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Laura Mercier

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On My Radar / New in Beauty

September 28, 2014

I hope everyone has been enjoying the weekend. We’re still experiencing really warm weather in Southern California but it’s finally started to cool down a little bit. Fall and holiday items are trickling in stores but it doesn’t feel like fall yet. A few new items I’ve spotted that are on my current beauty radar:

Chanel has re-released some cult classics in the new Collection Les Rouges Culte (1). There are three Le Vernis shades in Rouge Flamboyant, Laque Rouge, and Rouge No. 19 along with three featured shades of Rouge Coco Shine in Boheme, Dialogue and Suspense. In my mind Chanel can do no wrong when it comes to reds so I ordered the nail polishes and will swatch them as soon as they arrive.

I’m always on the hunt for cool stationery. I find hand-written notes can be fun and they add that personal touch which I feel is slowly disappearing in this digital age of e-mails and texts. Connor has this cute Emoji Stationery Set (2) which I have on my wish list. I have their desk calendar and love their exquisite designs and the card stock they use is very good quality.

Marc Jacobs Beauty has some new items for fall and holiday. There are 9 new shades of Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer (3) for fall (hover over the shades on Sephora to see which colors are labeled as “new”). I have my eyes on Blanche (white cream), Cobra (black grape) and Louise (ballet pink beige). There are some new items for holiday which includes a new Collector’s Edition Midnight in Paris shade that comes in a keepsake box.

Also for fall, there are several new palettes of the Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No.7 – Plush Shadow (4). I just ordered Enigma which has a mix of black, grey, taupe and pink. I’ll be swatching in the next couple weeks and report back.

L’Occitane recently released the Bonne Mère Collection (5). There are a number of shower gels and soaps in this line that is very gentle. Each comforting formula is hypoallergenic and PH neutral, made without parabens or phenoxyethanol. I’ve been testing a couple of the shower gels in Rosemary and Olive over the past couple of months and they are amazing. Rosemary is such a unique one with a refreshing one that has a beautiful scent (it’s not like actual rosemary like I expected).

Laura Mercier Peach Hope Lip Glacé (6) is a shimmering coral peach with gold flecks. 100% of the profits go to the Laura Mercier Ovarian Cancer Fund.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (7) will launch next month (you can add your e-mail to the wait list at Sephora). It’s a definite must-have on my list, I hope to have swatches of this beauty this week as well. First impressions are that it took my breath away as soon as I opened it.

Diptyque Benjoin (8) is an online exclusive that is described as somewhere in between vanilla and caramel. It sounds like it could be either incredibly amazing or overly sweet. I have this on the way to my house and will report back as soon as I am able to burn it. This one is available for a limited time.

What’s on your beauty radar this week?

P.S. Thank you to everyone who entered last week’s giveaway! The winner has been announced on the widget, congrats to Denise P at e-mail deniseg*******[email protected], check your inbox, i just sent you a message 🙂

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On My Radar / New In Beauty

August 27, 2014

Happy mid-week lovelies! A few items that popped on my beauty radar this week. Fall collections look incredibly beautiful and there are a number of new foundation formulas on the market that sound promising.

  1. Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt has arrived for fall and it sounds amazing! This will come in a Candle, Body Cream,  are the the 1 oz and 3.5 oz Cologne Spray, I can’t wait to check it out this week
  2. Christian Louboutin will launch 30 new shades of nail polish at the end of the month, I have my eye on The Nudes Nail Colors (available for pre-order at Nordstrom)
  3. Clé de Peau Beauté Radiant Fluid Foundation has been on my radar for a while now, I received a sample packet (but in the wrong shade), it felt really nice on the skin, if you’ve tried it please let me know what you thought, I have friends that keep telling me it really is the best, but I can’t bring myself to splurge just quite yet
  4. Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Foundation is another new formula on the market, I tested a couple samples I received at the store, it did feel amazingly smooth, evened out the skin and covered imperfections while looking natural, I had a hard time deciding on a shade
  5. YSL Fusion Ink Foundation is yet another new one, I’ve heard nothing but great things about this, it’s on my list to try out
  6. Giorgio Armani Fall has arrived, the Palette Yeux Organica Palette looks absolutely amazing, it’s on hold for me at my local Neiman Marcus counter and I hope to pick it up in the next few days
  7. Jin Soon Choi collaborated with designer Tess Giberson to create five new nail colors, I ordered two and will share them soon, the five shades are Heirloom, Farrago, Mélange, Pistache and Nocturne, available now at Nordstrom and Space NK
  8. Tom Ford Fall has started to trickle in stores and has been selling out at lightening speeds. Today, some items have popped up online at Neiman Marcus including the Contouring Cheek Duos in Stroked and Softcore, Black Cherry Nail Lacquer, and Lip Colors in Negligee and Twist of Fate.
I have the Tom Ford and a couple JINsoon polishes to review soon. I ordered the Tom Ford Fall Collection from Saks NY after calling around several stores to find they had sold out and had wait lists going. Many have been asking me to rush the review and post it stat. I took about 1/2 of the pictures to review and my camera broke (heartbreak!!) before I could do swatches, it will take 3 weeks to get repaired so I purchased another camera which is on its way. I have some other items photographed and ready to publish in the mean time. I appreciate your patience. If you’re thinking about the Tom Ford, I suggest you act fast. I’ve been testing it and the eye quad and cheek duos are a must if you don’t want to wait for online items to show up, call your closest Tom Ford Counter or Boutique to place an order.

