Laura Mercier

Product Spotlight: Laura Mercier Caviar Volume Mascara

March 19th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

laura mercier caviar mascara — Ready to give you a lift

FOR DECADES I believed that a lash curler was a non-negotiable when dealing with stick straight lashes (mine will flex the curl outta everything), but that’s totally not so, man! My opinion changed when Laura Mercier’s marvelous Caviar Volume Mascara, which is part of LM’s permanent collection and available at Ulta for $25, rocked my world.

It all started one day a few weeks ago… I was running late for work and couldn’t find my lash curler, so out of desperation I whacked a few coats of this stuff directly on my uncurled lashes, and it finessed a perfectly lifted curl into place.

I was shocked! In fact, I’m still in awe, and I really have no idea how it works. I almost feel like I’m messing with supernatural blood makeup magic and probably shouldn’t go there, but I can’t help myself, ya know? Not only does this mascara lift and curl lashes without the help of a lash curler, but it also separates and elongates lashes while imparting a noticeable amount of volume, but not so much that your fringe looks fake or spidery.

laura mercier caviar mascara before after — No lash curler needed, babe.

It also doesn’t smudge or flake, and even though it isn’t technically waterproof, I’ve cried wearing it a few times (yes, I’m a big cry baby), and it didn’t run.

It comes in one shade, a glossy black, and you can find it at Ulta for $25 a tube.

Your friendly neighborhood fringe addict,

Karen

Product Spotlight: Laura Mercier Cocoa Caviar Stick Eye Colour

March 18th, 2020 by Karen 4 Comments

What you need to know: Laura Mercier Cocoa Caviar Stick Eye Color is a flexible brown cream shadow stick your time-pressed self needs, so if you’re building a better makeup bag and you love a workhorse brown neutral, this absolutely HAS to be in there because it doesn’t move, and you can wear it a bunch of different ways. (It’s available at Ulta for $29.)

This cocoa is a pain in the butt.

It’s the cocoa powder we use at the bakery, and whenever I have to dig into the bin, the powder is so fine that it gets all over the place! — my apron, my leggings, my face, everywhere. As adept as it is at making stuff taste good, it’s highly annoying, especially when you accidentally leave two big ol’ cocoa powder palm prints on your backside and don’t realize it until a stranger buying tuna at Trader Joe’s points it out.

This other Cocoa by Laura Mercier is not a pain in the butt…

laura mercier cocoa swatch — A swatch of Laura Mercier Cocoa, which is like a less red cream eyeshadow version of MAC Teddy liner. I’m an NC42 in MAC, by the way!

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Easy Makeup Look Idea: Olive Eyeliner, Warm Brown Eyeshadow and Matte Fuchsia Lipstick

January 30th, 2020 by Karen 25 Comments

mac all fired up — Someone turns four this March! (No, not me.)

Some mornings are for blending six shadows on your lids, and other mornings are not.

Those are the mornings made for large quantities of coffee…and for cuddles…and for easy makeup.

Initially, when I set out to do this post, I planned to wear smokey, olive eye makeup on my lids to go with the bright fuchsia matte lipstick (All Fired Up — a MAC *must*), but Connor needed extra baby love in the morning, so that plan went out the window. *Poof!*

She’s just shy of four, and some days she’s big enough to handle ALL HER BUSINESS AND THEN SOME (“I’m a big girl, mama, and I can do it myself!”), but other days, like this one, she needs some extra hugs and songs, and I’m happy to oblige her. So, no blending of six shadows on this day for this mama, LOL!

Instead, I went with a hazy olive eyeliner (gotta love how forgiving blurred edges are), a wash o’ warm brown eyeshadow, and a matte fuchsia lipstick.

Yeah, it’s streamlined and totally unfussy, but I still like it a lot. The bold lip and the flash of shimmer in the liner give it some interesting elements.

mac all fired up swatch — My skin tone is MAC NC42.

