You can’t go wrong with a soft peachy-gold eyeshadow for an all-over easy & quick eye look. For girls with medium skintone, there are tons of your-lids-but-better options out there for a no-fail shimmery peach. My all time favorite is Chanel Abricot which I hear has now been discontinued. Luckily you can probably still find it at one of your local counters. Some of the peachy shades look pale on my skin even though they look peachy in the container.
Dior Beige Select, Chanel Abricot, Trish McEvoy Golden Apricot, Bobbi Brown Golden Peach, Laura Mercier Guava (old formula)
MAC Rubenesque & Shu Uemura Cream P Beige
MAC Hush, Motif, Jest, Arena (in pro-palette form)
Urban Decay Blaze, MAC Evening Aura, MAC Say Yeah
Paul & Joe #22, Paul & Joe #003, Armani Maestro #19
MAC Jardin Aires Pigment, MAC Melon Pigment, Laura Mercier Gemstone Mineral Eye Color, Laura Mercier Peach Luster Mineral Eye Color
All the shades grouped together (note, I apologize for the error below, but the color labeled Dazzleray is actually Jardin Aires):
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Out of all the Laura Mercier Exclusive Sets this year, the Saks Spring Must-Have Collection is definitely the winner! The set retails for $65 and is exclusive to Saks Fifth Avenue in the US and can now be found online here. It includes:
* full sized Babydoll Lip Glace * mini pink rose face quad * mini bold berries eyeshadow quad * 2 mini brushes, face and pony tail * mini mascara * mini foundation primer
FYI – All the colors and items are also available in the regular Laura Mercier line with the exception of the Bold Berries eyeshadow quad which is exclusive to this set. Her mini brushes are excellent in quality and are usually just as good as the full sized versions. By now I have so many mini brushes, I’m starting to get repeats. My mom and sister get to benefit from my extras 🙂
It seems like a really good deal for the set. There is a cute GWP at Saks too (see pics below). The Bold Berries quad is really cute and all the shades have shimmer. I won’t be swatching this quad – I did test it instore and the pigment was pretty good. Seemed to be on par with other single eyeshadow colors. I wish the quad was bigger – it seems like it might be difficult to apply since all the colors are placed so close together. I will just try to use my smaller brushes.
This is the GWP from Saks. It includes a full-sized Blush Lip Glace which is a great natural your-lips-but-better pinky shade.
Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus also have their own exclusive sets. These feature brighter shades of orange, teal and bronze. Fun for summer, but definitely not me and doesn’t seem very “laura mercier.” When I think of Laura Mercier’s line, I think sophisticated, classic, demure. The new sets seem to be very “out-of-the-box” for her brand. Still fun and cute though. The Saks set seemed the most wearable for me. I believe each store’s sets retail for $65 – so if you’re near a neimans or nordies definitely check them out!
FYI – I also purchased some bath and body items along with this set for the GWP.
I just got the March 2010 issue of The Book from Neiman Marcus in the mail and two of the previews in their beauty section caught my eye:
1) A Trish McEvoy Planner set retailing for $95, exclusive to Neimans which includes: Petite Planner Page, Eye Base Essentials n Bars, Instant Pick-Me-Up Face Color, Translucent Setting Powder, Deluxe Diamond Eyeshadow in Crystal, Eye Definer in Arabian Nights, Glaze Eyeshadow in Azure, and Irresistible Lipgloss in Petal cased in a faux crocodile makeup planner.
I believe other Trish locations will be receiving the same set (contents) with a different planner in the blue python print similar to the case for the Champagne Truffles Card (reviewed here).
2) I heard of the Laura Mercier Zen palette from my friend Parsi about a month ago and I’m glad to finally see a photo of it because now my lemming is gone. The Zen palette retails for $60. The other items pictured were repromotes so I didn’t take pictures of those items.
I think my wallet is safe. I find the Planner Set is cute, but I’ve caved into one too many “planner sets” which I find end up collecting dust and end up being regifted or swapped away. The Laura Mercier set looks stunning, but I will need to see/test it in person before buying. I’m not the biggest fan of palettes that have creams (lipsticks) and powders (eyes/cheeks) on the same layer because they tend to get a bit messy.
I’m not sure if purple is “in” this season (with the exception of a part of MAC’s upcoming Spring Forecast collection) – but I’m not always one to follow the trends. When I think of spring, I think of soft colors and I love using purple on one feature for the face at a time (to avoid that purple overload look). I pulled out my soft purply colors and was surprised to find how much lilac and violets I own.
