Laura Mercier Caviar Stick: Cocoa, Plum, Smoke

I saw that Laura Mercier has just released several new colors in her excellent Caviar Stick range. The problem with spring colors that they're very... spring-like. Sweet, light, pastel shades that look gorgeous in theory and don't suit me even a little. So I'm sticking with the original Caviar Sticks on their dark and stormy presence.

To recap quickly: Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks are cream eye shadows/liners in a pencil form. They glide on the skin and set very quickly, so any desired smudging and blending needs to happen right away. Once set, these shadows are tenacious and reliable until they meet their fate inthe form of a heavy duty eye makeup remover. Smudging and blending can be done with a dense brush or even your finger. You can also pick the product from the pencil using a brush for a more precise application.

These three colors, Cocoa, Smoke, and Plum are true to their names. They're creamy and opaque; Smoke has a very minimal shimmer that barely translates on the lid.

Bottom Line: staple items.

Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks ($25 each) are available at the counters, Sephora and from lauramercier.com.