Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Colour Brush - Review & Photo

Among all things beauty I like, I have a slight obsession for make-up brushes. 

This review is for one of the first make-up brushes I ever bought, a few years ago during a short trip to London. I got the Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Colour Brush as a gift. As you can see from the picture, the label has come off a bit, which also shows how much I have used and loved this brush!

 I got this as part of a set which included the Creme Cheek Colour Blush and the famous Tinted Moisturizer in Porcelain. I loved the blusher and finished it all up, so that's why I don't have it here to show you.

This brush was meant to be the ideal tool to apply the Laura Mercier cream blush, but over time I realized that it's a great multi-purpose brush. Its sheer size (short handle) makes it really convenient for travel too. Some people find short-handled make-up brushes annoying, but I don't, I guess it's because my hands are pretty small anyway.
This is absolutely brilliant with every kind of creamy products!!! I use it to apply liquid/cream foundation when I want to be precise (the bristles measure a bit more than 2cm, which is definitely less than a regular flat foundation brush like the MAC 190); cream blusher of course, and occasionally cream highlighter on the cheekbone. You really can't go wrong with this. 

It NEVER sheds, it is firm enough but the bristles feel very soft against the skin, and apart from the label, it still feels and looks like new after more than 2 years of use! 

Laura Mercier makes excellent brushes in general, which are quite expensive but totally worth purchasing. 

Give this a try! It has become a staple in my make-up kit.

Mac Lip Pencil in Subculture - Review, Photo, Swatches

Mac Lip Pencil in Subculture is a great pick if you, like me, are new to lip pencils. I've had this one for quite some time now, I got it at one of London's airports when I bought my first MAC lipstick, and the SA matched me to this colour for a naturally defined lip.

It comes in the classic MAC sleek black packaging and the price was in line with the other MAC products, although I got it for less (I think around £10) at the duty-free shop. This is how it looks like:

The colour is a pretty rosey brown with a slight peachy undertone that looks great on fair to light-medium complexions and lips with average natural pigmentation. You won't be able to see this if you're darker than NC/NW25, I guess. It's basically the same colour of my lips, so it works great to give that tiny little bit of definition that makes a difference, even if I'm only wearing lipbalm. Texture is creamy, but not excessively moist, so the staying power is really good. 
Here comes the swatch:

Here I'm suggesting 3 possible ways to wear Subculture for an everyday look:

1) Line your lips with Subculture, smudge the line towards the inside of the lip, then follow with lipbalm or clear lipgloss for a no-makeup look.

2) Line and fill in your lips with Subculture, which will give a light hint of colour and apply lipbalm or clear lipgloss over it. It will look like the most natural nude lipstick ever!

3) The slightly more polished version of this is achieved by wearing Subculture all over the lips as a base for a neutral lipstick. It will definitely help the lipstick stay on longer and it will make the colour look saturate. This is a great solution when you're sporting an intense smokey eye.

As a general rule, layering an appropriate amount of a matching lipliner will help your lipstick last longer and prevent it from bleeding and fading!

How to wear MAC eyeshadow in Fig.1

I recently purchased MAC eyeshadow in Fig. 1 to fit in my 4-pan palette along with Woodwinked and Mythology. 

Fig. 1 is a great versatile colour that would work on a variety of skintones and eye colours! MAC describes it as "eggplant purple" and I would say it's pretty accurate. It's definitely on the warmer side of purples. It belongs to the group of shadows called "Matte²", which are richly pigmented and obviously have a matte finish. Compared to the regular MAC matte eyeshadows, these are superior in quality and blendability, and generally have more vibrant colours. Forget dull, flat matte shades.


Here I'm suggesting three possible combinations to wear it.

Eyeshadows swatched on my NW15 arm, over E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer.

The first combo would be great for a soft, warm, everyday look. Fig.1 goes in the crease to give dimension, while on the lid I put a rosy-golden shade, possibly with some shimmer/metallic finish to contrast the other one. In this swatch I used Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eyeshadow in Rose Gold, which has a really beautiful rosy base with a golden duochrome effect. It's a cream eyeshadow but it lasts throughout the day.

Left: Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eyeshadow, Right: MAC Fig. 1

Left: NYX grey eyeshadow, Right: MAC Fig.1

The second option would be to wear a shimmery, light grey/silver shade on the lid, and Fig. 1 again in the crease. In this combo the pop is given by the contrast between a very cool colour (grey) with the warmth and softness of Fig.1. In this picture I used an eyeshadow from NYX Caribbean Palette in I Dream Of Saint John, namely the second shade from the left. Another option would be to use an even bolder lid shade, such as a metallic cream silver shadow like Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream #3, which looks like foil once applied and won't crease or smudge.
This colour pairing reminds me of the new NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Melusine, which you can see here.

