Tag Archives: Laura Mercier

2015 Gift Guide: Eyeshadow Palettes

Gift Guide: Eyeshadow Palettes

Having bought more eyeshadow palettes this past year than I ever even previously owned, I feel like I’m in decent shape to provide recommendations for a gift guide. The focus of this post will be on palettes that I’ve tried, price points, and why I think they’d be a good gift. Since eyeshadow palettes are more of a big ticket item, I personally would consider these as someone’s “main present” rather than a stocking stuffer. Keep that in mind when you’re looking at the prices!

Here are my recommendations:

Kat Von D - Mi Vida Loca Remix
Kat Von D – Mi Vida Loca Remix

Brand: Kat Von D
Palette: Mi Vida Loca Remix
Price: $71 CAD

Let’s start this off with an absolute bombshell of a palette. If you decide you would like to get this (for yourself or otherwise), you’re going to have to get your butt to a Sephora store asap because this has been sold out for a few weeks online (the problem with releasing holiday palettes in September!!!).

Kat Von D - Mi Vida Loca Remix
Kat Von D – Mi Vida Loca Remix

This would be my absolute number one recommendation for an eyeshadow palette present. While the rainbow wheel aspect of it is undeniable and undoubtedly makes this one of the most visually appealing palettes I own, what makes this stand out even more is that inner ring of neutral shadows. This is perfect for colour lovers who need blending and deepening shades alongside their brights. While there are a few misses in pigmentation in the shades (maybe two shades), the overall quality of the Mi Vida Loca Remix palette is off the charts. If you can get your hands on it, you absolutely need to purchase it.

Further reading:


Too Faced Chocolate Bars
Too Faced Chocolate Bars

Brand: Too Faced
Palette: Chocolate Bar or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar
Price: $59 CAD each

Too Faced Chocolate Bars (original on top, Semi-Sweet on the bottom)
Too Faced Chocolate Bars (original on top, Semi-Sweet on the bottom)

While the Urban Decay Naked palettes may own most peoples’ hearts, my true love lies amongst the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palettes. I’ve become obsessed with the scent of chocolate that wafts up from these palettes as soon as I open them. The shade selection is neutral enough for most people to love them, but there are pops of colour to make things interesting. My personal preference is the Semi-Sweet palette, but you can’t go wrong with either of them. The pigmentation and blendability are excellent in both palettes and either one would make lovely gifts.

Further reading:


Laura Mercier Eye Art Artist's Palette
Laura Mercier Eye Art Artist’s Palette

Brand: Laura Mercier
Palette: Eye Art Artist’s Palette
Price: $70 CAD

This palette was originally a holiday 2013 exclusive, but they wisely decided to bring it back within the last year. Although the outer packaging is slightly different now (I have the 2013 version), the shades inside are still the same. I have nothing bad to say about this palette – Laura Mercier has some of the smoothest, easiest to play with shadows I have ever encountered. These are an absolute pleasure to apply to my eyelids and I would recommend this palette to every single person out there! Personally, I consider Laura Mercier a bit more of a “grown up” brand since their average price point is very, very steep (a single eyeshadow is $29 CAD!), but that further reinforces that this palette is a great value.

Sephora Wonderful Dreams
Sephora Wonderful Dreams

Brand: Sephora
Palette: Wonderful Dreams
Price: $13 CAD

Sephora Wonderful Dreams
Sephora Wonderful Dreams

My first look at Sephora’s shadows have been a good one with this little palette. The Wonderful Dreams 8-pan palette slides out to reveal four matte and four shimmery shades. (In particular, the silver is to freaking die for!) I cannot find it on Sephora Canada’s site anymore, but I’ve seen it in stores.  This is a perfect travel palette since it’ll cover all your neutral basics, and it would also make a great stocking stuffer since the price is quite low!

