Tag Archives | mascara

Laura Mercier Belle Nouveau Collection for Summer 2012

By on April 13, 2012 in Collection Info

Laura Mercier Belle Nouveau Collection for Summer 2012

Available May 2012

Laura’s inspiration for 2012 draws from her background as a fine art painter and focuses on the mood and attitude of women through different art periods. For Summer 2012, she invites you to escape to a dream world that explores creativity through color, taking inspiration from Art Nouveau’s innovative spirit and painted posters.

This poetic embrace of sugary happy tones in sheer textures sets the mood—soft but daring, playful yet romantic. The face is touched in clouds of color that bring sophistication without strong definition. Highlights include sheer milky pastel eyes and translucent lips printed in color. Skin is illuminated with a soft, healthy touch of bronzer and glow.

I love that Laura Mercier didn’t stick to only brights for summer – it’s so nice to see a variety of colors in this collection. These particular shades remind me a lot of a Lisa Eldridge tutorial using Biba makeup (link), which totally fits with the painterly vibe described above.

The only thing that threw me was the focus on cream textures, which usually don’t last that well in hot weather. Some of these are described as matte, so perhaps they have a long-wearing formula, but the name Sheer Creme Eye Color just doesn’t strike me as something that will last through a summer afternoon.

Sheer Creme Eye Color ($22.00)

  • Mauve Pastel Pale lavender (Limited Edition)
  • Grey Pastel Cool light grey (Limited Edition)
  • Aqua Pastel Pale teal (Limited Edition)

Caviar Eye Stick ($24.00)

  • Turquoise Blue green with shimmer (Limited Edition)

Long Lash Mascara ($24.00)

  • Bleu True cobalt (Limited Edition)

Lip Glace ($24.00)

  • Camellia Fuchsia pink (Limited Edition)
  • Orange Tulip Light orange (Limited Edition)
  • Lotus Blossom Light pink (Limited Edition)

Creme Lip Print ($20.00)

  • Nude Beige Bronze matte (Limited Edition)
  • Nude Coral Red orange matte (Limited Edition)
  • Nude Pink Light pink matte (Limited Edition)

Nail Lacquer ($18.00)

  • Lavender Cloud Pale violet (Limited Edition)

Sheer Creme Color ($35.00)

  • Copper Glow Veil Bronze with shimmer (Limited Edition)

Body Bronzing Makeup ($38.00) (Limited Edition)

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L’Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara

By on October 11, 2011 in Reviews

Hello everyone, welcome to “what Katie looks like first thing in the morning”. I’ve done you the favor of applying foundation and blush before taking this photo:

As you can see, my lashes are naturally dark but they get spindly toward the ends and become hard to see. This is no good, because I want long, thick lashes to give the appearance of being bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Enter L’Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes (hereafter referred to as “Beauty Tubes”).

L’Oreal Beauty Tubes is a double-ended product with a white primer and a black mascara (or brown, if you want). The idea is that the primer has little fibers that help build up your lashes and the mascara forms tiny tubes around your lashes thanks to a special polymer formula. Tubing formulas are a big deal for me because they don’t give me raccoon eyes by lunchtime… in fact, they won’t come off at all until you wash your face with warm water and rub your eyelashes a little bit.

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MAC Opulash Optimum Black for Fall 2011

By on July 18, 2011 in Collection Info

MAC Opulash Optimum Black for Fall 2011

North America Launch: August 25th, 2011
International Launch: September 2011

I love the retro look of this promo image (very Jackie O.) but as for the mascara? Meh. I won’t be excited about a MAC mascara until they release a tubing formula (like Blinc Kiss Me or L’Oreal Beauty Tubes). That said, I know some people really like their mascara so I wanted to share. This new product launches on the same day as MAC Me Over, so perhaps we’ll run into each other at the store? See you there!

Something bolder, better, blacker, badder! The race is on to build the best Dramatic Volume and Curl ever. M·A·C Mascara is on the up, trending big, growing gargantuan – so here it is! M·A·C Opulash Optimum Black is your new way forward for a more impressive, imperious build, a more saturated black, with the vroom of extra-volumization, delivered dramatically with our most bodacious brush yet – it’s bigger than beyond! And Intense! Hence the extreme expansion and curl, formed from a blend of silica plates of mica and natural kaolin to thicken and grab each lash with every application, for an intense lay-down with succinctly sexy separation.

Resists flaking, smudging, and humidity, with multifunctional emollient ester flexibility, superior adhesion, and water-gel instant conditioning for even the most sensitive of eyes.  And it lasts 15 hours! The spotlight is on superlative style, state-of-the-art science, and the urge to merge the two….Opulash Optimum Black is the Bat-For-Lashes bomb!

