Laura Mercier Canard Crème Eye Liner ($22), from the Folklore summer 2013 collection
If I’m gonna wear teal on my upper lash lines, it needs to be flashy. Flashy enough for New Year’s and divas at drag queen karaoke at the very, very least.
I mean, it’s teal, right? — the kryptonite of “no-makeup makeup” eye liner looks.
Canard, or “duck” en français (shout-out to high school French!), shares much in common with Laura’s other Crème Eye Liners. Despite its low-key flat matte finish, it’s packed with pigment, doesn’t get patchy, and best of all, it has the grip strength of a heavyweight MMA fighter! — even when worn without primer.
According to folklore…the Taylor Swift is a spellbinding creature that lives deep in the Hundred Acre Wood with a talking, foul-mouthed plush toy named Ted…
Wait — that’s not right.
Sorry! Got my stories confused.
This is a post about the new Laura Mercier Folklore Summer 2013 collection, available now at Laura Mercier counters and online.
In a way, though, Laura’s new collection is like all of those catchy/borderline annoying Taylor Swift songs I like in that I can’t get it out of my head.
Its warm, earthy bronze, copper, gold and tan shimmers splashed with coral, pink and blue? MAN! It just might be enough to sway me from my usual surfer chick-meets-Las Vegas showgirl summer motif toward a summer of boho and bling — flowing, flowery caftans, platform sandals, silk headscarves, big-@ss hoops and lots of gold.
When I contemplate the pieces in the Folklore collection, I almost feel the sun on my shoulders as a dry, desert wind whistles through my loose, wavy hair.
These are pieces I’d wear if I were trying to channel Nicole Richie and Beyoncé (at the same time) while traipsing through the high desert with a guitar strapped to my back (on my way to a luxurious five-star resort with an infinity pool and a spa that offers a 120-minute massage).
Got a few reviews lined up, but here are swatches of the entire collection now…
Laura Mercier Folklore Collection Eye Shadow Swatches from the left on my NC 42 skin: Sun Glow, Fire Glow and Earth Glow ($24 each)
Laura Mercier Folklore Collection Swatches From the left: Ritual Baked Blush Bronze ($36), Cobolt Crème Eye Liner ($22) and Canard Crème Eye Liner ($22)
From the left: Burnt Clay, Folklore and Mayan Sun Lip Crayons ($22 each)
Wearing the new $26 Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Colour in Belize, one of 14 new spring shades available now at Laura Mercier counters and online
There are some things I don’t mind doing over and over again…
Like hitting the rewind button during that part in Magic Mike when Channing Tatum dances to Pony. Or listening to this song by Flesh for Lulu from the Some Kind of Wonderful soundtrack which, I kid you not, I’ve listened to at least 47 times over the past two days.
(Anyone else out there ever wish they lived in a John Hughes ’80s teen film world? Anyone? Bueller?)
But applying coat after coat of a lipstick in the quest of full coverage color is NOT one of those things.
Maaaan, no can do. Give me a one-swipe lipstick, like any of the 14 new $26 Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Colours, any old day.
Four of the 14 new Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Colours from the left: Belize, Fresh Raspberry, Hollywood and Maya ($26 each)
I try to stay busy, try to get things done, but I’m definitely part lazy at heart, and it’s that part of me that really likes Laura’s Creme Smooth Lip Colours.
These corals, pinks, reds and berries make it easy to turn up the volume of your look; one layer applied straight from the tube turns the dial to 10. All of a sudden, that girl sitting over there? — the one whose sweats are covered in cat hair? Now she’s also stylish. Now she’s the stylish girl wearing sweats that are covered in cat hair.
LOL!
These 14 new shades contain just as much awesome sauce as the 18 existing ones that catapulted into the permanent line last fall. Same unscented, unflavored formula, moderately shiny finish and 5-6 hour wear time, and now they, too, are permanent, so even if you can’t make it to the mall today, no worries. These aren’t going anywhere for a while.
