Laura Mercier Lip Glace

Along with the palette, my Laura Mercier steal of a makeup kit from Gilt contained a brush and 3 mini glosses, called Lip Glace. I'm definitely more of a lipstick girl and this was my first experience with Laura's glosses. These are smooth and not too sticky with a sweet scent that almost completely masks a "makeup-y" smell. The shades are Petal, Bare Beige and Baby Doll, all of which are available in full size for $22. Petal is an iridescent golden pink, Bare Beige a browny nude and Baby Doll a sheer sparkling pink confection. All apply sheerly but with enough pigment to give perceptible color.
From left: Petal, Bare Beige, Baby Doll
Baby Doll, Petal, Bare Beige

A Brief Interlude In The Prolonged Dry Spell

Well the makeup drought seems to be ongoing. I went to NJ today for the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and didn't even peek into Sephora or Neimans, and I only quickly scanned the Beauty Exclusives. I did pick up a Chanel Paradoxal and a replacement Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Baby, which really has turned out to be my Holy Grail. I've used up but a few lip products in my life and this is one of them. I'll post more on Paradoxal later this week, but so far it's not rocking my world. It's much more gray and flat that one would think from the bottle.

My Laura Mercier Gilt order arrived on Friday! Included was a Satinee Creme Shadow in Ecru Silk and a gift set containing this palette along with three mini glosses and a brush:
The shades are: Vanilla Nuts/Coffee Ground, Gold Dust/Sherazade and Primrose/Kir Royale.

The palette is the newer refillable version so I can swap shades in and out for travel and when I get bored! I'm not a huge pink/purple person so I just may have to head to a counter soon to find a suitable alternative for the Primrose/Kir Royale spot.

I found the Ecru Silk Satinee Creme Shadow to be cakey and streaky, and effect I never experienced with Laura Mericer Metallic Creme Shadows. It promptly found a home with my mother.

The glosses are sheer but beautiful and deserve a post all their own.

Manicure of the Week

This week I have a combination of Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer in Stormy Blue topped with Sephora by OPI Just a Fairy-Tail. Unfortunately the Sephora doesn't photograph well--it's a sheerish silvery holographic shimmer. The combination is beautiful in the sun!

The First Makeup Item To Tempt Me in Weeks

I'm not sure that this is the cure for my makeup ennui, but I went to Sephora.com for the first time in quite a while today and saw this exclusive Laura Mercier Beauty Insider palette ($48) and it's right up my alley! Called the Bonne Mine Healthy Glow for Face and Cheeks Creme Colour Palette, it features a Bronzer Veil, 2 Cheek Veils and 2 Glow Veils. According to Sephora, "[t]his ultra-sheer, blendable palette wakes up the skin and gives it an immediate, healthy glow. Customize your look with bronzer, cheek color, and glow for a natural "no makeup" radiance. Inside, there are tabs that fan out to display Laura's secrets on how to best use the formulas to create standout results."

Cream blush and bronzers? sign me up! This palette is currently for Beauty Insiders only and it's now at the top of my wishlist!

MVP Of The Week

I've pretty much been wearing the same face all week: concealer under my eyes, some powder to blot shine on my forehead, NARS Turks and Caicos, a quick wash of a neural shadow, Stila Smudge Stick in Purple Tang and a quick swipe of gloss. I've grabbed Hourglass Extreme Sheen Gloss in Truth on my way ou the door a few times this week and have been pleasantly surprised.

My love for these glosses is well documented, but I haven't reached for them in a while and I have to say that the love affair has been rekindled. In addition to being completely smooth and non-tacky, they are moisturizing, do not leave that white gummy residue on the lips or cause them to flake (hello, Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster gloss!) and yet last quite a while, leaving behind a soft stain. Truth seems to go with almost everything. It's shimmer-free and a perfect combination of peach and blush. Every time I've warn it, I've glanced in the mirror and said to myself "I love this gloss! I have to wear it more often!" It adds just the right depth and polish without giving the impact of a full-on lip.

Are You Buying More Or Less Makeup This Summer?

Inexplicably, I've been less and less interested in makeup lately. I used to jaunt to Sephora or Bergdorfs at least once a week (to say nothing of online orders) but lately I just haven't been in the mood. I'm not sure if I've hit a saturation point, I'm happy with what I'm currently using, companies are producing what I find to be less intriguing products, the summer heat is quashing my desire to wear a full face or I've temporarily shifted my priorities (and cash) to clothes and shoes. It's probably a combination of all of the above. I find that I go through phases like this--for weeks my wishlist will grow out of control and then all of a sudden there's nothing I want to buy. One thing is for sure though: I may not be acquiring makeup in droves, but I sure do love to shop! My closet has exploded with recent acquisitions. I've been overhauling my work wardrobe (I always feel so dorky in business casual and I'm trying to find pieces that make me feel confident and chic in and out of the office) and supplementing my workout gear.

Do you find yourself buying more or less makeup lately?

Manicure of the Week

I picked up OPI for Sephora's Iris I was Thinner ($9) last week and finally got around to applying it. It's a total Grimace purple shade. Shimmer-free and opaque with two coats, this is adorable for summer on short nails and like most of this brand's polishes, applies easily. This is going on my toes as soon as OPI's My Chihuahua Bites starts to chip!