Holy Grail Alert!!: Laura Mercier's Faux Lash Mascara

I've found it.  I'm serious.  This is THE mascara!  So, I went to Neiman's for one of the "makeover" events and was pretty sure there was nothing new they could surprise me with…until the last step when the MA put on my mascara.  When I looked in the mirror, I could have SWORN she had applied fake lashes.  Needless to say, I HAD to purchase it!  (along with the Teal cake liner shown in the pic below--gorgeous color!).

Here's what Laura Mercier says about the mascara:

"Open your eyes to Laura’s luxurious new mascara—created specifically to give eyes the look of false lashes. As a renowned makeup artist, Laura really knows the dramatic impact of false lashes. With that in mind, she created her latest mascara to give real lashes extreme volume and length for intense exaggeration and drama. The formula is extra-smooth, glossy and good-for-lashes, created with a blend of waxes and absolutely no fibers. Build rich, exaggerated lashes that are extraordinarily thick, super-shiny and conditioned. You’ll never need to bother with false eyelashes again!

Key ingredient to getting the look is the Faux Lash Mascara Brush – the over-sized brush builds thick, beautiful lashes. The dual sided brush head has short bristles on one side that provide maximum color deposit and long bristles on the other to allow for maximum build ability."

The cost is $24 and very much worth it!

mascara only applied to the left eye 

Applied to both eyes

Both lashes coated

Urban Decay- Smoked Palette

Here's my attempt at the "smoldering" look from the look book!

 Ever since I started wearing makeup (about 8 years now) the ONE trick I have had trouble mastering is the "smokey eye."  I always end up looking like I have a BLACK EYE instead.  So, imagine my intrigue when Urban Decay came out with this palette!  I'm happy to say that this is perhaps one of my TOP TEN purchases of 2012 so far.  The shadows are smooth and have outstanding pigment (typical, of course, for UD) and the range of "smokey eye" looks is spectacular. The BEST thing about this palette? The "how-to" book it includes.  I tried one of the looks already and think it was pretty successful:)  I will post more as I give other looks a shot.

The palette comes with 10 shadows PLUS the infamous Perversion eyeliner (THE blackest black I've ever seen in pencil form) AAAAND a travel-sized tube of the UD Primer Potion (can't have too many of those!).  The retail price is $49 and, considering the amount and quality of what you get, it's SO worth it!

Top: Kinky, Lifestyle, Mushroom, Backdoor, Blackout
Center: Perversion swatch
Bottom: Barlust, Rockstar, Evidence, Loaded, Asphalt
(Natural Light)

Top: Kinky, Lifestyle, Mushroom, Backdoor, Blackout

Center: Perversion swatch
Bottom: Barlust, Rockstar, Evidence, Loaded, Asphalt
(With flash)

More pics after the break

Magnetic Attraction

Face: Primer-Laura Mercier Radiance  Bare Minerals (Warm Tan); MAC Blush (Coppertone); Dior Shimmer highlight (Amber Diamond)

Lips: Laura Mercier Lipstick (Fresh Brown) MAC Lipglass (Sonoran Rain)

Eyes: MAC Mineralize Shadow (Magnetic Attraction)

Liner: Urban Decay pencil (Perversion)

Brows: Anastasia pencil (Brunette), Anastasia brow powder (Ebony-the lighter side)

Lashes: curled, then Diorshow Blackout

Eyebrow Chronicals...(Anastasia Brow Enhancing Serum Advanced)

One of the slightly bothersome traits I inherited from my Filipina grandmother is the "thin eyebrow" gene.  Seriously, my eyebrows are so sparsely peppered with hair…and the hair I DO have is very fine, so it ends up being virtually invisible.  I began to get frustrated even filling them in because I often felt like I had to draw in brows where where hair was especially scarce (the inner 1/4 of my brows).  After an hour of scouring the web, I came upon the Anastasia Brow Enhancing Serum ($45 at Sephora).  After just a week and a half, I noticed significant thickening in my brows, as well as wayyyy more hairs growing in that troublesome inner 1/4.  I decided the best way to keep track of the effect of this product was to take pictures regularly.

Here is the product description from Anastasia:

"The serum for healthier, fuller-looking brows. Our advanced pentapeptide chain, comprised of 5 peptides at 10%, has been clinically proven to encourage the growth of thicker, longer- looking hair in 100% of trial subjects. With regular twice-daily use, achieve fuller, longer, and more youthful-looking brows with less breakage."

