This — THIS! — is one of the reasons I love Laura Mercier. First time I saw her new $48 Baked Eye Colour Palette in Free Spirit, I thought, “There’s no frickin’ way I’ll be able to pull that off.”
I thought the colors were way too cool for me, and that the pastels would appear chalky and entirely unwearable on my warm skin tone.
But then I started playing…
And, like she does so often, Laura came through. 🙂 Again, she found a way to make seemingly safe shades interesting, unusual and, I think, totally wearable.
At first glance, these colors might not get your heart pounding, but give ’em a chance. Dig a little (NOOO! — not literally into the pans, of course!), and you might just find something surprisingly beautiful hidden within something so seemingly subtle.
It happened to me with this palette.
A couple of its pastels do seem pretty typical, like the lightest blue, Soft Cloud. It’s pretty much your run-of-the-mill shimmery blue.
And then there’s Pink Tutu, the light pink on the far right — a competent but uninspiring shimmery pink. Neither one will set any records for originality, and you can probably find dupes from other lines.
Oh, but the remaining three shades — the dark blue on the far left, and the two darkest shades guarding the center — they hold the keys to this palette’s true power.
My favorite’s the one in the middle, Satin Ribbon, a gorgeous coppery bronze with blackened undertones.
SO BEAUTIFUL! It makes my head spin. And so complex. If you wet your brush first before applying it on your lids, the copper tones come out to party, looking rich and bright. I didn’t expect something like it from a palette with pastels.
Bare Yoga, seated to Satin Ribbon’s right, also blew me away. It’s my second favorite of these colors. Despite how basic it looks in the pan and when swatched dry, this mauve really grooves when you start buffing, revealing a purply brown personality. I love the way it looks blended into the crease with Satin Ribbon on my lids.
And then there’s Blue Zen, the darker blue on the far left, and the Clark Kent of this palette. A mild-mannered mid-toned blue by day, he flexes his stormy gray muscles when faced with buffing.
I’d never think to put these colors together, and I never thought they’d work on warmer skin tones, but some how, some way, they do. They just work, and I think they would for most gals (and guys).
Wear ’em wet or dry, either way, they last a really long time without creasing. Slightly longer when applied wet, like 9-10 hours, as opposed to dry, where they last from 7-8 hours for me. No fallout, either. 🙂
PRICE: $48
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Laura Mercier counters and lauramercier.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A- (the light pink and light blue are pretty, but easily dupeable)
Weirdo tabby
I kept my office door closed today because El Hub was home and working downstairs. I didn’t want to bother him with An American in Paris playing on full blast (I’ve been really into Gershwin lately) and with all of the conversations I carry on with myself (dude…I talk to myself A LOT).
Anywho, every 10 minutes or so, Tabs would scratch at the door, so I’d get up, let him in, and close the door again. Of course, once inside the room, he quickly saw that I wasn’t doing anything remarkable or exciting, and so he’d paw at the door and meow to be let back out.
This went on ALL DAY LONG! Drove me absolutely nuts.
Eventually, I just gave up and left the door ajar, to which he responded by staring — sitting inside the room and staring at the door, like it was now broken.
Cats are just so weird… 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Sunny says
LOL imagine having TWO cats. I have to close the door nowadays because the heating is on, but they get hungry/bored all the time so there’s a lot of standing up and sitting back down going on!
Karen says
I bet they’re a handful!
Marla says
I am really surprised. Those colors in the pan didn’t appeal to me at all but they look great on your eyes.
Karen says
Thanks, Marla!
Becca @ The Beauty Sample says
LOL don’t worry, my dog does that ALL. THE. TIME. I like to close my door if I’m working because I just feel like being closed off allows me to concentrate. My dog will scratch incessantly to be let in but once she’s in and I get back to work, she gets bored and scratches to be let back out. I’ll let her out then 5 minutes later, she wants in again. Haha!
Anyway, back to shadows 😛 These look really pretty on you and I am definitely amazed at how they transform when wet, but I’ve never really gotten into using shadows wet and baked shadows just aren’t my favorite, so I will probably pass. It’s definitely gorgeous on you though!
Karen says
Hi Becca,
Your dog sounds like she has a lot of personality. What’s her name?
Jen B says
Such a pretty palette for Spring!
Karen says
Hi Jen,
Yes! Perfect for spring. 🙂
Jennifer says
I agree that they don’t look like much in the palette but WOW do they make your eyes pop!
Karen says
Thanks, Jennifer! I hope you give it a try.
Sarah says
Hmm too sure if I wana give this palette a try or not.
Sarah
Karen says
You might like it if you try it on.
Katherine G says
That palette does make your eyes pop! This looks like a great neutral palette with a fun edge. I love Laura Mercier’s kohl eyeliners because they seem like basic colors, but they have a twist. Stormy Grey has gotten me the most compliments! It’s the grey eyeliner I’ve been looking for, for ages.
Chelsea says
Obsessed with the Laura Mercier baked eyeshadow in Black Karat. It is, quite possibly, the most versatile eyeshadow I own!
Reesa says
Wow, I like this palette, especially on you. I *need* to take a trip the a LM counter!
Thanks, Karen!
Anne says
I got this last week at LM counter… they did a makeover to me with t the blueish and pinky shades, it was amazing, I totally fell for it. However, I’m wondering if this one is any similar to Dior Rosy Tan (from summer 2011)???