What’s on your beauty radar this week?
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On My Radar / New In Beauty

July 5, 2014

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! A few items currently on my radar, from top left clockwise:

What’s on your radar this week? Have you seen any other new fall items in stores yet? I’m eagerly waiting to see Tom Ford and all the Chanel quads.

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Eye Makeup Roundup

Neutral Creamy Shimmer Wash Eye Shadows | NARS, By Terry, Laura Mercier, RMS and Chanel

June 25, 2014
Lately I’ve been a fan of these swipe and go shimmery wash eyeshadows. I like a creamy texture so there’s no extra base needed for good pigment and blending. I like neutrals but have discovered a few non-nude shadows I find good for color, dimension and glow. Just add a simple black or bronze liner and mascara and you’re good to go (for lazy makeup days). I also find them good for touch ups if you’re transitioning from day to night to add a bit of depth to the eyes. The creamy textures mean you apply straight from the tube if it’s a twist up stick or right from the compact with your fingers and smudge/blend easily. My current favorite neutrals:
  • NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Iraklion ($25) is a mauve rose quartz taupe fawn shimmer. It blends out to a sheer finish but nicely contours the lids. You can layer for more color and it also works well as a base for powder shadows but won’t change the color.
  • Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Rose Gold ($26) is a shimmery gold with a slight hint of pink tones, on me it pulls more champagne gold but the pink prevents it from being a pure yellow gold. It’s on the creamy side so if you have oily lids you may need a matte base underneath.
  • By Terry Ombre Blackstar ($43 each) in Ombre Mercure (interesting oyster that flashes gold and a bit of green sparkle), Frozen Quartz (cool medium pink sparkle) and Misty Rock (plum pink) are all intense creamy shadows, I adore each of them alone on the lid with a simple liner. They are on the pricey side but the quality, texture and lasting power make these worth every penny.
  • RMS Cream Eyeshadow in Solar ($28) is something I use on a weekly basis, alone or as a base, there’s something so pretty about a rich gold shimmer for the eyes that warms up the complexion (review here)
  • Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Emerville ($36) is a classic champagne peach shimmer. I think it’s one neutral shimmer everyone should have in their beauty collection. It makes a lovely wash all over the lids.
  • NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows ($29 each) in Europa and Andromeda (reviews here) are nice when layered together for that simple polished glow look for the eyes. 

Swatched side by side you can see they look intense when swatched straight from the tube, the pigment is good and textures are super easy to blend and layer. They aren’t quite as frosty when you blend them out. My assessment for shimmer levels:
  • Most shimmery are the By Terry Ombre Blackstar sticks but if you’ve tried these you know they blend out really nicely but maintain the color. RMS Solar is on the shimmery side as well but the gold base blends well with my natural skintone almost like a contour.
  • Medium shimmers are Laura Mercier Rose Gold and Chanel Emerville.
  • Sheer shimmers are NARS Iraklion and Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows in Europa and Andromeda (most in this formula are intense, but I have the softest ones).

What are your favorite creamy shimmer shadows for an all over wash? Do you have any swipe and go kind of shadows you love? Or are you one who usually prefers to layer more color on the eyes?

