Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Review and Swatches

As I mentioned before, I have had the privilege to freelance for Laura Mercier this past year. The reason why I decided to work for Laura, is because I truly believe in their products. The Caviar Sticks are absolutely one of my favorite products that Laura makes! In my opinion, I think that these blow all similar products on the market out of the water. So you may be asking "What is a Caviar Stick?" A Caviar Stick is Laura's version of an eye shadow stick. Below I will talk all about the product's formulation, how to use it and show you some swatches.

Formulation: They are super creamy, long wearing and DO NOT CREASE at all! They also glide on very easily and are highly pigmented. They are buildable and blendable until they set (setting time is about 1 min.) Once they set, they don't budge! I am telling you, these shadow sticks are amazing because they truly do last all day and don't smear or move in the slightest. I have tried so many other shadow sticks that state they do not crease, but they did. After a few hours, they would crease and separate on my lid and my makeup would look awful. Not the Caviar Sticks, they do EXACTY what they state and are an awesome product!

How to Use:  I apply the stick directly to my lid and blend the product out with a synthetic cream shadow brush and then will apply my powder shadow over. However, if you want to use your finger that will also work to blend. Caviar sticks can be worn alone or used as an eyeshadow base. They also work well as an eyeliner if you rub them on a liner brush; even as liner they wear all day! Since the formulation is so great, you can apply them however you are most comfortable and still get amazing results.

Shades: There are 16 permanent colors and they frequently put out fun limited edition colors as well.


Below are the shades I own:

From left to right: Rosegold (Dirty pink w/ gold shimmer,) Sandglow (Taupe w/gold shimmer,) Amethyst (Mauve Purple,) Khaki (Neutral Taupe,) Cocoa (Chocolate Brown,) Plum (Dark Purple,) Jungle (Deep Green,) Smoke (Dark Gunmetal.)

Swatches:

From left to right: Rosegold, Sandglow Amethyst, Khaki, Cocoa, Plum, Jungle, Smoke.

Cost:  They are a little pricey at $26 each, but they are well worth the investment and will last you a long time.

Tip: During the holiday season, Laura Mercier frequently puts out mini sizes of Caviar Sticks. This is the perfect time to not only try them out, but you get a set for a really good deal. Keep your eyes peeled for them!

Below I have one final picture showing the size difference between the mini and the full size:
 

The mini contains .03 oz of product, the full size contains .05 oz

Enjoy! Please leave any comments or questions below :)

The Top 3 Facts Everyone Needs To Know About Mascara!

In my opinion, here are the 3 most important facts to know about mascara:

1) You need to throw out your mascara every 3 months!!! You will notice on the bottom of your mascara (or on the box) that there is a tiny makeup jar that has a 3M or a 6M in it; this represents the expiration of the product (most beauty products have these.) Even though most mascara has a 6 month logo on the bottom, experts will tell you to toss it every 3 months and I agree 100%. After reading the next fact, I am convinced you will agree as well. 

This is the logo that is on most makeup/beauty products

2) If your mascara is clumpy it needs to go!!! The clumps that are in your mascara are not just pieces of dried out product; these clumps are full of bacteria and eyelash mites! Before you freak out, all humans have tiny eyelash mites that are not visible (unless under a microscope) and are not harmless unless an expired product is continued to be used. A mascara tube is the perfect place for bacteria to be trapped and grow; it is a dark, moist place where bacteria thrive. All of this bacteria can cause eye infections and other eye problems. Now you know why it is very important not to put old mascara on your eyes.

3) Don't pump your mascara! Every time you bring the mascara wand in and out of the tube you are exposing it to air and bacteria. Pumping the wand causes that bacteria to spread around more rapidly, so the least amount you can bring the wand in and out of the tube the better. If you are pumping your mascara because you are having a hard time getting a decent amount of product on the wand, it's time to purchase a new one! It's much better to put a fresh product on your eyes versus scraping every last bit from an old one.

