Make Up For Ever Artist Palette and Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes and Cheeks

Purchased items.

I'll be doing a series of quick and dirty swatch-and-mini review posts for the holiday palettes, as there isn't a lot of time left to purchase or put things on wish lists for the holiday gift-giving season. (And I'll be back to both regularly scheduled programming and some new things come January.)

For today, I have two really, REALLY awesome palettes: The Make Up For Ever Artist Palette and the Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes and Cheeks. (And hey, I just realized the name similarity here. They both wanted to be sure you knew they were MUA-friendly brands, I guess?)

First up, the Make Up For Ever Artist palette. Price is 48$ CAD, available at Sephora.

The new MUFE eyeshadow formula is both unique and a vast improvement over their original formula. It's one of those weird gel-powder hybrids, but without that surface dryness that kind of formula can have. These are creamy and a little dense, with a neat texture when you press your finger into the pan, almost like it has a bit of squishy-ness. The gel part of it, I assume? And unlike a lot powders that claim some kind of special privilege of being usable wet, these powders not only can be applied damp, they transform into an almost cream eyeshadow texture when applied wet. They can be painted on, blended, buffed out without losing potency or getting funky.

All the shades I've tried so far have wonderful pigmentation (especially the Metallic and Iridescent finishes), and more notably, are an absolute dream to build up, sheer out and generally blend. They're so incredibly malleable for a powder eyeshadow. I think the ones that might be the weakest in pigmentation are the Diamond shades, but it's a truly minor difference.

I've heard that these eyeshadows can develop a hard pan surface, which hasn't happened to mine, yet. (I think because of that gel-powder, squishy texture they compact down easily, maybe?)

Shades are, left to right:

M536 (Milk Tea - matte), 1524 (Pinky Beige - iridescent), I550 (Olive Grey - iridescent),
D652 (Celestial Earth - diamond), ME728 (Copper Red - metallic), ME230 (Peacock Blue - metallic, D926 (Blueberry - diamond), ME930 (Black Purple - metallic).

I think the Copper Red and Blueberry are perhaps the only ones where the name doesn't quite match the color, but otherwise they're pretty accurate descriptions.

Next up, the Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes and Cheeks. Price was originally 70$ CAD, now 59$ in the sale section at Sephora. Score!

I have to say that the exterior of the palette is decidedly lacklustre. It's a functional flip top with a magnetic (sort of) closure, and a zebra-like cloth wrap. It's just totally "meh".

Inside, WAY better.

I had a rough patch with the Laura Mercier palette. My first one had a misprint that turned Deep Night into something close enough to a racial slur that I debated with myself for a week before exchanging it. That bump aside, it's a lovely palette! The eyeshadows are up to par with what I expect from LM (compared to, say, the unreliable quality of Bobbi Brown palettes), with silky-smooth mattes, creamy-textured shimmers, and great payoff. I find the rosy tones on the left side especially useful for everyday wear, but the navy also makes a terrific eyeliner shade, and the stone taupe is a go-to contouring shade for both eyelid and cheeks.

The one thing that stands out a bit oddly is the blush/highlighter, as it is distinctly warmer-toned than the rest of the palette. It can be a bit odd pairing them in a cohesive look, but I actually like dusting it a bit over the centre of the lid to add a burnished tone and then applying it as a second, highlighter-y blush over a rosy or taupe blush to tie everything in. It's probably a little less value for the buck if you don't like the blush, since it contains half the amount of eyeshadows compared the palettes from previous years. If you do like it, though, then it's great quality for the price, especially now that it's discounted. (If you want to press your luck, you can also try waiting until the sale section discount thing Sephora usually does later in December/early January.)

Back soon with a few more!

(I purchased everything.)

Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes

Wow. I was writing this review and checking the usual sites for availability and...the Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes was nowhere to be found. Like, NOWHERE. It had poofed right out of existence. I debated whether it was worth putting this up at all, considering, but it is an excellent palette and seems like one of those sleeper hits that ends being stalked on eBay in a few months. A few extra swatches out there for reference can't hurt, right? (If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you know I had planned on making this review one of three for alternatives to the Urban Decay Naked palette family. Ah well. Best laid plans.)

EDIT: Ah! Just called the Holt Renfrew in Montreal, and they still have it in stock. VICTORY. I know the Sephora in Pointe-Claire still had it as of last week. This is one that requires some in-person retailing if you want to track it down.

The Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes features twelve neutral-ish eyeshadows, half of them matte, the other half with shimmer. This is actually my first experience with Laura Mercier powder eyeshadows, and if it's indicative of the quality, then count me in for checking out future offerings.

