Who wouldn’t want to wear eye makeup that matches their smoky pants??
The first thing I saw when I opened this $58 Laura Mercier Double Impact Eye Colour Collection palette was that bottom row of cool-toned greys. Some of ’em looked a little blue, and I thought, “These totally look like the crazy pants my mom got me from Costco.”
Girl, these pants are everywhere! I am not kidding. Shortly after my mom got them for me, El Hub and I were driving through China Town in the city, and I saw this cute older Chinese lady walking through the crowd with a big bag of vegetables. “Look!” I said to El Hub. “She’s wearing my smoky pants!”
And then last month at our hotel in Tahoe while we were waiting in the lobby to check in, I saw a lady walking away from me with her roller bag and her cute little butt clad in these smoky pants.
I whispered, “She’s wearing my smoky pants…”
They’re freaking everywhere.
They’re grey with a sort of a blue tinge, but I don’t know. I can’t always tell with my eyes. Note to self: Make an appointment with the optometrist.
So I think I see a little blue in the pants, and I was hoping that the bottom row of colors in this palette would have a bluish tint, too, because I love bluish greys.
But when I got the shadows on my lids, they looked straight-up cool-toned grey, which is also fine…’cause I also love cool-toned greys, especially in smoky looks.
So…I think I might be spoiled for life by the super pigmented Victoria Beckham X Estée Lauder palette because a layer or two with it and I’m done, but these shadows are sheerer than that.
I have to pat some on, buff it out, then pat some more, then buff that out, then pat even more, and then buff that out again.
I admit that I’m out of practice with slightly complicated, moderately intense looks, but it still seem like I’m piling a lot of this makeup on. Just an FYI.
And the fallout is fairly intense. I had a lot under my eyes when I did this look, especially when I used that dark navy blue shade. If you do your eyes first, then clean up, you’ll be fine.
Laura Mercier Double Impact Eye Colour Collection
$58, limited edition from the holiday 2016 collection, available now
12 shades“The mirrored palette features 9 matte and 3 sateen-shimmer eye shadow shades in a range from light to dark. The versatile palette can take eyes from neutral day to sultry night. Universally flattering, light reflecting sateen-shimmer shades add dimension and enhance brightness. A value of $96.”
Shades:
9 Matte (1g / 0.03 oz each) — Dune, Wind, Earth, Bone, Love Potion, Venemous, Poison, Hypnotic, Voodoo
True Matte shades (Classic Matte) that are best applied with Eye Colour Brush: Dune, Wind, Earth, Bone
NEW Sateen Matte shades (Matte with hidden pearl) that are best applied with Eye Colour Brush: Love Potion, Venomous, Poison, Hypnotic,Voodoo
1 Crushed Pearl (all pearl, creamy to the touch that is best applied with both fingers and Eye Colour Brush) (1g / 0.03 oz): Spirit
2 Discrete Pearl (refined shimmer, creamy to the touch that is best applied with both fingers and Eye Colour Brush) (0.8g / 0.028 oz each): Rock (to use for boost of smoke), Dust (to blend finishing lines or highlight)
ADDITIONAL MAKEUP WORN IN THIS LOOK
CHEEKS: Cheeks MAC Studio Quicktriks Stick in Ginger Spiked/Counterpoint ($32)LIPS: theBalm Pickup Liners in Acute One ($17.50), MAC Big Baby Plushglass ($21), Victoria Beckham X Estee Lauder Moroccan Heat Lip Gloss ($36)
FACE: Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Beige ($46), MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden ($33)
Laura Mercier Brush It On Luxe Brush Collection
$98, limited edition from the holiday 2016 collection, available now
6 travel-size brushes and a brush roll
$194 value“Professional Makeup Artists know that the right tools make all the difference. The perfect look begins with the perfect brushes. This new Luxe Brush Collection has all you need to sculpt, highlight, contour and define. True artistry at its best and most luxurious.