Makeup Geek shadows
Makeup Geek shadows

Brand: Makeup Geek
Palette: N/A
Price: Regular shadows are $6 USD, foiled shadows are $9.99 USD each

I would be totally remiss if I didn’t mention Makeup Geek somewhere in this post! While this isn’t a pre-made palette, you can purchase the shades you desire and create your own perfect gifting palette. Makeup Geek is unbeatable in terms of quality and price tag – they could easily charge double that price and still be considered one of the best shadows on the market. For a holiday-themed palette, I chose the shades Vanilla Bean, Shimma Shimma, Grandstand, Creme Brulee, Cocoa Bear, Bitten, Magic Act, Jester and Flamethrower.

Further reading:

Smashbox Double Exposure
Smashbox Double Exposure

Brand: Smashbox
Palette: Double Exposure
Price: $45 CAD

The Double Exposure palette came out of nowhere in the last few months and smacked me upside the head. I could not believe the quality of the shadows in this palette! I’m a relative newbie to Smashbox so I don’t have a ton of exposure to most of their products, but this one completely blew me out of the water. Pigmentation and bendability are incredible, and there’s enough variety of colour in this palette to make it a liiiittle bit different from all the other neutral palettes out there.

Further reading:

That’s it for this makeup palette gift guide! If you were looking for what to give a friend or family member, I hope this was of some use to you. 🙂

Certain palettes in this review were sent to me for consideration (Sephora - Wonderful Dreams & Smashbox Double Exposure).

Swatch Sunday: Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette for Eyes & Cheeks (Holiday 2014)

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One of my absolute favourite brands to buy palettes from is Laura Mercier. Individually, her eyeshadows are priced way too high for liking, so the palettes really give me an opportunity to get a bunch of shadows at a great price.

This Artist’s Palette for Eyes & Cheeks was a holiday 2014 exclusive, but it must not have sold nearly as well as the previous year’s because it’s now was on sale this past week on Sephora’s web site for only ~$25 CAD. And considering I paid $70 when this first came out… that’s a HUGE price discrepancy!

Enjoy the swatches!

Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette for Eyes & Cheeks (Holiday 2014)
Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette for Eyes & Cheeks (Holiday 2014)
Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette for Eyes & Cheeks (Holiday 2014)
Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette for Eyes & Cheeks (Holiday 2014)
Laura Mercier - Vanilla Nuts
Laura Mercier – Vanilla Nuts
Laura Mercier - Stone Taupe
Laura Mercier – Stone Taupe
Laura Mercier - Pewter
Laura Mercier – Pewter
Laura Mercier - Deep Night
Laura Mercier – Deep Night
Laura Mercier - Rose Gold Shimmer
Laura Mercier – Rose Gold Shimmer
Laura Mercier - Topaz
Laura Mercier – Topaz
Laura Mercier - Morning Dew
Laura Mercier – Morning Dew
Laura Mercier - Cashmere
Laura Mercier – Cashmere
Laura Mercier - Crystal Beige
Laura Mercier – Crystal Beige

What’s On My Face – Volume 32

I have more of a backlog of looks than I thought I would since lately I’ve been reaching for a lot of the same products (I’m looking at you Naked 3). Thankfully the days are getting longer so I’m able to take pictures before I head off to work in the morning. One day I’ll actually invest in proper lights.

….one day.


 

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I snatched up the Viva Glam Rihanna 2 lipstick when I realized that Miley Cyrus was infiltrating MAC and it wouldn’t be long before they completely stopped selling the shade. It’s a weird grey-brown, but it’s unlike anything I own (or have even ever worn). I even wore it to work – where, surprisingly, a lot of people actually said it looked blue. Not sure I see that, but I was a lot more comfortable wearing it than I thought I would be!