OPULASH OPTIMUM BLACK ($15.00 U.S./$18.00 CDN) (Permanent)

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L’Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator Mascara

By on April 27, 2011 in Reviews

To be completely honest, I don’t bother with mascara most of the time. My lashes are pretty dark on their own and all the tubing mascaras I like dry out so quickly. You see, I can’t wear regular or waterproof mascara because something about my face makes them smear everywhere. I think it’s a combination of unconsciously rubbing my eyes and squinting when I laugh (which I do quite often). I’d rather have naked looking lashes than look like a sad panda!

Anyway, I told the whole story above because I want you to know why I’m not raving about this mascara – I don’t rave about any mascara. It’s just not my thing. I’d rather put on eyeliner, curl my lashes, and call it a day. That said, this is actually a nice mascara!

L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator in Black Quartz for Brown Eyes

The tube contains two different products: a black mascara and an “illuminator” that has different colored sparkles depending on your eye color. The mascara claims to be clump-free, flake-free, and smudgeproof.

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Clinique Lash Power Mascara Review

By on July 17, 2010 in Reviews

They say: Mascara with staying power. Vows to look pretty for 24 hours without a smudge or smear. Lasts through rain, sweat, humidity, tears. Yet the formula removes easily with warm water. Unique brush reaches and beautifully lengthens even the tiniest lashes. Ophthalmologist Tested.

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I say: This is my favorite mascara at the moment. It has a similar formula to the High Impact Curling Mascara, but with a more precise brush. I find it doesn’t hold curl quite as well, but it leaves my lashes soft and really does last all day without smudging. It removes easily with water and comes off in pieces rather than bleeding all over.

bare-lashes clinique-lash-power-mascara

Clinique Lash Power costs $14 and is available in Black Onyx (shown here) or Dark Chocolate.

Bottom Line: This is a happy medium between lengthening and volumizing. I’m happy with the lasting power and will continue to repurchase this.

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Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara Review

By on July 16, 2010 in Reviews

I’m a big fan of Clinique mascaras because they offer several tubing formulas at a more affordable price than most. High Impact Curling Mascara belongs to this group.

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They say: Coaxes lashes to their longest, boldest, most upturned look yet, without a pinch, pull, tug or tear. Arched wand scoops up, lifts up every last lash. Smudge, flake, smear-resistant for up to 24 eye-opening hours. Remove easily with warm water. Ophthalmologist tested.

I say: I like the fact that this comes off with warm water and the great volume it gives. I also think it holds a curl pretty well, and even encourages a bit of curl with the curved wand.

bare-lashes clinique-high-impact-curling-mascara-7

The tube is somewhat plain looking, but it fits in with the Clinique aesthetic. The brush is big, fluffy, and curved. I find it’s a bit hard to get all your lashes without smudging. I’m not happy that my tube has become cakey and clumpy after only a few weeks. I think the situation would be greatly improved if the brush were better at separating lashes and removing excess product. I really think that the brush is this mascara’s greatest downfall.

Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara costs $14 and is available in Black (shown here) or Black/Brown.

Bottom Line: I like it pretty well, but I don’t love it. Clinique makes better mascaras with a similar formula, and I’ll be reviewing my favorite soon.

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Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof Mascara Review

By on July 15, 2010 in Reviews

Oh, Maybelline The Falsies. You’ve caused so much commotion in the makeup world with your promises of length and volume… do you measure up?

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Let me start by saying that I’m SUPER picky about mascara. I have long lashes and most mascara ends up all over my brow bone and under my eyes within an hour, so I didn’t wear any for years. I came back to mascara when I discovered tubing formulas, which don’t smudge and are removed with warm water at night.

Then let’s look at the promo image, which is just downright scary. This doesn’t really have anything to do with my review, but it’s too funny to leave out.

falsies-erin

They say: The Falsies Mascara delivers a false lash look; giving you a full set of voluminous, bold, fanned out lashes and the appearance of no gaps from any angle. The Pro-Keratin and Fibre enriched formula is designed to deliver immediate results, distributing volume and visible intensity to your lashes. The patented ‘Spoon’ shaped brush helps fan lashes out.

I say: This mascara was pretty good. The brush is a little weird, truly shaped like a spoon in that it’s wide and flat. The inner curve of the spoon shape has nearly invisible fibers, but they grab onto lashes really well and keep them from turning clumpy. The Falsies holds curl in for most of the day and kept my lashes touchably soft.

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