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Tom Ford Spring Nail Polish Comparisons to Chanel, MAC, Marc Jacobs, NARS, YSL and Laura Mercier

February 13, 2014

Sugar Dune is more pinkish compared to other nude pinks like Chanel Jade Rose, Tom Ford Toasted Sugar and Tom Ford Show Me The Pink.

Coral Beach is more of a straight peach compared to Chanel Distraction, Laura Mercier Cabana (discontinued) and NARS Vertebra (discontinued from the Pierre Hardy collection).

Incandescent is the perfect mix of copper, gold and rose. It’s not too metallic on the hands which makes for a more neutralish shimmer. Below compared to Chanel Delight, MAC Soiree, Chanel Rose Moire and Marc Jacobs Le Charm.

Indiscretion proves to be a slightly deeper but brighter pink. Below compared to Tom Ford Trophy Wife, Chanel Pulsion, Chanel Rose Insolent and YSL Rose Babydoll.

I hope these comparisons help with your purchasing decisions!

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Laura Mercier Spellbound Face Illuminator

July 7, 2013
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Laura Mercier’s Dark Spell Collection for fall features a stunning glowy Face Illuminator in Spellbound ($42 for 10g/0.35 oz). Run immediately to your closest Laura Mercier counter to pick this one up. You may remember Rose Rendezvous (released back in 2011) sold out instantly. I suspect this one will be a fast seller as well.
Spellbound is a stunning rose-gold highlighter. It has incredible pigment that is visible on the skin even when brushed and blended. The shimmer is highly visible but it’s not quite as frosty as MAC’s Extra Dimension Skinfinish highlighters or Estee Lauder’s Gelee Highlighters. I’ve worn Spellbound over and under blush or bronzer and also as a highlight for the eyes. This is just so so gorgeous, words cannot describe this one. Lasting power is quite good and doesn’t turn your face into a glowy mess. I love that this one doesn’t emphasize pores like some metallics can. The application is quite smooth and lightweight.

Compared to other highlighters below. I find it most similar to Chanel Mouche de Beauté minus the glitter/sparkle and with a bit more finely milled shimmer/pigment. You can see that the shimmer isn’t quite as sharp as with some of the other highlighters. Pigment is hard to show because it blends in with my skintone but the pigment is very good with Spellbound.

Bottom line: back-up worthy. Be sure to check out the lovely reviews and swatches on The Non-Blonde and Best Things in Beauty.
Laura Mercier’s Dark Spell Collection has arrived in stores now. You can find Spellbound now online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Lauramercier.com. It’s listed as limited-edition so I suggest you order sooner than later so you don’t miss out.

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Laura Mercier Organza Nail Lacquer – Fall 2012 Cinema Noir

June 13, 2012

The first signs of fall beauty have arrived. The Non-Blonde gave us a first look at Laura Mercier’s first installment for fall 2012 with beautiful swatches of the Mystere Eye Shadow Duo. This past weekend, I spotted the display at Saks and picked up the palest item in the collection: Organza Nail Lacquer ($18), a neutral light sheer beige with a tinge of light pink loaded with tiny gold and silver sparkles. It’s sheer and different from anything I own. It’s reminiscent of OPI’s classic Hollywood Blonde, but a golden version with a slightly more pigmented nude base. I applied this with two coats although I three might be better. Still, two coats resulted in an glowy and sparkly look.

Close up at an angle so you can see the beige base and gold sparkles suspended, if you turn this in the sun you see multi-colored shimmers in some champagne and silvery sparkles:

In terms of comparisons, Laura Mercier’s Organza might remind you of other shades such as Essies Chips No Potatoes (which looked horribly yellow on me) or other Chanel Beige-Golds such as Beige Rose or Beige d’Or. It does indeed have a similar feel, but the base has a slight pinkish mix to help this from looking yellow on olive skintones (like mine). Here are a few comparisons:

I found mine at Saks and this should be arriving at counters now. I’m not sure whether it’s limited edition or not, these days I tend to assume most items are these days. Bottom line, gorgeous, subtle and glowy. I’ve worn this for three days now with no chips or tip wear yet. Laura Mercier’s Organza is perfectly polished without being too distracting or glitzy.
The other two shades released were a warm mink-pink cream and a warm light cocoa. I thought they were too close to my skintone to be flattering for me, but curiosity will definitely lead me to another trip soon to test those on the fingers.
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