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Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Unexpected through the crease.
  2. Makeup Geek Mesmerized on the lid.
  3. Makeup Geek Drama Queen in the outer corner.
  4. Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

On my lashes is Too Faced Better Than Sex.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in Shade 52 Vanilla and Shade 51 Light Vanilla mixed together
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
  • Highlighter: Hard Candy Tiki
  • Lips: MAC Viva Glam Rihanna 2

 

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I’m not sure I had much inspiration with this one… I just wanted to use some colours I hadn’t yet worked into a look yet. I love the vibrancy though!

Just add cat!
Just add cat!

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Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Poolside on the inner half of the lid.
  2. Makeup Geek Caitlin Rose on the outer corner.
  3. Makeup Geek Rock Star through the top of the crease.
  4. Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

I used Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and applied Too Faced Better Than Sexmascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: Illamasqua Hussy
  • Highlighter: Hard Candy Tiki

 

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Orangey-red lips are not typically my thing, so I did an easy matte eyelook to ease myself into it. Plus I just love the texture of Laura Mercier‘s eyeshadows so really… any excuse to use them!

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Eyes

  1. Laura Mercier Morning Dew on the inner half of the lid and on the brow bone.
  2. Laura Mercier Deep Night on the outer half of the lid.
  3. Laura Mercier Stone Taupe through the crease.

Once again, Tarte‘s gel liner in Black was used to create the wing and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara is on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: Laura Mercier Rose Gold
  • Lips: MAC Barbecue

 

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Playing around with some of my MAC shadows that I hadn’t touched in a while.

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Eyes

  1. MAC Amber Lights on the inner half of the lid with MAC Gorgeous Gold patted on top.
  2. MAC Landscape Green pigment on the outer half of the lid.
  3. MAC Greensmoke through the crease.
  4. MAC Blanc Type on the brow bone.

Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara is on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: MAC Ripe Peach

 

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Totally random, but I decided to do a two-colour wing last weekend. I was pleased with how well this came out!

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Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Rock Star all over the lid.
  2. Makeup Geek Pop Culture with Caitlin Rose layered on top.
  3. Makeup Geek Unexpected through the crease.
  4. Wet n Wild Brulee on the brow bone.

To create the wing, I first created a thicker than normal wing with NYX Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Silver then used Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper to create a very small wing along the lash line. On my lashes is Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: Illamasqua Hussy
  • Highlighter: MAC Silver Dusk
  • Lips: MAC Mystical

2014 Favourites

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I’m sure you’re so over everyone’s 2014 yearly favourites by this point. WELL TOO BAD. Cuz now you’re getting mine. 🙂


Too Faced Melted Candy & Melted Berry
Too Faced Melted Candy & Melted Berry

2014 was the year I discovered Too Faced‘s Melted liquid lipstick. And it was love at first sight. I first started off with just Candy and Berry (pictured above), but when I realized how much I loved them, I just started to amass them ad nauseam. I had friends giving them to me, my husband, and of course, I picked some up myself. Out of all of them though, Melted Candy and Melted Berry are my absolute favourites. Candy looks like absolute neon insanity on my lips (which makes it AMAZING in my book) and Berry has been my winter alternative to a red lip this year. In fact, I actually lost my original Melted Candy(GYAHHHHHH) and went out and repurchased it immediately. If that doesn’t say “must have”, then I don’t know what does.

I mean, they’re long lasting, insane colour payoff and it dries down matte. What’s NOT to love? By the end of 2014 I ended up with eight of them in my collection. And I still. want. more.


Too Faced – Coral Fire
Too Faced – Coral Fire

So it seems like 2014 is actually just the year of Too Faced lip products. While I loved their entire La Creme line (it smells like sweet lemon, isn’t that unique?), my favourite shade was Coral Fire. I was told a few times that it could be an “every day shade” for me which surprised me since there’s a lot of colour packed into that tube. I love, love, LOVE this shade. I think Too Faced qualifies it as a red, but it really is a pink coral that looks fantastic on me during the warmer months.

