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Saturday, July 19, 2014

Les Merveilleuses Laduree
Face Color Rose Laduree 02


If I could own every single product ever released from one Japanese brand, it would have to be from the brand Laduree. It goes without saying that they know packaging -- very well at that! Along with fancy packaging, sometimes, comes compromised quality, but I must say that Laduree shines in the quality department too.


I had been lusting over the famous rose petal blushers for as long as I can remember, but being from the states, the full set (blush and pot) runs anywhere from $136 to $170 -- depending on whether or not there's a sale going on. Still, it's a price that I can't stomach, so I couldn't be more grateful to have received this as an early birthday gift all the way from France!


Laduree had released many limited edition colors of these blushers, but I stuck to one of the three colors from the permanent range: 02 (brighter warm pink.) 01 is a lighter baby pink, which I know will barely show up on my NC25-NC30 skin tone, whereas 03 is a warm brown -- I couldn't think of anything less attractive than brown rose petals sitting on my vanity.


The blush is a DIY in of itself. The rose petals/blush itself comes in a refill form in a plastic case and wrapped in a silk drawstring bag. The plastic pot with the Marie Antoinette-ish locket must be purchased separately. Laduree advised to only transfer half of the petals into the pot, but let's face it, ain't nobody got time for that. Besides, I like seeing my pot filled to the brim with petals than seeing it half empty.


What exactly are these petals? In short, they are blush-coated sheets of paper, which had been cut in the shape of flower petals. Now why didn't I think of that? Some petals have pale yellow to yellow centers which give the blusher the glowy and slightly highlighted effect. It is next to impossible to solely pick up said center shade to use strictly as a highlighter though; I've tried on many occasions only to give up in frustration each time.


Delicate? Indeed! However, I was surprised to see that it is very easy to pick up product with a natural-haired brush with just a few swipes across the petals. Laduree specifically designed a goat-haired, plastic handled cheek brush to use with this product, but I wasn't in the market for another $100+ brush.


Instead, I found that my Kose Addiction Natural Veil brush works just as well in grabbing the right amount of pigment, as you can see from the product on the bristles. Again, any natural hair, pointed, densely packed bristles of a brush in your collection will do, since the pigment isn't pressed too tightly onto the petals.


On my cheeks, it gives a healthy subtle warm pink glow. I can continue to build the color intensity to give a more flushed look if I really wanted to, but I prefer my blush to be on the more subtle side. 02 is a shade I can see light to medium (and possibly tan) folks wearing as a blush. Any darker, and the color may not show up too much.


I have worn the blusher for more than twelve hours before, and the color held up quite nicely in the humidity without any signs of oxidation nor fading! That alone has me looking into the other rose petals that Laduree offers. Ehm... the mini versions of the blushers, that is. The petals also have the distinct Laduree scent, which I can only describe as a "mature woman" scent: think powder meets floral (rose.) If you are sensitive to heavily fragranced products, do note that the scent lingers longer than usual on the cheeks. In fact, I can still detect it after I had removed the swatch from my hand!


The question that many are probably wondering is whether or not the product itself warrants the exorbitant price tag. It all depends really. If you want a blush that performs just as beautifully as it looks sitting on the vanity, then yes, you do need one of these blushers in your life. If you are one who could care less about the aesthetics, then no, this is not a must-have, as you will find other blushers that are just as good of a quality. In fact, this shade is easily dupable, in my humble opinion.


The prices of these blushers are over-inflated here in the states, and often times, the sites that do carry them (such as Imomoko) usually have limited stock. Thus, I highly suggest checking out Ichibankao, Mihokoshop, and BeautiesHK instead if you want to snatch one of these beauties without having to pay the marked up prices.

12 comments:

  1. I really want to try laduree beauty products but it's so hard to get your hand on them p.s. I'm loving your blog I just discovered it and following it ❤️

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    1. Mona! I didn't realize you had a beauty blog too! <3 I agree, I wish Laduree was easier to get a hold of here in the states! God knows we, IGers, will be snatching them up in an instant :D

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    2. Yes I do but I'm not as active and good as you haha

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  2. So beautiful. I can picture this sitting on my vanity now. I'm glad it holds up well as an actual blush too!

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    1. Thank you, Jenn!! <3 Hopefully these will be more readily available! I mean, if Sephora France carries them, we should too here in the states :)

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  3. I saw this product on s Korean fashion show called A style for you but they didn't name the product. Thanks!

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  4. Thank you for the review! Been curious as to how they perform and they are indeed expensive. Also saw your Elegance reviews and appreciate those as well. Gotta get my grubby hands on an elegance palette. The Christmas coffret for this year looks pretty cool toned though and I'm warmed toned ;__:

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    1. The pleasure is all mine! Thank you for reading and for the kind words :)

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  5. Do you know if its possible to buy the petals separately? I am huge into D.I.Y and think I could make a super cute container for the petals that would look as good as this one.. So I thought maybe I could get the petals alone and just put them into my own container you know... and cut down on the cost a bit...

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  6. Where do we buy the gentle pink flower leaves blush? What is the cost? Can we buy in America and also the container? Thank you.

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  7. Oh I see you can get these at amazon in the case for $140 too high for me.

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