Ooh! I picked up a great makeup trick last week from Courtney, a makeup artist/MBB reader/self-professed crazy cat lady at the Laura Mercier counter inside Saks in San Francisco’s Union Square. 🙂
Here’s the deal: I asked Court if she could recommend any secret weapons from Laura Mercier’s line — awesome products that maybe a lot of people didn’t know about — and she pulled out Laura’s Flawless Skin Repair Eye Serum.
This stuff is bright and tight. It contains green and white tea, arnica extract, caffeine and geranium to tighten skin and has a brightening pearlescent pink color.
Courtney’s trick? She uses it on herself and her clients as something of a primer for under-eye concealer.
Pat a minuscule amount — just a smidgen — beneath your eyes before concealer, let that sink in for a minute or two, and then apply your regular concealer on top.
BAM! It’s like P90X for concealer. You should see fewer concealer creases, all-day wear time and a lighter look from your concealer overall.
BEAUTY FUN FACT: according to Courtney, Laura Mercier uses Shu Uemura technology in all of their skin care.
Courtney said that a bunch of the makeup artists at Saks use the serum this way as a primer for concealers, and it doesn’t just work with Laura’s line. They also do it with concealers from other brands.
I’ve been using a sample of Laura Mercier’s Repair Eye Serum for the past few days, and I have to say, IT WORKS! But here’s the thing: you have to use the absolute smallest amount, which is great, since a 0.5-ounce bottle costs $80.
Ouch!
It is expensive, but if you only use a minuscule amount, the bottle (which has a pump) should last a really long time.
If you’re ever near Saks in San Francisco and want to learn more about Laura Mercier, stop by the counter and ask for Court, or call her at (415) 438-5368 to make an appointment beforehand. She’s fun, helpful and loves talking shop about makeup and cats (ask her about her kitties, Oreo and Dubbee). 🙂
I love secret-squirrel makeup tricks like these. Do you have any concealer tricks you’d care to share? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
OMG THOSE KITTIES!!!
Now I’m interested in laying my hands on a sample of this magic serum!
KITTEHS!
This sounds wonderful! I must get a sample from the LM counter next time 🙂
Yes! Let me know what you think. 🙂
What a great tip!
Yeah! Someone on twitter said to try mixing the serum directly into concealer. I think I’m going to try that next.
Great tip! I will look at that the next time I’m near a LM counter 🙂 My best concealer tip may be specific to me – I put concealer near the outer corners of my eyes, it really brightens my eyes. But, I have a lot of darkness there, I don’t know if that’s common.
Great, Emi! Maybe get a sample to try?
Lovely kitties!
That’s a great tip. Generally, I find that applying eye contour cream right before concealer helps make it look smoother and not get into fine lines.
This serum looks great, although a little overpriced for me right now!
Hi Lulle,
What are your favorite eye creams? I’m on an eye cream kick at the moment.
Karen, I love, love, love this eye cream from Tarte! I’ve noticed such an improvement in the short time I’ve been using it.
http://www.sephora.com/maracuja-c-brighter-eye-treatment-P377545?skuId=1486836
Aww, my beloved late kitty was a Tuxedo named Oreo!
Going to add this on to my “When I Win the Lottery” wishlist!
Hi Steph,
I bet your Oreo is happily playing with friends at the rainbow bridge. 🙂 How long were you her (his?) assistant?
Hi KAren, do you know if there is any SPF in this eye serum??
Hi Virginie,
I don’t it has SPF.
I have a 14 year old tuxedo named Oreo!
How cute, Stephanie. I hope Tabs will one day be a 14-year old kitty. 🙂
What an awesome tip! Love her hair too, she reminds me of a younger version of my old Dior counter manager!
AND KITTIES!
Yes, KITTIES! 😀
Do you have a Laura Mercier counter nearby? I bet you could get a sample to give it a try…
Yes! That and a Sephora, I’ll have to play around with it!
If you like rich serums you might like it. My under eye area is crazy dry and so far I’m digging it. 🙂
Hope you had a nice day…it’s 9pm here and I’m pretty excited about going to sleep, LOL!
It’s midnight here! I had a good day, but I know it’s going to be a CRAZY semester, after today’s class!
Oh yeah, you started classes again this week. How many are you taking?
Three graduate-level courses, but I”m tempted to drop one and take an extra class in the spring! I’m taking a 600-level finance class, a 600-level advanced marketing research class, and a 600-level class on digital marketing. After this though, only three classes until graduation!
That digital marketing class sounds interesting. I’d love to take something like that someday.
And woo hoo for almost being at the end! The fur babies better throw you a graduation party when you’re done. 🙂
Love the tip but AWWWW the kittens!!!!!
Oooo, I didn’t know about the Shu Uemura tech fact! That’s awesome to know since I love Shu Uemura, and now I love Laura Mercier even more than before!
I am so going to be trying these at my local Space NK tomorrow! X
Thank you so much for this, Karen! <3
I have been using the LM repair eye serum for about a year and I absolutely love it! it is pink and bright. Sometimes I also put it on top of my makeup at the end of the day and apply a little more concealer before I go out at night. It’s creamy and absorbs at the right rate. Can’t say enough good things about it.
A few facts: I am 37. I have the oiliest eyes ever so I have to wear eye primer in order for make-up to stay in place.
Right now I use: my own mixed tinted moisturizer (Smashbox Studio & SPF lotion), then Tarte eye primer, then the tiniest dot of MAC concealer in the inner and outer corners of my eyes. The problem is every layer seems to sit in my fine lines. No matter what the combo. So do I add a serum and not use my tinted moisturizer around my eyes? Or any other suggestions? I’m frustrated!
Yep, just purchased two sample sizes of this stuff.. it sounds amazing. I’m not lucky enough to have a Laura Mercier counter near me (as far as I know), so I had to put my trust into ebay.. we will see!
I have used Made from Earth’s Vitamin Firming Serum for several years and continue to use it after trying other products occasionally because it works. My husband noticed it right away and that is something I did not expect. It has a pleasant fragrance and is very gentle on the eye area. This is one product I continue to use
I strongly recommend Lady Soma’s Renew Serum. It works wonderfully for eye lines and puffiness. I also use their Somaluxe Moisturizer (which can also be used around the eyes). These stuff have done an amazing job for my wrinkles, skin tone and elasticity. I’m over 60 but look well under 40.