Tag Archives: eyeshadow

The Perfect Eyeshadow Palette: Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

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Hello from San Francisco! After two days of exploring the city on foot,  I’m getting some downtime and taking the opportunity to do a quick blog post. It’s fun to see a lot of the city, but it’s also hella exhausting. Oh yes, I’ve also adopted the local slang. ;)

Yesterday I met up with Marisol for the first time in real life (hey girl!) and she showed me around the city a little, including a short stop at Sephora just to browse. Yeeeeaahhh, um. No. This happened:


Stolen from missmarisol’s Instagram

And then, I picked up the Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette ($48 US / $60 CDN at Sephora) because it’s awesome.


Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette


Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette

I’m only going to say this: all the eyeshadows in the palette are richly pigmented, smooth and beautiful shades. Have you ever seen a navy so rich as Deep Night? I never have. Wow! Now I’m going to let the swatches speak for themselves.


Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette Swatches: Chocolate, African Violet, Sable, Guava, Cameo, Sunlit


Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette Swatches: Vanilla Nuts, Plum Smoke, Cafe au Lait, Coffee Ground, Deep Night, Rich Coffee

If you’re hanging on to a $15 or $20 off $50 at Sephora, this is a great early Christmas gift for yourself. This is probably one of my best buys of the year.

And one last photo… because 1) San Francisco is crazy festive right now, with Christmas decorations in and outside every building; 2) balls! :)


I think I’m a little too happy with these massive Christmas balls!

Hello Cheekbones: 60 Seconds with Chanel Notorious Ombre Contraste

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There is a buzz in the beauty world about a new taupe/grey contouring powder. That buzz said “Get it. You need it. Must have. Iloveitsomuch. This stuff is a game changer.” I almost literally ran to the store to buy the powder – Chanel Notorious Ombre Contraste ($48) — after hearing that it’s available in Holt Renfrew Chanel counters across Canada.


Chanel Notorious Ombre Contraste


Chanel Notorious Ombre Contraste – swatch

Why is this product such a game changer, you ask? The grey tones, instead of the usual brown, mimics shadows of the face perfectly. It is meant to be worn all as an eyeshadow or face contour powder). Notorious sculpts the face to perfection. Want a deeper eye crease? Want a skinnier nose (without an actual nose job)? Want strong cheekbones and jaw line? Notorious can help with that. For reference, my skin tone is around MAC NC37-40 or NARS Barcelona.


Before & After Chanel Notorious Ombre Contraste


Wearing Chanel Notorious Ombre Contraste

If you are new to contouring, I made a step-by-step tutorial on how I sculpt my face. You might find it helpful. :)

Want to see more?

  • See Notorious on a lighter skin tone at Messy Wands.
  • Here’s a fantastic before and after comparison on a yet lighter skin tone (and stunning face) at Getting Cheeky.
  • The Beauty Look Book has great comparison photos and swatches of Notorious and other taupe powders.

I Love Matte Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colours. Yes, I Do!

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Some things I get really excited about:

  1. The return of The Walking Dead. This Sunday. Really, I might crap my pants!
  2. Dessert. If there’s chocolate-anything on the menu (lava cake is preferred), I’m getting it 99.99% of the time.
  3. Playing ninja cat with Scherbie.
  4. Finding really great matte eyeshadows.

After diving into the world of makeup artistry (mostly bridal) this year, I quickly learned how essential good matte eyeshadows are in my kit. It’s pretty easy to find lovely formulas for pearly and shimmery eyeshadows. Mattes, on the other hand, mostly end up chalky or too dry and sheer.


Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colour Packaging

When I got the chance to try several matte shades of Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colours ($7.50), I jumped on the opportunity right away. These eyeshadows are mineral-based and are supposed to be great for fighting oily eyelids. The individual pans are magnetic and stick well to my Z-palette. Also, the rectangular shape (as opposed to a round one) means that I can fit more of them in there.

  • White Lily is off-white.
  • Sweet Cream is a light beige.
  • Golden Vanilla is a light yellow brown.
  • Silky Caramel is a mid-tone warm brown.
  • Hazelnut is a mid-tone chocolate brown.
  • Lavender Fog is lavender.
  • Sienna is a mid-tone reddish brown.
  • Cinnabar is a dark chocolate brown.
  • Espresso is surprisingly not brown, but a deep blue purple.
  • Coal is a deep grey. This one was supposed to be a black, but it swatches lighter and is the chalkiest of the bunch.


Top row: White Lily, Sweet Cream, Golden Vanilla, Silky Caramel, Hazelnut
Bottom row: Lavender Fog, Sienna, Cinnabar, Espresso, Coal

I will tell you this now: OMG I’m in love. These eyeshadows are so pigmented that I like them more than my MAC matte eyeshadows. Let’s compare, shall we? I get 1.5g for $14.50 = $9.67 per gram at MAC; 1.4g for $7.50 = $5.35 per gram (Mary Kay). It costs almost half as much, and the high quality is something I would liken to shu uemura’s matte eyeshadows.


Mary Kay vs. MAC Eyeshadow (size difference)


White Lily, Sweet Cream, Golden Vanilla, Silky Caramel, Hazelnut


Lavender Fog, Sienna, Cinnabar, Espresso, Coal

Besides these, there are two other shades in the matte lineup: Almond and Iris. I’ll likely make these two mine — all mine — as well. :)


Mary Kay Mineral Eye Colours – Matte

I’m really pleased with these eyeshadows that I am definitely including these in my professional kit. I think these are perfect for wedding makeup. :) Do you have a favourite matte eyeshadow, or do you prefer to work with pearly/shimmery formulas?