NARS Orgasm Illuminator

While the rest of the beauty world has been fawning over the newly released Illuminator colors, I kept my distance, suspiciously eying the two GWP tubes of Orgasm Illuminator (the first one) in my possession. I've had them for some time, put them in my "to test" drawer where I've been giving them the stinkeye every time I reached for something else. I dislike the famous Orgasm blush. It makes me look like a glittered up mango and I'm so over the NARS Beavis & Butthead names. But the tubes were there, mocking me and threatening I'd have to surrender my beauty blogger badge if I wouldn't start using them soon.

So I did. And what do you know? NARS Orgasm Illuminator is quite nice, a lot more versatile and far less orange than anything else in the Orgasm series. The color is an almost natural pink peach with delicate but obvious shimmer. It can be mixed with liquid foundation (or a tinted moisturizer) at your desired ratio, or worn over it. The texture is very nice, non-oily and blends beautifully onto the face and whatever other products you're using. The result, at least on my medium untanned olive skin is a lot more natural than I ever expected. Who would have thought?

Bottom Line: I think I'm going to buy a full size of both Orgasm and Copacabana.

NARS Illuminator ($29) can be found at major department stores, Sephora and narscosmetics.com.

All photos are mine.

Laura Mercier Bonne Mine Face Palette

Laura Mercier Bonne Mine - Healthy Glow For Face & Cheeks Crème Colour Palette is a limited edition Sephora exclusive item that was released for Fall 2010 and is still available. Focusing on glow and cheek color, Bonne Mine is not a typical fall item, but a healthy skin is timeless, after all, and who doesn't want to radiate?

The Bonne Mine palette is all about creams textures, so be prepared to deep your fingers in the pans. I always prefer to work with brushes, but Laura Mercier insists that this product is best applied without them. Once I got over myself and my germaphobia I had to agree with her. These creams respond best at skin temperature and are very easy to manipulate, apply and blend with my middle and ring fingers.

Here's what Laura Mercier has packed here:
1 and 2 (Glow Veil) are  basically highlighters, though 1 is quite pigmented and is more like an extra bronzer. I've played with it and used it as a cream eye shadow and on top of the regular bronzer.They have a shimmery almost metallic finish without any actual glitter sparkles.

3 and 4 (Cheek Veil) are cream blushes, with 3 being peachy and 4 a brick red. They can be worn separately, of course, but I find that mixing them together in various proportions works better for me and allows me to customize my blush for different looks. the colors are matte with medium+ pigment intensity that can be built up or sheered. Both are very pretty and are probably my favorite part of this palette.

5 (Bronze Veil) is a non-shimmery bronzer. It looks muddy in the swatch but lightly applied on the cheeks it's actually sheer and perfect for my coloring (NC 30-35ish) in the sense that it really gives me a tanned look. I've been avoiding the sun religiously in recent years, but I actually like the "just back from the Caribbeans" look, and I was happy to see how natural this bronzer looks. I haven't tried it as such, but the bronze veil might also be suitable for contouring on some skin tones.

Last but very important, the palette also holds three cards with step-by-step directions and illustrations on how to use the colors. It really is a fool-proof method and I've found the cards very helpful in getting me started.

My one complaint about the Bonne Mine palette is the staying power. You absolutely must anchor it in place with base and setting products, otherwise you'll find yourself with an almost naked face halfway through the day (and my skin is dry, so it's not an issue of oiliness).  It's a breeze to reapply, but if the whole point here is the "no makeup" look than I'd expect something more stable and weather-proof.

Who would enjoy this palette and who should avoid it? It's great for fans of cream products, especially those who are not too fair and enjoy at least a hint of a tan. Avoid if you're too oily, absolutely hate to use your fingers and can't do brown bronzers.

Laura Mercier Bonne Mine Healthy Glow For Face & Cheeks Crème Colour Palette ($48) is exclusive to Sephora and available online and in stores.

All photos are mine.