Take heed, crazy cat ladies. Rubbing the brushes in Laura Mercier’s $125 Luxe Travel Brush Collection across your face may induce irresistible urges to adopt additional cats.
WARNING: If you have already acquired a “gateway cat,” exercise extreme caution, especially around the Cheek Colour Brush, because it feels exactly like the softest, plushest, most downy delicious belly meat.
Makeup lovers have reported that it made them contemplate kitty crime. “I’m considering kidnapping an adorable tortie girl who lives down the street,” said one woman, “even though I know better…” 🙁
Gate-way cat
noun
Among members of the crazy cat lady community, the third cat is commonly referred to as “the gateway cat,” since it opens the door to adopting even more cats and posits the question, at this point, why stop at just three?
All eight of the brushes in this set feel kitten soft, from the fluffy Pony Tail Brush (fabulous for erasing hard edges, applying highlighter to those upper cheekbones, or for blending under-eye concealer), to the Angled Eye Liner Brush (great for thin lines and flicks, and it also doubles as a spot applicator for concealer). The set also comes with a travel case and a removable mesh cosmetic bag insert.
The $125 Laura Mercier Luxe Travel Brush Collection includes…
- Cheek Color Brush
- Secret Camouflage Brush
- Pony Tail Brush
- Creme Eye Colour Brush
- Eye Crease Brush
- Smudge Brush
- Flat Eye Liner Brush
- Angled Eye Liner Brush
- Travel Case with removable mesh cosmetic bag
At $125, the new Luxe Travel Brush Collection costs a lot of kitty treats. It’s one of the more expensive holiday brush sets out there, but I think the brushes hold their own with the brushes in Laura’s permanent line.
The heads feel full and dense, the bristles rarely shed, and I can blend, smudge and stipple to my heart’s content without feeling like I’m using inferior brushes (something that happens quite often when I use the brushes in other holiday brush sets).
Bonus! — the brushes don’t smell funny, either. There’s none of that new brush funk, if you know what I mean.
I feel like Laura’s makeup gets way more attention than her tools, which is kind of a bummer, because I think her brushes are some of the best. Her travel brush kits are usually on the expensive side, but they’re also consistently soft, sturdy and hold up well over time. Most of the time I go on trips, I take a few of Laura’s brushes with me.
Recommended? Definitely, even considering the price premium. The Luxe Travel Brush Collection is something to think about if you want to expand your brush collection with travel-friendly options, or if you just know someone who wants to delve deeper into the nitty-gritty details of makeup application.
PRICE: $125 (Yowza! But think of it as an investment in your makeup future that should pay dividends over the next 10 years.)
AVAILABILITY: Limited edition, and available now online and at Laura Mercier counters.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+/A- (it ain’t cheap)
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Does it have to be $125?!!
I’d grab it at $89.
I laughed my belly meat off at your scenario and the Gate-way Cat!
And, no joking, I am just getting ready to thumb through the book, The French Cat, and enjoy some tea and red-wax Gouda (from the cheese emporium, Whole Foods).
Maybe it will go on sale??? Yes, and maybe you won’t adopt cat-from-earlier post.
Hi Debra,
I would so be in trouble with that third cat. It would open up a door that could never be closed!
Yum, I hope you enjoyed your Gouda. I just had a Babybel with an apple. So, are French cats more chic and stylish? Inquiring minds want to know.
French cats are more street-smart! That’s because they are not allowed on the streets of Paris! Even Choupette could not get away with it, although Karl would probably get a dispensation.
I thought this book was just full of pictures but the accompanying text is fascinating. Available at that “a” e-tailer. Would go smoothly with Babybel and sliced Honeycrisp:).
Oh nooo Kissa is my gate-way cat! I’m doomed LOL I think I know I have reached my limit though. I really don’t have more space/resources/love for more…
I really need to try LM brushes at some point. I’ve heard that they’re great, and you’re right about them being under-appreciated. I probably won’t get the set to begin with though. That’s quite an investment just to try the line out 😉
There is always room for one more kitteh… always. 😉
Wait, when did this happen?! I didn’t know that you got a third. Congrats!
As for brushes, maybe start with Laura’s Pony Tail Brush. It’s really lovely, and I use it all the time. Her Tightlining Brush is awesome too!
