Three days later, and I still have no idea what the new $98 Laura Mercier Luxe Colour Portfolio has to do with snakes.
With its lid shut and its faux snakeskin midriff showing, doesn’t the new limited edition holiday kit have an almost Western motif? I keep seeing it in the hands of a woman wearing bloomers and white gloves on the wooden steps of an old saloon…
But then when it opens, exposing a palette of six powder eyeshadows, three cake liners, two powder blushes and three travel-size eye brushes, I see the palette in a different light — one that’s purple, kinda glamorous, and not all that Western at all.
Ladies who love wearable shades with a dose of glam, this kit might be perfect for you. The colors within it aren’t your run-of-the-mill neutrals and purple fare. Laura has a knack for keeping things interesting, and she plied her powers here.
The duochrome African Violet eyeshadow, for instance, wasn’t content being any old pink, so Laura gave it the power to flash from pink to purple to gold, depending on the light, and the Black Ebony Eye Liner is anything but basic; I think it looks more like a blackened navy to me.
Even the little brushes, with their soft bristles, work surprisingly well, which is a nice surprise when many of the brushes in holiday kits under-perform (I’m talking to you, MAC!).
Swatches from the left: Eyeshadows in Primrose, African Violet, Merlot, Trufle, Topaz and Stellar; Eye Liner in Ground Espresso, Black Ebony and Burgundy Wine
Swatches from the left: Eye Liner in Ground Espresso, Black Ebony and Burgundy Wine; Blushes in Rose Petal and City Pink
Wearing Eyeshadows in Primrose, African Violet, Merlot and Topaz; Eye Liners in Ground Espresso and Black Ebony and Blush in City Pink
But beyond good brushes and colors, the palette has something else I like: staying power! After all, what good are great colors if they won’t stick around?
That’s not a problem at all for these. The shadows and liners refuse to crease when layered atop my trusty NARS primer, and the blush clings to my cheeks all day long.
Even at $98, this palette isn’t a bad deal at all. The 14 pieces work out to just $7 each, which is practically a steal for Laura Mercier, and when you take into account the size of the pans, the deal looks even better (some of the pieces, like the cake liners, are almost as big as their full-size versions).
Overall, I’d call this palette perfection if not for the fabric on the packaging. Sure, it looks and feels great, but it can be a chore to clean (remember Laura’s Silk Road collection from last spring?).
The season for holiday makeup kits has only just begun, but I already have a feeling that this one will be one of my favorites this year. The colors are work safe, yet still sexy and fun. Ya done good, Laura. Ya done good. 🙂
PRICE: $98
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Laura Mercier counters and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-
Oh, apparently, I’m not the only person here freaklishly obsessed with Ryan Gosling. Thanks to reader and fellow Ryan fanatic Emily for the the following heads-up.
Did you know that homeboy takes ballet classes?
Yep, RyGos doing plies… I DIE! 
Thanks, Emily. Good to know I’m not the only one of us eating psycho cake!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Merlot, Trufle, and Topaz look like they would make a gorgeous combo. I would wear Topaz on the lids, Merlot on the crease and Trufle on the outer v. =)
Also, I’m glad the Laura Mercier brushes that come in this kit are actually useful. Most brushes that come in palettes or kits are scratchy *cough* MAC *cough* =/
I agree on the scratchy brushes. A large majority of my makeup brushes are LM just for that reason…so soft and non-scratchy. I have maybe one or two MAC brushes and they rarely get used because of the scratchiness. Sephora brushes are great as well.
I’m adding this to my Xmas list!
98$?! That can’t be possible!
When I first read your post and saw the pictures, I FELL IN LOVE with this palette and told myself “That’s it, THIS is THE ONE.” But then I saw the price, and my little voice said “no way”. I can eat like, 20 meals with that money, and I’d much rather eat, thank you.
pretty palette but I can’t fork out that kind of dough on some cosmetics. bummer!
I’m such a sucker for purple eyeshadow! The price is a bit much, though, even if it turns out to be a good value :/
I’m confused by the snake skin but enjoyed your snake in Santa hat accompaniment. It looks like a pretty palette. BTW, did you check out Once upon a time? The jury is out for me. I’m looking forward to Grimm, though. 🙂
The burgundy wine eye liner looks beautiful! 😀
I think I might need this… After trying Laura’s Silk Road Palette you raved about, I became a sucker for her purples and super flattering blushes then, and since I’m such a purple fiend, this looks great, too. It also looks super nice to bring with me on a weekend trip to see the fam!
Is it because snakeskin is part if a trend this season? Google turned up almost 4 mil on search results on snakeskin for fall 2011.
On another note, African violet looks great.
This is such an exceptional palette, and it’s stunning on you! I had to splurge for myself and just got it as well. Best money spent in a while. I hope she releases these cakes as individuals.
That’s a lovely palette but I can’t justify spending that much money on it. 🙁
Oooh, this is gorgeous! But I completely agree with the snakeskin thing, so very un-Laura Mercier, haha!
Same as gio, I could never justify paying for Laura Mercier holiday palettes full price. Unless they go on sale after the holidays which is rarely, such stuck-up brand!
That said, I might just go pick up African Violet since I have been eyeing that one particular shade for the longest time!
this is in my shopping cart but i cant check out … it just feels so spendy!
I’m kicking myself for not getting that with my FF order insetead of all the other stuff I got. That would have been a much better purchase but now I’ve hit my budget for the month 🙁
I like Truffle and those brushes look amazing!
I like the palette because it comes with the liners.. but it’s so expensive ><!
I picked this up for $40 and was super excited to try it out. However I can’t get the shadows to show up as pigmented as your swatches. How many times did you have to swatch it to get that kind of pigmentation? I used Laura Mercier eye basics in wheat as primer but the shadows still show up like washes. Topaz doesn’t show up at all and African Violet is very faint. I wear BE golden medium foundation. Thank you in advance. I would really appreciate your help!