Les Merveilleuses by Laduree

I have great appreciation for the way the Japanese beauty marketing machine works – somehow, before reviews are even released I get lemmings that are far stronger than those for any of the high-end or drugstore lines I have access to in Canada and I am FAR more likely to make impulse purchases of a new Japanese line than I am, say, a line I’d have access to in person – maybe it’s that sense of mystery  when I get a package – who knows? In any case, when Laduree announced their new cosmetics line Les Merveilleuses by Laduree AND when I saw the opulent packaging, I was sold and immediately wanted everything… and then I saw how much everything was. o_O. So when the lovely JC told me she was planning on going to the (at the time) only counter on her trip to Tokyo of COURSE I was going to give into temptation and buy something…

And then I liked it so much I started haunting Yahoo!JP, as always. Thus far my luck hasn’t been as good but I think it’s because the line is still relatively unknown – but I finally braced myself and wore my products so I could give everyone an overview of general quality of the line!

First off, the packaging is GORGEOUS but surprisingly light-weight for the price point. I generally expect high-end/luxury line cosmetics to have some ‘heft’/weight to them and the casing for all of the Laduree products (at least the ones I own) is 100% plastic. The blush and eyeshadow cases are purchased separately from the ‘refills’ (I have serious doubts about whether you’d ever actually finish a blush to refill it, but anyway) and come with applicators. I adore the box design. The blush refill did come in a flimsy plastic case so I wouldn’t keep it in there long-term but it would certainly be OK for short term use!

The eyeshadow case is surprisingly tiny. I don’t like the sponge applicator and wish they’d done without it but… eh. My eyeshadow palette came pre-assembled as I bought it for far less than retail on Yahoo!JP

Eyeshadow wise, the quality is decent. The shimmer shades played a little bit nicer than the matte/satin ones, but the overall texture was soft with minimal fallout. Similar to most Japanese eyeshadows, these had medium pigmentation but performed well with my usual base of UDPP+Infallible/ETK. I do wish the pans were separated though – the eyeshadow palettes are quite small and can require quite a tiny brush head in order to pick up individual colours (you can’t just swipe blindly else you end up with more than one colour on your brush at the same time). While the colour combination that I picked (#4) was neutral, there are definitely brighter combinations available (there’s a coral palette I’d love if the price was lower) but as it is, for the retail price on the official website (approximately 6275Y for the case, palette, and applicator) I’d give it a pass – if you get the opportunity to purchase it for cheaper (I paid 3000Y for mine) than it might be worth a splurge!

The pressed blush, on the other hand, I am in love with. Even though the compact also lacks the ‘heft’ I associate with high end products, the brush is lovely and soft and the compact has a little raised cameo that matches the embossing on the blushes. And the range is MASSIVE. Although the blush petals were definitely the ‘hyped up’ item leading up to the brand’s debut, I feel like their pressed blush is where the strength lies, as the range is comprehensive and the blushes are soft and pigmented. I picked the brightest pink coral in existence at the time (#13) and am eyeing the neon pink that is out this summer! I was so successful in lemming one of these cameos that the other Tine bought the same blush with my prodding. 😀

Face of the Day
Base: Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Creme/Gel Makeup in 040 Honey Beige
Cheeks: Les Merveilleuses by Laduree Pressed Compact Blush in #13
Eyes: UDPP, L’Oreal Colour Infallible Iced Latte, Les Merveilleuses by Laduree #4 Eyeshadow Palette, K-Palette Eyeliner, UD 24/7 Zero, YSL Faux Cils
Lips: YSL Rouge Volupte #29

Have you bought anything from this line? (If you’ve tried the blush petals, for example, I would LOVE to hear about them – I can’t find a lot of English reviews!)