If nothing else, I’m a creature of habit when it comes to makeup. I know what I like (and what I’m capable of) and I stick to that. I tend not to be swayed by packaging, and there is little deviation to my pink looks. However, I have always said that if there was ballet themed makeup, I would be buying it. And Laura Mercier delivered! The Laura Mercier holiday 2020 collection was inspired by Paris Opera Ballet, aptly named “Ballet á Paris”. I have three items from the collection, the Pièce de Résistance Eye & Cheek Essentials Palette, the Prime Ballerina Mini Eyeshadow Palette, and the Rose Pirouette Highlighter, and I’m sharing my thoughts today!
With much reading and research, I know that holiday products from makeup and skincare brands are often different formulas and splashy packaging. While I normally adore the Christmas-y packaging, I don’t actually buy holiday collections. (Reading countless reviews about lesser-than products has scared me off it quickly.) However, I knew as soon as I saw a ballet themed collection, I wanted to get at least one piece from it. Laura Mercier isn’t a particularly flashy company, but that lines up with my preferences- I think they were a fantastic company to release this.
The Laura Mercier Ballet à Paris Holiday Collection
Laura Mercier, the titular makeup artist behind the brand, is from Paris, so it is no surprise that she was inspired by the Paris Opera Ballet. The collection is inspired by elegance and glamour of the stage, and all of the collection specific items have ballet inspired names. (Some of the terms are actually rather niche, even in the ballet world, so they definitely did their research!)
Overall, the ballet inspired detailing is beautiful. The ribbon detailing on the packing is shimmery with a faintly ribbed texture, like ribbon may actually have. And if you look closely, you can see tulle imprints on the background of all of the pieces. I do love that the collection features both lighter and darker pink packaging. If I was ever going to be sold on packaging, this was it!
This collection is absolutely aimed at people who enjoy going to the ballet rather than dancers themselves. Many of the shades are incredibly light- that works well for my “barely there” makeup look but would not show up if you were actually on stage. It is quite glittery and shimmery, perfect for an evening at the ballet. However, we are in a pandemic so I’ve been wearing it a few times a week because why not? The one major drawback to these eyeshadows is that they are rather creamy, meaning that they have 6 month shelf-life- I want to get my wears out of them.
(Sidenote: Makeup companies- do not make it impossible for me to find information about your collections. I’m trying to share your products that I’ve purchased, don’t make it harder than it is.)
Laura Mercier Pièce de Résistance Eye & Cheek Essentials Palette ($156 CAD)
This palette is quite the monetary investment, or at least it is for me. I was lucky enough to receive this as a holiday gift, but at $156 CAD, I don’t know that I would have purchased it for myself. However, I really love it. I’ve never actually used highlighter before, but the Tutu highlighter included is just gorgeous. It isn’t so bright that I feel like I’ve actually HIGHLIGHTED my face, but is shimmery enough to notice it. Both of the blushes are quite beautiful too, and aren’t overly pigmented. I was sad that I missed the blush palette from this collection, but with these two, I don’t feel like I have missed too much. (If you are wondering about the bronzer, I couldn’t tell you- bronzer isn’t great on this pale person.)
The fifteen eyeshadows in this palette fall into two groups: darker statement shadows and light highlighting shadows. There are five to six shadows that barely show up on their own, so I’ve been using them to create some dimension. I’m more of a “one eyeshadow and done” makeup girl- it’s nice to be forced to get creative. I regularly use about a third of these colours, so I’m happy with that.
While I do love this palette, I don’t know that I would repurchase it- the cheek part is incredible, but there are several very similar eyeshadows that barely appear. There is also quite a bit of glitter fallout with a few of the shades. (No regrets though- I will absolutely be looking for another LM highlighter when I’m in need of another! And the packaging, oh the packaging.)
Laura Mercier Prima Ballerina Mini Eyeshadow Palette ($42 CAD)
This mini palette is the prima ballerina assoluta of the collection, if you will. Out of the six shades, I regularly use five- I think that takes the cake for the most effective palette I own! This was also a gift, and one of my favourites of all time. (I did quite a bit of research before asking for both palettes- these are different shades from the bigger palette.) It would be a great palette for travelling, and isn’t quite as overwhelming for when you are trying to figure out a look.
While all but one of these shadows are glittery, there isn’t a ton of fallout, and they are fairly pigmented. They are the same creamy formula as the other eyeshadows, so I will also have to keep an eye on these. My hope is that they are okay for longer than 6 months (I store my powders outside of the bathroom and away from moisture), but I did get a second backup of this palette to save for later.
Laura Mercier Rose Pirouette Highlighter ($60 CAD)
This was a later purchase for me, and I’m happy I grabbed this one. As I admitted above, I am new to highlighters, but I was interested in this one after seeing a few reviews of it on Youtube. (Many influencers received this highlighter, and several received the Prime Ballerina Palette, but no one seemed to receive the Pièce de Résistance Palette.) It looked lovely on a wide range of skin tones, and I was willing to take a chance.
It looks rather dark in the pan, but it is much lighter on the skin. This works well as a highlighter for me, but has just enough pigment that with some layering, it can be a lighter eyeshadow. Given that it isn’t a cream shadow, my guess is that it will last well over a year. And although this is an incredibly superficial reason to buy a product, I adore the ribbon detailing on the actual highlighter. I’m not 100% sure that it is worth the claimed $80 CAD, but for a special one-time purchase, I think it’s quite lovely. (And with the two combined highlighters, I won’t need any for a while!)
Sidenote: Although it is clearly stated in many countries that you legally must disclose if you received a product for free, a lot of beauty influencers on Youtube, Instagram, and their own blogs really skirt this. They either will do a haul of a bunch of different brands and say they received some of it to review (which products?!), or they make the disclosure very tiny and difficult to find. I’ll be very honest and say this is one of the reasons I hugely dislike most beauty and style blogs now- if you never paid for anything, your sense of value could very quickly become skewed. And as a reader, I would like to know that going in.
Do you own any items from the Laura Mercier Ballet á Paris Collection?
Cheers,
The Historian
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