Creamy, pigmented, and ultra shimmery, Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick Eye Color eyeshadow stick is a must-try for all make-up lovers that want powerful pigment that glides on and is super easy to use.

I’m excited to show you their shade ‘Magenta’ and how I use its purple-red shimmery tones to bring out the green tones in my brown eyes.

The swatches

When swatched next to the similar Glossier Colorslide Eyeliner in ‘Magic Carpet’ (left), Laura Mercier’s ‘Magenta’ (right) is more vibrant and saturated. The colour is a true magenta that leans very close to darker hot pink.

Personally, I found that the bright pigmentation of ‘Magenta’ a little overpowering on its own. Although there are so many wonderful makeup lovers that can absolutely rock this in full force, I prefer to have a more understated look.

To suit my look, I typically either blend it with my fingers to diffuse the colour or only wear it on the centre of my eyelid as a pop against the darker and more muted ‘Magic Carpet’ for outer corners.

The packaging

In its sleek, grey-black packaging, the hard plastic tube holds some weight and closes securely providing a luxurious feel. Each tube holds 1.64g of product (or 0.05oz).

Some looks

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Easy to apply: application is as easy as holding a pencil. The formula is creamy and glides on easily with no tug on your sensitive eyelids.

• Powerful pigmentation: product delivers a strong pop of colour without the need to layer.

• Great packaging: the closing clasp is secure and the product inside feels sturdy and not flimsy.

• Superior shade range: compared to similar products on the market, such as Bobby Brown’s Long-wear Cream Shadow Stick with 15 shades and Chanel’s Stylo Ombre et Contour with 4 shades, Laura Mercier reigns supreme with 42 shades.

• Greater volume per price: while Bobby Brown offers 1.6g (0.05 oz.) of product and Chanel offers 0.8g (0.025 oz.) of product for $40 CAD, Laura Mercier offers more product at 1.64g (0.058 oz.) for $38 CAD.

Cons

• Not the most ideal for oily lids and folding lids: although the website toots “long-lasting, 12-hour wear”, many Asians, like myself, with oily and folded eyelids will most likely experience creasing and smudging (as with any cream product).
  However, I found that this can be minimized by using a good eyeshadow primer (such as TooFaced Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer) and/or layering a powdered shadow over the cream layer for extra support (I like Anastasia Beverly Hills’ single shadow in ‘Rosette’).

• Wide applicator: measuring at 0.7cm, the applicator can pose a challenge for makeup lovers with smaller lid real estate. To apply the product into corners and hard to reach spaces, I use a Real Techniques detail brush.

About beauty on real skin

beauty on real skin is a category on Sam’s Edit that features Sammi’s favourite choices in beauty and shows how they look on unfiltered and unedited skin. Real beauty is imperfect with acne scars, hyperpigmentation, texture, and more. Sam’s Edit believes that real beauty is skin deep and imperfections should be embraced as these subtleties create our unique personality.