Make-up of the day - Laura Mercier Colour-To-Go Portable Palette for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips

Almost all the brands, from time to time, release those limited-edition, all-in-one palettes that contain mostly colourful eyeshadows, dodgy lip glosses (with no colour pay-off) and bad-quality brushes. Having said that, there are a few exceptions that confirm the rule and Laura Mercier Colour-To-Go Portable Palette for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips in Natural Nude (what a mouthful!) is one of them. I absolutely love it and use it almost every day. That's why I thought that, instead of reviewing the whole palette, I would I show you how it works as a part of my daily make-up routine.

As  a base I used my regular foundation, namely Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in colour Warm Sand. I use it every day and I love its light-weight formula and durability.

It is light to medium coverage that is buildable without looking cakey or highlighting dry patches. To set it I went for Sephora 8HR Matifying Pressed Powder. This is an OK product that gives a nice, natural, semi-matte finish but is not very long-lasting. The lack of mirror means I don't like carrying it in my handbag.

To cover my dark circles I chose Origins Plantscription Concealer in Light/Medium which I feel confident to call the best under-eye concealer I have ever tried. It ensures good coverage without being too heavy or creamy. It is moisturizng but lasts for the whole day. Finally, it has an easy-to-use applicator which distributes just the right amount of product. As for my blemishes, I made them invisible with my M.A.C Studio Finish Concealer in NW20 which is a thick, full-coverage concealer but of creamy consistency. I've already hit pan on it and I absolutely love it.

To contour my face an add a bit of colour to my cheeks I went for two fool-proof products. First I used Bikor Egyptische Erde (The Earth of Egypt), a cult bronzing powder that has loads of nourishing ingredients. I really like this bronzer - you can build it up, use as a contour powder or all-over your face to make it look tanned. I used it on my wedding and it really does not budge, despite all the tears, cuddling and sweat. Although I've had it for quite a while you can barely see any use - this is how economical it is.
For my cheeks I used Benefit Blush in Rockateur which I talked about in my November favourites. This colour is great for autumn/winter as it goes well with dark smokey eye make-up or dark burgundy/purple lip. Once on the cheek it looks very natural.

I primed my eyes with Dax Cosmetics Eyeshadow Base which I got as a present from Poland. It has creamy formula that dries once applied. I really liked it at the beginning but over time, the consistency has changed slightly. It is now thicker and does not apply evenly which affects its longevity. I am very tempted to get rid of it but, as for now, I am trying to use it up.

And now for the main hero of this post, Laura Mercier Colour-To-Go Palette, is a perfection when it comes to make-up sets. It has three nude/brown eyeshadows in Buttercream  (light beige colour, with matte finish), Rosewood (warm brown with pink sheen), Cocoa Brown – (deep brown with satin finish) as well as Tightline Cake Eye Liner in Chocolate Brown. I also used this colour to shape my eyebrows.

Additionally, instead of useless miniature brushes, we find a mini Lip Glacé in Sweetheart, which is a lovely, vanilla-scented lip gloss that has beautiful rosy colour.

Left: Eye Colours in Buttercream (Matte), Rosewood (Luster), Cocoa Brown (Sateen) and Tightline Cake Eye Liner in Chocolate Brown

The bottom draw reveals a bronzer/blush duo in Matte Bronze/Sweet Mandarin. Again, such a perfect addition and great combination of colours. Both the bronzer and the blush are very wearable and the pigmentation is amazing. I didn't use them for this particular make-up look but they are great quality.

Bronzing Pressed Powder in Matte Bronze and Second Skin Cheek Colour in Sweet Mandarin

Now for the eye-make up. I used Buttercream  all over the lid, Rosewood in my crease and Cocoa Brown in the outer corner to add some depth.  I lined my upper lash line with Cake Eye Liner in Chocolate Brown.

To finish the look I put two coats of Benefit They're Real Mascara. It's a decent mascara, I like the effect it gives but there are definitely cheaper and better ones on the market.

A close-up of the wand:

On my lips I used NARS Lipstick in Dolce Vita and Laura Mercier Lip Glacé in Sweetheart. A great combo to make my lips look natural but a tone darker than normally.

And the finished look:

If you like the palette, I definitely recommend hitting Laura Mercier's stand as soon as possible as this is a limited edition for Christmas.