I have to say, I really like the exterior packaging. It's fun and sophisticated, and not entirely what I think of when I think Laura Mercier, which tends to evoke more staid associations. Like Bobbi Brown, but more neutral. (I don't know why, since the only other LM item I have reviewed so far was the anything-but-yawn-worthy Caviar Stick.)

The real magic is on the inside however, with a selection of perfectly edited shades to suit most of your everyday needs. This palette isn't flashy, but it is The Little Black Dress of palettes, a passe-partout that will take you from workday to cocktails, dinner out to weekend in-and-about.

And then there is African Violet, which is just a stunner. Lavender, with golden shimmer. Need I say more?

I have heard that LM eyeshadows can have sheerer pigmentation (which is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself), but I didn't find that was the case with these at all. All the shades applied with good to superb payoff. The shimmer shades are soft and buttery, not too dense, apply and blend very well.

The mattes are smooth and soft, which means they can kick up a bit of powder when you dip your brush in. It's better to go in with a light hand, blend and apply more as needed, or they can drop pigment down where you don't want it.

The wear on these was great: 8-10 hours easily over primer, some fading after 5 hours without primer, but no creasing.

Left side of the palette.

Right side of the palette.

Mix of natural and artificial light.
Left to right, the top-row shimmers: Chocolate, African Violet, Sable, Guava, Cameo, Sunlit.

Mix of natural and artificial light.
Left to right, the bottom-row mattes: Vanilla Nuts (not sheer, just exactly my skin tone), Plum Smoke, Cafe au Lait, Coffee Ground, Deep Night, Rich Coffee.

Availability: Couldn't find an online source anymore, but it is still available at some Holt Renfrew and Sephora locations. Price is 60$ CAD.

Pros: Exemplary range of neutral-ish shades and finishes, including excellent highlighters and liner options. Great pigmentation, easy to work with and blend. Truly a palette that answers most makeup needs.

Cons: Soft texture and pigmentation can lead to fallout on initial application, so a light hand is encouraged.

(I purchased this item from Sephora.)

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color - "Belle Nouveau" Turquoise

I was browsing the beauty counters at Holt Renfrew recently, and came across the little Laura Mercier counter, hidden off to the side. (Is it just me, or does the Montreal Holt's feel poky and cramped compared to Toronto's?)

The extremely lovely Celia - the Laura Mercier SA - saw my initial fascination with the Caviar Stick Eye Colors, and wasted no time in showing me their wondrous qualities. Needless to say, I walked out with one from the limited Summer collection, and only escaped getting (many) more things due to a waiting friend.

I don't recall seeing the "Belle Nouveau" Summer collection Caviar Sticks at my local Sephora, though the regular shades are available on Sephora.com (and quite possibly I had Brand Blindness when I did browse, since Laura Mercier is not a brand I generally gravitate to). If you do spot them, I highly recommend giving the Caviar Stick in Turquoise a quick swatch. Your mind will be blown.

If you're thinking this bears a striking resemblance to the MAC Shadesticks, you are quite correct. It is, however, a MILLION time better. (Slight exaggeration for dramatic effect.)

You know how the Shadesticks tug at your eye, have inconsistent payoff and generally feel harder than something that's supposed to be smooshed all over your delicate eyelid should feel?

Yeah, none of that with the Caviar Stick. It goes on like butter. Or silk. Silky butter? Meh. Smooth and easy and wonderful, is what I'm trying to get at here. The color just glides right on, and is immediately opaque. There is also no 'peel-back' when you go over the same spot a second or third time.

This does have a longer set-time, so it can be worked - blended, buffed, spackled - for a good five minutes or so. For that time period, it is smudgable, but once set, it takes a dual-phase eye makeup remover to get it off. (Bi-Facil is my weapon of choice.) This lasted an entire day with no problems.

Indirect natural light.

Artificial light.

Direct sunlight.

How gorgeous and summery is that color? An deep, teal/turquoise. It makes me want to go swimming.

Celia assured me that this can also be used in the waterline, though I have no tried that yet. She also demonstrated that the pigment can be picked up with a fine liner brush for a more precise and narrow application. This way it can be used as both an eyeliner and an eyeshadow (or eyeshadow base), despite the chubbiness of the stick.

Availability: Currently at Holt Renfrew and Nordstrom. The regular Caviar Sticks are available at Sephora.com. Price is 30$ CAD.

Pros: Incredible color, especially for summer. Very creamy texture, easy to work with while it sets. Once set, crease-resistant and long-wearing.

Cons: Can be a bit of a pain to take off.

(I purchased this item at Holt Renfrew.)