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Laura Mercier 2013 Artist Palette
Laura Mercier 2013 Artist Palette

I realize this palette was limited edition from the holiday 2013 season, but too dang bad. I *loved* this thing. Laura Mercier‘s 2013 Artist Palette came out of left field and smacked me upside the head like a load of bricks. I’d never, ever used anything by Laura Mercier before and I was just astounded at how soft and blendable these shades are. There isn’t a single dud in this palette. I even took it on a true test of faith and travelled with it for over a week. The number of amazing looks I came up with this palette was amazing. And thatBamboo shade? It is EVERYTHING.

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NYC Fire Island Tan
NYC Fire Island Tan

Once I got pissed off with my Physicians Formula Bronze Booster, I switched to this one by NYC. Fire Island Tan was used almost religiously for nine months straight… and that’s how little pan I’ve hit. It’s impressive for a drugstore item to have such ridiculous longevity, but as a makeup lover I’m kind of like “oh my god WHEN DOES IT END?!” The swatch photo is obviously quite a heavy application, and no one (I hope) would ever wear it that heavily on their face. While there is some orange to that shade, I never felt like I looked like a fake and bake kind of person.


Makeup Geek Creme Brulee & Bitten
Makeup Geek Creme Brulee & Bitten

My love for Makeup Geek shadows knows no bounds, but there are two shades that I went to repeatedly over the last year. Creme Brulee is a shade that finally taught me how to blend out other shades. It’s incredible how much adding a little bit of an orangey-brown in my crease works to soften up darker eyeshadow looks. I always thought it was a ridiculous step when I saw other people doing it, but when I finally tried it out myself I couldn’t believe how well it helped make eyeshadow looks look more professional.

The other shade that stole my heart was Bitten.  Bitten is an incredibly reddened-purple shade. Of all of the shades in my Makeup Geek collection, this is my absolute favourite. I used this often in my crease and it worked well with lighter shades on the lid, or, my favourite, using a glitter on the lid and blending it out with Bitten. I also found that this paired beautifully with my Too Faced Melted Berry lipstick.


Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde
Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde

Alright, getting down to the wire here. A boring product, maybe, but Anastasia‘s Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde was a game changer for me. I’m quite fair and I have very little in the way of eyebrows. It’s not that I overpluck, it’s just that they’re NOT THERE. What little hairs that do grow where the tail of my eyebrow is supposed to be, well.. they’re really just pale blonde baby hairs.

So when I say I need help with my eyebrows, I mean it. If I don’t fill in and FINISH my eyebrows, I basically look ridiculous.

Here’s an example:

Eyebrows not filled in
Eyebrows not filled in

Like seriously… WHERE ARE MY EYEBROWS?

Eyebrow filled in
Eyebrows filled in

As you can see, if I don’t fill them in, I look like I’ve practically shaved them all off!

ANYWAY. What was my point? My point is that eyebrow pencils and eyeshadow never added enough texture. Because I don’t have much in the way of eyebrows too begin with, I needed something like the Dipbrow Pomade in order to actually create the illusion of texture to my brows. It was tricky figuring out how to use it at first, but when I did it was like a lightbulb went off. Now I too can have brows and not look like a fool!


Hourglass Diffused Heat
Hourglass Diffused Heat

I’ll never understand how the blush on the left, in all its coral deliciousness, ends up looking straight up pink on my skin (see the swatch), but whatever, it works. Hourglass’ Diffused Heat is my “I have no idea what matches my eye look” blush. I can reach for this one and know that it’ll look good on me no matter what. I realize the swatch makes it look like nothing special, but this powder looks rather radiant on my cheeks. While I was never sold on the Ambient Lighting Powders, the blushes are a completely different story and I’d encourage you to check them out. Even if the price point is a verging on insanity.


My best loved products of 2014 are products I’m still using today and I expect to continue loving through 2015. Now I just need to pick up all the news shades that Too Faced have added to their Melted line up…

What’s On My Face – Volume 30

A lot more bright looks in this lot which I’m super happy about. If you notice an increase in quality of some of the pictures, it’s because I picked up an actual DSLR in December instead of using my old point and shoot camera. The reason I say “some of the pictures” is that on some days I unfortunately only have the opportunity to use my phone’s camera at work in the bathroom and the lighting is really, really unfortunate on those. Ah well.


