Laura Mercier • Coffee Ground • Eye Shadow

Where To Buy?

tigerlily217 on 3/2/2013 7:47:00 PM more reviews by tigerlily217

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I decided to venture off and use something different for my brows. This fills in my brows so nicely and matches closely to my brows. Pigmented and lasts all day. I love Laura Mercier products!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* LadyKolie on 11/15/2012 12:24:00 PM more reviews by LadyKolie

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

For Reference my skin is NC/NW 07-10 or Nars Sheer Glow Gobi


I am not a big fan of the packaging. However, I am a fan of the product itself. I found that using the right kind of brush makes a huge difference in using LM's eyeshadows (so I blend blend blend with the mac 217). The color is a fantastic cool coffee brown. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of using brown as an eyeshadow, but I found this product does an Amazing job as being my eyebrow filler shade. I have had difficulty finding an shade that looks like my eye brows, just to fill in some small spots. This is THE shade for me and it lasts all day in my eyebrows.


Though if you have issues with Acne I would think twice before using this. Starches feed bacteria, and this product contains corn starch as a second ingredient. Though it hasn't cause me any issues in my eye area, Just be careful.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Sophia1105 on 8/31/2011 1:02:00 AM more reviews by Sophia1105

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

On my second purchase of this and surprised I haven't reviewed it yet. Great mid-deep grayed brown-base. Not at all warm (against my skin), definitely ashy, almost like a fawn tone with a lavender tinge. I swear by LM for those days when anything strong or distinct is just too unforgiving. her products in general give a more diffused effect, very soft. I pull many night shifts (overtime) as a nurse so I feel and look like hell many days, this is a liner I can use to put my eyes on my face without doing more damage and drawing attention to how beaten up I look. Very sexy overtop of a black liner smudged out. Looks unassuming but is just very wonderful.

I'm pretty split between BB and LM; apples and oranges. BB is for my face what a shot of espresso is for my mood; LM is for my face what a glass of wine is for my mood.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* LibertyRose on 7/31/2011 12:08:00 PM more reviews by LibertyRose

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Black, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

Like Bobbi Brown's "mohagany" but better. A dense, no-nonsense dark brown that is not distracted by red or grey. Completely matte. The texture allows it to double as a liner, but still works well as a shadow. Looks great when smoked out from the lash line. I wear it daily for work (layered with LM's Topaz) and am on my third purchase now. Falls short of a 5-lippie rating because it feels too expected. Would be nice if it has a hint of plum or shimmer in the brown, much like the color of LM's cases.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

supernatural on 11/5/2010 9:02:00 PM more reviews by supernatural

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

When LM shadows wear, the color just fades instead of smearing. It is so nice. So, later that night, you just look like you're wearing more sheer makeup than you put on that morning. With other brands, I will find lines and pools of color all over my face, which looks ridiculous.

I use coffee ground as a liner on top of regular black cake eyeliner.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

suzann29 on 4/5/2010 4:50:00 PM more reviews by suzann29

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I use this color to fill in my brows and it is absolutely perfect and stays put all day. The color matches my natural brow color so well it is uncanny.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

calisummer on 3/24/2009 2:22:00 PM more reviews by calisummer

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

eh. Not a huge fan of this one. After letting a Laura Mercier artist do my eyes for a big event, I was completely in love with the job she did, but of course did not write it down. A week later I decided to go back and have her do my eyes again. She was not working that day, so I let another artist play. I kept describing how bold the eyeliner on the lower lids was, that it stayed on and looked awesome for like 3 days, and I wanted to try it again. Had to have been a cake liner right? Well she insisted it must have been a shadow ?? and tried this coffee ground color as the lower lid eyeliner. Now, in fairness to the makeup artist, I did leave with pretty eyes that night. She used a satin-y all over taupe-y color, cognac eyeshadow toward the corners, antique gold on the main lids, and stellar on the brow bone. Pretty. They looked nice and I bought a few things. But when I went to re-create, using this coffee ground shadow as an eyeliner is just sooo blah to me. It literally is a very dull color and doesn’t give my eyes any kind of boost at all. I am not a fan of using a shadow as an eyeliner in general, and if I were forced to, I would want something bolder and more saturated. Even the cognac shadow (deep bronze-y mahogany color) would probably work better as a liner than the coffee ground. It’s a very dull muted brown/boring grayish.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Jennyjennyjenjen on 9/3/2008 5:53:00 PM more reviews by Jennyjennyjenjen

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

This is truly brown, with no red to it - great for me. I used to use Laura Mercier's 'Cabernet' sometimes, but that's really too warm and does have a reddish tone - 'Coffee Ground' is much better. My only challenge is that I find this one hard to work with. I've worn lots of LM's shadows and never had this problem before. It could be because it's so pigmented, but it's really tough for me to get an even application with a brush unless I do a bride-of-Frankenstein-type heavy application (which I never want to do). I'll keep working with it, because the color's so lovely...
EDIT 3-11-09: I decided to swap this away, as it's just too difficult for me to work with and I'd rather it go to someone who has an easier time with it.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* pmnixa on 7/17/2008 2:45:00 PM more reviews by pmnixa