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Product Spotlight: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Glow

October 8th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

To quote the great Lizzo (Lizzo for president!), it ain’t my fault if I’m out here getting loose. And I say that because I’ve been wearing Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Glow ($39), so, ya know…I’m getting loose with it, ha ha ha!

(I don’t blame it on the goose or my juice, in case you were wondering.)

This face setting powder is a rare gem. It has a subtle pearly finish (I know, blowing your mind right now!), which sets makeup without making pores look like moon craters (an issue with any sort of powder with shimmer or sheen).

Yes, you can wear it all over your face! It adds a hint of dewiness, so your face doesn’t look flat or too matte, and it does this without showing off your fine lines or smile lines, a.k.a your experience lines.

You can also wear it like a traditional highlighter as well, if all-over glow is a little too much for ya.

Oh, and did I mention that it feels weightless and doesn’t look cake-y? It’s so good, you guys. So, so good.

laura mercier traslucent loose setting powder glow swatch — I’m an NC42 in MAC, by the way.

You know, if you like that dewy skin look, but you don’t want to look greasy or a shiny metallic robot, this is it.

A big 1-oz. jar is $39 (comes with a sifter, but it doesn’t come with a brush or powder puff though), and there are two shade options — one lighter and one darker. I wear the lighter option, and it works fine with my NC42 skin.
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A Laura Mercier Moment…

September 10th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

laura mercier september 2019 — Dearest Laura…you’re rockin’ my world at the moment.

I’m going to assume that you are, or have been, a makeup junkie, and so therefore you have probably had one (or more) moments like I did the other night at back-to-school night, when your makeup universe collides in such a way that you’re, like, “WHOA!”

I can’t be the only one. I just can’t.

I was just sitting there in Connor’s preschool classroom wearing some Laura Mercier products when my nose honed in on someone’s perfume (I have a bloodhound’s sense of smell). It was familiar, but I couldn’t place it, and the source of that scent — swear to gosh — knocked around in my head for days, like a song stuck in my head.

Then, half asleep one night in bed, it hit me! It was Laura Mercier Eau de Lune, which I wore every day for three years straight in the early aughts.

Dang, dawg, I’ve been wearing Laura Mercier makeup off and on for almost 20 years! In fact, I can recall when it was a relatively new line. I remember going to a counter for the first time (must have been about 1997) and being intrigued by the makeup primer, which was very forward-thinking at the time. And their Tinted Moisturizer, Secret Brightening Powder, Eye Basics in Wheat and Stormy Grey eyeliner have all been in my everyday makeup bag rotation at different times for years.

Like I was saying…I just happened to be wearing a few pieces of LM makeup the other night, and it reminded me why I like wearing Laura Mercier makeup so much. Her style is colorful, but not too crazy, and has elegantly subtle touches of pizzazz, like a little glitter here, a demi-matte finish there… It’s also easy to amplify or dial down.

A few quick thoughts on what I’ve been wearing lately…

Foundation Primer ($38)

There are a few different versions of this (Oil-Free, Dry SKin, etc.), and this one is the basic Foundation Primer. It’s a colorless, lightweight primer in a moisturizing gel that instantly sinks into skin (rather than sitting on top). If you like primers that add radiance with barely-there pearl finish (like MAC’s Natural Radiance), you’ll like this, too. It’s an oldie but goodie.

Translucent Loose Setting Powder ($39)

Light as air and completely undetectable, this has a soft matte finish that looks natural to the Nth degree!

laura mercier september 2019 swatches — Lovies by Laura M.!

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Laura Mercier Joie de Vivre Collection Spring 2017 Colour Powder in Windflush, and Lipsticks in Happy, Smile and Joy

March 3rd, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

Normally, I wouldn’t wear a bold green/blue eye look like this one with such bright lips, but I was feeling the joie de vivre today from the lipsticks and blush in the Laura Mercier Joie de Vivre spring 2017 collection, so I figured, why not? Life is short. Wear that bold color combo, girlfriend!

laura mercier joie de vivre smile — Windflush Blush and Smile Lipstick

Limited edition Joie de Vivre has been on counters for a while, with some lip pencils, a mascara, a cake liner, a blush and three lipsticks, and of course I’ve been wanting to try the colorful products (you know me) — Windflush Color Powder for Cheeks & Eyes ($40 and the three Joie de Vivre Lipsticks, Smile, Joy and Happy ($28 each).

