Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Laura Mercier

Lip of the Day | Laura Mercier Louise | The Best Christmas Present, Ever

by 23 Comments

You’re, your, yore.

I saw this glass at a local gift shop and nearly short circuited in the middle of the store!

If you know, you know.

So, I know I’ve been quiet this week. Beyond the usual last-minute Christmas stuff that one deals with at this time (wrapping, gift hunting, card writing and feeding all the humans in your immediate orbit because everyone is so hungry ALL THE TIME), I’ve also been fighting a cold and dealing with lots of paperwork because, drumroll please, I’m starting a new job in January.

*Insert happy dance here.*

Seriously, the relief of having a steady gig is the best Christmas present ever!

I’ll be working at a college doing a mix of marketing, editing, writing and administrative duties, which include interacting with students and professors (I almost wrote “purr-fessors,” ha). I’ll get to work with the public, which I think takes advantage of social skills I’ve always had but haven’t really used since I’ve been freelance writing from home. Anywho, it’s close to Connor’s school, the hours are great for a working mom, and the benefits are insanely good.

THE BENEFITS, omg. Retirement! Healthcare coverage! Union membership! Paid time off!

I almost cried when I read about them, for real.

Side note, you know you’ve crossed a bridge when benefits excite you. LOL!

Anywho, I can safely say — I’m really, really happy. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to say that, but I am.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, ha ha ha. 🙂

All this rambling to lead up to today’s lip of the day!

Laura Mercier Louise

It’s a vivid yellow pink that reads more as a bright red on my lips, Laura Mercier Louise, another beauty from her twist-up line of soft matte lip pencils.

I think it’s a fun and festive color. Give it a swatch if you happen to be at a Laura Mercier counter.

Before I head out, I have to share this song with you because it’s been stuck in my head all week long. It’s “Black and Gold” by Sam Sparro, and the senior competitive dance team at Connor’s studio is dancing to it.


Love it

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Are ya done with all your holiday shopping and wrapping?

Lip of the Day | Laura Mercier Chloé

by 9 Comments

I’m still on a bright lip kick! Today’s beautiful warm red is 381 Chloé by Laura Mercier, and it’s from her Petal Soft Lipstick Crayon collection, a line of twist-up matte lipsticks.

I like this line of matte lippies because the finish is flat but not harsh. You get the matte effect without the heaviness of a true flat matte. The brights are also vivid but not overwhelmingly intense; I think it’s an approachable way to do reds, corals and hot pinks.

Anyway, I’m really enjoying taking pics outside lately because of all the festive holiday decorations in my neighborhood.

Case in point — if you stand in front of a tree with ornaments you kinda look like you’re surrounded by glittery floating planets!

I love this tiny Santa in my neighbor’s yard. Is he just arriving? Or is he leaving? Only Santa knows, I guess!

Oh, and if you happen to see a red berry wreath and you stand in front of it at a certain angle, you can look like you’re wearing a crown that magical forest creatures made especially for you.

I’m about to take this red lip on the road with me to do some Christmas errands. 🙂

Have a great rest of your Wednesday, and if you’re so inclined, feel free to share your lip of the day color in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Q of the Day: What Discontinued Scents Do You Wish Would Come Back?

by 20 Comments

I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately for certain perfumes I wore back in my 20s and 30s, and now I’m deeply regretting the perfume purge I did a few years back because I found out recently that several are now discontinued!

When I think about them, I can practically smell them. Is that weird?

Discontinued Scent Number 1, Laura Mercier Eau de Lune

I desperately want a bottle of Laura Mercier Eau de Lune, a beautiful light floral with plumeria, rose, violet, amber and musk notes that I wore to my office job in San Francisco for years.

It was subtle enough not to take over an elevator but was still present enough to enjoy. I wore it when El Hub and I started dating and eventually wentthrough a couple bottles.

I just always assumed it would be there for me when I wanted to wear it again, but alas, no. I tried to find it online and couldn’t track it down.

Cue the glittery tears!

Discontinued Scent Number 2, STELLA by Stella McCartney

Oh, this one was a beauty — English rose mixed with mandarin and peony with an amber base.

El Hub got me a bottle during our first Christmas together, and I wore it all the time. I should’ve kept it just so I could smell it every once in a while. It reminds me of that carefree era when it was just us.

