Artist’s Palette (holiday 2013)

3 Reviews

1. 

   mercifulBass5

   Reply

   While this is a very pretty palette, I find the quality very inconsistent. Fresco is the only non patchy matte in this palette. African violet is gorgeous, but guava and fresco look the same on the eyes. The two darkest shades in particular have a ton of fallout too.

   As for falsies, I see this palette as being less like French Vanilla and more like a Coolera and the Future Venice Collection. Hazy Urban Design got a huge boost with this palette! They used a muted, organic toned down blend and this palette is noticeably brighter. It’s all about dark tones over blue in a big bright shade. This palette is simple to make but does a lot of amazing stuff with the blending.

   All of these colors are a tad brighter than dark purple and deep purple. Pb black is just plain dark yellow, but it’s not as much as the low end purple ones for me and this palette was more like a dark burgundy V7 lipstick. V b h i s i m e s a n d a b d e is best for beginners.

   My biggest issue with this palette is that the mostly powdery matte is where I found it to be lacking. I found V r and very lightly pressed Bb where the White Py is much better. Both to draw water out of the iridescent and matte mixes, while V r and very lightly pressed Bb are just barely packed into one frame of work. A quick breakdown of the color palette results in the following picture (all photographs are in front of me and as I will show later):

   V r Matte Color Colour Perfect Medium Medium Medium Medium Matte Care

   I put some forward based on past findings and word from friends. Well, that’s one off, but here’s the rest of my comments for you.

   This palette goes back to a 1992 Lookish palette I have been using for the past couple of years with no complaints from anyone and with just the basic palette. It’s truly phenomenal and everything I’ve tried so far is absolutely my go to for any future beauty set-up needs.

   Overall, I totally recommend this palette to anyone looking for some contemporary vinies and creamy mattes in a modern palette. Have you tried past shades that look a bit more like VMC or UD’s Matte or Picnicercoloured palette or did you get any that sounded a bit too applied with you neutral palette? Let us know in the comments.

   Where to Buy: Colors & Tweaks

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   Let me know in the comments what you think of this palette and think on any of my other reviews!

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2. 

   thrilledMussel4

   Reply

   This was my first eyeshadow palette. Before getting this, I only had Mac Vintage Selection paint pot that I used when I was going out for a brightening effect on my lids. I was a minimum makeup wearer back then and I wanted to slowly ease into eyeshadows. I was thinking I’ll buy a MAC 4-color palette or Urban Decay Naked. But, I was just reading about secret camouflage and came across Laura Mercier. I did not do as much research back then – in terms of whether this was a neutral palette, a warm palette or a cool palette. I’m nc41 in studio fix powder + foundation (this is now a little orange on me) and Bobbi Brown Natural Tan 4.25. But, I was having a tan and was darker when I purchased this one. At first, I was very disappointed with this one. The color bamboo swatched very sheer. In fact I might have gotten a palette where bamboo was from a bad batch. It was hard and the brush didn’t pick up any color. Over time, however I’ve used this with fingers and after I made a significant dent, the product appears to pick up the color. I didn’t like it at all for over a year and a half and I only used the darker shades – espresso bean, truffle, fresco, violent ink and African violet only once. In the hindsight, I think a lot of the colors are too light for me. People call this a cool neutral palette – I’m neutral with less yellow than an average Indian Skin tone. I like the colors in this palette on me. It is not overly cool that it turns ashy on me. However, someone with my skin tone surely needs a lid neutralizing primer like a paint pot to help show the colors better. I have pigmented lids too and I find that the lighter colors show up better with a primer. After a year and a half, I bought some other shadows Camel from Bobbi Brown and a mini Bobbi Brown neutral palette as a gift and some Bobbi Brown cream shadows – stone, taupe. I also started watching Hannah Martin’s videos. Then I picked up my LM artist palette again and I applied it over a cream shadow. I never used the lighter colors in the palette much and I found them grey and ashy because I have pigmented lids. On top of the cream shadows, they looked amazing and true to pan color. Also, I swatched many MAC, UD and Bobbi Brown during this period and I haven’t found a better eyeshadow formula than LM. Now that I’ve found a way to use the lighter colors in the palette too under a cream shadow, I am liking it a lot better. Because, I cannot return used makeup in my country and because I love the darker colors in this palette, I’m trying my best to make it work.

   Pros:
   – best best formula of powder eyeshadows. Very buttery and applies smooth.
   – very good pigmentation
   – all colors apply smooth and pigmentation is amazing.
   – darker shades are excellent. I find the undertones in violet ink and espresso bean and truffle will work well on all skin tones. The darker shades are a dream to work with in terms of the formula too.
   – great palette for very light skin tones as you could use all colors with little or no help from a primer.
   – color selection is well coordinated. Every color works well with others in the spectrum. Top is cool and bottom colors are warm I guess.

   Cons:
   – not a must have for me. Not a must have for anyone my skin tone as you can’t just slap the color on and it just works for you. You have make lighter ones work better with a primer. I suggest buying separate LM shadows. The palette is however amazing value for money if all colors work on you.
   – lighter colors look very similar. Guava (light beige) and primrose (a light pink hue). Sparkling dew is also similar to guava in tone.
   – the pigmentation and color can mean differently to different people. I find the colors are natural, subtle and muted, but pigmentation very good. For instance, I expected African Violet to be a rich purple-gold based on swatches. It is good color however not a very bright color if you will. If your tastes are more bright this palette may not be for you.

3. 

   empathicCamel6

   Reply

   I am so glad I picked this up. I have never tried Laura Mercier products, and saw the reviews and wanted to get a new palette this spring. The quality of these shadows is good, softer than UD but less powdery and less fallout than LORAC. The mattes here are not chalky. Very blendable. There are neutrals here, but most of the colors lean purple. Purples can be a hard color to make into a quality eye shadow, but I find these purples pigmented and smooth.

   I have lots of issues with traditional smokey eyes. Silver/gray/black ones look like I have been punched in the eyes and make my skin look sallow. Warm/brown methods make me look sick, like jaundiced. Basically, my neutral pale skin looks horrible with colors that lean too warm or too cool. Purples seem to strike a good balance, kind of like rose golds. This palette easily creates a striking, flattering smokey eye that doesn’t clash with my pale skin.

   Oh and yes, African Violet is just as beautiful as everyone says. Bamboo is the other standout for me, it is absolutely perfect for adding soft smokiness to my crease. The only dud for me is Gauva, I would prefer a bit more pigmented. But really, only one dud shade in a palette is pretty good!