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My New Year’s Eve makeup look. Surprisingly, I didn’t go all out of with glitter, but I’ve really been enjoying the look of a bit of the rainbow silver glitter on the lower lash line.

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Eyes

  1. Inglot Matte 334 all over the lid.
  2. Inglot Matte 325 on the outer third.
  3. Urban Decay Blackout in the outer v.
  4. Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the crease.
  5. Too Faced White Chocolate on the browbone.
  6. Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack in the purple/blue reflected pigment on the inner tearduct.

I applied Make Up For Ever‘s Glitter 13 to the lower lash line, then tightlined my upper and lower waterlines with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. For the upper lash line, I used Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper. On my lashes is Benefit‘s They’re Real mascara.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
  • Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
  • Lips: Too Faced Melted Violet with Cailyn lipgloss in Basic Instinct on top

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Holy crap. Why do I even hesitate on ordering Makeup Geek products? I held off getting one of the foiled shadows because I’ve kind of been going off shiny eyeshadow. But then I bought Flamethrower on a whim and… I’m in love. And I’ve now placed an order for the entire MUG foiled line. This stuff is insane. Pictures and telling you about how wonderful it is just won’t do the product justice – you need to buy this for yourself to experience the amazingness.

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Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Flamethrower all over the lid.
  2. Makeup Geek Bitten on the outer half of the lid.
  3. Too Faced White Chocolate on the browbone.

I used Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing and applied Benefit They’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 and 52
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: MAC Warm Soul
  • Lips: MAC Mystical

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I did this for a guest posting on Writing Whimsy, but wanted it on here for my own records. I used the Morphe 36 Glam palette and I had a beast of a time applying these shades. While they do look lovely, they would blend away to nothing at all so I would highly recommend using several primers, particularly one with a sticky base to help get these shadows to adhere to the lids.

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Since the Morphe shades aren’t named, please use the guide below to figure out which colours go where:

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Eyes

  1. Teal on the inner half of the lid.
  2. Blue on the outer half of the lid.
  3. Purple through the crease and used to line the lower lashline.
  4. Light pink  at the top of the crease to lightly blend out the purple.
  5. Pale peach to highlight the brow.
  6. Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack in the green reflect shade on the inner tearduct.

I used Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper to create the winged liner and applied Benefit’sThey’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: CoverGirl Tone Rehab 2-in-1  (CC Cream) in 110 Classic Ivory
  • Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
  • Blush: Tarte Dollface
  • Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish
  • Lips: essence Wear Berries!

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I picked up the Laura Mercier Artist palette for Eyes and Cheeks during the Sephora November VIB sale, but I haven’t played around with it much. I love the quality of the shadows, but they’re pretty bizarre colours (for me) so I don’t find myself reaching for it that often.

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Eyes
(all Laura Mercier)

  1. Crystal Beige on the lid.
  2. Cashmere in the crease.
  3. Stone Taupe in the outer corner.
  4. Morning Dew on the brow bone.

I used Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing and applied Benefit They’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: CoverGirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory
  • Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
  • Blush: Laura Mercier Rosegold Shimmer
  • Lips: Too Faced Melted Ruby

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Playing around with some of my older limited edition MAC products.

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Eyes

  1. MAC Blue Sorcery (applied damp) all over the lid.
  2. MAC Moonlight Night pigment on the outer half of the lid.
  3. Makeup Geek Creme Brulee through the crease.
  4. Too Faced White Chocolate on the brow bone.
  5. The silver glitter from the MAC Blue Sorcery duo was applied to my inner corner.

On my lashes is Benefit They’re Real mascara.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Cheeks: Tarte Exposed
  • Lips: Bite Beauty Retsina