Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour Review & Swatches

My love obsession with Laura Mercier Caviar Stick started when I received Cocoa as part of the Laura Mercier Artist Eyeshadow Palette for Spring 2014 (Nordstrom Exclusive) set. I was absolutely blown away by its pigmentation, formula, and performance. It’s unlike anything I have used before and I can’t believe it took me this long to discover this product, considering all the rave reviews from so many blogs! Oh well, better late than never, right?

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick is essentially a cream eyeshadow packaged in a retractable twist-up pencil. Simple, convenient, and practical. Each pencil has the same signature Laura Mercier metallic brown packaging but with different color-coded end to indicate the color of the product inside. The cap snaps on pretty tight and won’t come loose when tossed in your travel makeup bag.

There are 18 shades available right now on Laura Mercier official website, 16 on Nordstrom, and 8 on Sephora. I have 8 in my collection so far and am planning to acquire all of them in the near future. Once you have tried on of these, trust me, you will only want more (and consider this a warning of sort!).

The shades that I have are:

1. Sugar Frost – golden pale beige
2. Rose Gold – slightly peachy rose gold
3. Sand Glow – golden taupe
4. Orchid – lilac pink
5. Amethyst – mauve taupe
6. Plum – dark purple plum
7. Khaki – brownish olive green
8. Cocoa – bronzey chocolate brown

It’s hard to describe these shades because they are such unique, complex colors, especially the multidimensional Amethyst! All of them contain subtle amount of shimmer, and Sugar Frost is the most sparkly one. The three darker shades (Plum, Khaki, and Cocoa) may look matte upon first swatch but the shimmer will be more visible once they are blended out.

Caviar Stick is a true multipurpose product. I like to use Sugar Frost, Rose Gold, and Orchid for the inner corner, Sand Glow and Amethyst on the lower lash line, and Plum, Khaki, and Cocoa on the outer corner as well as on the upper lash line. You can also use them as a base for your powder eyeshadows to intensity the colors or simply mix, match and/or layer them to create your own customized shade/eye looks. They are just so much fun to use and I really love experimenting with them. :D

The method of application really depends on where you want to place it. For a quick smokey eye, I usually just apply directly from the stick to the lid, smudge it out with my ring finger, and finish with a blending brush for a perfectly soft, blended out effect. For all over color, you can rub the tip of your finger on the stick and apply it all over the lid, repeat for more intensity. To use as an eyeliner, you can apply directly along the lash line for a thick line, or pick up the product with a liner brush for a thin line. Easy peasy! :)

So what’s so special about these Caviar Sticks? Well, think of it as a cream shadow but without the thick texture typical of most cream shadows (that usually tug and pull). They are, and I’m not kidding, super silky smooth, creamy, and virtually weightless. They are soft but not too soft that you can’t achieve a controlled application. They glide right on the skin without a hint of resistance, creating an incredibly opaque color in a single pass. The formula is blendable, but you must do so quickly before it sets. It doesn’t take any effort to blend but you will need a speedy hand (or finger, or brush).

The finish is waterproof, budge-free, and has a slight sheen to it. Over a primer, all of them last pretty much the entire work day without any sign of smudging or transferring. However, I did notice that they do crease and fade ever so slightly after a long day. The darker shades crease to a lesser extent than the lighter shades but all of them crease nonetheless.

I really do love these. I can’t wait to get my hands on all of them but it may take me a while to complete my collection. They are quite pricey for a cream shadow product if you ask me, especially if you are buying each shade one by one, so here’s to hoping that the brand will release a set (or mini set) that would include a few shades together soon. I’d totally be all over it! :)

For more beautiful swatches, check out Mostlysunnyblog and Makeupmagpie.com.

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