Tag Archives: Laura Mercier
VIDEO: 5 Neglected Palettes I’m Using This Winter
Holiday Makeup Releases: The Good, The Bad & The Boring
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! For holiday makeup releases that is! September marks the start of a four month build up to Christmas as all the beauty brands launch their holiday collections. And, no different than years past, I am SUPER freaking excited for it all!
I’m going to walk you through what I’m interested in, what I think is bad, and what’s downright boring. Let’s go!
The Good
Let’s start this off with the item that I am THE most excited to get this year – the Too Faced Gingerbread Spice palette! This only got previewed about two weeks ago and it’s already launched… but only in the US so far. I’ve been trying to get my hands on it in Canada, but Sephora doesn’t yet have stock just yet (and it’s killing me). The colours are freaking stunning (although I had thought the deep fuchsia was more of a red in the original photos I saw), and it’s supposed to smell like gingerbread! I love their Gingerbread Man Melted Matte from last year, so I’m so happy they’re going down the gingerbread path and making more things in that vein. I cannot WAIT to get my hands on it! (If you’re in the US, you can already pick this up at Sephora!)
I cannot get over Too Faced‘s holiday Melted Matte releases – they make me so happy! I have Melted Candy Cane from 2016, Gingebread Man from 2017 and now I MUST own all four shades in their “The Sweet Smell of Christmas” collection. Each one smells different! Pumpkin Spice! Sugar Cookie! Cinnamon Bears! Hot Buttered Rum! I’m also happy to report that these come in mini sizes. I’m at a point in my life where I no longer need a full size lip product, so this is perfect for me! Sadly, this isn’t available in Canada just yet (again… dying over here), but if you’re in the US you can snag this sweet set for only $25 USD! (BTW, I’m taking a pass on Gingerbread Girl Melted Matte just because I don’t really need another full size lip product, and I love my Gingerbread Man from last year – which they actually re-released this year!)
Do I need these Too Faced mini palettes? Surely not. Am I going to get them? More than likely! The Tickled Peach palette hopefully smells like the original Sweet Peach scent (my favourite!), and the Sugar Cookie one? I mean… how am I supposed to resist this??
WOW! I only just saw this Laura Mercier palette come out of nowhere in the last few days and I’m intrigued. Her formula of eyeshadows is one of the best on the market, but she tends to create muted shades that fit more into the neutral side of things. When I saw this Hidden Gems palette I was blown away – there’s some legit colour in there! I’m not totally convinced I NEED it yet (and there’s potentially too much shimmer), but I’m going to see what the price is at IMATS Toronto (coming up this weekend) and/or wait till the November Sephora sale to potentially pick it up. This palette is already out at Sephora if you’re interested though!
I do NOT need more highlighters, but I find it hard to turn down BECCA highlighters in itty bitty packaging (which is a far more reasonable amount of highlighter than the enormous ones we all keep buying). This is the BECCA Mini Macarons set, and by some miracle I don’t have a single one of these shades! The four piece set comes with Opal (yes, I’m the last person to own this shade), Vanilla Quartz, Rose Quartz and Prismatic Amethyst. For once a practical set without a repeated shade (for me) – dead pleased with this one!
Whoa Bobbi – where have you been hiding these shades? I’ve never EVER been intrigued by Bobbi Brown‘s makeup… until this launch. Just LOOK at those REDS! The Bobbi Brown Infra-Red palette speaks to me on a different level and I’m curious to try out the formula of their eyeshadows!
The Bad
I can barely believe I’m putting this Urban Decay Elements palette under “The Bad”, but here we are. At a surface level I should frigging excited about this – it’s a rainbow palette and I *love* rainbow palettes. But… and this is huge for me… there is not even close to enough matte shadows in here. This palette becomes nearly unusable by itself for me because of that and I find that very frustrating when the palette is so enormous to begin with. I think there’s two, maybe three mattes in there, and given how many shades are in the palette, that just isn’t enough. I loved the concept of it, the colours, even the awkward layout was kind of intriguing… but I’m becoming a bit more discerning with my makeup over time and the lack of mattes in this palette is making me put my foot down and say “no” to it.