Finally, Fig. 1 could be used on the lid for a bold, nighttime look, with a deep black in the crease. For this swatch I used KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow n.20, a creamy true black, which is a great alternative to MAC Shadesticks (basically the same type of product for a fraction of the price). For added drama, apply some golden glitter over Fig.1 (KIKO Electric Lights Loose Pearl no.03), to achieve a sort of duochrome effect. This combo would make for a perfect classy, sexy smokey eye.

I hope this was useful! Feel free to leave a comment!

The importance of being primed

An eyeshadow primer is a must-have, whether you have just started experimenting with make-up or you are a pro already. 
Before running out and getting one, read this basic info and have a look at my swatches to understand why they are so important!

What is it?

An eyeshadow primer is meant to be a base for your eyeshadow. You have to apply this after your moisturizer and before any eye make-up. They usually come in a liquid, creamy or compact formula and are mostly silicon-based (just like face primers), because silicon smooths out any imperfection or messy texture you may have on your eyelids to prep them for eyeshadow application. 

How should I use it?

Wait a few seconds after you have moisturized and gently pat the primer all over your lid, crease and browbone. Let it stay for a few minutes before doing your eye make-up, so the primer will set properly on your skin. 

What difference does it make?

The first time you'll use an eyeshadow primer you will probably notice how different your shadow will look. It will be easier to apply and blend it, the colour will be more vibrant and true-to-pan, and it will also last longer! You will also experience less fallout and fading throughout the day. 

I have tried three different primers so far, probably the most popular ones (E.L.F., Too Faced and Urban Decay). In the picture below you can see the same eyeshadow (MAC in Fig. 1) swatched on my bare arm with and without primers. *

Left to right: 1) no base, 2) over E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer, 3) over Urban Decay Primer Potion, and 4) over Too Faced Shadow Insurance:

The swatch with no base looks definitely duller than the other three. There is probably no noticeable difference between the three swatches with primer on, except maybe that swatches 3 and 4 have a more intense colour compared to swatch 2. 


Staying power is something that can be really boosted with the right eyeshadow primer. Therefore I put my swatches to test and rubbed a clean tissue over them several times.

As you can see, the eyeshadow with no base faded away quite easily and the colour is barely noticeable. The other three performed better, Too Faced Shadow Insurance (4) being the most resistent one. To my surprise, Urban Decay Primer Potion (3) came off more easily than E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer (2)! 

*Swatches in natural light, no flash


There are some final budget considerations. If you've never owned an eyeshadow primer before, you might want to start off with something relatively simple and cheap, such as the E.L.F. one, which retails for about €3.50 or €4 (depending on discounts) on their website. This is a really good product for the price, and probably one of my favourite items from the whole E.L.F. line. 

Urban Decay Primer Potion is no doubt the most popular eyeshadow primer out there. Urban Decay is not currently available in Italy, except for one Sephora store in Milan. I have a sample size of the Primer Potion which came with the Naked Palette I bought back in the UK. You can buy this online from some UK websites or on Amazon.com for about £12. Personally I'm not a fan of the packaging: although it looks kinda cute it gets really difficult to get the product at the bottom, and the sponged wand doesn't help. 

Packaging wise, Too Faced Shadow Insurance is a much better choice. It comes in a small clean tube which makes it definitely easier to squirt out the right amount of product you want to use. It's also easier to find in Italy, you can buy this at any Sephora store for €14.
This one is a total winner for me and the one I reach for most of the times. 

I'd love to hear your experience about eyeshadow primers! Have you used others I did not list in this post? Leave a comment!

Warm eyeshadow for blue eyes: copper tutorial

Here we go with warm eyeshadow for blue eyes, second take! 

This time I used three different colours in the range of reds and coppers plus one highlighting shade. If you have blue eyes, bear in mind that copper, gold, orange and red will make them pop and stand out more than any other shade. 

How did I achieve this look? 

1. I combed and filled in my eyebrows with E.L.F. Brow Kit in Ash using a small angled brush.

2. I primed my entire eye area with Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Make sure you are using a silicon-based primer because it will keep your eyeshadow from creasing and smudging. 