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Wonderful quality matte cool charcoal brown, but it's so dark that the only use I have for this is as a liner, and I already have a brown liner that is similar by Lancome, so returning..... I dislike LM packaging - you can't stack it due to the rounded top.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* diggity on 6/21/2008 2:21:00 PM more reviews by diggity

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This may seem bring to some, but it was exactly what I was looking for. It's described as a cool charcoal brown, and that's pretty accurate. I think it's perfect! I wanted a cool dark brown for lining or doing a more dramatic smokey brown eye. This works great, it's matte with no shimmer or glitter. I actually used it all over my eye today and then blended some Cover Girl Tapestry Taupe (which is really sheer) over it to lighten it up a bit. You can also wear Tapestry Taupe all over and use Coffee Ground as liner and in the outer corner. It's nice combination for everyday wear. Nice quality eyeshadow. Expensive, but I have been looking for a shade like this for a while, so I feel it's worth it.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

bergamott on 2/26/2008 12:47:00 AM more reviews by bergamott

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Other   Eyes: Blue    

This is densely pigmented and the first time I used it I put on way too much and ended up looking terrible. the only way to wear this for me is as a liner or a little bit of defining of the outer corner of my eye. I wanted to use it on lids but it just won't work for me, I'm too fair.
The colour is a dark dark brown but I think it is more warm than cool so on me it does't come out quite as nice as it could have. Quality is great but do not even try to use this w/o a primer. It'll look really bad with intense colour caked and crumbled.
Will not buy again in this shade.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* hounddog1 on 7/2/2007 4:58:00 PM more reviews by hounddog1

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

I love Laura Mercier packaging, unlike most here but I do not like this product. I mean...at first I did but then I found out this creases so much more than my Face Stockholm eye shadow in similar shade. It is very dark matte brown without any red tones and I use it on my brows too. Uh...I wish I would have had enough strenght to wait for a while before I ordered another of these (deep night). This is way more pigmented than her shimmer shades which in my opinion arent really great. Only color I truly love from Laura is Silver Screen. Others turn to an ugly greyish shade. I have another brand shadows that dont do it. I prefer the old Revlon wet & dry shadows for these.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* rjez on 5/19/2006 7:48:00 PM more reviews by rjez

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Love using this as a liner on casual days. I have dark eyes and olive skin. Most of the time I need black to really show over my skin tone. Coffee Ground though is very pigmented so it looks nice when I don't want the deep, black color.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* izzybella on 1/16/2006 9:41:00 PM more reviews by izzybella

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Coffee Ground looks very blah in the pan, and as of right now, I think it looks pretty blah on my lids as well. It's very soft and pigmented and a little goes a long way, so in that sense the $20 is worth it. However, Coffee Ground is a very plain matte dark brown - no sparkle, no slight shimmer, no nothing. I'm not quite sure how to use this color yet - right now I'm experimenting by using it in the outer v with Nars Tokyo all over the lid, and it looks pretty good, but it's definitely too dark to use as an all over lid color. I think I may use it as a liner and possibly to shape my brows, but I'm still undecided as to whether or not to return it because $20 seems a bit steep for a liner/brow powder/plain brown shadow!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* MsAzNqTpRiNcEsS on 7/12/2005 12:46:00 AM more reviews by MsAzNqTpRiNcEsS

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

beautiful dark matte brown...it does remind me of coffee grounds!! the pigment is excellent...great texture....glides easily...overall,a great e/s! great when paired w/ goldenaire pigment...cant wait to try more LM eyeshadows!! this is my first one...this is heavily pigmented so i use a fluffy brush for a softer application..for reference,im C5/C40

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* makeupismylife on 4/2/2005 1:14:00 PM more reviews by makeupismylife

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I love my coffee ground shadow....you can layer it to add intensity but in a way, it always looks natural and sexy. I took away one lippie bc it tends to fade and rub off, but I fix the prob by just using an eyeshadow base (L'Oreal De-Crease works great), and it's also a little pricy. However, the color is to die for, and I recommend that you check it outt.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

colefax on 10/28/2004 12:54:00 PM more reviews by colefax

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I agree with the reviewer below-this is my staple for when I am doing smokey day eyes. But the fact is I find all of Laura Mercier's shawdows excellent but this colour is a must.But they must think this too since it is always included in their palettes.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* artemis16 on 10/21/2004 10:15:00 AM more reviews by artemis16

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This is one of those cases, where we all say 'I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet' - and I can't believe nobody else has either. This is a deep brown with grey undertones. Sounds dull, but this is so finely milled you have great control on the effect: you can create a very soft, transparent wash to a beautiful smokey eye to a fantastic long-wearing wet eyeliner effect. I wouldn't be without it, it's extremely versatile and extremely good quality. Everyone who has seen it on me or used it has raved. Repurchase? Definitely, although it lasts for years!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No