Look of the Day Gemstone Series: Amethyst

It's February, so I decided to use February's birthstone, amethyst, as today's inspiration.

Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz and is a semi-precious stone.  According to Wikipedia, the name comes from the ancient Greek a- ("not") and methustos ("intoxicated"), which is a reference to the ancient Greek belief that it was an antidote to drunkenness.

source: American Gem Society

Shades of amethyst range from pinky-violet to deep purple, and intensity within one crystal of amethyst quartz can vary greatly.  However, the stones are most often cut so the finished gem will have a homogenous color, rather than for size, which would most likely include striations of color, which lie in a striped pattern parallel to the face of the crystal.

source: list-of-birthstones.com

Amethysts can lose their color if overexposed to light sources such as sunlight or black light (so they should be protected when worn outside or in a discotheque). Amethysts can also be artificially darkened using radium radiation.  

The most prized amethyst gems have no blemishes or inclusions within the stone, and are a medium to deep purple with flashes of red.

I used several purples on my eyes ranging from light lavender to deep violet to create my amethyst look.

daylight bulb

with flash

Eyes:

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Orchid on the inner corner

Sephora Moonshadow Trio in Dusk Till Dawn -- lightest color on inner third of the lid

Darling Girl Cosmetics loose eyeshadows in Fra-gee-lay on the middle of the lid

Sushi Flower Diamond Dust on the lower lashline

from left: Fra-gee-lay, Sushi Flower

BFTE loose eyeshadow in Grape on the outer third of the lid

NARS eyeshadow single (I don't know the name becaue I depotted it looooong ago -- it might be Daphne)

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Eyeshadow in Amethyst in the crease

Urban Decay eyeshadow in Limit to blend out the crease

Urban Decay eyeshadow in Strange under the brow

from left: Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Orchid, Sephora Moonshadow in Dusk Till Dawn (lightest color), Darling Girl loose shadow in Fra-Gee-lay, Darling Girl loose shadow in Sushi Flower, BFTE loose shadow in Grape (all three swatched over Pixie Epoxy), NARS eyeshadow in Daphne (probably), Elizabeth Arden eyeshadow in Amethyst, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Limit, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Strange

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner in Ransom on the lower waterline

Milani Liquid Eye eyeliner pencil in Perfect Purple on the upper lashes

NYX Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Purple on the upper lashes

from left: Urban Decay eyeliner in Ransom, Milani eyeliner in Perfect Purple, NYX liquid eyeliner in Extreme Purple

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

Cheeks: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Milk Chocolate to contour
             Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed
             Wet 'n' Wild Fergie To Reflect Shimmer Palette in Rose Champagne Glow

from left: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Milk Chocolate, Tarte blush in Exposed, Wet 'n' Wild Fergie Shimmer palette in Rose Champagne Glow

Lips: MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Natural lipstick in N1
         Rimmel Stay Glossy lipgloss in Non Stop Glamour (I think -- there is no name on it)

from left: MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Natural in N1, Rimmel Stay Glossy lipgloss in Non Stop Glamour

I have a set of amethysts that I wear frequently (it's not my birthstone, I just find amethysts really beautiful).

This ring belonged to my mother, and I "borrowed" it from her as a teenager.  I wore it ALL the time, so she decided it should just be mine.

These earrings were my grandmother's, and she gifted them to me for my birthday one year to match the ring.

My pendant was a high school graduation gift from my parents to match the ring and earrings.

In all of the above pics the purples photographed really blue, so I attempted to tone them (which I don't normally do) to make the colors a little more true to life.  The below picture was taken in indoor light and actually reflects the violet colors of the shadows better.  I didn't think to try indoor light until the end of the day, which is why the shadows are slightly faded.

Thank you for checking out my amethyst look of the day!  

Opal

Diamond

Citrine/Imperial Topaz

Emerald

Tanzanite

Ruby

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Orchid Swatches and Review

One of the items I picked up during the Sephora Chic Week sale was the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Orchid.

