Merry Christmas to me! I accompanied Sarie on a quick Christmas shopping trip to the malls (i.e. the Ayala cluster) and decided to do a bit of my own shopping. I am nearly finished with my list, but I picked up a few things myself. One of the items I picked out was Laura Mercier’s Artist’s Palette for Eyes, which I had seen on Glitter Geek and Getting Cheeky.

When I got there, the SA said that this was the last palette they had, so obviously I had to go get it. The Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette for Eyes is a 12-shadow palette with six matte, two satin, and four luster eye colors. They are shades especially selected by Laura Mercier, if I remember correctly. Some shades are available for individual purchase.

The palette comes in a pretty faux snakeskin padded “wallet” of sorts, with a rather large mirror, and a magnetic enclosure. It’s quite thick, but it’s shorter than my Nude ‘Tude palette, which I have a bit of trouble bringing around because it doesn’t fit inside my makeup bag. I rather like the thickness and the padding, though because it will minimize the damage if I drop it, which I feel like will happen at some point or another.

Pans on the left side of the palette. Chocolate is a deep chocolate brown with gold shimmers. African Violet is a complex pink-purple with gold shimmers. Sable is a light grey with silver microshimmer. It is one of the two satin shades. The bottom row has the matte shades. Vanilla Nuts is a very opaque cream. Plum Smoke is a beautiful subdued lavender grey. Café Au Lait is a milky caramel that actually looks like a cup of café au lait!

Pans on the right side of the palette. Guava is a super light pink with a smattering of light shimmer. I think it’s a bit similar to champagne, and it’s the other satin shade. Cameo is a fleshy orange-pink with gold shimmer. Sunlit is a pretty subdued beige gold. Coffee Ground is a medium brown grey. Deep Night is a dark navy blue. Rich Coffee is a deep brown black.

Here are light swatches on bare skin.

L-R: Chocolate, African Violet, Sable, Guava, Cameo, Sunlit

L-R: Vanilla Nuts, Plum Smoke, Café au Lait, Coffee Ground, Deep Night, Rich Coffee

I tried out some eye looks! These are over the NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base.

On my actual right eye (left on your screen), I used Guava as a lid base, applied Plum Smoke to the crease, and Deep Night on the outer ‘v’.

On my actual left eye (right on your screen), I used Cameo as the base, applied Coffee Ground on the crease, and Rich Coffee on the outer ‘v’.

Texture was amazing across the board, and I like the inclusion of mattes! I know that a lot of people swear by the UD Naked palettes, but I don’t like my eyeshadow too shimmery. I think this is the perfect solution, because this seems to have colors in more wearable finishes.

A lot of people have also compared this to the LORAC Pro Palette (which is on my Christmas Wishlist). MsAdonelly made a video comparing the two.

Now, the tricky part is availability. Most reviews have said that this is a limited edition Sephora exclusive, and my SA said that this was “the last one” in all the Laura Mercier counters in the Philippines. So, I don’t know. You can probably try your luck at a counter near you, because I haven’t checked any other ones aside from the one in Rustan’s Makati. It’s on eBay for at least $67.50 going as high as $84.99. CRAZY.

Here’s to hoping they restock this palette! Although, if you have a shade you particularly want to try or own, some are permanent shades, anyway. This is just a good introduction to Laura Mercier eyeshadows, if I do say so myself. 🙂

VERDICT: The Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette for Eyes is a strong collection of eyeshadows with a pretty selection of colors and three finishes: Matte, Luster and Satin. Size is perfect for travel.
Will I repurchase? Heck yes! If they restock. They do have a Custom Eye Palette that you can fill up with shadows, so I can pick a few favorites and burn a hole in my pocket.
How much? Php 2,650 or $48 for 12 x 0.03oz. or 1g of shadows.
Where to buy in Manila? Laura Mercier counters in Rustan’s department stores. They have branches in Glorietta, Shangri-La, Gateway, and Alabang.

Hello from a really pretty vanity! Sadly, it is not mine, but my mother’s.