Set Includes 6 Travel Brushes enclosed in travel-friendly brush roll: Cheek Colour Brush, Secret Camouflage Brush, All Over Eye Colour Brush, Eye Crease Brush, Flat Eyeliner Brush, Ponytail Brush.”
I also used a few of the top row colors, like the cool-toned matte brown on the far left. I used it in the crease, then deepened it with the darker, sort of greyish brown two from the right.
I love me some mattes, and I like these too, but I feel like they look a ta heavy on my skin.
I think it was very thoughtful of Laura Mercier to include a good number of mattes in the palette because I don’t have to reach for any additional shadows when I want to do a smoky look.
Oh! — by the way, if you have Laura Mercier’s Stormy Grey Kohl Eye Pencil (it’s a GREAT pencil to have), this should look fantastic with it. I didn’t wear it here because I can’t find mine…
When I did this look, I used Laura Mercier’s new Brush It On Luxe Brush Collection, which is great, but it’s $98.
I think that Laura’s holiday travel brushes are very good, though. They’re soft and generally hold up well.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
We just joined CostCo, I’ll have to look out for the smoky pants! I definitely see some blue in there.
These colors are definitely not my thing (I don’t think I look good in grey eyeshadow), but it looks like a lovely palette.
CostCo Crew 4 Life! LOL Don’t be surprised if you find yourself going there just to eat samples. I may or may not do that when I’m too lazy to cook dinner. ? Are you doing anything Halloween-related this weekend?
There is like a million shades of grey (no pun intended) which I learned when I tried decorating my room with grey. There’s blue greys, brown greys, light greys, dark greys…
Anyway I love you pants and eyeshadow! Next time I do a smoky eye it will be with grey!
Egh, fall-out is one of the reasons I don’t wear dark smokey eyes as often anymore. There’s always so much clean-up. And like you I also feel a bit out of practice with heavy dark looks. I guess make-up isn’t exactly like riding a bike 😉
So you are hot on trend with your pants, it seems.
Early morning laughter over the smokey pants Sixth Sense haunting you are getting, Karen! Love the look of the top row in this palette but not the bottom so it’s a pass. Will have to content myself with a couple of her other palettes I have. Also, they don’t look heavy on your eyes in the pics, not sure how they look in person. Nice eye look (and yup, totally goes with your smokey pants!). Happy early Halloween to you and Connor and Tabs and El Hub!
I love the animal print case!
And now I want the Victoria Beckham palette again. Lol.
Very nice!
Your lips look great with the dark eyes and your skin looks super dewy. Do you usually set with powder? If you don’t, how do you stop your foundation from moving around and settling into blotchy patches? And if you do use powder, how do you stop from looking older….I always looks so much older when I powder but it slides into a nasty mess if I don’t :/
The look you’ve done is gorgeous! but since you mentioned that they were difficult to work with, I’m definitely going to pass.
I’d love more pictures of the pants! I love Costco Couture! Lol
When I first started getting back into makeup, I really loved Laura Mercier eyeshadows, I think because not only does she make some gorgeous neutral colors, but the shadows are a bit sheer and subtle. Which is not so much what I want nowadays, but I’m loving the cooler neutrals in this palette — and those greys do look pretty blue from here, too! It makes me tempted… putting these on over a Caviar Stick or two could intensify things, methinks…
and the brushes! I’ve been eyeing the ponytail brush for a while — do you think this one is as good as the full-sized one? I like shorter handles because I can get closer to the mirror… sometimes these older eyes have a hard time seeing what’s going on without glasses, lol! And BTW, the secret camouflage brush is awesome for doing a really thick line of gel eyeliner. I like to use it with NARS Interstellar Eye Paint (yes, a thick stripe of bright silver across my lashline… what can I say? I’m weird like that.)
Love the pants! I actually have a similar pair (from Gap Outlet a couple of years back) in white with pale grey patterning on them — I like yours better, I think!