Laura Geller Eye Rimz (Potion)

Sephora calls Laura Geller's Eye Rimz a baked eye shadow. The label on the actual box says "baked wet/dry eye accents", which is much more accurate. Using Eye Rimz as a plain dry shadow is a bit frustrating. The pigment is very dark and takes too much work to blend, there's a lot of fallout and the color itself (at least of Potion, the dark purple) was far less pretty than in the compact. But wetting the brush and using it as an eyeliner was a different experience. It goes on smoothly, creating a flawless line with a pearly finish that brings out the best of the color.

Used dry, Potion Eye Rimz was more of an inky violet. Wet application brings out the rich purple hues (cool tones). Lasting power is very good, but it flakes a little when used dry and I had to do several clean ups to keep my face from turning purple, so I can't recommend it as a dry shadow.

Bottom line: Only if you're looking for a purple cake eyeliner.

Laura Geller Eye Rimz ($26) is available from Sephora and dermstore.com. I ordered it from the latter.

All photos are mine.

Laura Geller Baked Marble Eyeshadow (Mint Licorice)

I fell in love with the color: the mint green, forest green and blackened green, all swirling and sparkling in the pan. I have the weirdest skin undertone known to men, and have caused confusion to makeup artists and SAs in three continents, but my reward is the ability to wear and rock green eye shadows. Which is how I ended up with Laura Geller's Baked Marble shadow in Mint Licorice among my possessions.

It's beautiful. I tend to swirl my brush over the pan and collect a little of each shade when applying to the lid, or using a thin damp brush over the darkest part for lining. The eye shadow stays put no matter what, doesn't crease, bleed or smudge (I always use a primer and never tested it without one. You should, too).

One word of caution: Mint Licorice is extremely pigmented. And then some. Unless I'm using it for lining, I'm blending it within an inch of its life with nude and taupe. The shimmer is a lot more obvious when wet, as you can see in the swatch.

Laura Geller Baked Marble Eyeshadow ($23) is available from Sephora, which is where I bought mine.

Photos by me.

Laura Geller Powdered Silk Pressed Powder

Like most LVMH-owned companies, Sephora manages to keep annoying me. I'm not even talking about the decline of their fragrance department, or lamenting the good old days when you could buy Chanel and Bobbi Brown at Sephora stores. What gets to me is the way they drop the smaller makeup lines. The list is endless: Anna Sui, Becca, Alison Raffaele, Paula Dorf. At least they still carry Laura Geller, and the prices seem to be lower than on Ms. Geller's own website (which looks 1999 fab).

I bought my compact of Powdered Silk after playing with it at Sephora a few months ago. I immediately noticed the great texture and how soft and smooth my face looked. It blends with any other face products I use, be it my Chanel foundation or any blushes and bronzers I happen to wear that day, both cream and powders. The result is always flawless and polished.

I feel that a good finishing powder makes the difference in a put-together face. Just like the way an Ikea piece usually doesn't measure up to well-made furniture (and I'm saying this as an avid Ikea shopper. I have to be, since she who has a houseful of felines cannot invest or get too attached to perishable home decor. And almost everything is perishable when it comes to my beasties). The colors can be nice and the design clever, but I don't want that kind of rough finish on my face.

Another great selling point for this powder is its durability. It stays in place all day and all evening, doesn't melt or cake after a short walk in the rain and keeps my skin nice and smooth without drying it out (which means that if your skin is very oily, this might not work) . The puff that comes in the package is flimsy and pointless, so I don't bother with it. A good powder brush delivers the best results, and from my experience, only a little product is needed for optimal results.

There are three colors available: light, medium and dark. I'm using light and it's a perfect match because I don't want any extra color on top of whatever else I'm using under it. I tried the medium and it seems a bit too tan/orange, so your mileage may vary.

Creaseless- Laura Geller Concealer Pen

After last week's TheBalm fiasco, we all deserve a concealer that actually delivers. Laura Geller liquid concealer in a pen with a plastic brush does the work wonderfully. Over the last month it has become my favorite little miracle. I'm using the one in Medium, but also did some testing on the Light, which was a bit too sheer for me. I actually considered buying both and blending them together, but eventually decided that Medium works perfectly by itself in terms of coverage, and the shade is exactly what I need.