What the fork happened here? Ugh. When BECCA sneak peaked the front of their Volcano Goddess palette I was SO EXCITED. Look at that beautiful rainbow of colour on the palette cover! I thought they were finally putting out a beautiful rainbow eyeshadow palette! And then a week or so later they released a picture of the inside and I’ve NEVER felt so deflated by a makeup product in my entire life. It’s pretty much a neutral palette with… a red-ish shade, and a blue. I can’t believe what a let down this item ended up being. How could they release that outer packaging knowing that the inside was going to be bland as all get out?I want absolutely nothing to do with it. 🙁
What the hell happened here, ABH? My god, it looks like this palette is practically in greyscale! It’s like they sucked the life out of the Soft Glam palette, accidentally dropped in a poppy-red shade they’d discarded from another palette, named it Sultry (?????) and called it a day. This is HORRIBLE. I rather think NOT, Anastasia.
The Boring
I’ve got a lot of Too Faced palettes, and many of them are holiday launches, but I’ve felt for a little while that they’ve started to become rather redundant and are more for makeup newbies than they are true makeup enthusiasts. The Too Faced Under The Christmas Tree set is basically a repetition of shades I already have from the brand so I don’t really need these sets anymore. They’re fun to look at, and great for a beginner in terms of variety, but as someone who has all of these shades already (in my like… 40 different Too Faced palettes) this set isn’t vital to me. (And the same thing applies to their Dream Queen set and the Beauty Day Dreamer set.
I’m still trying to process what to do with Kat Von D‘s revelation that she’s an anti-vaxxer and won’t vaccinate her child when they’re born. I think that’s absolutely fucking CRAZY not to do that… like it really is bat shit insane to think that you know better than a doctor. But does that make HER a bad person? Not necessarily. So while I’m currently struggling with this internal dilemma on whether or not I want to give money to someone who has vastly different morals than me (and I do really freaking love her products and still wear what I already own), I’m happy to report that her holiday 2018 collection is boring me to absolute tears. The Fetish eyeshadow palette is nothing noteworthy as I find the shades far too muted overall. I’m not interested in a blush palette from her, so that’s out of the question for me. The only thing that might’ve swayed me was if she released another set of mini liquid lipsticks like she’s done the past two years (see the 2017 lineup here and the 2016 lineup here), but this year she isn’t doing that – instead opting to release four full size shades in a pack. I’m grateful that I’m not interested in any of it so it gives me a bit more time to determine if I even want to continue to purchase from her anymore. (I’m mostly hopeful she’ll see the light about vaccinating and will do it in the end…)
Urban Decay really isn’t hitting the right notes for me lately. Their latest addition to the Naked line is Naked Cherry… and I’m just so disappointed in it. Concept-wise, I liked the idea. A cherry palette would be great! And heck, the packaging is pretty too. But the shadows? I’m getting flashbacks of Naked Heat and I don’t think there’s enough variety amongst the shades. Not to mention… THERE IS A SERIOUS LACK OF RED IN THERE. For a palette based on cherries, they could’ve done more than whack in some mulberry-pink tones. Where is the RED, Urban Decay? And don’t try to tell me Devilish and Young Love cut it… because they don’t. The promo shot above shows more red, but I’ve seen the palette open in many other photos and they are WAY more pink. This is like Naked 3 2.0 and I’m not having it.
Phew okay… that’s it (for now). Let me know what’s piqued your interest this holiday season!
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Swatch Sunday: Laura Mercier Artist 2013
Although my version of this Laura Mercier palette was part of the 2013 holiday releases, I can happily say that the brand re-released this exact same palette (albeit it in different packaging) about a year later. I’m so, SO happy that they decided to make it a permanent product because this palette is GLORIOUS!
Easily one of my favourite palettes ever, the Laura Mercier Artist palette is full of beautiful neutrals with some purple tones. This was my first introuction to Laura Mercier shadows and as you can see by the dirtiness/used looking quality of my palette, I have loved the heck out of this thing!
Laura Mercier 2013 Artist Palette Swatches
The Laura Mercier Eye Art Artist’s Palette (the new name for this palette!) can be purchased on sephora.ca for $70 CAD and on sephora.com for $55 USD.
What’s On My Face – Volume 44
Alright, it’s been a while since I’ve done a roundup of looks. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of pizzazz in my looks throughout December as I felt like I was eternally rushing around, so this roundup is going to include my actual New Year’s look, some guest posts and a suuuuper old look from June I still hadn’t posted yet. Enjoy!
So here’s what I actually wore on New Year’s Eve. We didn’t have extravagant plans (we ended up going to an arcade), but I wanted to at least have a splash of glitter on! I ended up applying false lashes later on, but didn’t get around to reshooting the pictures, so what you’re looking at is sans falsies. This look does use the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons palette, but I promise there’s a full Challenge Week coming up focusing on that palette soon!
