Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Laura Mercier Cheek Mélange in Canyon Sunset for Fall 2011

Laura Mercier has introduced her Canyon Collection for Fall 2011. For weeks after seeing it in the store, I considered the pieces I had to have vs those I'd like to have. There comes a point (usually when paying my credit card bill) when I realize I cannot have everything I want.

When I first saw the collection in person, I nearly swept four eye shadows into my "buy pile." Out of necessity, I finally narrowed it down to one limited-edition shade, which I will feature tomorrow. That was tough! There were lipstick and lip gloss shades that called to me - until I opened the caps. The fragrance in the lip colors was just too strong for my taste.

The limited-edition superstar of the collection, though, Cheek Mélange in Canyon Sunset ($40) would not be denied its place on my bathroom counter. It's even prettier in person than it is in the advertisements, and I swear there are variations of the compact that lean cooler and pinker (better for my skin) than the warm, Mediterranean tones I've seen in the testers. Call me a crazy lady, but these swirled blended shades cannot all be exactly the same from one compact to the next.

The imagery of a canyon sunset, with pink, peach, and mauve shades punctuated by a gold overspray, gives this compact an undeniable appeal. On the skin, when blended, the shades become a warm hybrid - warm pink-peach in some settings, mauve-peach in others. Like the changing of the colors that grace the sky as the sun sets, the blush will highlight your cheeks with variations of color, all flattering.

I took two swatch photos, purposely with different backgrounds, to show you the blended colors on my arm and how pretty - and variable - they can appear. As usual, I applied the cheek color way too heavily to get a good representation of the shade in my photos. Against pink flowers at right, the shade displays its pink personality. Against a dark red, almost invisible, Japanese maple background below, it's warmer. The angle against the morning sun was almost identical when I took these photos, proof of my belief that the shade is a chameleon. It's actually a perfect shade for now, as July melts into August.

Have you ever wondered why Laura Mercier doesn't seem to receive the same amount of beauty buzz as other established brands? I've noticed it for a few years, and I can't figure out a reason.

Laura Mercier is a lovely lady. I took a master class with her once, a bazillion years ago, and was struck by her warmth and "one of the girls" approach to beauty. Because my skin is so Northern European, sometimes I think her shades are designed for women whose skin derived its tone closer to the Mediterranean Sea, like hers. Even so, there's always something for me to love in her collections.

I hope you'll check out the new Canyon Collection. I'll bet there's something there for you too. You can find it at the Laura Mercier Web site and all Laura Mercier counters in the department stores. I bought mine at Neiman Marcus.

Photo at top courtesy of Laura Mercier; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

10 comments:

lovethescents said...

Lovely! Adore the name too :-) Might be too light for my skin tone, but stunning on yours. Enjoy!

Shannon (Lipstick Musings) said...

I nearly bought this the other day, and now that I've seen it on your fair skin I think I might go back and purchase. I ended up getting away with only the Chocolate eye shadow (gotta start saving for school clothes for the 3 girlies). I'll be reviewing it tomorrow, but suffice to say I LOVE it!

I completely agree with you that Laura Mercier doesn't get nearly enough love in the industry or on the blogs. I'm new to her line because of that, but I have a strong suspicion that she'll become one of my favorites. Planning more reviews in the future!

Nic, Strawberry Blonde said...

These look very pretty! I'm a huge fan of Laura Mercier. It's not presented as a particularly glamorous brand and the packaging isn't terribly exciting, but the contents always impress me!

Nic X
Beauty Blogger

Victoria said...

I love LM, I might have to go check this blush out again. I looked at it a while back, but it looked to warm to me...but it doesn't in your pictures!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Lovethescents,

Isn't your skin tone somewhat like mine? If I can wear it, you can too. It's very sheer. I had to paint it onto my arm with a "vengence." :)

Charlestongirl said...

Hey there, Shannon,

The Chocolate you bought was very tempting to me. Had I not had 4,000 brown eye shadows, it would have come home with me. :)

Remember to give LM some love on your blog!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Nic,

No, the packaging isn't all that exciting, but do you really keep all that stuff? I find I have to recycle it. I would be swimming in boxes if I didn't.

Thanks for stopping by.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Victoria!

It is a warm. It's just not as warm as it looks in the pan. This is one that must be tried on skin.

Mamavalveeta03 said...

I didn't get the rest of the collection, but I loved the lipgloss in Desert Rose (and I'm crazy in love with the scent/taste--like caramel!). I love the color and LM's products are always good.

Charlestongirl said...

Oh MamaVal, I wish I could get over that fragrance in the lip gloss. It is so gorgeous!