Laura Mercier has updated her makeup quite a bit recently with the Caviar collection. Lipsticks, lip liners, cream shadow sticks and mascara have been completely redesigned with new formulas, colors and packaging. I received the entire PR release and have been playing with the items for the past few weeks. Here are my thoughts on each new product with swatches of everything below.
Caviar Stick Eyeshadow (new formula)
I’ve been a long time fan of his Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eyeshadows ($33 each) with my three most used shades being Rosegold, Copper and Cocoa. They really improved the formula with smoother application and better pigmentation. I like that they don’t dry too quickly – I have plenty of time to blend before it sets, but once it sets, it doesn’t budge.
Many of the shades have a noticeable improvement in finish and color payoff. Some of the shades from the original formula, like Strapless, just popped on me. Other more shimmery shades like Sugarfrost or Metallic Taupe used to feel a bit chunky with shimmer but now have a better smoother texture.
There are some of the darker shades that apply patchy like Smoky Quartz, Nuit and Celestial Noir, but they can be layered for a smoother application – they just need a bit more layering and blending.
I am very sad that they discontinued Copper but Golden Amber by Bobbi Brown are similar.
Caviar Extravagant Mascara
The new Caviar Extravagant Mascara ($29) is a hit for me. I don’t know that I could call it a must-have or a favorite for my super straight sparse lashes, but I think it’s a great formula. Defines and lengthens without any clumping. The brush does a great job of covering all the lashes. I wish it had more volume, but it didn’t smudge or clump and did a great job of holding the curl. I feel like I have the world’s saddest lashes (even my dog Ollie has better lashes than me and my husband has AMAZING lashes), so if it works for me, I think there’s a good chance it’ll work for most of you.
Caviar Smoothing Matte Refillable Lipstick
I love a good lipstick launch, especially one with beautiful packaging. Unfortunately it Caviar Smoothing Matte Refillable Lipsticks ($45) was a miss for me. Pros include beautiful luxury packaging, smooth sampling, opaque rich color rendering, lots of bold colors. Unfortunately these didn’t look that great on my lips. I didn’t swatch every color but I swatched 6 of them and they were all very drying and show on my lips. I think they could be better if you dab them on as a stain, but on their own they looked too dry. I really liked the pigment – it’s a miracle. Neutral colors unfortunately don’t work with my undertone. I feel like none of the neutral shades worked for my oily medium tan skin. They made me look like death which is too bad because I’ve seen them applied in other videos and they are AMAZING! The bold shades have a better tone, but they are SO bold that I would never wear them.
These are also heavily scented with a floral rose almost soapy. Granted the scent fades after a few minutes of application, but it’s a scent that my nose doesn’t like.
THE Caviar lipstick it’s a downer for me, however if you like a matte finish and find it hard to find shades that are cool enough toned, check these out. I know several of you have told me my personal favorites for neutral lips, sometimes they look straight orange on you if you have fair or dewy skin. This series has much cooler tones.
Caviar Perfecting Lip Liner
Last we take a look at Caviar Perfecting Lip Liner ($29). You girls know I’m pretty brutal with lip liner reviews, but I want to add a disclaimer that it’s mostly because my lips are on the pigmented side, so most of these neutrals that look amazing are 99% just they don’t appear in my
I think the new formula is a really nice classic kind of lip liner. No fuss, nothing fancy, great tones, good pigment. They feel a bit dry on the lips, but I really like how they adhere to the lips and have a relatively smooth finish. Lasting power is very good. They’re not the best but I love the colors and if you’re looking to try something new I think they’re worth checking out as they have lots of great tones.
Overall, I’m very happy that the reformulated Caviar Stick Eyeshadows are still a solid A+ formula. I plan to take some of these with me on an upcoming trip. The mascara is also a solid formula A. I love the tones and formula of the lip pencils but I think there are better formulas out there like the new Glossier, Chanel, Pat McGrath, Huda Beauty to name a few. I miss lipsticks because of the colors and the smell, I also tend not to like matte finishes in general, so I might be a bit biased anyway.
You can find the Caviar collection now. Available at Nordstrom, Sephora, of Kol, Laura Mercier and all other Laura Mercier retailers. Have you tried any of the new formulas? What did you think?
The Caviar collection is provided for review.