My regimen has been to put the serum on my eyebrows at night (I used to do it in the morning, too, but it would kinda flake up as I tried to do my brows with my brow powder.)  One really annoying thing about the packaging, though, is that after a few uses, the cap doesn't seem to go on all the way.  Super strange..,

In any case, at $45 I want to make sure this stuff TRULY works, so I will be keeping track!

Brows on 8-1-12 (about 1 1/2 weeks after I started using the brow serum)

8-9-12

Carnival

Face:  Laura Mercier Foundation (Toffee Bronze), Tom Ford (Love Lust)

Lips: Dolce & Gabbana lipstick (Splendid 160)

Eyes: Fyrinnae Eyeshadows

Inner 1/3 Lid:  Rapunzel Had Extensions

Middle of Lid:  Sugar Skulls

Crease/Corner:   Digital Faerie

Highlight: Nijiro

Liner: Digital Faerie mixed with Inglot Duraline

Brows: Anastasia pencil (Brunette), Anastasia brow powder (Ebony-the lighter side)

Lashes: curled, then Diorshow Blackout

Metal

Face:  Laura Mercier Foundation (Toffee Bronze), MAC blush (Coppertone), Dior Shimmer Star (Highlight-Amber Diamond)

Lips: MAC Lip Liner (Hover), Tom Ford Lipstick (Indian Rose), Giorgio Armani Lipgloss (Pink 516)

Eyes: 

Lid:  Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense (#8)

Middle of Lid:  Urban Decay Eyeshadow (Chase)

Crease/Corner:   MAC Pro Longwear Eyeshadow (Make Your Mark)

Highlight: Ricepaper

Liner: Upper lid (Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in "Blackened Brown")

Lower lid (MAC pencil in "Smolder")

Brows: Anastasia pencil (Brunette), Anastasia brow powder (Ebony-the lighter side)

Lashes: curled, then Diorshow Blackout

More pictures after the break…

Pink Purple Lollipop

Face:  Laura Mercier Foundation (Toffee Bronze), MAC Blush (Love Cloud), MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (Star Wonder)

Lips: YSL Glossy Stain (#15)

Eyes: Fyrinnae Shadows-

Inner corner of lid: When I Grow Up

Outer half of lid: Superstar

Crease: Blogger Beauty

Highlight: Nijiro

Liner: Upper lid (Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in "Blackened Brown")

Lower lid (MAC pencil in "Smolder")
Brows: Anastasia pencil (Brunette), Anastasia brow powder (Ebony-the lighter side)

Lashes: curled, then Diorshow Blackout

Blue-Ha-Ha

This is another look I did using Fyrinnae loose shadows!

Face:  Laura Mercier Foundation (Toffee Bronze), Tom Ford Blush (Love Lust)

Lips: 

Cle de Peau gloss (#2)

Eyes:

Entire lid: Fyrinnae shadow (Pteranodon)--used over Pixie Epoxy
Crease (lightly dusted): Fyrinnae Faerie Glamour

Crease and outer lid: MAC Contrast

Highlight: Fyrinnae Nijiro (this color is MAGNIFICENT!)

Liner: Upper lid (Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in "Blackened Brown")

Lower lid (MAC pencil in "Smolder")

Lashes: curled, then Diorshow Blackout

More pictures after the break…

Rapunzel's Fire

I decided to kick off my return with a FOTD using Fyrinnae shadows (my new obsession).  

Face:  Laura Mercier Foundation, NARS Blush (Albatross)

Lips: MAC Lip Pencil (More to Love),  MAC Cremesheen (Star Quality)

Eyes: Fyrinnae Shadows-

Inner half of lid: Rapunzel Had Extensions

Outer half of lid: Sugar Skulls

Crease: Blogger Beauty

Highlight: Nijiro

Liner: Inglot Pigment (#33) mixed with Duraline

Lashes: curled, then Estee Lauder (Extreme Violet)

More pictures after the break...

Coming Soon...

New product swatches and FOTD coming soon! (Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight, new GA Eyes to Kill Intense swatches, Fyrinnae swatches, and more!)