Beautifully baked Windflush Blush is a peachy pink with a matte finish and a bananas wear time. I mean, I wore it one day last weekend for 12 hours (!), and it didn’t fade a bit. There’s something about those baked formulas, man… They hang on and won’t let go. If you have oily cheeks and blush usually scoots right off your skin, I bet it’ll work really well for you.

Incidentally, I think it’s also gorgeous as an eyeshadow. I like it as a wash all over the lid with a navy liner on my upper lash line.

laura mercier joie de vivre happy — Happy Lipstick

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Laura Mercier Master Class Colour Essentials Collection Palette (2nd Edition) for Holiday 2016

November 4th, 2016 by Karen 3 Comments

I’m smiling in this picture out of sheer relief at having gotten one usable photo after doing my makeup today with the 2nd Edition Laura Mercier Master Class Colour Essentials Collection palette.

I don’t know, dude… This look was rough. I am so out of practice with makeup that requires more than 15 minutes and two brushes — like, I’m talking base color, transition shades, gradients… If you don’t use it, you lose it. At least that’s how it’s been for me.

It wasn’t the palette’s fault at all, though. It was just classic user error, but one thing that made this look slightly easier was the fact that — oh, my gosh — there are so many mattes, specifically workhorse shades.

The Laura Mercier Master Class Colour Essentials Collection/palette (2nd Edition)
$125, limited edition, available now online and at Laura Mercier counters

“This incredible collection is filled with some of my favorite shades, finishes and liners to create endless looks. You can transform your eyes from classic to cat eye with just a few easy steps. Get creative!”

— Laura Mercier, from lauramercier.com

The palette comes with…

12 Eye Colours (1.5g / 0.05 oz each): Etoile, Bronze Glow, Minx, Pewter Dust, Gilded Pines, Vanilla Nuts, Café Au Lait, Espresso Bean, Poison Ivory, Stone Taupe, Noir, Stellar
Second Skin Cheek Colour (3g / 0.1 oz): Riche Nectar
Face Highlighter (3g / 0.1 oz): Pink Haze
Bronzing Pressed Powder (3g / 0.1 oz): Soleil Bronze
Tightline Cake Eyeliner (1.5g / 0.05 oz each): Black Ebony, Mahogany Brown
Longwear Creme Eye Pencil (0.8 g / 0.02 oz): Noir
Double Ended Eyeliner Brush
Double Ended Eye Colour Brush

* A $429 value

The palette, which is $125, limited edition and available now at Laura Mercier counters, is referred to as a collection (even though it’s a palette), and it contains 12 eyeshadows, a blush, bronzer, highlighter, pencil eyeliner, two cake eyeliners and two brushes.

Six of those 12 eyeshadows are mattes, which is great because, as you know, I’m always bitchin’ and moaning about eye palettes that don’t have enough workhorse mattes. 🙂 This one, thankfully, has lots of delicious browns and beiges and even a dark black.

It’s part of Laura’s holiday 2016 collection and a followup to last year’s Master Class Collection palette from holiday 2015. Like last year’s, it also comes in what looks like a cute clutch and has the same layout.

The eye look I’m wearing here is on the cooler side. I’m wearing cool-toned and neutral browns with some shimmery, neutral olive, and everything I have on my eyes and cheeks is from this palette.

Because the bronzer, blush and highlighter are all warm toned, I assumed that the eyeshadows would be as well, but they aren’t. They’re generally cooler, which seems unusual to me — the contrasting color temps. The bronzer, blush and highlighter are all very warm. I don’t know if the palette is intended for cool-toned gals or warm-toned gals, or if Laura just wanted to cover all of her bases, but it’s kind of different.