Perfect! — because now we don’t have to rush. We can plant our butts on the couch and watch Magic Mike one more time.
When we do make it to the counter, however, I hope you check coral Belize, bright mauve Fresh Raspberry, red Hollywood and orangey red Maya. They’re my favorites among the new shades. They light up faces faster than you can say, “Make it rain, Channing Tatum! Make it rain!!”
Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Colour swatches from the left: Belize, Fresh Raspberry, Hollywood and Maya
Here I’m wearing Laura Mercier’s $24 Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Sand Glow, one of 18 available shades
Cream shadow sticks! Now, if you’re thinkin’, “Been there, done that (*snaps*),” and wondering why you should spend a hot second contemplating another cream shadow stick, well, GURL, when I walked up on Laura Mercier’s new $24 Caviar Stick Eye Colours at Sephora a couple weeks ago, I suddenly heard this Lionel Richie song…
Laura’s Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Seashell
Okay, not really, but I did achieve makeup nirvana…
I love these things so much that I just got a great idea! — you, me, all of us, mojitos (and Shirley Temples) and a HUGE karaoke bar.
And criss-cut fries.
We’ll all wear different shades of Laura’s Caviar Sticks on our eyes and take the stage by storm!
For the record, these sticks aren’t new, but Laura’s adding six spring shades to go with the 12 shades currently in her permanent collection (here are swatches).
I wish I knew why it took me so long to notice these, and now I’m kicking myself in the butt for that…
It’s not that we haven’t seen shadow sticks before. At one point in time, MAC had something similar, the Shadesticks, that are now discontinued, and Bobbi Brown recently released something very similar for spring.
So, shadow sticks, what are they, exactly? Generally, they’re cream eyeshadows that come in twist-up packaging.
You take one, draw directly on your skin, blend out the edges, and BAM! — you’re wearing eyeshadow.
Simple, and really, really easy.
From the left: Seashell, Grey Pearl and Sand Glow
Swatches from the left: Seashell, Grey Pearl and Sand Glow
Wearing Laura Mercier’s new $22 Creme Eye Liner in Violet, applied with the new Angled Eye Liner Brush ($20)
Remember when you tossed those jeans with the word, “Poison,” airbrushed on them and shouted, “I wish I had a pair of skinnies that said, ‘I Laura Mercier Stormy Grey!!’ on the butt”?
No…?
Oops! Sorry, my bad. That was me.
If you love Laura’s liners so much that you quote The Notebook whenever you clutch Antique Jade or Black Gold in your hands (“…everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours.”), then 1) no judgment, and 2) you may want to check out Laura’s new $22 Creme Eye Liners.
This spring Laura unveils them in six long-wearing, waterproof cream liner shades designed to accent eyes with smooth, precise color and a semi-matte finish.
They’re designed for quick, easy application, especially when applied with a single swipe from Laura’s new $20 Angled Eye Liner Brush.
From the left: Indigo, Violet and Noir ($22 each), three of the six new Creme Liners
Yesterday, while snarfing a post-treadmill workout banana and texting my friend Jen about going out dancing for the first time in years, I swiped Noir along my right lash line and Violet along my left. I used the new brush, too (like a fancy version of Sonia’s Bent Brush; ideal for delivering smooth, crisp edges and flawless flicks).
I was in a frantic rush to get ready and out the door to meet my little brother, who was on his way across the Bay from the city on the Larkspur Ferry, and even though I was rushed and distracted, I still managed a cat eye liner look that Tabs himself could not find fault with.
As for how waterproof they are, I’m not sure… I’m waiting for Ryan Gosling to declare his unrequited love for me while standing in the rain (in other words, I’ll let you know).
I can already attest to their durability, though. Both Noir and Violet lasted me through a leisurely lunch Off the Grid with my bro, where we spotted a man I’m 99.9% sure was Sammy Hagar…
…through a long hike in the hills of Novato’s Indian Valley nature preserve…
Laura Mercier Stormy Grey!!’ on the butt”?
