With Laura Mercier Colour Dots and Baked Blush Illuminé, You Get the Glowing Cheeks of a Girl From an Impressionist Painting

I’m often inspired by art when I get ready in the morning — and not always modern art, à la Andy Warhol or iconic images of Twiggy — but sometimes, like during the deepest and darkest parts of winter, I’ll think of a novel or a particular Renaissance painting and try to recreate the spirit of the work or, if it’s a portrait, the glow surrounding the subject.

Sometimes with Laura Mercier I think of impressionist paintings, and it’s not hard to see similarities between some of Laura Mercier’s muted greens, steel blues and rich sienna browns and a color palette used by Claude Monet, right?

That’s perfect for me, as I love that romantic flush on the faces of so many impressionistic heroines. If you gaze at a Renior, you’re sure to see a glowing rose pink, and when my skin is at its most sallow or pale during the winter months, that’s the look I most like to create with my blush.

Thanks to the new Laura Mercier Colour Dots ($32) and Baked Blush Illuminé in Rose ($42), I’ll be glowing like a painting for months.

Laura Mercier’s Colour Dots are new to makeup counters for Summer 2016 and availble in three shades — Fruit Punch, Tequila Sunrise and Sangria. They’re portable, sheer, yet vibrant washes of color that are both lip and cheek friendly.

I’ve been using Sangria as a primer of sorts for other blushes, because it’s not only convenient to have my flush coordinated with my lips, but the gel-to-powder formula also helps other shades adhere.

The Baked Blush and Bronze/Illuminé compacts already have a cult following (remember when Ritual made so many waves?), so it’s no surprise that Illuminé in Rose is just as fabulous as its forebears.

Described as a beautiful baked powder to tint, highlight and accentuate cheekbones, Rose is a complementary mix of five shades ranging from cream to rich rose gold, and it gives a warm glow when applied either as a highlight or a blush. It feels incredibly smooth, and I can still see it on my cheeks after hours and hours of wear.

I’ve been using Sangria and Rose together nearly every day for weeks. Sangria provides my base flush, and Illuminé in Rose adds a touch of impressionistic glow that helps me look like I’ve just returned from a spin on the dance floor at Moulin de la Galette.

Cheek products seem to be the least long-wearing products for me, so it’s so nice to find a gel or cream-to-powder product that helps other product last longer and also looks beautiful alone. Rose is quite long lasting even without help from Sangria…which is just to say that I’m just as wowed by Laura Mercier now as I’ve ever been.

So, fellow makeup and art lovers, what are some classic works of literature or art that inspire your makeup?