Every holiday season I look forward to the new offerings from my favorite beauty brands. I can always find a new palette (or two) to add to my beauty collection. This year is no different – Laura Mercier’s holiday kits have made it onto my wish list. Here are the latest contenders for center stage on my vanity:

Laura Mercier Baked Eye Colour Palette features five perfectly paired baked eye colors in one convenient palette. Also includes a double ended mini brush to contour and define eyes.

Shades in the palette include: champagne, sepia, mink, malt and sterling

Included Brushes: Crème Eye Detail Brush and Eye Colour Brush, $48

Laura Mercier Petite Eye Palettes are pocket sized eye shadow palettes available for warm and cool tones.

Warm palette includes eyeshadow shades: Sandstone, Stellar, Bamboo and Truffle.

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Cool palette includes eyeshadow shades: Morning Dew, Rose, African Violet and Twilight Grey, $28 each

Laura Mercier Deluxe Mini Brush Set is a kit of mini versions of Laura Mercier’s professional brushes perfect for when you’re on the go.

Included Double-Ended Brushes:

Crème Cheek Colour/Cheek Colour

Secret Camouflage/Camouflage Powder

Ponytail/Eye Colour

Brow Groomer/Lip

Flat Eye Liner/Smudge

$85 (value of $274)

These fabulous gifts are available October 2009 at Neiman Marcus and lauramercier.com.

- Catia Carvalho Trooskin

It was a great pleasure to speak to Pamela Rolland on her inspiration for her fall 2009 collection. “The inspiration for my fall collection was the Russian Faberge egg,” she says. “We were supposed to go to Russia, and we’re going in March, but I love the Faberge. There’s a lot of gold and berry shades. It’s very regal.”

Makeup artist Tayaba Jafri for Laura Mercier designed a lovely, gold-shaded eye to complement the regal clothes. The eyes were lined tight with Mercier’s Caviar Eyeliner. “There’s nothing like caviar eyeliner,” she says. “It smokes out the whole eye.” Jafri also is a big fan of Mercier’s Mosaics and Shimmer Palettes.” Jafri created a lot of texture for the eye, not unlike a tapestry. she also used mineral foundation powder all over the face.

Eyeshadow in Gold Digger was applied to the eyelid and lower lashline. Thick mascara was applied on the top and bottom lashes.

As for the cheeks, Jafri used Peach Mosaic and Orange Blossom blush to achieve an almost nude, faint-blush effect.

The lips were made to look as natural as possible using Wildberry Plumper.

The hair, done by Paul Labrecque, was all about texture (surprise, surprise!). “I was actually inspired by urban chic,” he says. “It has soft waves, and is hair that can swing and have movement. This is a contrast to the clothes.” He used products from his own line including Paul Labrecque Volume Style for pure movement, and Volume Finish All Day Dry Holding Mist.