"Soft Teal" LOTD

Face:

Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizer in Dark Tint
MAC Careblend Pressed Powder in DarkBlush
Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush in #10

Eyes:
Primers: Urban Decay Primer potion in Eden; Laura Mercier eye primer in Buff
Lid: Inglot #318
Lid: Inglot # 105R (Top color of Rainbow)
Outer corner/Crease: Inglot # 338   and MAC Birds & Berries e/s
Blending color: MAC Style Snob e/s
Highlight: MAC Ricepaper e/s

Lips:

Dolce & Gabbana lipstick in Charm

More pics after the break!

"This Little Piggy…" (Inglot Pigments)

I know…I need more pigments like I need more…ANYTHING!  But I L.O.V.E. Inglot's pigments enough that I just HAAAAD to have one.  And then another one…and then…(you get the picture).  They're vibrant, long-lasting, and I even managed to find colors that MAC doesn't have (at least that I haven't picked up).  There are still a couple on my "to-buy" list, but I started off with just 13 :)

The pigments are $14 each for 2g/.07 and, compared to MAC's pigments, they are a bit more expensive by the oz.  HOWEVER, with the upfront cost being only $14 (compared to MAC's $19.50) and considering the fact that one will RARELY use up either pigment, this isn't such a bad deal.

I love the design of the containers because I feel they are less prone to tip over because they aren't as skinny/tall as the MAC pigments.  I think the Inglot container feels so solid because it's about the same in width and height; the cylinder shape almost feels "square," if that makes any sense.  Also, the lid screws on more securely than with the MAC pigments.

Well…on to the swatches after the break!

"Candy Fire" LOTD

Face:

Bobbi Brown (tinted moisturizer)

Blush- MAC Early Morning

Highlighter-Dior Amber Diamond

Eyes: Base-"Half Wild" (MAC Paint Pot)

Entire Lid- MUFE Shadow #9

Inner corner- Inglot Pigment #74

Outer corner/crease-MUFE Shadow #92

Above crease-"Madly Personal" (MAC Pigment)

Liner-Stila "Stay All Day" liquid liner in Carbon Black

Lips:

I CANNOT REMEMBER AND IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!

More pictures after the break...

Inglot Lip Sleeks

As part of my Inglot haul last month, I discovered the "Lip Sleeks."  I love the way they glide on (pretty much as smooth as the AMC glosses, with almost no feel to the glittery bits!).  At only $10 each, I can't WAIT to buy more!

46, 52

Lip swatches after the break!

A More Perfect Union! (Armani Eyes to Kill Intense #19)

So what happens when you go on a "no buy" for makeup right before the holidays? You potentially miss out on a fantastic addition to your Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense shadows!!! This is what happened to me! Luckily I happened to be reading a popular beauty blog and spotted the three holiday colors that were released at the end of 2011: #17 (pretty, true 14karat-colored gold); #18 (sparkly, sterling-colored silver); and #19 (a true marriage of the two colors). So, at $32 each, I had some decisions to make! I decided on the #19 because it is the most unique and most gorgeous, in my opinion (plus it's like the best of two colors in one!). So, little did I know, everyone ELSE must have loved this color, too, because I couldn't find it ANYWHERE!!! I checked Nordstrom, Neiman's, Armani, even Bergdorf! No one had #19!! I decided to try my Neiman counter again because the first lady didn't sound like she knew what I was asking for...I'm glad I trusted my instinct! She said there were only two left. I decided not to be greedy and to leave one there for another lucky person on a wild goose chase like me;)

As far as the formula, you can link back to my review of these shadows here. I'm so in love with this color! When I pack it on, it gives an almost platinum-gold look. When I apply a more sheer touch, one can truly spot the individual gold and silver marriage!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

"It Takes Two" (Inglot Lip Duos)

Going along with my latest series of Inglot purchases, it's time for a product I haven't seen anywhere before (at least not with THIS level of quality!).  These duos come in a clear block; one half contains a long-lasting lip paint and the other half has a similarly pigmented gloss (basically one-off the paint color with shimmer).  One thing to watch is that when the block is in a warm environment, the paint can get a little "goopy" so be careful when dipping your finger/brush into it so that you don't take too much product.  The way the MUA explained it, the paint gives a nice, rich color and then you can use the gloss to "punch it up" if you want more "OOMPH."

Each duo costs $14 and I think they are WELL worth the price!  Feel free to ask for more information:)

#15, #17, #19, #24
The top part is the gloss, the bottom part is the paint.

Click for swatches after the break