What discontinued scents do you wish would come back?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Have a terrific Tuesday!

A Friday Face of the Day and a Fun Blush Layering Trick to Try

by 2 Comments

Happy Friday!

You know it’s going to be a great Friday when you’re having a good makeup day!

The hair is another story, LOL! I swear it doesn’t look this wild in real life.

A blush layering trick to try

If you’ve got a cream blush you like around, you’ve got to try this technique I’ve been doing lately for the most natural looking cheeks.

After you do your base, blend a cream blush on your cheeks, and then pat your favorite powder on top to set.

Your blush will peek through the powder for a hint of flush, and the overall look is so natural!

I’ve been doing this all week with Urban Decay Hydromaniac for the base, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Blush in Coastline for the blush and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural for the powder, and I love how it looks both in real life and in pictures.

Key products worn in this look

  • Honest Beauty Eyeshadow Palette – It’s a workhorse! You could easily do almost an entire eye look (brows, liner, shadow) with this palette.
  • Urban Decay HydroManiac Tinted Glow Hydrator – Feels lightweight and has medium coverage.
  • Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Blush in Coastline – Super concentrated color. You only need a few drops!
  • MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipstick in Model Off Duty – I’m so bummed this shade isn’t available anymore. You could try the shade More the Mehr-ier in the Powder Kiss line for a similar vibe.

I hope you’ve had a wonderful week and that something good happened to you. Yesterday I was feeling really tired and exhausted, so I actually listened to my body (!) and let myself rest. It’s amazing how much good a little quiet time will do for ya. I highly recommend it!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Layered Eye Looks: Forest Green Liner with Champagne Eyeshadow

by 16 Comments

I jokingly texted a friend to tell her that I finally put on a full face of makeup because I no longer wanted to look like I just crawled out of a pit of doom! LOL. And even though I’m 100% comfortable now rollin’ around town bare faced with just sunscreen, there’s still something really nice about going to the grocery store to buy cara cara oranges and have the checker call me “miss” instead of “ma’am.”

I’ve been inspired by simple, layered eye makeup lately. In this one, I layered a glittery champagne cream shadow (Hourglass Ray) on top of a shimmery forest green liner (Urban Decay Mildew). It’s easy, peasy, lemon squeeze-y, and I feel like I get a lot of look for very little effort.

What I also really like about this look is how the glitter isn’t too flashy. It sparkles in the light, but it’s not, like, too much for a weekday midday run to Tar-ghay.

Key products worn in this look

Here’s what I used for eyes, cheeks and lips. If you want to know more about the base or brows, let me know in the comments. 🙂

Officially a dance mom!

Connor joined the junior dance team at her studio this year, and last weekend was her first official performance. I think she was more excited to wear the clip-on earrings, LOL!

I’ve had my ears pierced since the day I was born; no really, back in the day in the Philippines, you could get your baby’s ears pierced at the hospital!

Anywho, all this to say we found out that clip-on earrings are a whole different beast. Connor was so looking forward to wearing them, but when she tried them on for the first time, one of the earrings was too tight and hurt her little ear.

I did a little googling and found a trick to loosening them. All you have to do is move the part of the clip-on that looks like a “U” around. You need widen it to relieve the pressure on your ears! It really helps. Just goes to show you, you learn something new every day.

Have a peaceful and joyful Tuesday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I’m Loving the Laura Mercier Petal Soft Lip Crayons

by 5 Comments

Beauties by Laura Mercier!

As someone perpetually dealing with a time crunch EVERY MORNING (sigh), makeup in crayon form is now my beauty BFF. Drawing on your face is just that much easier when you don’t have to contend with a brush, ya know?

My latest loves are these twist up matte crayon lippies by Laura Mercier. The new Petal Soft Lipstick Crayons offer sheer, easy-to-apply color, so I don’t have to worry about precisely drawing a crisp edge. (Side note: you can easily build up the opacity if you want more intensity, FYI.)

10 shades from the collection

I’ve been doing a layer or two for a casual, effortless summery lip look, but I can see these working year round.

The formula feels lightweight and smooth on my lips, and I like that its unscented and unflavored. Comfy!