My advice: Don't spend a lot of money on mascara if you don't need to. Since you have to throw mascara out so frequently, I would recommend finding the least expensive one that you feel does the job and that doesn't bother your eyes. Personally, I am allergic to drugstore mascara and have to purchase department store brands, but if I could wear them I would! However, it is very rare that I will buy a luxury brand like Chanel or Dior due to the cost. I tend to buy Clinique or Laura Mercier. The money that you will save can be invested in skincare or makeup brushes, which tend to be higher cost items.


Quick cost comparison:
 Maybelline Great Lash: $5.99
 Maybelline Lash Stiletto: $8.99
 Clinique High Impact Mascara: $16
 Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Mascara: $30

I hope you find all of this information useful!



 

NYX Butter Gloss Review and Swatches

 

NYX Butter Glosses may just be the best glosses ever! I recently discovered these glosses when I stumbled into Ulta the other day and I am in LOVE! I purchased 8 of the 22 shades and I definitely will be picking more of these up. Below I have my list of pros and cons as well as color descriptions and swatches:

PROS:

1)    They are super creamy, literally feel like “butter” on the lips and are not sticky at all.

2)    They are sheer but buildable (some colors are more sheer than others but you can intensify them if you choose.)

3)    They smell like sugar cookies!

4)    They don’t dry out your lips at all. Personally, I have super dry lips and most lip glosses tend to dry my lips out, but these don’t! In fact, I put one on before I went to bed and when I woke up I felt like it acted like a lip treatment and moisturized them. Absolutely amazing!

5)    As I said earlier, they come in 22 shades. These shades range from a naturl/nude to a deep plum. They provide a shiny glossy finish without shimmer.

6)    They only cost $4.99!!!!! That alone should make you want to try them. I purchased mine at Ulta, but some Target and Walmart stores carry NYX as well. FYI Ulta frequently does buy one get one 50% off on these glosses!!

CONS:

1)    They don’t contain shimmer (this may not be a con for you.) I tend to wear more shimmer glosses, so at first I was a little disappointed that no shades contained any. However, once putting these on my lips I was so impressed it didn’t matter anymore.

2)    The really dark shades tend to be a little streaky :( I didn’t purchase any of the real dark shades for this reason. Again, everything is personal preference so I would definitely use the tester before your purchase and test them yourself on your hand.

Below are the shades I purchased:

From left to right: Strawberry Parfait (Berry/Fushia), Cupcake (Hot Pink), Vanilla Creme Pie (Baby Pink), Tiramisu (Brown Nude), Angel Food Cake (Mauve), Maple Blondie (Deep Peach), Crème Brulee (Natural), Éclair (Lavender/Pink).

Swatches:

From left to right: Strawberry Parfait, Cupcake, Vanilla Creme Pie, Tiramisu, Angel Food Cake, Maple Blondie, Crème Brulee, Éclair.

My Favorite Shades: Angel Food Cake, Strawberry Parfait and Crème Brulee.

I hope you love these as much as I do! Please leave any comments or questions below :)

FaceChic101 is Here!

Hi everyone! Let’s just get to the point shall we…I’m Rachel and I am a makeup addict!!! Native Clevelander, now living in sunny Arizona, I live, breathe and dream about makeup. Ever since I was young, I can remember just being fascinated by this stuff! My mom would take me shopping and while she was looking at clothes, I would just sit and watch the makeup artists at the counters (don’t get me wrong, shopping is my second love.) I kept thinking to myself, “One day, I would love to be a makeup artist.” I am so glad that today my dream has come true; I am a self-taught makeup artist. I have had the pleasure to freelance for Laura Mercier this year and have started my personal business as well. My goal with this blog is to share tips, tricks, photos, thoughts and everything you would want/need to know about makeup on every budget. Please note, that the content on this blog is my opinion and information that I feel will be helpful to others. I hope you all enjoy. Welcome to FaceChic101!

Contact information: FaceChic101@gmail.com