Happy Friday. 🙂
Ha so last year around Easter, I met this extremely sweet but extremely ill feral tabby kitty in the neighborhood. The neighbors had been feeding her for a while, but they couldn’t do more because they had two cats that didn’t get alone and already those two had to be separated in the house. I told the husband I’d take her in, take care of her, and give her away. It took a long time for her to be OK (she was first suspected to have FIP and then FIV. She lived in our spare room for months before two Western Blot Tests proved it was just a bad infection coupled with her weak immune system. Life out there mustn’t have been easy). For the record I did try to find her a home. Two friends wanted her, but for one reason or another it didn’t work out. By then I had become too attached, so Kissa became ours! She’s the sweetest tabby girl ever, and probably the only cat I know that is actually grateful and permanently happy!
So yeah, long story short, I’m praying I will never ever see another poor sick kitty in my life, because I really, REALLY can’t take another one in!
Thanks for the recommendations, Karen! I Googled those and they look amazing! I need to fondle that ponytail brush ASAP. Yes, I am fully aware that makes me sound like a creep!
Have a great weekend! Say hi to Tabs and Elsa for me xx
Oh, Sunny. Kissa is so lucky to have met you. She sounds like a sweet girl who had some unlucky breaks. Thank goodness you found each other, and that she was able to find her forever home, yay! And I may be a little biased saying this, but tabbies are some of the cutest kitties. 😉
Yeah, definitely feel that Ponytail Brush up sometime soon (HAHAHA!). I’m planning on swinging by the counter (hopefully this weekend, allegedly to do Christmas shopping) to check out the Caviar Stick set you raved about. WANT!!!!
I will give Tabs a squeeze for ya and tell Elsa you said wassup. Happy Friday, and happy weekend, wooooo hooo!
I just had a Babybel all by itself. I keep a stash in the fridge at work. As cute as those brushes are, they are a tad bit on the expensive side. I’m always tempted to buy more brushes and then I remember where will I put them and do I really want to clean more brushes???
Now that I have my boyfriend’s cat living with me…I’m getting close to the Gateway cat…
Mmm…Babybel cheese. I bought a huge bag of them at Costco last week! I have enough to last me the rest of the year, LOL. Here, have one *passes Babybel*.
Does Tulip get along with your BF’s kitty? I hope they are friends!
I love Babybel cheese!!! My BF’s cat Jazmine is 17 years old but she gets along with Tulip. Sometimes they play tag around the house. I forgot to tell you this morning I saw Tulip chasing her tail. I think sometimes she forget’s it’s her’s.
Me too. I think I’ve eaten at least one every day for the last month. Whoops! I usually have mine with an apple so I count it as a fibrous and healthy snack.
That’s good that the two girls get along. And wow, 17! Jazmine is officially a sassy senior kitty. I hope I’m lucky enough to have Tabs around for that long. I’m sorry if I’ve asked this already, but how old is Tulip?
Funny that you mention tail chasing, because Tabs does that too sometimes. This morning he decided that my hair was a perfectly acceptable place to make biscuits, so I woke up to a weird kitty massage on my scalp…
Tulip is 7 years old. Sometimes I wake up to Tulip smacking me in the face with her paw (no nails). This usually happens on the weekend.
Tulip and Tabs are about the same age. We think he’s 7 or 8.
Aww, she wants you to get up and par-tay! Cats are so weird, aren’t they? Tabs went through a phase where he was jumping on and off the bed at 3 in the morning. THANK GOODNESS it didn’t last long!
To keep Tulip from doing that when she was 3 or 4 I used to chase her around the house at night and play with her so that she would be tired and sleep all night.
The price makes me shiver… but the brush collection makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! 😉 I am so confused!!! 😉
The brushes look nice but I’m really digging the carrying case. It looks super organized! The price tag is killing me though
I actually think that $125 for eight high-quality brushes is a good deal. Individually, they go for $20 (the angled eye liner brush) to $45 (the cheek brush) and total $238. Purchased individually, they might have somewhat longer handles, but the handles on the travel-sized LM brushes are long enough to be perfectly functional — in fact, I prefer the slightly shorter length. Most brush sets that I’ve bought in the $50-$60 range have turned out to be not so great… and I end up purchasing single, specific brushes that I want anyway! Now, if I didn’t already *own* two of these brushes… it would be an easy decision to purchase!even if there are one or two that I might not use that frequently.
I haven’t used much from LM lately. I recall the brushes being nice. I was also surprised by a few Chanel brushes lately just not the price 🙂
Uh oh… it’s lucky they don’t sell LM here (in a manner of speaking), because I have a BAD addiction to fondling soft brushes… >_> …. <_<
Perhaps it's the lack of a cat in my life? I have to get all the belly-meat fondling out of my system on makeup brushes? The Wizard won't hold still long enough, and he's not really fluffy enough either… *sigh*
too expensive for me :/