Laura Mercier Canyon Collection Fall 2011 Eye Shadows: Canyon Clay, Chocolate, Pine Bronze

A couple of weeks ago at the Henri Bendel Laura Mercier counter in NYC a talented makeup artist helped me choose and create an eye makeup look with the newly released eye shadows from the fall 2011 Laura Mercier Canyon Collection. There are six new eye shadows in this beautiful range (as well as a beautiful blush/bronzer that didn't work for me at all and some lip colors - I'll show you one of the glosses tomorrow).

 Some of the Canyon eye shadows look quite shimmery in the pan, but we're talking Laura Mercier here, so you know she's not taking you into disco queen territory. These are elegant warm-to-neutral colors that layer spectacularly and give depth and definition. All the shadows I tried from the collection are silky, soft and very blendable. I love the texture and subtle finish, but no surprises there, right?

Canyon Clay is the color you see in just about every photo of Arizona's beautiful deserts. It's also the color my skin gets when I accidentally tan, so having it in an eye shadow is a welcome addition.
Chocolate is a rich deep brown with a complex reddish purple base. It's a beautiful and versatile color (like the other ones in the collection) that works as a liner and as a smoky eye alternative.
Pine Bronze is a dusty khaki/olive green with moderate intensity- nothing that screams "GREEN!". It's flattering both for my complexion and eyes; I can see it working for a wider range of skin tones than many a green. It works for lining, contouring and defining the crease.

I've been playing with various applications and looks based on the technique the Laura Mercier specialist used on my eyes. Canyon Clay is an excellent base color to use from the lid to about half way above the crease (I have lots of skin real estate). Layering the other colors in a way similar to LMdB's Couches de Couleurs is a good way to go, with Pine Bronze over Canyon Clay and Chocolate as a subtly smoked out liner. A very soft but densely packed brush can do most of the work here. I've been using a favorite flat but thick one: Hakuhodo S121 G is amazing at packing on and  blending the colors together (it's like a cross between Shu Uemura 10 Natural and 13G).

Bottom Line: a beautiful take on fall colors.

Laura Mercier Canyon Collection Fall 2011 Eye Shadows ($22 each) are available at the counters and from lauramercier.com.

All makeup photos are mine, Arizona desert from visitusa.com