Sample Sale Report: Laura Mercier

After work I stopped by the Laura Mercier sample sale excited to stock up on some high quality cosmetics by the superstar make-up artist that is a favorite amongst celebrities. When I arrived on scene I was relieved that the line did not extend outdoors. Mandatory back and coat check were in place and there was a selection of clothing from various brands available at the sale including James Jeans, La FeeVerte, Muuba and Manrico Cashmere.

While there were only a handful of shoppers looking to shop the clothes, the cosmetics were where the line formed and I walked in at about 6:15pm to a line of 15-20 women ahead of me. As to prevent mass chaos, Clothingline had set up 6 identical tables where 3 women can shop at a time. Each table was manned by 2 staffers and everyone was very friendly. While I was hopeful that there would be tinted moisturizer, that was absent but there was a tinted moisturizer compact for just $20 a pop - there was a good selection of colors from what I could tell. Moisture Supreme Foundation was also $20 a pop but there were only about 8 colors to choose from.

For eyes there were items like the baked eye colour, caviar stick eye colour, eye brow pencil,
kohl eye pencil, tightline cake eye liner, long lash mascara, faux lash mascara for between $10 a pop. Illuminating eyecolor was $12. While none of the eyeshadows spoke to me, I snagged a couple of caviar eye color sticks and a brow pencil.

For lips there was the creme smooth lip colour & lip glace for $12 but the colors tended to be more frosty and sheer than what I was looking for. Frosty sheer orange, pinks and nudes were the most of the selection. There was even a frosty sheer white.

There was body bronzing make up for $9 but I didn't notice it. While nail lacquer was just $8 a pop,
all $8 but most of the colors were very classic.

Staffers were on hand with cotton balls, q-tips and wet wipes. As you request items, they drop it in a plastic bag that they seal with a twist tie that you can ring up at the cash in the front. With almost no waiting after the initial line, I was able to pop in and out in about 25 minutes.

While I was a little disappointed that they didn't have the regular tinted moisturizer, secret concealer, primer or any powders I can't complain about my haul.

As for the clothes prices are as follows:
James Jeans: $60 for Cords, velveteen, coated and color denim. $70 for basic denim. $80 for coated jackets.

La Fee Verte: Blouses & sweaters $40, leather tops $125, dresses $75, skirts $40, blazers $100, leather pants $95, outerwear $225, leather $250, fur $300.

Manrico Cashmere: Items that retail up to $600 are now $150, items that retail over $600 are now $200.

Muubaa: tops/skirts $99, woven leather or pants/vests $129, dresses $149, jackets $179, leather with fur $249

Who: Laura Mercier Sample Sale
What: Up to 55% off on beauty products from the celeb fave make-up artist at her first ever sample sale. I personally love her tinted moisturizer! Snag moisturizer, mascara, nail lacquer, eye pencil, lip gloss, brow pencils, and more.
When: October 22-24, 2013. Tues-Thurs 11am-7pm
Where: Clothingline, 261 West 36 St (b/n 7th & 8th Ave), 2nd Floor

In Full Bloom with Jane Iredale

A few days ago I had the opportunity to stop by Floristy in Chelsea for a flower arrangement class thanks the the lovely folks at Jane Iredale. We were also celebrating the launch of PureMoist lipsticks which come in 24 shades. The lipsticks are designed with keeping your kisser supple thanks to the natural ingredients such as sunflower oil and vitamin E.

While the class was brief I learned some important lessons about creating a hand tied bouquet from the instructor/owner of Floristy. He recommended choosing a front to the bouquet and making it look visually appealing from 80% of the angles. This makes sense since you tend to see arrangements mostly from one side.

I chose a focal point with a full Hydrangea stem and built my bouquet around it. I also learned that in order to give a bouquet a more modern feel, I should color block my flowers by placing like colors together. For my bouquet I grouped the dalhias, cockscomb and roses and I arranged the unique flowers like fiddlehead in mid-bouquet to make sure they got noticed. Finally I filled in with astralagus and framed my arrangement using an umbrella fern for a cascading finish.

While munching on artful veggies and sipping on Prosecco I completed a bouquet to be proud of! Lush, fresh and full of color the flowers made a great pairing with the Jane Iredale PureMoist lipstick. I got to take home a goodie bag of complimentary shades and liner to try for myself. 

The lipstick smells faintly of raspberries and has a wonderful velvety texture as it goes over your lips even if they are a little on the dry side. It is smooth and has a light sheen through it and doesn't crease up in your lip crevices. The product is packaged in a skinny matte gold tube with angled tip that serves for precise application even without lipliner. However if you do use lipliner there is a chance to play the colors and expand the range of each lipstick! Pretty awesome! The lipsticks so far have been pretty great and feel great on. I get dry lips especially at this time of year and usually avoid lipstick, glad that I can wear some color. My personal favorite is Margi a matte red that I can't help but wear often. In fact I am wearing right now!

Try: Make Up For Ever Pro Finish

I am a bit of a lazy girl when it comes to make-up, the simpler the better, despite my love of products, since I can't wake up in the morning I can't be bothered with anything that takes a lot of time in the morning. That is why when I first tried powder/mineral make-up I was hooked. However I was soon turned off it for the winter months because my face becomes insanely dry and most powders / mineral make-up has the tendency to make me look chalky and flaky and not at all attractive. So for a long while I switched to tinted moisturizer. A few months ago I was given the chance to try out Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation and I had my doubts. I was fearful of looking chalky and gross but boy was I pleasantly surprised to learn that this product seems to be immune to those typical powder make-up failures.

Make Up For Ever Pro Finish is formulated in a unique way using vegetal coated bio-mimetic pigments. This unique formulation makes it customizable to the look that you want. You can apply it dry for a matte finish and moderate coverage or for a satin finish with sheer coverage, apply it wet. The formulation never clumps up or gets cake-y. The powder foundation has a velvety texture that blends in very naturally into skin for a lightweight and natural look. While it can't cover up cystic acne (what really can?), it makes the overall texture of my skin look more even, my pores minimized and I feel that my skin has a natural glow that is often covered up by make-up. If you are looking for full coverage, I don't think this is your answer. However, if you are a lazy make-up girl like myself, or need a touch-up on the run, this is the perfect compact to slip into your purse. This really is the perfect product for those days when I ran out the door so fast that I forgot to put on make-up. It is a product that revives tired makeup before running on a date afterwork and makes a difference with how put together I feel. The compact case has a good sized mirror and a separate compartment to store your foam sponge with air holes so if you use the product wet, the sponge can dry easily without fear of getting moldy. Overall from practical packaging to product quality I am won over. It is the perfect answer for lazy make-up girls like myself who are on the go.

Make Up For Ever Holiday Party at Style Coalition

Last week Style Coalition Lounge hosted a holiday gathering with the talented ladies from Make Up For Ever. While sipping cocktails, we had our chance to get make-up tips from professional make-up artists. When it was my turn I asked about false eyelashes as they are my beauty nemesis. They always add a lot of drama to special occasions but I always have trouble applying them.

The first step is to apply some eyeliner at your lashline to disguise where they will be attached and create a more natural look. She also curled my lashes because my natural lash growth is very straight. Then gently remove the lashes from the packet using only your thumb and a sweeping motion so as not to damage the lashes or put a kink in them. In my case for a more comfortable and customized look, the make-up artist cut the lashes into 4 equal sections but only applied 3 to my lid, with the longest segment at the center of my eye. Before applying them she had me open my eyes with the faux lashes resting on my natural lashes to check for perfect positioning. She applied the segments, using the glue that came with the package.