Laura Mercier recently just launched a new line of lip liners and lipsticks, along with a reformulation of their iconic Caviar Stick Eyeshadows. The new Caviar Perfecting Lip Liner and Caviar Smoothing Matte Lipsticks are new additions to the line while the Caviar Stick Eyeshadows were reformulated to be more intense, longwearing, and waterproof.
I have all the shades of each product that I’ve been testing out over the past couple weeks that were gifted by the brand. The lip liners, lipstick, and eyeshadows are available at Sephora, Laura Mercier, and Nordstrom. \
Caviar Perfecting Lip Liner
The new lip liners are supposed to be longwearing feather and waterproof formulas and they come in 10 shades. They have a traditional wooden pencil format and they feel creamy but not too soft, and the creaminess allows for some time (about 20 seconds) of blending before they start to set down.
Compared to the formula of some of my favorite lip liners I cover in my most recent post, these feel softer and creamier than the VIctoria Beckham or Lisa Eldridge and have more of a noticeable set down with a matte finish. Because of this set down, this formula is considerably more longwearing and lives up to the waterproof claims, but I don’t find it to be a drying formula. It’s one of those formulas I can apply and forget about for the day because it will even last through a meal.
There are 10 shades in the line that are meant to match the lipsticks, and there is a wide variety of light nude pinks to bright reds and deep browns. As a neutral nude and brown lover, I wish there were a few more nuances among the neutral shades, but I do think everyone can find at least one shade that will work for them. For me, that shade is Rosewood, which is a deep rosy brown shade.
The shades are:
- Delicate Nude – light nude beige
- Plush Pink – pinky brown
- Brown Tulle – deep cool brown
- Elegant Blush – rose pink
- Rosewood – rosy brown
- Opulent Peach – light peach nude
- Red Velvet – blue red
- Lavish Mulberry – light peachy coral
- Luxurious Mauve – warm mauve
- Precious Plum – berry red
Caviar Smoothing Matte Lipstick
This new lipstick formula is a full coverage, long wear, and blurring matte lipstick formula, and it delivers on all those claims, plus it manages to be hydrating and super light weight. These are definitely one of the most full coverage formulas I’ve used while still being a lipstick that I completely forget I’m wearing on my lips.
The formula glides on very easily and smoothes out my lip lines, leaving a fully opaque finish with one swipe. The finish is a blurred matte lip look that doesn’t emphasize the texture of my lips and feels very lightweight. The only exception is that the deepest shade, Plum Plisse, took some more careful application and a couple more passes to achieve an even color, but I didn’t have issues with any of the other shades. The wear time of these is also excellent – when paired with a lip liner, these can easily last 5-6 hours through a meal and some snacking. On its own, the color will start to slightly fade after 3-4 hours but it fades very gradually and in an even way.
The packaging really feels like an upgrade from previous Laura Mercier lipsticks, though these are also $45, a higher price point than previous Laura Mercier lipsticks. However, they are refillable and the cases have a nice weight to them without being impractically heavy. They also have a magnetic closure that feels luxurious. The only negative is that these have a very strong vanilla rose scent that is bordering too strong for me, and I’m typically able to handle some strong fragrances.
There are 16 shades in the line, and I was sent 15 of them. The shades with an asterisk are the shades not available at Sephora but are available on Laura Mercier’s website, Bluemercury, Macys, and Nordstrom.
- *136 Chantilly Lace – pale peachy beige
- 143 Nude Sateen – warm peachy beige
- 168 Pink Chiffon – pinkish beige (one of my favorites for an everyday shade!)
- 198 Brown Suede – cool pink brown
- *500 Flame Challis – reddish orange
- 510 Mulberry Moire – berry red
- 520 Scarlet Velvet – blue toned red
- 610 Blush Chenille – nude pink beige
- 620 Pink Tulle – blue tone rose pink
- *668 Rose Crepe – midtone pink red
- 680 Rosewood Silk – rosy brown (one of my favorites!)
- 750 Mauve Charmeuse – cool mauve
- 777 Plum Plisse – blackberry purple
- *820 Peach Cashmere – peach nude
- *888 Coral Velour – peachy coral
I swatched 10 shades in this reel:
Caviar Stick Eyeshadows
These stick eyeshadows are some of Laura Mercier’s most iconic products and I’ve always had mixed experiences with them. The shimmer shades always applied more sheerly than I liked and faded significantly by the end of the day whereas I used to use the shade Cocoa religiously as an eyeliner and that would last all day. I can happily report that this new formulation has resolved the sheerness and fading issues with me, and I think the finish on the new shimmer shades are so pretty.
The shimmer seems to be more evenly distributed and the base of the colors are more opaque, resulting in more pigment but they still maintain the really easy and foolproof nature of previous formulas. They blend and layer well with each other and the new formulas don’t require setting with a powder eyeshadow, which I used to have to do with older versions. I also no longer have issues with fading or creasing (when applied over an eye primer).
Shades (all are shimmery):
- Sugarfrost – light shimmery beige
- Moonlight – pewter taupe
- Starlight – peachy pink
- Metallic Taupe – neutral-warm taupe
- Soiree – lavender purple
- Amethyst – deep mauve
- Strapless – neutral toned tan (my favorite)
- Smoky Quartz – gray brown taupe
- Mocha – neutral leaning warm brown (this one has slightly less shimmer and is more of a satin)
- Burnished bronze – deep bronze
- Cocoa – warm toned brown (lighter and more shimmer than the original Cocoa I used to use)
- Aurora – mossy green
- Nuit – graphite gray-black with blue shimmer
- Celestial Noir – charcoal gray
- Wild Rose – rose gold
- Modern Rose – pinky bronze
- Strike a Rose – copper pink
- Forbidden Rose – copper brown
I have been using the shades Mocha, Strapless, and Cocoa a lot to recreate this easy 3 step look:
In this photo I’m wearing Mocha, Strapless, and Cocoa (as eyeliner) on my eyes, Rosewood Lip Liner, and Pink Chiffon.
Overall I’m really pleased with the new formulas, especially the improved longevity of the eyeshadow sticks. These are products built for performance and longwear without being too fussy. The lipsticks are not quite suited for a minimal look but if you’re looking for a longwear lip color in a traditional lipstick format, the lipsticks are fantastic if you don’t mind the fragrance. I’m also really impressed with how longwearing the lip liners feel without feeling heavy or drying.
What do you think of the new formulas and shades?
As always, thanks for reading!
Beauty Unhyped 
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