In case you couldn't already tell from my previous postings, I am totally and utterly in love with this season's holiday gift offerings from Laura Mercier. All of the shades are moonlight soft and candlelight warm, and they impart the most flattering glow to the skin that never looks harsh in any light (you can check out my previous reviews and swatches of a fab face portfolio, eyeliners, and lip glosses here). Today, I've got more reviews, swatches, as well as application tips for some more products in the collection! Specifically, I'll be reviewing the Baked Eye Colour Palette (available in one limited edition shade), Shimmer Lip Colour in Raspberry Sorbet, and Face Illuminator (also in one limited edition shade). Check out a slideshow of images here; below, my thoughts:*
*I've been having a lot of difficulty lately with the Examiner.com editorial platform, so please forgive me for having published my slideshow of color swatches separately from this article.
Laura Mercier Baked Eye Colour Palette, $48
Five baked eyeshadows in one long palette, each about a dime sized convex bubble. The shades are sienna (medium-deep warm brown, with some shimmer but the least shimmery of the colors in the palette), terracotta (brilliantly shiny copper), ballet pink (more a pearlescent cream shine with a tinge of ballet slipper pink), pink petal (a slightly peachy pale pink shimmer with a bit of iridescence and silver glitter that show mostly when it's wet) and lilac (a soft, cool, pale violet shimmer with slight iridescence and silver glitter that show mostly when it's wet). The December issue of Allure magazine features an entire story on makeup in "Burnished Metals," celebrating the look of warm metallics for this holiday season, in which celeb makeup artist Fulvia Farolfi writes that "Wearing these tones now has nothing to do with being beachy or bronzed, but using them for a luxurious look that's a little unexpected...it's a more sophisticated way to wear metallics that feels dressed up and polished." There's a lot you can do with these shades; I'm in love with the pink petal and lilac applied wet on my brown eyes, as it really seems to light them up. Apply them wet with the included brush for rich, saturated, and shiny metallic color that is to die for; I don't find a lot of use for them applied dry, as the powder tends to land more on cheeks than eyelids.
Laura Mercier Shimmer Lip Colour in Raspberry Sorbet, $22
A warm raspberry pink lipstick that I wouldn't quite classify as shimmery, per se. What it does do--and it does this quite well--is create a moist, reflective lip that makes me think of Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge. The formula is extremely hydrating and a pleasure to apply and wear; its only downfall is that it's not very long-wearing (a necessary outcome, I suppose, given its hydrating and moist texture). If it mustn't last, though, at least it wears off evenly; it doesn't leave any ring around the lips, which is a good thing! The shade Raspberry Sorbet is a great, mid-pink--it's not nude, but it's no NARS Schiap--it's really a sensual rose that is a great way to warm up winter skin. It's perfect paired with the blushes from the Laura Mercier Luxe Face Palette!
Laura Mercier Limited Edition Face Illuminator, $42
This is, by far, the standout item of the entire Moonlight collection, and an absolute must-have; it's unlike anything else I know of on the market today! The shade is a true rose-gold--not too rosy, and not too golden--the perfect shade to create a realistic, moist glow on the skin. The texture is exceptional--it's not so thick that it clings to your brush and applies heavily, and so it never takes on a frosty sheen. Somehow, magically, it clings to the brush (I barely see it on the black bristles), but it leaves sheer dewiness behind when dusted onto my cheekbones. In photographs, it's flawless (this is going to be a staple in my bridal/runway/red carpet makeup kit from now on), and it brings out bone structure that isn't really there to begin with (see my cheekbones and jawline, which always needs a bit of sculpting). Absolute heaven! Get it in stores now--I've seen it at Nordstrom Beachwood Place--because it's already sold out on LauraMercier.com.
For the makeup look featured in the slideshow here:
- Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Foundation
- Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen
- Make Up For Ever 5 Camouflage Cream Palette
- Laura Mercier Baked Eye Colour Palette
- Laura Mercier Kohl Pencil in Black Violet
- Too Faced Lashgasm Mascara
- Laura Mercier blushes from Luxe Face Portfolio
- Laura Mercier Face Illuminator
- NARS Laguna Bronzer (used as contour)
Comments