent Beauty Holiday 2010 Collection — A Metallic Colorama Melody

If I had to pick a single beauty collection to highlight on as momentous an occasion as the eve before the dawn of a new year, when the air is rife with hope and the promise of new beginnings, I’d choose the enchanting Yves Saint Laurent Holiday 2010 collection. Elegant without being overly prim, indulgent without being depraved, opulent without treading into baroque territory, this makeup collection explores the nuances of the most beloved, sought-after metal: gold.

Like an alchemist’s dream, the YSL Holiday 2010 collection navigates through a Gilded Era, with nail lacquers that feel like molten pink gold, white gold, and yellow gold; sparkling, shimmering glosses that fuse ruby red, chocolate brown, peachy pink, and caramel-tinged bronze with flecks of gold for a luminous effect; a highlighting powder that gives the complexion a radiant, pearly finish; and two creamy lipsticks in walnut brown and blush pink with a metallic finish. To add drama and counteract these pops of metallic color, the collection also incorporates the Ombres Duolumieres eyeshadow palette, which features a blue-tinged, silvery gray and an intense, purple-y plum with a golden finish, as well as a new plum shade of the Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils.

Below, you’ll find more details on the new Rouge Pure Shine lipstick hues, YSL Golden Gloss lip gloss shades, and the La Laque nail polish colors — all of which, as intended, recall the easy elegance of the YSL Belle de Jour “Metallic Colorama” clutch, a leatherette handbag in a burnished gold so slick it could inspire its own Gold Rush.

Enjoy  and have a Happy New Year!

This season, YSL is introducing two new Rouge Pure Shine lipstick shades: No. 34 Metallic Gold and No. 25 Metallic Pink. Both creamy colors feature a golden sheen that’s not the result of minute glitter particles but, instead, feels like a vinyl-like, all-over shine, lending the hues a more glamorous feel. The Metallic Pink lipstick is a sublime fleshy, semi-sheer, blush pink with a slightly frosted finish.

Check out what the YSL Rouge Pure Shine in Metallic Pink looks like:

Here’s another view of the Rouge Pure Shine lipstick in Metallic Pink:

YSL Rouge Pure Shine Lipstick, $30. Available at YSLBeautyUS.com

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Gold is sprinkled into all four new shades of Golden Gloss: No. 35 Golden Carat, No. 36 Golden Chocolate, No. 37 Golden Red, and No. 38 Golden Champagne. All these refined, shimmering glosses feature a sheer wash of color — be it a burnished gold or a fudge-like brown — imbued with a golden tint and laced with light-reflecting particles, so lips dazzle like the tiny teardrop-shaped glass bits hanging from a chandelier.

The No. 38 Golden Champagne gloss is a sheer light guava color fused with a pink champagne hue and infused with sparkling bits that capture and reflect light like tiny drops of hail.

YSL Golden Gloss Shimmering Lip Gloss, $30. Available at YSLBeautyUS.com

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The breakout stars of this collection are the La Laque nail lacquers, which quite literally look like molten precious metals. Three shades are available: No. 139 Gold, a yellow gold hue; No. 140 Pink Gold, which will make nails look like they’ve been dipped in rose gold; and No. 141 White Gold, an almost silver-like platinum gold hue.

I had the chance to try the No. 140 Pink Gold, and I just can’t get enough of it. Here’s what it looks like on my nails:

As you can see, nails look like they’ve been gilded and they boast this phenomenal mirror-like sheen. But, like any mirror or lens, that surface can be easily scratched so, if you want to keep nails looking flawless, make sure to add a protective top coat. I’d recommend the CND Super Shiney Top Coat since it will amp up the color’s resplendence.

YSL La Laque Nail Varnish, $20. Available at YSLBeautyUS.com