I’ve been rollin’ with Augustine, the coral shade, all week, and when I wear it on video calls, I look brighter, and dare I say, less cranky? LOL!

There are 20 shades to choose from, and each is $28 for a 0.06-oz tube.

The Laura Mercier Petal Soft Lip Crayons

  • 300 Lea – Warm brown nude
  • 301 Augustine – Deep coral nude
  • 302 Ella – Warm mid-tone nude
  • 303 Jeanne – Rich warm nude
  • 320 Amelie – Coral pink
  • 321 Ophelie – Bright bluish pink
  • 322 Camille – Neutral pink
  • 323 Maia – Peachy pink
  • 324 Louise – Bright yellowish pink
  • 340 Elodie – Dusty mauve
  • 341 Simone – Rosy berry
  • 342 Zoe – Bright berry
  • 343 Noemie – Mid-tone plum
  • 360 Agnes – Pinkish coral
  • 361 Alma – Reddish coral
  • 362 Leonie – Orangey coral
  • 363 Adele – Bright warm coral
  • 380 Sienna – Orangey red
  • 382 Laura – Plummy red

You can find the Petal Soft Lip Crayons on the Laura Mercier website, Sephora and Ulta.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bronzed and Glowing Makeup With Rose Inc and Laura Mercier

by 14 Comments

Hi, friend! I had to put on makeup today because I had a short video presentation to give to everyone at work today. Was I a little nervous? Yeah. Makeup always helps me feel more confident, though. 🙂

I’m really on a non-powdery makeup kick, so I picked up some new-to-me things from Rose Inc and Laura Mercier.

Rose Inc Skin Enhancer Luminous Tinted Serum is a sheer, lightweight skin tint with a glowing finish. You pump a little bit on the back of your hand, mix the pigment spheres into the serum with a finger or a brush, and then blend the product onto your face. Kinda fun! A 1-ounce bottle is $49 at Sephora, however if you don’t mind waiting for shipping, Rose Inc currently is hosting a 25% off site-wide sale on everything, including this skin tint.

By the way, it’s available in 14 shades, and mine is 80, in case you’re wondering.

If this formula looks similar to something you’ve seen before — good eye! Chanel makes something similar both in the form of Les Beiges Water Fresh Complexion Touch ($65) and Les Beiges Water Fresh Tint (also $65). I’ve worn the Chanel Water Fresh Tint before, and the Rose Inc version seems to have less pearl.

Anywho, this is my first time taking it for a spin, and so far I like it! I need to wear it for a few more days to figure out if it’s something I can enthusiastically recommend, so I’ll get back to ya.

Also new to me in this look are the Tinted Moisturizer Blushes by Laura Mercier ($28 each). I picked up Corsica, a sparkling peach, and Coastline, a warm bronzy brown. I’m wearing Corisca in the pic at the top.

It temperature hit the low 90s today and Corsica has so far managed to stay on my cheeks! In a magnifying mirror, I can see a little bit of patchiness (I have to look *really close*), but considering how sweaty I’ve been all day and the mask that I wore at Trader Joe’s, I think it still held up well.

I’m going to try it next on bare skin to see how it holds up!

What makeup did you wear today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup of the Day With Laura Mercier, and the BEST Liquid Eyeliner by Eyeko

by 6 Comments

Third day in a row of wearing makeup! Someone should throw me a parade, for real.

I’m wearing the epic $22 Eyeko liquid liner in Cocoa Edit today, and FYI, not only is it the real deal (long lasting, easy to apply, doesn’t smudge), it just got restocked at Ulta. It’s an online exclusive, so unfortunately you can’t just roll up to your local store, but if you don’t mind the wait, it’s the best dark brown liquid liner out there right now, IMHO.

(Yes, I just added one to my cart!)

I’m wearing Cocoa Edit with a few Laura Mercier staples:

  • First is Burnished Bronze, a shimmery bronze cream shadow stick which I applied directly onto my lids and then blended out with a finger.
  • Second is Ginger blush, a sheer matte peachy nude. It goes with everything.
  • Last but not least, Eye Basics in Wheat. It’s a cream shadow that also doubles as a primer. I like it as an all-over base.

Seriously, how is it already Thursday? I’m having one of those weeks where the days feel long, but the week has felt short.

Hope things on your end are peachy.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.