Laura Mercier Face Illuminator in Spellbound from the Dark Spell Collection for Fall 2013

Laura Mercier's Dark Spell Collection, at counters now, is described as mystical, seductive, and captivating - a look that demands attention. The display got my attention when I saw the new Face Illuminator ($42) in Spellbound. I promptly purchased it. I can't resist rose gold.

A beautiful face illuminating hybrid product with a soft rose gold shimmer perfect for highlighting. The unique formula based on high pearl levels provides buildable long-wearing color.

When Laura Mercier is on, she is as great as it gets. Spellbound is exquisite. At the same time I saw it, I also played with her new Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Color. It's a good example of Laura Mercier when she's off - in my humble opinion. Only one of the many shades appealed to me: Sin. It was sold out, so clearly it appealed to other Laura Mercier fans as well. If you like matte lip color, you may adore these new lip colors. I don't like matte or flat, so my opinion is extremely prejudiced and possibly unfair.

On the other hand, Spellbound is so enticing in the compact, with its waves of color, that you will be drawn to try it when you see it. What you will discover is one of the prettiest highlighting powders of the year. It deserves an award. It's the queen of the collection, most of which is dark and seductive, but sadly not "me."

When the sun made its re-appearance yesterday, I was finally able to get swatch photos for you. None of them do justice to this drop-dead fabulous shade, which, like a chameleon, will probably look a bit different on different skin tones. I think it adjusts to my skin tone and to lighting conditions.

To swatch, I applied it at the top of my arm with a sponge-tipped applicator. Then I took a very loose, fluffy blush brush and swatched (sorry, unevenly) under my stripe swatch. That was the wrong brush, but my intention was to show you how it might look when applied with a much lighter hand. You can see that the more color you add, the more prominent the rose in this golden shade becomes. I did not buff or blend the color for my swatches.

You can wear this stunning shade anywhere on your face. Use it as a blush or mix it with your blush to create your own unique shade. Use it as a highlighter, sweeping double "C's" over your upper face (tell me in the comments if you don't understand that). Use it as an eye shadow anywhere on your lids. Use it under and/or over your eyebrows. Use it as an illuminating bronzer (depending on your skin tone). It is extremely versatile. As The Non-Blonde pointed out, you can use just about any applicator with Spellbound. Gaia is the brush expert, and she recommended a few brushes for an ideal application.

This Face Illuminator is a powder, but it acts like a cream. Let's call it a very creamy powder. The texture is fabulous - and accommodating. If you feel you didn't apply enough color on your first try, add more. Spellbound layers beautifully and plays well with other makeup colors.

I don't often recommend that you rush right out to purchase new color, but I'm close to making a recommendation that Spellbound is a necessity. Let's call it a necessity for anyone who loves rose gold as much as I do. Laura Mercier was definitely "on" when she created Spellbound.

You can find it at her Web site and at all Laura Mercier counters. I purchased mine at Bloomingdale's.

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