Victoria Beckham recently collaborated with venerable beauty house Estée Lauder to create a bespoke makeup collection that’s oh-so-worthy of the name “Posh”. This capsule collection features such elegant detailing as fluted leather and/or metallic accents on all the casings, glam old-world snap closures, and a well curated colour palette.

The ever brilliant Victoria (she of the brooding gaze, luxury fashion line and oh yes, her drop-dead sexy soccer-player husband, David Beckham) unveiled these lovelies after her recent New York Fashion Week runway show, where the products were used on the models as well. Not surprisingly, the entire collection literally sold out within hours soon after that. Launching October 1st in Canada, my Spidey-sense is telling me that the same frenzy will occur here, so consider this a personal head’s up.

The collection itself is not overwhelmingly large and neither does it deliver up any ground-breaking new colours. What you’ll find instead are shades that are (for the most part) highly wearable along with an unparalleled quality to match — which is a good thing, as make no mistake about it:  much like Victoria’s eponymous fashion line, these pieces are all quite pricey. I was kindly sent The London Look to test out and from the get-go, it was instant infatuation for me, as not only are these shades well within my comfort zone, but I can finally add the Modern Mercury Highlighter to my beauty arsenal (more on that further down).

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Victoria Beckham (credit: Vogue)

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection

Morning Aura Illuminating Crème (CAN $115.00) | A hybrid-type product, this is a combination moisturizer/primer/illuminator all rolled into one. Unscented, it’s dispensed via a pump system and has several application methods:

• used all over
• worn alone & apart from moisturizer
• mixed in with foundation
• over foundation on strategic areas of the face (upper cheekbones, cupid’s bow, etc)

The texture feels initially dense but spreads easily along the skin, leaving a buttery feel once absorbed, with no greasy residue. The radiance it leaves behind is more of the subtle and not disco-ball variety; think the luminosity of a healthy-looking & young(er) complexion. On days when my skin is behaving, I actually use this solo and love how it just adds a light touch of evenness all over, while still managing to both attract and reflect light from my face (what sorcery is this?). Most days, however, I prefer wearing Morning Aura underneath my foundation to help give my skin a little boost.

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Morning Aura Illuminating Crème

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Morning Aura Illuminating Crème swatches

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection (leather detail)

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection (brass closure detail)

 

Modern Mercury Highlighter (CAN $78.00) | Victoria Beckham is as much a beauty fiend as you or I, and she allegedly even trolls eBay for select items (can you imagine?). When creating her highlighter, she also knew exactly what she wanted: a reboot of Estée Lauder’s cult shade Modern Mercury, but reinvented in this new stunning packaging.

For those of you (like me) that missed out on the original (although I do happen to own the other two that followed – Shimmering Sands & Topaz Chameleon), there’s something quite magical going on with this highlighter. For starters, the formula is a gel-to-powder texture which basically means that it almost feels hydrating, but applies dry. The pale rose-gold particles are ground incredibly fine, enabling it to fall smoothly and without any chunking or patchiness and while insanely pigmented, you still have options to work with; a fan brush can help you apply a whisper-thin veil of colour, or you can easily build it up to a mirror-like intensity by picking up more product and/or using a denser brush. All I know is that Modern Mercury can be summed up like this: HOLY MOTHER OF ALL HIGHLIGHTERS.

(Seriously though, I feel like my swatches do not even begin to do this beauty justice)

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Modern Mercury Highlighter

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Modern Mercury Highlighter

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Modern Mercury Highlighter

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Modern Mercury Highlighter

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Modern Mercury Highlighter

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Modern Mercury Highlighter swatch

 

Black Myrrh Eye Ink (CAN $55.00) | Apart from the palette, there are 3 individually packaged eye shadows in the collection (Charred Emerald & Bitter Clove Eye Metals), although Black Myrrh is the only one in the Eye Ink format. Created in a pressed gel-crème formula, this sooty black shade bears a high level of shine and pearlized particles, and can be worn either dry or damp. Stating that she wanted to create a “sexy, sweaty eye” (although to be honest, I’m pretty sure sweaty & sexy will never be an eye look I can pull off), I’m guessing she’s alluding to that slinky disheveled makeup look we all fantasize about having after l’amour. But I digress …

Black Myrrh (don’t you just love that name?) applies with the same glide and smoothness seen on Modern Mercury, but at a much more intense level. Easily blended and buffed out for a watercolour-like effect, or layerable for high-voltage impact, I find it works better over something to adhere to such as a primer, in order to keep the colour pristine and in the case of oilier lids like mine, from creasing.

