Laura Mercier New Nude Masterclass

14 Dec

Laura Mercier New Nude Masterclass

by Debra Brock

Refresh your base and your skills with Laura Mercier at John Lewis Oxford Street

The beauty landscape has shifted massively over the last few years with a growing emphasis on getting the base, or canvas, for the face right. There’s been an explosion of interest in serums, foundations, BB creams and tinted moisturisers – preparation that enhances and perfects skin without sacrificing the look of the real thing.

I’m in my mid forties and the current generation of foundations, concealers and tinted moisturisers couldn’t have come soon enough. And so when I was invited to trial a Laura Mercier ‘New Nude’ Masterclass (running at John Lewis Oxford Street only), focusing on how to achieve the perfect, natural-looking base, I booked in immediately.

I was put in the capable hands of artist Sonya, and we began with a chat about my skin type and the coverage I was after. I am a devoted user of their tinted moisturiser for an everyday face, but as I was going to be out all day I wanted a heavier coverage than usual. We settled on the Silk Creme foundation which can be built up, from semi-sheer to full coverage. Sonya first tested a couple of colours on my jawline, taking them down onto my neck to ensure a good colour match for both areas. Sonya then went through the four prep steps of primer, foundation, concealer and setting powder to get my skin looking really even and glowing. Her explanation of why she’d selected each product, and tips on how to apply them, was excellent, and I came away with lots of advice to try at home. On her advice, we swapped out my regular oil-free primer for the original version, which she felt would suit my combination skin better (it did). She also suggested applying face powder with a fan brush rather than my normal large dome headed one, as it’s easier to avoid piling too much powder on that way. We then had a great play around with subtle colour to go on top, with Sonya resting her hand on a powder puff against my cheek when she applied the eye make up so that the base remained pristine, something that I’ll be trying at home. I spent the rest of the day giving the make-up a thorough work out at the SHB Christmas Lunch and an evening meeting, and by 8pm it still looked great, with just a face powder touch up needed.

This is an ideal opportunity to try Laura Mercier’s extensive range – there are multiple types of primer alone – or to get some advice on how best to apply your base products. The Masterclass is free and can booked directly with John Lewis (Oxford Street, London only) on 0203 073 0644 and runs from 16th – 22nd December.

Products used on my face:

Foundation Primer: Original, £25.20

Silk Creme Foundation: Beige Ivory, £29.70

Secret Concealer: eyes, no 3, £16.65

Secret Camouflage: face, no 3, £23.40

Loose Setting Powder, £26.10

Eye Basics: Wheat, £18.45

Eye Colour: Cashmere and Morning Dew, £16.65

Tightline Cake Eye Liner: Ebony Black, £16.65

Long Lash Mascara: Black, £16.65

Brow Pencil: Soft Brunette, £14.85

Matte Radiance Baked Powder: Bronze 03, £20.70