concealed weapon

My husband and I have an expression called, Ice in the Door. It refers to the concept of spending more on something truly useful, rather than penny pinching and regretting a cheap purchase that doesn’t live up to your expectations.

Here’s the genesis: Our first house came with no refrigerator. So we found ourselves in the appliance department of Sears, debating whether we should buy the model with the built-in icemaker, or go for the no-frills version that…you know, just chilled the food. If memory serves, the price differential was about $300; hardly chump change in our newlywed budget.  We concluded that $300 was a lot of money to spend on frozen water, so we bought the cheapie fridge and loaded up on plastic ice-cube trays.

Or, to be more specific, ice cube trays that require diagonal twisting and cracking to remove the contents; and occasional banging on the kitchen counter when the twisting and cracking method doesn’t work. And to be even more specific, ice cube trays that also require occasional replacement when the banging breaks them.

For the five years we lived in that house, we regretted not springing for a fridge with ice-in-the-door.

I tell you this story to explain why I finally—after years of bad purchases and wasted dollars—just invoked Ice-in-the-Door to justify buying Laura Mercier’s $34 concealer. Any woman can tell you–especially, Eva Longoria–that finding the right concealer is critical.

I’ve test-driven way too many of them over the past couple of years. They were not Ice in the Door, but rather, Money Down the Drain….

Total money spent wasted: $78.

For years, though, every time I interviewed an editorial makeup artist, they would rave to me about Laura Mercier’s unparalleled products. And rightly so. Mercier, a French makeup artist herself, developed a reputation for creating flawless, picture-perfect skin on her clients by wielding a special brush and a compact that contained two or more shades of concealer. I always acknowledged the excellence of the products; but, quite frankly, didn’t want to be bothered with all that mixing, dotting, and blending each morning.

As I say, Ice in the Door. I finally relented a couple of weeks ago and am in full-blown love with Mercier’s Under Cover Pot–a unique travel combo of two different concealers, plus a loose setting powder; all of which sounds like a covert operation and actually accomplishes its mission. Namely, to hide any evidence of fatigue.

The cream on the right side is opaque and almost sticky (as in, it sticks to your skin and covers your circles rather than blending into oblivion); the left side is so dense that you must apply it with a concealer brush because a finger just won’t pick up the product. It’s designed to be laid onto a spot or blotch, which instantly disappears under the cloak of coverage. Twist off the cap  and you delve into loose powder, which gets fluffed over your face and effectively keeps both concealers in place forever. (Or at least until you wash your face before bed.)

Ice in the Door…Concealer Under the Eye.  I should have known better.

But now I do, and so do YOU! Have you played hide-and-seek with Mercier’s products? Do you adore them as much as I do?