3. I applied Urban Decay eyeshadow in Half Baked all over my lid. This is a gorgeous yellow gold that goes on like butter. I used a large shading brush to get an even application and lightly blended out the edges.

4. As the second darkest shade I chose MAC eyeshadow in Mythology, a classic orangey colour for blue-eyed ladies. I packed the colour on a tapered brush and tapped off the excess to prevent fallout. Then I put the colour in my crease in layers to achieve contrast with the golden shade on the lid. Then again, blended the edges with the same brush.

5. I picked up MAC Pigment in Vanilla to use as a highlighter on my browbone and inner corners of my eyes, using a fluffy angled brush with natural bristles. I made sure I blended the highlighter with the other colours to make harsh edges disappear.

6. With the same small tapered brush I applied the darkest shade, KIKO Highly-Pigmented Eyeshadow n. 30, in the outer corner of my eyes, forming a V-shape, and on the lower lashline for about two thirds of its length. This colour can be described as a deep, pearly, burgundy. In this tutorial I mostly used shimmery eyeshadows but you can play up with textures as well by using a mix of matte, satiny, and shimmery eyeshadows, it's really up to you. 

7. I finished off with a defined black eyeliner (L'Oreal Lineur Intense), winging it out a little bit, and three generous coats of mascara (Rimmel Extra Super Lash). On my lower lash line I also applied some black pencil liner (Estee Lauder Double Wear Eyeliner in Onyx) with a light hand and smudged it out with its own sponge applicator.

This makes for a pretty bold eye, so if you need something more wearable during office hours, I would recommend using the two medium shades only, that is the yellowish gold on the lid and the orangey shade in the crease. You want to use some black liner and mascara anyways, otherwise you might look like you just got punched in the eyes, and that's not quite the purpose of this make-up. As I said in my previous post, make sure you use black or cool-toned eyeshadow in between the reddish shades and your eyes, to tone down the redness and make the most out of this contrast.

Do you like this look? Have you tried it yet? Tell me in the comments!

Warm eyeshadow for blue eyes: combo and tutorial

Until a while ago I was unhappily convinced that only cool colours would look good on girls with blue eyes, fair skin and blonde hair (read: me). Thanks to YouTube and some beauty bloggers I learnt that the best colour combinations for blue eyes often include many, many warm colours. In fact, if you haven't, you should have a look at the classic colour wheel that you can find here.

Colour theory is really very important when choosing which eyeshadows you want to apply when doing your make-up. The goal would be to make your eyes pop, and that is achieved by using the shades that are opposite to your eye colour on the wheel. In my case, blue is directly opposite to oranges, yellows and reds. What?! Orange eyeshadow on my eyelids?!

Yes sir. There are a few tricks to bear in mind when picking these shades, but by using them carefully you can achieve a really stunning gaze. Here's what I'm talking about:

(excuse the poor photography)

How did I achieve this look?

1. I filled my eyebrows with E.L.F. Brow Kit in Ash and primed the entire eye area with Urban Decay Primer Potion, from the inner corner of the eyes up to the browbone. Always remember to apply your primer in every area you are planning to apply eyeshadow. 

2. To highlight I used a small amount of MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna and gently patted it along the browbone and tearduct area. 

3. On my eyelid I packed on MAC Woodwinked, a gorgeous, shimmery, slightly dirty gold.

4. Applied MAC Deep Truth in the crease and outer corner of my eye. Deep Truth is a deep blue with an uber metallic finish, which in this picture does not quite show up.

5. I blended the two colours together, then lined my eyes with black liquid eyeliner (L'Oreal Lineur Intense) and finished off with three coats of black mascara (Max Factor 2000 Calorie).

One of the keys to make warm eyeshadows work with blue eyes, IMHO, is to put them in contrast with cooler shades (e.g. blue, purple, etc.) and/or a deep black eyeliner. This way your complexion too won't look too washed off if you're very pale like me.

The next post will be about another great warm eyeshadow combo for blue eyes... Keep reading!

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation Photo & Swatches

As I was finally able to grab a decent camera, I took pictures of MUFE HD Foundation #117, which I reviewed in my previous post.

Here is the bottle (please note that the lighting is quite warm, bear with me until I find the proper shooting equipment):

And this is the foundation swatched on my NW15 hand:

It might look a tad dark in the pictures but it actually blends heavenly with my super fair skin. In fact, it is the second lightest shade in the HD range.

Have you tried this foundation yet? Feel free to leave a comment below!