Beauty a la Mode Duo by Laura Geller

 Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Beauty a la Mode contains a dessert inspired duo for cheeks and eyes, the Blush -n- Brighten in Dreamsicle and the Baked Eye Pie shadow trio in Apple Peach Pie. 

Laura Geller specializes in baked products, and while I've dabbled a few times in her products, I've yet to get hooked on any.  Okay, I did use up an entire Balance -n- Brighten Baked Color Correcting Foundation a few years back, but the Baby Cakes Blushed palette (review here) is still languishing, unloved.  Could Beauty a la Mode change my perception, perhaps?

Well, yes and yes!  Both items are really lovely, with good pigmentation and smooth color.  Let's start with Apple Peach Pie, the eyeshadow trio.  The top triangle is a lovely coppery gold shimmer, followed by a mossy green satin, and then a salmon pink satin.  I was uncertain how all three would look together, but found they do complement each other.

 

Here's a few looks I've done with them.  You can also use these wet to intensify color, which is what I did with the green above my lash line.  The iridescent lighter green on the inner lower lash line is Kudos from the Bare Escentuals Star Treatment palette. :

 I'm even more enamoured with Dreamsicle, a warm learning medium pink with a satin finish.  I didn't have to struggle to get color with this one (I'm looking at you, Baby Cakes palette), nor was there the high shimmer factor that's in a lot Laura Geller's baked blushes.  Love.

I bought Beauty a la Mode on sale from Ulta.com, but I don't see it there anymore.  It is still available at laurageller.com for $39. 

Laura Geller Baby Cakes Baked Blush Palette

You know how you have some makeup item that you used a lot when you first got it but isn't getting much love now?   That's probably not that unusual for product junkies.  The Baby Cakes Baked Blush Palette is one such item for me.  I think I haven't used it much recently because it seemed like I had to really layer on the blush for it to show up.  That may be true, as I swatched the blushes rather heavily to get the colors below.  However, that may not be unusual for baked blushes, or shadows for that matter.

Sugar Free Raspberry, Pink Grapefruit, Golden Apricot, Sunswept

When you see swatches of baked eyeshadows, you usually see a dry swatch and then a wet swatch.  The wet ones are always more vivid, as the pigment just comes alive somehow when applied wet.  That's not really an option for blush however.  Anyhow....these really are lovely blushes, and I'm going to start using them again now that I've reestablished that in my mind.   Plus, they are mineral oil and paraben free.  Besides, look how pretty the swirls of color are:-) 

Sugar Free Raspberry

 Sugar Free Raspberry is the only matte blush in the palette and is a soft berry pink.

Pink Grapefruit

 Pink grapefruit is a pink shimmer.

Golden Apricot

 Golden apricot is a soft coral with gold shimmer.

Sunswept

Sunswept is a more brownish coral and might be a good bronzer for some.  Here you can the colors in comparison to each other.

Sugar Free Raspberry, Pink Grapefruit, Golden Apricot, Sunswept

The retractable brush in this palette was useless to me, which is usually my experience with blush brushes included in sets.  The palette is $39.75 and is available at Laura Geller, Ulta, Amazon, and various other online retailers.  Interestingly enough, on Amazon I saw this listed for $134.84 from Groceries to Your Door.  Crazy!