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Part 1: Eyes
For eyes, I can’t pull off all purples – some lilacs make me look like I have pink-eye but these are the ones that work for me. I would have to say my favorites are the Armani Maestro Single #10 because it has some slight gold sparkles and the new Paul & Joe Purple Clover from spring (waves to Josie for her wonderful swatch and review here).
1. Giorgio Armani Maestro Quad 6 Mineral 2. Giorgio Armani Maestro Single 10 3. NARS Duo Eyeshadow Violetta 4. MAC Violet, Dear (discontinued) 5. Laura Mercier Luster Eyeshadow Dusk (mini size from GWP) 6. Paul & Joe Face & Eyecolor CS in Purple Clover 066 7. MAC Eyeshadow Pro Palette in Crystal 8. Laura Mercier Mineral Eye Powder in Crushed Amethyst 9. Trish McEvoy Eyeshadow in Haze 10. Paul & Joe Eyeshadow Velvet Ribbon 06 11. MAC Pigment in Kitchmas 12. MAC Pigment in Lovely Lily (l/e) 13. MAC Pigment in Circa Plum (l/e)
* Please note, I’m not a fan of that Nars Violetta swatch, the lighter matte shade doesn’t always go on as muddy dark as it did on my arm
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Part 2: Lips
For lips, I can’t wear straight purples or lilacs for the lips. Most of these are either sheer or have some pink pearl in them to give a soft cool pink lip. My favorites are Laura Mercier’s Violet & Lilac Lip Glaces.
1. Bobbi Brown Brightening Lipgloss Pink Lilac 2. Laura Mercier Plumping Lipgloss in Wild Berry 3. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Violet 4. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Lilac 5. MAC Lustreglass in Morning Glory 6. MAC Lipglass Nico Now (l/e) 7. MAC Lipglass Fast Friends (l/e) 8. Nars Chastity Lip Gloss 9. Nars Sweet Charity Lip Gloss 10. Chanel Glossimer in Delight 11. Laura Mercier Stickgloss Lip Color in Purple Haze
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Part 3: Nails
I’m not the biggest fan of purple nails. I got a few of these as gifts yet can’t bring myself to regift them or give them away (because often times it’s the thought that counts). I desperately wanted to love Chanel’s Rodeo Drive (gorgeous violet purple) but it was simply too bright for my comfort. Chanel’s Lilac Sky is much more doable for me. I do like lighter purples for the nails, I also have a photo/swatch of Le Metier Phlox here, but it’s currently MIA.
Pinkie to Thumb: Sephora by OPI Call Your Mother, OPI Parlez-Vous OPI?, MAC Love & Friendship, Chanel Violette (euro exclusive), Chanel Lilac Sky
I went to the mall to do some returns while checking out the Bobbi Brown Corals Collection. I found some cute things – not all makeup related, so if you’re only interested in the makeup part, I apologize!
Stop #1: J.Crew – I went in to return a scarf that I wasn’t so wowed with after my initial purchase but there were so many pretty new spring clothes, I couldn’t resist trying on a few things.
Rose Vines Bandaged Dress Item #25270 $138 (couldn’t find this online yet though) + the newest catalog
Tried on a cotton ruffle dress in XS (left) which was super comfy but just looked odd with the ruffles near the bust. I don’t remember the item number but I can’t find it online either. It retailed for $69.50 and also came in a light grey color. Also tried the Rose Vines Bandaged Dress in Size 2 (right) which I ended up purchasing. It’s difficult to see up close but the top has banded layers of fabric.
Frances Heart Cami Item #24735 which is currently on sale for $69.99. This is in Size 0. It looks way better on the model at Jcrew. A bit frilly but I still thought it was cute.
This is my favorite look from the new catalog.
Stop #2: Nordstrom – Bobbi Brown Cabana Corals haul plus some other browsing.
Bobbi Brown Cabana Corals Haul (which you saw yesterday)
Didn’t buy any of these since I don’t have babies – but looking at these makes me want to have them. I just about died when I saw those baby boy Pumas.
Stop #3: Saks – I snapped pics of the upcoming Laura Mercier Exclusive set which has the Pink Rose Blush Quad, Bold Berries Eyeshadow Quad, 2 mini brushes, full size Babydoll Lipgloss, a mini mascara and mini foundation primer. I actually saw this at SCP a few weeks ago and I was under the impression it was for sale. My local Saks said it’s only available for presale right now. I can’t remember the price, but I want to say around $65-68ish?
Picked up the YSL Spring Highlighter + Armani Maestro Quad #6.
Stop #4: Sephora – Tarte Cheek Stain in Tipsy, a nice soft but healthy coral-pink.