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Laura Mercier Double Impact Eye Colour Collection | Cool Gray Smoky Eyes and Smoky Pants!

October 28th, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

laura mercier double impact eye colour collection swatches — Smoky eyes and smoky pants!

Who wouldn’t want to wear eye makeup that matches their smoky pants??

The first thing I saw when I opened this $58 Laura Mercier Double Impact Eye Colour Collection palette was that bottom row of cool-toned greys. Some of ’em looked a little blue, and I thought, “These totally look like the crazy pants my mom got me from Costco.”

Girl, these pants are everywhere! I am not kidding. Shortly after my mom got them for me, El Hub and I were driving through China Town in the city, and I saw this cute older Chinese lady walking through the crowd with a big bag of vegetables. “Look!” I said to El Hub. “She’s wearing my smoky pants!”

And then last month at our hotel in Tahoe while we were waiting in the lobby to check in, I saw a lady walking away from me with her roller bag and her cute little butt clad in these smoky pants.

I whispered, “She’s wearing my smoky pants…”

They’re freaking everywhere.

They’re grey with a sort of a blue tinge, but I don’t know. I can’t always tell with my eyes. Note to self: Make an appointment with the optometrist.

So I think I see a little blue in the pants, and I was hoping that the bottom row of colors in this palette would have a bluish tint, too, because I love bluish greys.

But when I got the shadows on my lids, they looked straight-up cool-toned grey, which is also fine…’cause I also love cool-toned greys, especially in smoky looks.

So…I think I might be spoiled for life by the super pigmented Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder palette because a layer or two with it and I’m done, but these shadows are sheerer than that.

I have to pat some on, buff it out, then pat some more, then buff that out, then pat even more, and then buff that out again.

I admit that I’m out of practice with slightly complicated, moderately intense looks, but it still seem like I’m piling a lot of this makeup on. Just an FYI.

And the fallout is fairly intense. I had a lot under my eyes when I did this look, especially when I used that dark navy blue shade. If you do your eyes first, then clean up, you’ll be fine.

Laura Mercier Double Impact Eye Colour Collection
$58, limited edition from the holiday 2016 collection, available now
12 shades

“The mirrored palette features 9 matte and 3 sateen-shimmer eye shadow shades in a range from light to dark. The versatile palette can take eyes from neutral day to sultry night. Universally flattering, light reflecting sateen-shimmer shades add dimension and enhance brightness. A value of $96.”

— lauramercier.com

Shades:

9 Matte (1g / 0.03 oz each) — Dune, Wind, Earth, Bone, Love Potion, Venemous, Poison, Hypnotic, Voodoo

True Matte shades (Classic Matte) that are best applied with Eye Colour Brush: Dune, Wind, Earth, Bone

NEW Sateen Matte shades (Matte with hidden pearl) that are best applied with Eye Colour Brush: Love Potion, Venomous, Poison, Hypnotic,Voodoo

1 Crushed Pearl (all pearl, creamy to the touch that is best applied with both fingers and Eye Colour Brush) (1g / 0.03 oz): Spirit

2 Discrete Pearl (refined shimmer, creamy to the touch that is best applied with both fingers and Eye Colour Brush) (0.8g / 0.028 oz each): Rock (to use for boost of smoke), Dust (to blend finishing lines or highlight)

ADDITIONAL MAKEUP WORN IN THIS LOOK
CHEEKS: Cheeks MAC Studio Quicktriks Stick in Ginger Spiked/Counterpoint ($32)

LIPS: theBalm Pickup Liners in Acute One ($17.50), MAC Big Baby Plushglass ($21), Victoria Beckham X Estee Lauder Moroccan Heat Lip Gloss ($36)

FACE: Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Beige ($46), MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden ($33)

The Laura Mecier Double Impact Colour Collection Palette packaging — Inside the palette

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