Copper Caviar Stick Eye Colour by Laura Mercier

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Laura Mercier's Caviar Sticks continue to set the bar for me when it comes to eyeshadow pencils for one and done color washes for the eye.  Copper is a color I picked up back in June and it's a lovely new penny metallic copper that complements my blue eyes.

At $28 each these are pricey, but they lay done color so easily on delicate lids and are easy to smudge out before they set for day.  Over primer I can get a good 8-9 hours of crease free wear on my oily lids, and indeed they tend to fade as opposed to crease on me in general.

I'm still wondering if I should have gotten the holiday Matte to Metal Caviar set but I already have two of the colors, so hence the hesitation.  I'll probably just continue to pick up colors selectively here and there.

I did find one product in my collection that is very close in color:  Maybelline's 24/7 Color Tattoo in Caramel Cool, which was a limited edition color.  It also has a very nice formula and if I had realized how close in color it is to Copper, I may have chosen another Caviar stick instead.  C'est la vie.

Rose Gold Caviar Stick Eye Colour by Laura Mercier

I've wanted to try one of Laura Mercier's Caviar Sticks for the longest, having heard such good things about them.  The travel sized Rose Gold was part of the Flawless Eyes set exclusive to Saks (review of eye shadow palette here), and it's a beauty.

This is the kind of color that I love for an all over base shade on it's own, or as an inner eye and lower lash line brightener.  The formula is so easy to work with, as the color lays down smoothly and wears well on my oily lids for a good eight hours over primer.

I did a comparison with Vasanti's Rose Gold eyeliner pencil. Urban Decay's 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Sin (discontinued), Rimmel's ScandalEYES in Bulletproof Beige, and Tarte's SmoulderEyes in Champagne (LE).  No exact dupes to speak of, and all of these are good performers.  I'd say the Caviar Stick fomula is one of the easier ones to use an an all over eye shade.

At $28, these are on the higher end of the spectrum, but I'll be keeping my eye out for any future sets of the Caviar Sticks.  Very nice.

Flawless Eye Essentials Palette by Laura Mercier

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Laura Mercier is not a brand I've had much experience with, but I've been wanting to try their eye caviar sticks for quite a while.  So during the Saks Beauty Event in February, I bought more than a few Laura Mercier products, including the Flawless Eye Essentials set ($105) that is exclusive to Saks.

Included in this set are an eyeshadow palette with 3 separate quads (you can pop each of these out, which would be great if I could find a smaller case to put them in), a full sized Eye Basics primer in Wheat, a full sized Long Wear Creme Eye Pencil in Noir, a mini Caviar Stick Eye Color in Rosegold, and a full sized Faux Lash Mascara in black.  While $105 is a lot to pay up front, there is value in the set, as all the products minus the palette are worth $92, which means you are paying $13 for the eyeshadows.  And that's what I'll be showing you today :-)

Each shadow is 0.5 g, making them compact but big enough to fit your applicator of choice in.    Swatches are over Urban Decay's primer, and all but three of the colors are limited edition.:

Quartet 1

• Buff - Matte finish (limited-edition shade)
• Pink Pearl - Luster finish (limited-edition shade)
• Java - Sateen finish (limited-edition shade)
• Bamboo - Sateen finish

Quartet 2

• Midnight Navy- Sateen finish (limited-edition shade)
• Glacier - Sateen finish (limited-edition shade)
• Diamond Pink- Luster finish (limited-edition shade)
• Sparkling Noir - Luster finish (limited-edition shade)

Quartet 3

• Violet Ink - Matte finish (limited-edition shade)
• Topaz - Luster finish
• Pale Pink - Matte finish (limited-edition shade)
• African Violet - Luster finish

When I swatched Violet Ink, I literally said "wow" at the intensity of color.  There are a variety of finishes in this palette, and while levels of pigmentation vary, all of the shadows are easy to work with.  Here are some looks I've created using all 3 quads:

I'm enjoying this palette from Laura Mercier and am pleased with the overall results I'm getting!