[The Review] Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes
13.1.14
Oh Laura Mercier, how have I not tried your eyeshadows before? I got the Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes when I was under essay-stress last term (debut here) and this has got to be one of my best impulse purchases ever. As this is a limited edition palette that already sold out at the House of Fraser, I was hesitant to share a glowing review on the product that could no longer be bought. But seeing that I'm loving this palette like it's my (imaginary) puppy and there's not enough rave over the Laura Mercier eyeshadows, I thought I'd pitch in my two cents.
[Top: Sparkling Dew | Guava | African Violet | Plum Smoke | Kir Royal | Violet Ink]
[Bottom: Vanilla Nuts | Primrose | Fresco | Bamboo | Truffle | Espresso Bean]
What first drew me to the palette was the selection of colors. Although purple and not the normal neutrals that I tend to go for, all these shades are surprisingly easy to wear. There's also a fair blend of cool and warm toned; matte, shimmers and glitters; and lights, midtones and darks. What more can a girl ask for? Oh right, packaging. One of my favorite things about the packaging is the low-key branding. In fact, other that the clear sticker that you can easily peel off at the bottom of the palette, the only place you can identify the manufacture is the small print on the bottom right of the mirror. For me, Laura Mercier has always been about creating glamorous while maintaining the low key status. And that ideology has transferred perfectly into the packaging of the palette with the glamorous faux leather, clutch-like packaging.
Enough with the packaging, as I mentioned in [The Newbie] post where this palette debuted, I've already used all of the shades and I absolutely love each and every single one. In general, all of these shades are soft and pigmented, even the glittery selections. I've yet to experience fall out upon application. Random, but I love the way the colors are arranged in the palette, with the purples on top and the browns/neutrals on the bottom.
[Left to Right: African Violet | Plum Smoke | Kir Royal | Violet Ink]
Look at how pigmented they are! These are swatches of a light swipe over the top. These purples are gorgeous and can be altered to fit either the daytime or night out look. Plum Smoke is one of my most reached for shades in this row. The grey-purple is a very wearable color and perfect if you're just dipping your toe into the world of colors. Another shade that's even more glamorous in person than in swatch is the maroon-based purple Kir Royal. That and Violet Ink were the two shades that initially drew me to the palette. The shade that surprised me the most was African Violet. I'm fairly skeptic of glittery shades, thinking that they'd be hard, unpigmented, and have a silly amount of fall-out. So it's safe to say that I was more than surprised when I used this gorgeous purple with gold shimmer and didn't experience any of the above-mentioned faults.
[Vanilla Nuts | Fresco | Bamboo | Truffle]
Fresco didn't show up as well as I'd like as it's close to my skintone. I really like to use it as a midtone, transition color as it goes well with everything. I didn't think I'd be attracted to this shade, but I've been reaching for this even on the days when I'm using other palettes. Another shade from the neutrals that I'm completely smitten with is the golden, slightly taupe Bamboo. I love using it as a base shade to add that hint of shimmer and luxe while staying under the radar. One of my favorite go-to combos from this palette consists of Plum Smoke all over the lid with Kir Royal and Truffle in the outer corner and Fresco in the crease to soften things up. Add Violet Ink to deepen the outer-v and a bit of Truffle in the crease, while balancing it out with Vanilla Nuts in the inner corner and you have the eyeshadow combination I wore to see Tom Hiddleston and Hadley Fraser (read about it here). Ah the memories!
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