The New Beauty Secrets: Your Ultimate Guide to a Flawless Face
A Beauty Junkie at Heart: Laura Mercier's Personal "Must Have" Cosmetic ItemsI am one of the biggest beauty junkies I know. I have hundreds of products in my makeup case—anything I could possibly need for a shoot, including bags of false eyelashes and glitter. I’ll pick up things that seem interesting or unusual, products that have been recommended by someone, or an item that features new technology. Japan is a fabulous place to find the latest products. They even have colors you can’t find in the U.S. I used to be neurotic about having the latest things and the best products. Since I have my own line and I’ve been able to work with my labs on getting the best textures, the finest powders, etc., I’m much less neurotic. If I can’t find the exact thing I want, I can create it.When it comes to products I personally use at home--not just photo shoot stuff--I’m equally obsessed. I love visiting new boutiques when I travel, whether it’s Paris or London, and discovering items I never had heard of before. I also read a lot of European magazines and check out the items recommended by the beauty editors, since they see every product that hits the market.I’ve browsed through my bathroom and my linen closet to put together a list of my current favorites, which includes products in myLaura Mercierline and other brands. I think you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.--Laura MercierSpa Cinq Mondes Huile Somptueuse. This body oil is from small company that does organic products. It’s especially good for your skin after a sauna or a steam.Carita Fluide de Beauté 14. I use this oil for everything—body, face and hair. You can do whatever you want with it. After-sun, bath, spa, anything. It smells like verbena and is just incredible.Decleorface oils. These come in small glass bottles. My favorite one is neroli because I love the scent of it. You can apply the oil when you go to a sauna or steam room. It stops the face from being too dehydrated from the heat and all the warmth opens your pores and helps it penetrate better. I also massage it on the face before I do a scrub. Don’t use this before you put on makeup because it’s not a good base for cosmetics.Laura Mercier Mega Moisturizer. This is richer than my regular moisturizer, but it’s not heavy thanks to the emu oil in the formula. It’s extremely calming and very compatible with makeup. I wear it in the winter when my skin is dry. During the rest of the year when my skin is normal, I do the regular moisturizer.Laura Mercier Perfecting Water and Purifying Oil. These are new favorites of mine. I remove my makeup with the cleansing oil, following with a foaming cleanser and then apply the hydrating water with a cotton pad. In the middle of the summer, when we had the heat wave, I only used the hydrating water at night, no moisturizer, so I wouldn’t feel any greasiness on my face.Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. I use this on my lips in the winter when I need a heavy duty blanket of moisture at night. I’ve also used when my lips have burned in the sun.Christophe Robin Lemon Cream Cleanser. Christophe is a great French hair colorist. He gave this shampoo to me and I love it because it smells so fantastic.Nylon scrub gloves. I love scrubbing with these from my shoulders to my feet because it gives you a friction that helps your blood really circulate. It’s very active and deeper than a scrub product. Usually I use these in the shower in the morning. These gloves are great if you’re prone to ingrown hairs.Laura Mercier Face Polish. I’m absolutely hooked on mygommage. It’s a violet-scented exfoliant and I use it every other day in the shower. It’s amazing for my pores.Laura Mercier Lip Colour Sheer in Just Lips and Sexy Lips. I made these two for myself because I’ve always been in love with that perfect, sheer lip.Laura Mercier Thickening & Building Black Mascara. This holds my lashes in place, thickening them without clumping. It doesn’t make them heavy or weigh them down.Laura Mercier Bleu Marine Eyeliner. This cake liner is navy blue, almost black, and it makes the whites of the eyes really clean because of the color. If you apply between your lashes and close to your lash line, it thickens the appearance of your lash line.Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage. This would be my desert island product. Even though I have fairly good skin these days, the camouflage brightens the shadows on my face and makes me look less sad. It immediately makes me look a little younger.