Review & Swatches: Shades from the Laura Mercier 'Art Deco Muse' Collection for Holiday 2012

Inspired by the decorative architecture, style and mood of the Art Deco period in Paris in the mid-1920’s, most notably the beautiful paintings of the artist Tamara de Lempicka…

I haven’t had any Laura Mercier fun since June, back when I posted a few pieces from the fall Cinema Noir collection. That was SO long ago! Far too long to be without the lovely LM, so here are a few key pieces from the holiday collection for 2012…

Art Deco Muse is comprised of gilded metallics, complemented by spectacular reds. Think striking, ornate hues; not the traditional (and let’s face it—sometimes not-so-original) holiday reds and golds. It can either be done very well, or done very poorly or tacky…and Laura Mercier did it perfectly in my humble opinion! While I don’t have all of the pieces, I’d love to show you the rest—let’s go!

The breakdown…

Illuminating Eye Colour

Gilded Moonlight — true gold
Gilded Platinum — golden platinum
Gilded Rosegold — golden copper
Gilded Bronze — golden topaz

Graphic Liquid Eye Liner

Black Lacquer — glossy black

Lip Lacquer

Lacque Rouge — high shine red

Lip Glacé

Gilded Veil — sheer golden sparkle

Crème Smooth Lip Colour

Deco Rouge — true red orange
Tamara Red — brick red
Sienna — brick rose

Nail Lacquer

Crimson — merlot red
Moderne Red — true bright red
Noir Glacé — deep brown

Second Skin Cheek Colour

Wild Bouquet — neutral brown rose

Gilded Platinum Illuminating Eye Colour

Gilded Bronze Illuminating Eye Colour

I don’t know about you, but I am just LOVING these eyeshadows. Not only are the pigments literally eye-catching, they’re vibrant and true. Aside from the quilted texture, they’re very buttery to the touch, nearly creamy. Gilded Platinum applied perfectly and wore like a dream. Gilded Bronze gave a little bit of fallout—but I’m thinking it’s due to the more complex quilted pattern than the formula itself. Due to the textured quilt here, my brush tends to pick it up a little bit differently than with the Platinum shade; I hope that makes sense! Overall, it’s a lovely shadow formula, and I would consider making a purchase. I wore Gilded Bronze on the lid and the crease with primer and experienced zero migration issues. I even smudged a little of Gilded Platinum on my bottom lash line on top of Gilded Bronze to make it pop.

Quick tip:

Try running a soft fluffy face brush over Gilded Platinum and lightly grazing the bridge of your nose and cheeks with it after you’re all finished with your complexion products. It gives such a nice glow when done with a light hand!

Gilded Veil Lip Glacé

The Lip Glacé formula reminds me of a less sticky version of MAC Lipglass, and that’s honestly the best way I can describe it. It seems to have just the right amount of stickiness to it, but still has a creamy texture when I press my lips together. There’s not an annoying stickiness to it, but it’s right on the cusp on being mildly sticky—just enough to stay in place. Lip Glacé has a vanilla scent and flavor that dissipates quickly, so I didn’t find it to be a nuisance. Gilded Veil is a peachy-gold shimmer that’s probably best for layering, but it does lend a glimmer to my lips—which I like. I’m a fan of the Lip Glacé formula overall.

Swatches…

Gilded Platinum, Gilded Bronze, Gilded Veil

Crimson Nail Lacquer

Can I please just tell you—when I finally wore the Laura Mercier Cocoa Suede nail lacquer from the fall collection—it took a licking and a half. It was like the Energizer Bunny, it kept on going and going! Of course I had tip wear, but it really was impressive how it stayed in place for a week on my hands with minimal chipping, and made it three weeks on my toes before I bid it adieu. For me, three weeks with a nail color on my toes might as well be ETERNITY. If Crimson from the holiday collection is even remotely as durable—it’s the business, I tell you. This polish is completely opaque in two coats, and has a nice flow. I actually think Laura Mercier’s formula is better than a certain prestige $26 formula out there. Just saying!

Wearing: Gilded Platinum & Bronze Illuminating Eye Colours, Gilded Veil Lip Glacé (Of course you can really do it up and add drama to your eyes with these, but you know how I am with my quickie looks!)