Revisting My Favorite Laura Mercier Bath & Body, Skincare & Color Classics (and Some Newbies, Too)!
By Alison Blackman
Makeup artist Laura Mercier, creator of the Laura Mercier brand of makeup, skincare, bodycare and home scents, has been a brand that I’ve personally loved and reviewed on advicesisters.com for decades.
She’s not just the pioneer of the “Flawless Face, she elevated the luxury component of bath and body scents ad created universally flattering color cosmetics.
I’m re-visiting some of my favorite Laura Mercier classics, and introducing you to some of the new items to try!
Scented Sensations! Bath and Body Classics
The Queen of Goourmand fragrances, Laura Mercier’s Ambre Vanilla Body Wash is a perfect example of the creamy, moisturizing body washes (there are many).
Most of the 7 fragrances are “gourmand” and will appeal to men as well as women.
Worthy of note is that like fine fragrances, the bath and body scents have actual notes.
Ambre Vanilla, for example, has top notes of tangerine, coconut and almond, mid notes of tiger orchid, milk flower and heliotrope, and a base of Amber, Vanilla Beans, Brown Sugar.
The fruit and florals calm the sweetness, so you just want to “drink” in the scent.
Laura Mercier fragrances are significant, not just a whisper. they’ll stick around for a while to offer aromatherapy pleasure.
The natural-based cleanser leaves your skin feeling soft and fragrance, thanks to coconut, oat, and corn.
Wisely, this body wash is in a plastic container with a flip top tube ($40/8 fl.oz.)
Another favorite is the Laura Mercier Souffle Body Creme ($60 / 12 oz.).
Fortunate is the person who gets the Almond Coconut Milk Souffle Body Creme as a gift!
The first thing that caught my attention now as then, is that the luxuriously thick and decadent body moisturizer is housed in a real glass apothecary-style jar, not a plastic one.
This silky smooth crème, has a whipped feel that absorbs into the skin quickly giving it benefits of Vitamin A, C and E derivatives along with Grape Seed and Rice Bran Oil for conditioning and Vanilla Extract and Honey to soothe., plus moisturizing benefits from Sweet Almond, Hydrolyzed Rice Proteins, and Pro-Vitamin B-5.
Moisturizing benefits are from Sweet Almond, Hydrolyzed Rice Proteins, and Pro-Vitamin B-5.
Like many of the Laura Mercier fragrances, this one is intoxicatingly gourmand.
The notes are almond, coconut milk, jasmine, rosewood, ylang-ylang, vanilla, tonka,heliotrope and musk.
You can smell the exotics along with almond and coconut- just imagine you’re in paradise!
Not much is needed to scent and silken your skin and delight your senses — a little goes a long way!
Save Your Face!
Laura Mercier’s foundations are cult classics.
But there are products I think are vitally important to help protect your skin from the sun’s damaging rays before you ever smooth on a foundation or tinted moisturizer:
There are 7 different foundation primers, but I like this Foundation Primer * Protect ($38/1.7 fl. oz.) with Broad Spectrum SPF 30.
The actives are: 3% avobenzone, 7.3% octinoxate, 3% octocrylene and 2% oxybenzone.
This oil-free (untinted primer) helps make the application of your foundation and blush/bronzer/highlighters more flawless.
It also helps blur the look of pores, fine lines, and other imperfections so your skin looks even better!
Water-based with just a light touch of silicone, it feels almost weightless on your skin
That’s a bonus, especially if you use other skincare treatments, too.
Fragrance-free and dermatologist-tested, it’s good for all skin types (unless you are sensitive to chemical sun blocks).
The slim plastic tube makes it travel-friendly, too.
If you live in a humid or hot climate, if you can’t touch up often, a primer like this one is not a luxury, it’s a must-have!
An alternative for those who find chemical sun blocks irritating, is Laura Mercier’s Flawless Skin Daily Face Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 40 Sunscreen ($45/1 fl.oz.).
The luxurious, effective, fast- absorbing, oil-free/controlling formula mattifies skin.
The active ingredients in this are Octyl Methoxycinnamate (7.50%) and Titanium Dioxide (5.00%).
I appreciate the transparent formula and the price is justified if you need gentle, non-irritating, effective sun protection,
TIP: there are shaker beads in the plastic bottle–shake before using!
Classic Makeup Colors:
Dune, Wind, Rock, Dust, Earth, Bone, Choco Glace, Violet Sugar, Cocoa Rose, Candy Mauve, Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Espresso
Actually, there’s nothing so “classic” about Laura Mercier makeup.
She is a master of making classic, wearable colors new and exciting every season!
A perfect example (I’m just showing you one of so many) is the Extreme Neutrals Eye Shadow Palette ($58).
This new palette in a moc-croc covered mirrored compact features a dozen generously sized squares of eyeshadow in neutral tones in matte, sateen and shimmer formulas.
The intense, silky, blendable colors are clear and bright.
The range of formulas and light, medium and deep tones create everything from a natural look to a modern, smokey eye.
Matte Eye Colours: Dune, Wind, Earth, Bone, Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Espresso. Sateen Eye Colours: Choco Glace, Violet Sugar, Candy Mauve. Shimmer Eye Colours: Rock, Dust, Cocoa Rose
Obviously, there is so much more to explore from Laura Mercier, this is just a peek at some of the things I really love.
For more information, Visit your nearest Laura Mercier Makeup Counter or http://www.lauramercier.com
*cover photo of Laura Mercier courtesy of lauramercier.com
group photo of Laura Mercier items by Alison Blackman