I watched part of the Red Carpet coverage of the Golden Globes and was inspired by Marion Cotillard’s beautiful deep teal-green dress, eyeliner and nails she wore to dig through my collection and find similar shades so I could try to recreate the look. You can see her look linked here.
I don’t have a lot of blues or teals in my stash but with a little practice was able to combine the shades to achieve a similar result. Just a disclaimer: I have no idea what products or colors were used on her actual look, this is just what I tried myself to get a similar effect.
My application steps/technique:
Cheeks: First apply MAC Dainty on apples of cheeks followed by a sheer dust of Pink Swoon.
Eyes: Apply a pale champagne cream on eyes as a base like Nars Copacabana and dust MAC Quick Frost pigment from lash to brow (apply heavier near lash line). Right around the rims of the eyes, apply a seafoam green shimmer like the Bottom Left shade of Chanel Murano followed by a smokey line of a darker smokey grey-green like the Top Left shade of Chanel Murano. Apply a teal green liner like Laura Mercier Black Turquoise Eye Kohl heavily along upper lash line and lower lash line. Take a slightly damp brush and apply a shimmery teal-green shadow like MAC Deep Blue Green Pigment or Chanel Murano right over the pencil blending with a soft brush for a smudged look. The last step for the eyes (not pictured) is to take a contouring powder or soft brown like MAC Soba or Era and apply right over the middle of the eye for depth/contour.
Lips: Line with a pale pink shimmer like Trish McEvoy Essential Pencil in Baby Pink and top with a shimmery shell pink lipstick like Chanel Waikiki Aqualumiere. Top with a matching gloss for shine like Dior #431.
I would have liked to get a brighter smokey teal along the lash lines, the teals I have are darker and more subdued. I learned from experimenting that the key to get a brighter teal is to layer the colors from light to dark. Layering the Laura Mercier Black Turquoise, MAC Deep Blue Green Pigment and dark green shade from Chanel Murano over the lighter shades brings out the teal shimmer more.
For nails, I pulled out my green shades. I’m still in search for a dark teal shimmer that doesn’t look black in natural light. It’s hard for me to find something that’s the right balance of teal and dark shimmer. Most teals are either too bright for my taste or too dark. All swatches are taken with a flash, each has 3 coats. Anyone have alternative recommendations on pretty dark teal shimmers?
I have been procrastinating on a few comparison requests and thought I’d post this in case anyone else had the same questions. I plan to be a better blogger this upcoming year and be more on top of things!
Comparison Project #1: How does Edward Bess Intimate compare to other shades, particularly Chantecaille Pyrite & Benefit Fawn Over Me?
Chantecaille Pyrite has more gold while Edward Bess is definitely more taupe/brown. Benefit Fawn Over Me might look like a close dupe at first glance, but looking more closely will show that it’s more of a paler sandy champagne compared to the Edward Bess. Here it is compared to similar shades.
Top: Chantecaille Pyrite, Edward Bess Intimate, Laura Mercier Bamboo Middle: Scott Barnes Sable, Benefit Fawn Over Me, Guerlain Sable Blonde Bottom: Becca Mermaid, Nars Cyprus, Benefit Fawn Over Me
1) Chantecaille Pyrite 2) Edward Bess Intimate 3) Laura Mercier Bamboo 4) Scott Barnes Sable 5) Benefit Birthday Suit 6) Guerlain Sable Blonde 7) Becca Mermaid 8) Nars Cyprus 9) Benefit Fawn Over Me
Bottom line: In my opinion, there is nothing like Edward Bess Intimate and I find it different enough to justify owning even if you have any of the above shades. This post will be updated later this afternoon with swatches.
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Comparison Project #2: Is Bobbi Brown Java Metallic similar to the brown shade in Nars Brousse?
Bobbi Brown Java is a cooler mouse-grey when compared to Nars Brousse which seems to have a tinge of red. By itself you would barely be able to detect any red tones to Nars Brousse. I’ve also compared it to a few other medium-dark cool-toned browns.
Top: Edward Bess Mystery, Bobbi Brown Java Metallic, Nars Brousse Bottom: Cle de Peau Satin 106, MAC Magnetic Fields, Jouer Espresso
1) Edward Bess Mystery 2) Bobbi Brown Java Metallic 3) Nars Brousse 4) CdP 106 5) MAC Magnetic Fields 6) Jouer Espresso
What’s the verdict? Are these different enough to justify owning all? Probably not unless you are a brown eyeshadow fanatic like me. This section will also be updated with swatches if my camera will cooperate with me later today. While I love the Cle de Peau 106, it can look a bit bruisey on my Chanel Shell (equals MAC NC30-35) skin and it’s the least shimmery.
