This week I am pleased to feature some great new Laura Mercier reviews from our Panelist Kristen. Enjoy!

Kristen is a 26 year-old government employee and mother of one from a Texas town just east of Houston. Kristen frequently makes trips to Houston for cosmetics and skincare and the people at the Laura Mercier counter and the Sephora store know her by name. In fact, she named every color on one of the makeup artist's face and she offered Kristen a job working for Laura Mercier! She has combination skin that is exacerbated in the summer (due to the extreme humidity in Texas) and normal to dry in the winter. She is acne prone with redness around the nose and chin and a handful of red acne scars, which she is always looking for something to even those out. Until then she has settled into finding the perfect foundation/concealer/powder system to cover it. Kristen has large, almond-shaped blue/green eyes that she considers to be her best feature. She is a natural brunette but highlights so it's blonde and "Julia Robert's curly" that she straightens. Kristen's real joy is not finding the perfect product for herself, but applying makeup on someone else and watch them stare in the mirror for 30 minutes in awe. Have a question for Kristen? Email her here.

Take it away, Kristen!

Laura Mercier
FRENCH RIVIERA COLLECTION
It's no big secret that I am a huge fan of Laura Mercier. Those of you who write me with questions know that I recommend her products. She came out with the "French Riviera Collection" and the "Under the Sun Collection" within weeks of each other, so let's just say that I had a whole lot of fun at the counter and am pleased to say that Laura Mercier just doesn't disappoint me...ever.

With the "French Riviera Collection", Laura Mercier came out with five Lip Kisses, two long wear eye pencils, a new cheek color, and four new eye color shades. In a word, this collection is very chic. Okay, that's two words. Read on...

Lip Kisses SPF 15 ($19)
The Lip Kisses are new to her already awesome line of cosmetics. They are not in traditional lipstick packaging, but in a skinny tube. There are five colors: Geranium (a really pink shade), Pink Seashell (a more muted dusty pink), Apricot Sorbet (a pretty pinky/peachy shade), Berry Slush (as the name implies, it's a berry shade), and Rose Quartz (a very sheer red). These are really nice alternatives to regular lipstick if you like something more light and sheer. The colors are not as they appear in the tube. They are much lighter in texture and in color. I ended up buying Pink Seashell, Apricot Sorbet, and Rose Quartz. I don't like a whole lot of color on my lips and these were perfect. Oh, did I mention that they have SPF 15 in them?

Long Wear Eye Pencil ($16)
Laura introduced two new eye pencils. As many of you who write me already know, I do not use a pencil to line my eyes. I use her cake Eye Liner. However, these pencils were pretty nice. They come in two colors, Golden Sunray and Black Granite, and they have a built-in sharpener. I didn't care for the Golden Sunray color as I don't care for that color on my eyes, but I did like the Black Granite. The texture was smooth and it lined my eyes with ease. As for it being long wearing, it seemed to last longer than a regular pencil, but not long enough for me and my combination skin and the humidity. If I hadn't already discovered the joys of using her cake Eye Liner, I'd probably buy this pencil and use it on a regular basis. Bottom line: if you like pencils, you'll like this.

Sunkissed Cheek Colour ($20)
This color is your basic bronze shade. This goes on pretty much like her two toned bronzer, so you might want to skip this purchase because you can achieve the same effect. I don't know about you, but I have a ton of bronzing products for my face since I do not tan it, so there was no need for me to purchase this. However, if you don't have an arsenal of bronzing products, you might want to pick this up. I loved the shade and would have bought it had I not already own similar products. It is very easy to apply and it doesn't look streaky like some bronze shades do. It provides the right among of glow to your face.

Eyecolour ($18)
Laura introduces four new spring shades: Summer Sand (a pale yellow), Sunset (a pale bronze), Pink Stucco (a bronze/pink), and Mermaid (a soft aqua blue). They are very blendable like all of her other eye colors, so application is pretty goof-proof. I actually loved all the colors, but can't really see myself wearing Summer Sand very often. Mermaid was a very pretty color, but it is also a color I couldn't see wearing a lot either. The other two were everyday colors, so I bought them.

Laura Mercier has definitely welcomed Spring with her new collection. I must admit to being a little afraid of the bright colors, but they went on very sheer. I don't care for "colors" on my face, so I was very impressed with the collection.

UNDER THE SUN COLLECTION
Laura welcomed Spring with a beautiful array of colors, but she sure welcomed summer with her new Under the Sun Collection. Launched just weeks after her Spring line, French Riviera, Laura gives us an easy way to look tan and bronzed without the aging effects of the sun and the products are very user-friendly. I am very pleased to report that Laura Mercier has yet another spectacular line of cosmetics.

Bronzing Gel ($30)
First, I'd like to let you readers in on my relationship and history with any type of cream or liquid product that is designed for your face. I've never really cared for cream/liquid blushes or eyeshadows. I just prefer the ease of powders. I've tried many liquid bronzers that just looked streaky and never quite blended right. I gave up...until now. This new gel is amazing! It looked rather scary when I squeezed a bit out of the tube. It looked really thick, dark and not easy to use. It blended really well on my hand, so I decided to purchase it and give it a shot. The makeup artist told me that Laura designed it to put on after you've applied your makeup, but said she likes to mix it with her foundation or just mix it with a bit of moisturizer (if you need moisture), and spread it on your face. First, I applied it to my cheekbones and the parts of my forehead where the sun would naturally hit my face. It blended right in without obvious lines. I was impressed since I had all of my makeup on. The next time I tried it, I mixed it with my foundation. It blended beautifully and made my face glow. I looked bronzed and I glowed. This is truly an amazing product. And it didn't make my face break out!

Pressed Powder Bronzers in Matte Bronze and Shimmer ($32 each)
Since I don't tan my face, I love bronzers. It gives me the tan look sans damage. I already use Laura Mercier's two-toned powder bronzer and I love it. The Matte Bronze is just that--it's matte. It doesn't have a bit of shimmer in it--and I do like a bit in my bronzer. It's truly a brown powder. I liked it, but not enough to replace the two-toned one I use. Like I said, I like some shimmer in my bronzer and this doesn't have any. Those of you with fair skin will probably not care for this powder because it's kind of dark. The other pressed powder, Shimmer, is much lighter and really doesn't put color on your face, rather it's like luminosity in a box. It's not glittery or overtly shimmery, but more glowing and luminous. I used it with a large brush and first applied it to my cheekbones. It gave my face a little pick-me-up. Then, I dusted it lightly over my entire face and it made it very soft looking. I liked it enough to purchase it. It's great to use now, but it'll be just as great come wintertime when we all need help with a dull complexion.

Bronzer Brush ($45)
I use Laura Mercier's brushes because they are so nice and easy to use and this brush is no exception. I already have a large brush from Estee Lauder, so I wasn't really looking to purchase another brush similar to this. But I did because it is very soft and makes application easy. Besides, my Estee Lauder brush bristles constantly come off when I use it, so I was glad to be rid of it. This new brush from Laura Mercier is very soft, which I like. And if it is anything like the rest of her brushes as far as longevity is concerned, I'll definitely get my money's worth.

Lip Kisses ($19)
These are just like her other Lip Kisses, but with more coverage than the others and no SPF. I really didn't care for the selection of Seashell, Pink Sand, and Bronze Goddess. The all looked too brown and bronzey. I didn't care for the extra coverage and I didn't think they were as soft as the other Lip Kisses in the French Riviera Collection. To me, they just didn't look good. I don't care for bronzey colors on my lips, either. If you want to check out any of the Lip Kisses Collection, try the ones from her Spring Collection.

Thanks, Kristen. I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!