Eyes
(Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons palette)
- Pecan Praline through the crease.
- Cafe Au Lait on the lid.
- Bordeaux on the outer half of the lid.
- Divinity on the brow bone.
I applied Make Up For Ever Glitters in 13 to my lower lash line using some Too Faced Glitter Glue. I created the wing with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and applied Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch mascara to my lashes.
Face
- Bronzer: Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow
- Blush: Clinique Cola Pop
- Highlighter: Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow
- Lips: Sephora lipgloss in Queen Bee
This look was completely focused on featuring Too Faced’s Melted Villain lipstick. Although it’s a dark purple, I have to admit that it mostly comes out looking black on me. that’s okay though! I love the colour and it’s NOT patchy! (And yes, I did wear this exact look to work that day!)
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
- Peach Smoothie through the top of the crease.
- Grandstand on the lid.
- Hipster through my crease.
- Burlesque on the outer half ofthe lid.
- Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
I applied Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch mascara to my lashes.
Face
- Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 51 Vanilla
- Concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in 2
- Bronzer: The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in 01 Light Matte
- Blush: Hourglass Luminous Flush
- Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
- Lips: Too Faced Melted Villain
I looooved this look! I did this as a guest post for Up The Rollercoaster last month and just adored how the shots came out. I wasn’t sure how the cranberry tones in the shadows would work with a red lip and if I’m honest, I think it’s a LITTLE bit off, but the overall effect is WA-BAM!
^^ That right there’s a money shot. I’m so pleased with it! 😀
Eyes
- Makeup Geek Peach Smoothie through the top of the crease.
- Makeup Geek Glamorous all over the lid.
- Makeup Geek Bitten on the outer half of the lid and through the crease. I also used Bitten to liner my lower lash line.
- Makeup Geek Corrupt to deepen up the outer corner.
- Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean to highlight the brow bone.
- I used some old MAC gold glitter flecks to add some sparkle to the inner corner. Any gold glitter will do!
I created the wing with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and tightlined my upper water line with Marc Jacobs‘ Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer. I coated my lashes with essence‘s get BIG! lashes volume boost waterproof mascara and applied a pair of Noir Fairy false lashes by House of Lashes. My brows are filled in with Anastasia’s Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde.
Face
- Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
- Bronzer: Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 30M
- Blush: Clinique Cola Pop
- Highlighter: Becca Champagne Pop
- Lips: MAC Russian Red with Brick lipliner to even out the lip lines
Another guest post! (This time for Writing Whimsy.) I really love doing guest posts because it gives me an opportunity to be totally creative. Usually I’ll take a Saturday afternoon and spend a couple hours working on one. This is very different from my usual makeup roundups which are done almost exclusively as my daily work makeup (which doesn’t always afford me the luxury of playing around with glitter since I’m usually in a rush!).
Eyes
After priming my eyelids, I applied NYX‘s Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Black Bean all over the lid and blended out the edges. Then:
- I deepened my almost non-existent crease (thanks hooded lids) with MAC‘s Cork.
- I covered the entire lid with Urban Decay‘s Blackout, making sure to blend it into Cork.
- I then patted on Lit Cosmetics’ glitter in Disco Diva using their glitter adhesive.
- MAC‘s Blanc Type is on the brow bone to even everything out.
- On the inner corner, I blended together Naked Cosmetics IV-05 and IV-03 and patted it on.
I created the inner corner point with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper, thinly lining my upper lash line with it as well. I tightlined my water lines with Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer and applied essence get big! lashes waterproof mascara to my lashes. I lined my lower lash line Lit Cosmetics Peacock glitter.
Face
- Foundation: Revlon Colorstay in 200 Nude
- Bronzer: Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil
- Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
- Highlighter: Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo #1 (highlighting shade)
- Lips: Sephora Good Fairy lipgloss
Alright this one’s just super old. I had toyed with doing a Challenge Week for Laura Mercier‘s Artist palette, but I never got around to finishing it (likely something new and exciting caught my eye!). I did this look sometime in June of 2015.
Eyes
(all Laura Mercier Artist palette)
- Plum Smoke through the crease.
- Guava on the lid.
- Kir Royale on the outer half of the lid.
- Sparkling Dew on the brow bone.
I coated my lashes with essence‘s Lash Princess mascara.
Face
- Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
- Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
- Blush: MAC Sea Me, Hear Me
- Highlighter: Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo #1 – Highlighter
- Lips: MAC Mystical