By the way, this is the shade I always picture VB as wearing – sooty & smouldering.

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Black Myrrh Eye Ink

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Black Myrrh Eye Ink

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Black Myrrh Eye Ink

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Black Myrrh Eye Ink swatches

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Black Myrrh Eye Ink

 

Blonde Gold Eye Foil (CAN $45.00) | One of two Eye Foils in the collection, Blonde Gold is unlike anything else I have in my beauty stash; purported to be a ‘liquid eyeshadow that delivers a high-shine vinyl-like finish even after it’s dried’ is a close description but not without a learning curve as well. The texture feels slightly cooling upon initial application and when swatched heavily, the brilliance is basically blinding – I’m fairly certain you’ve never come across an eyeshadow like this: white-gold coloured that also contains irregularly shaped prismatic pieces. There’s a short bit of time to play before it sets, but don’t expect any easy blending or buffing out – that’s just not going to happen.

After experimenting with Blonde Gold a bit, I finally found my preferred way of wearing it: patted on over eyeshadow and along the centre of the mobile lid to add the most amazing pop of reflection. Another easy way to wear this shade is as a highlighter at the inner eye corner, but there are also more editorial methods for those brave enough, such as along the browbone for a truly unique highlight lift or even lightly swiped along the upper cheekbones for a one-of-a-kind shard-like effect.

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Blonde Gold Eye Foil

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Blonde Gold Eye Foil swatches

 

Brazilian Nude Lipstick (CAN $55.00) | One of two shades in the collection (the other is Chilean Sunset, a searing red-orange hue), this is a creamy gorgeous neutral that has a perfect mix of both cool & warm undertones to be easily wearable by a broad range of skin tones. The casing is black (the other shade has gold casing) and bears the same fluted texture as the rest of the pieces, but surprisingly the actual size of the lipstick seems a little smaller than what I’m used to (not that it affects the product in any way, however).

Finding the right nude to suit one’s skin tone can be as difficult as finding an exact match in foundation, and while I have my favourite nudes, I confess that none climbed to the top of the list as fast as Brazilian Nude. Good coverage, non-patchy, and with a hydrating feel, there’s everything to love about this one (I do wish it had slightly longer staying power than the current 4+ hours I manage to get, but that’s to be expected with a shade in this colour family).

Further to the above, I also picture VB wearing this exact shade to match the sultry dark eye.

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Brazilian Nude Lipstick

Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder Collection · Brazilian Nude Lipstick swatch

 

I have no doubt that this collection will sell out lightning-fast; for starters, there’s the cachet of owning something created by Victoria Beckham. But at the end of the day, if a product doesn’t perform, then no amount of celebrity endorsement can save it. Thankfully, the items I was sent are not only of the finest quality, but you might even say that they’re over-achievers — that’s how beautifully they deliver. If forced to pick favourites, then I’d have to say that Modern Mercury is a must-have and if you’re a neutral-lover like me, then Brazilian Nude is for you. I’m also really attached to Morning Aura as it’s the primer I reach for the most lately. Without having tested the rest of the range, I can’t offer up my thoughts, but if these selections are anything to judge by, then I’m fairly confident that you can’t go wrong with anything from this entire collection. All that being said and factoring in the luxe prices, there’s nothing ground-breaking here colour-wise, but I suspect for those beauty fiends out there who also happen to be collectors (guilty), you’ll definitely be wanting your piece of Posh Spice.

Available at Saks (Sherway Gardens), select Hudson’s Bay & Holt Renfrew stores (online included)

Press samples/As always, all opinions are my own

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