Laura Mercier says: A long-wearing, creamy shadow with an innovative, lightweight texture that glides on and adheres to the eyelid perfectly, leaving an even finish that lasts for hours.

Orchid is a cool, metallic, shimmery violet lavender.

natural light

flash

indoor light

This is extremely creamy and smooth.  It glides on without any patchiness or tugging.  It has a rounded tip that makes application of a thick line along the lashes or an all over color on the lid very easy.  It is easy to smudge before it sets, and this color sheers out to a really shimmery, light lavender.  This does crease on my lids without a primer after about 4 hours.

Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick Color in Orchid
Milani Baked Powder Blush in Corallina
Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick in Fresh Papaya

This is so perfect and pretty for a quick, easy, shimmery eye look.

Sephora Chic Week Haul!

Here are the things I bought with my 15% off at Sephora--hopefully I'll have swatches and reviews of a few of these before too long...

Josie Maran Argan Eye Love You Eye Shadow Palette
Benefit Gettin' Cheeky Set (with Posie Tint, Sun Beam, and Cha Cha Tint)
Sephora Collection Colorful Eyeshadow Single in No. 65 Lazy Afternoon
St. Tropez Self Tan Dark Self-Bronzing Spray
Sephora Collection Rouge Shine Lipstick in No. 5 Shiney Moment
Tarte Gifts From The Lipstick Tree Achiote Color Collection
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Orchid

I can't wait to try these!

Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Review

Laura Mercier is known for her foundations, tinted moisturizers, and skin perfecting makeup techniques.  I've wanted to try her tinted moisturizer for ages, so I finally bought one.  For some reason, I decided to try the illuminating version (probably because I read a good review of it on Beautypedia.com).

Laura Mercier's website says:  A lightweight, buildable sheer foundation formula that delivers a youthful, radiant finish, while protecting skin from the damaging rays of the sun with broad spectrum SPF 20 UVA/UVB sunscreen protection. 

This is called "illuminating" for a reason.  It is really glowy and verges on being shimmery.  I feel like almost too much so, at least for my liking (I mean, I can actually see some "sparkliness" coming off my hands when I wash them after applying this).  Now, maybe this would work better for dry skin or for people who feel like their skin is dull and wants it to look more radiant, but I feel like it just makes my slightly oily skin too shiny.  I haven't tried it as a highlighter and maybe it would work well for that purpose, but I prefer to use my tinted moisturizers all over as a simple base to even out my skintone.

The formula itself it quite excellent.  It has a wonderfully creamy, slightly thick texture that feels very hydrating, and dries to a natural (not matte or dewy) finish.  It is gentle on the skin, and uses titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as the broad spectrum sunscreen ingredients.  It's also got some anti-oxidants to provide some anti-aging benefits.

I have to say I didn't like this, but only because it is so "luminous".  It may work beautifully on someone else's skin, and someone who prefers a more glowing look.

Since I like the actual feel of it on the skin, and the skin beneficial ingredients included, I think I might try her regular tinted moisturizer or maybe even the oil-free formula once I'm finished with my Stila tinted moisturizer.

Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Color

I really enjoy cream eyeshadows.  They are so easy and fast and can intensify powder eyeshadow colors when used as a base.  I like being able to apply them with my fingers as a color wash all over the lid for a quick look.

I have Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colors in Rose Gold and Alloy to show you today.

They are packaged in a small silver squeeze tube which makes it very easy to get only a small amount of product out.  There is a small stripe of color around the tube to show the color inside.  They apply nicely with fingers or a brush, although it seems you get more color payoff when using a brush.

Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Color in Rose Gold and Alloy

Rose gold is a shimmery gold color that reads more copper on the lids and less pink than one might expect with a name like Rose Gold.  Alloy is a shimmery taupe with a little platinum.  These are both very metallic indeed and give the lids a nice glossy effect.   

These do crease on my somewhat oily eyelids without a primer after about an hour, but last a good 8+ hours using Urban Decay's Primer Potion underneath.

You can find both of these at Lauramercier.com for $23 each.