I put it on either on top of my regular foundation and blend them together, or, on a good skin day, I use it on bare face. One click of the pen usually dispenses more product than I actually need, so this is my only gripe here. I'd prefer if it came in a tube with a brush or even a sponge applicator. I use the brush to dot the concealer where I need it, and then spread and blend either with my finger or with a tiny concealer brush.

The creaseless wonder melts into the skin, covers everything it's supposed to and stays put for long hours (topped with some kind of powder product). I can't talk about hiding wrinkles, but it covers sun spots, blemishes (without caking on them!), redness on the sides of the nose and that pesky shade under the eyes. I only use it in that area on the darkest part, not the entire under eye (see M. Lisa below, though she could probably use a little more product, since her eyes are kind of bulgy) and it does the trick.


Am I the only one who prefers liquid concealers to the more caulky stuff?

Laura Geller Crease-Less Concealer is available from Sephora, which is where I tested it several times and bought mine for $22.50.

SAG Inspired Lips- Laura Geller Lip Stay

The makeup looks we saw on the red carpet last Sunday inspired a whole bunch of emails asking me to recommend neutral lip colors that would flatter the olive skinned and naturally pigmented lipped among us. It seems like I'm not the only one who thinks that Eva Longoria tends to choose lipsticks that are too pale for her (J. Lo also seems to make a similar mistake very often), unlike the flawless America Ferrera.

While I've already covered the subject in past posts, I do have a new favorite in the natural looking lip color category, and it's even a long-lasting one, that can survive an evening of smiling, kissing and careful champagne sipping.

Laura Geller Lip Stay is a two sided lip product. We've seen several of these in the last couple of years, from Chanel to Max Factor. Lip Stay is very reasonably priced ($13, compared to Chanel at $32, though the Geller one seems to contain less product), but doesn't compromise quality.

I tried it in Pout, a rosy brown color, a bit warmer than my favorite plummish colors (which are usually along the lines of what America Ferrera is wearing in the picture, Lancome's Raisinberry Le Lipstique with on of my most beloved glosses, Color Fever Gloss in On Fire. Scroll down the linked post for my review), but is still very flattering and completely neutral on my face, so it won't clash with a glamorous dress or eye makeup. In the tube there's more than a hint of shimmer, but it disappears on skin. The color is easy to spread, sits pretty, doesn't dry my lips or weigh them down and it stays on for quite a long time, as long as you don't challenge it with very hot beverages.

The clear gloss coat is pretty standard: not too shiny or sticky, not too resilient and smells of vanilla. You'll need to reapply this part throughout the day or night, but that's to be expected.

Tomorrow: A lip liner to match this look.

SAG photos: Just Jared

Misunderstood- Laura Geller Balance-N-Bronze

Here's a product that gets quite a bit of bad rap (just look at the reviews on MakeupAlley), and I don't think it's justified. Laura Geller's Balance-N-Bronze is a split compact, a two-in-one product. One side is Bronze-n-Brighten (basically, a bronzer), the other is Balance-n-Brighten (a mineral makeup-style pressed powder).

I came across it in Sephora, tried it a couple of times before deciding I love it and got to have it, despite the reviews. After all, my skin knows best.

Unlike many of the disappointed reviwers, I don't try to use it as two separate products (I agree that doing that wouldn't be very efficient given the medium sized compact). It's the mix of both the bronzer and the colored powder that works so well and making it into a unique entity that's worth the precious shelf space in my cabinet.

I swirl a soft blush powder over both sides and then swipe it on my face just as I would a light bronzer and/or a powder. What I get is a very soft non-shimmery but glowy tan in a shade that matches my skin perfectly. It also adds a notch of coverage to my light and sheer foundation, gives it a smooth finish. What makes BnB special to me is the lack of shimmer and the natural color. It's always appropriate and never looks overdone. If I want a little more drama I can always add a little blush where appropriate, but for daytime it's hardly needed. It does a great job evening out my complexion, but unlike mineral makeup that comes as loose powder, it doesn't make my skin look weird, waxy or resemble Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. And that, my friends, is a very good thing.