Sunday, September 2, 2012

Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara Review!

Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara

Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara ($19) is a lengthening mascara with conditioning ingredients to promote growth and prevent breakage. It's an ultra-black, glossy formula that doesn't flake or flake.

Formulated without: •Sulfates •Synthetic Fragrances •Synthetic Dyes •Petrochemicals •Phthalates •GMOs •Triclosan

The tube design is pretty unique. The product is in-cased in a sturdy squeeze tube. It's great because you can get every last drop of the product out, just like a tube of toothpaste. With the standard mascara tube design, you're pretty much missing the product at the very top and bottom (like the old Urban Decay Primer Potion packaging  ugh, awful).

The brush design is.. well.. different. It's skinny and has a spiral bristle design. I'm not exactly convinced that it's a very effective design. It's a little awkward, and I notice that it doesn't coat my lashes evenly, as more product seems to gather at the base of my lashes, than the rest of my lash. With continued coats, it evens out, but can get clumpy. *To avoid clumpy lashes, wipe any excess product off the brush before applying.

With this mascara in particular, I prefer applying the coats continuously without allowing my lashes to dry in-between. It builds very well, and there are less clumps because you aren't re-dipping your brush until you get to the other eye.

The result? I found my lashes to look very curled (no lash curler necessary!) and the super black formula makes my lashes stand out, even from a distance. It also gives a little extra length and volume. My only real gripe is that it causes many of my lashes to clump together. So, keeping a clean spoolie handy will be your new BFF with this mascara.


My lashes before (no primer or lash curler used) and my lashes after (bear in mind that my lashes have NOT been combed though to separate any clumps).

Friday, August 31, 2012

MAC Hot Gossip Lipstick Review, Photos and Swatches!

MAC Hot Gossip Lipstick

MAC Hot Gossip Lipstick ($15) is described as a mid-tone pinky plum. It's a shade I would have never picked up a couple of years ago, and a shade I've overlooked ever time I'm shopping at the MAC counter. I'd like to call it a grown-up pink - your progression from baby pinks and nudes. It looks quite boring in the tube when you look at it in indoor lighting, but in the sunlight, you really get to see how complex and pretty this pink is. It kind of reminds me of a more pigmented, brighter and pinker Rimmel Airy Fairy.

Hot Gossip brings color to my face without being too bright, and makes my lips look a bit more noticeable and full. I think it's a shade that will work on many skintones from warm to cool, light and dark.

It's a cremesheen formula, so it applies smooth and is opaque with a few swipes of the tube.


mac hot gossip
MAC Hot Gossip Lipstick on my lips

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation Review!

loreal true match lumi foundation

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation ($12.95) is a lightweight, buildable foundation that provides a luminous, glowing finish to the skin. It's actually said to improve the clarity and skin tone with continued use.

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation is available in 15 shades: Porcelain/Light Ivory, Nude Beige, Natural Beige, Sand Beige, Sun Beige, Soft Ivory/Classic Ivory, Natural Buff, Buff Beige, True Beige, Classic Tan, Creamy Natural, Shell Beige, Classic Beige, Soft Sable and Nut Brown/Cocoa.

To find your match a bit easier, the shades are broken up into three categories: Warm, Neutral and Cool. If you know your undertone, you can go straight to the appropriate category and figure out your exact shade. Sound familiar? Yep. L'Oreal True Match Foundation has the same coloring system. I picked W3 Nude Beige (I'm typically a W4 in L'Oreal True Match, but unfortunately my store was sold out of W4, and I was feeling impatient.. must.. have.. now!) W3 is a pretty good match for the MAC NC30 coloring. It's a bit peach - it could use more yellow/golden tones. For reference, it's less yellow than many of the other warm shades in the range.

The consistency is very lightweight; runny, but also very creamy. If I had to compare the consistency to another drugstore foundation, I'd probably say it's the most similar to Neutrogena Healthy Skin, but slightly creamier. Because of the thin texture, it's very easy to blend and doesn't cake or dry on the skin before you're finished blending the whole face.

The coverage is light, buildable to light-medium with an additional layer. I'd prefer if it had a touch more coverage, but it has nice coverage for my "better" skin days. When I want additional coverage, I usually add a touch of Revlon Colorstay Whipped to any areas that need it, and my face looks flawless.

Monday, August 27, 2012

MAC Saint Germain Lipstick Review, Photos and Swatches!

mac saint germain lipstick review

MAC Saint Germain Lipstick

MAC Saint Germain Lipstick ($15) is described on the MAC website as a clean, pastel pink. It's a very blue-based (cool toned) pink, so it can appear a bit lilac-purple. It's a very "barbie" pink, that can be difficult to pull off, and most times is a hit or miss on most skin tones. I think it's absolutely beautiful on light skin tones (see Katy Perry below) and I actually didn't discover my love for blue-pink lipsticks until I tried one minus my faux tan (around the MAC NC15 coloring).

Because it's very light (pastel), and it's a very opaque formula of lipstick, it can look a bit harsh as it can completely block out the color of your lips (much like any pastel - such as MAC Fleshpot or Myth), but when applied sheer, and combined with a pink lip gloss on top, it's so much more wearable.

amber rose lea michele katy perry kim kardashian cool pink lipstick

MAC Saint Germain Lipstick

MAC Saint Germain Swatch
MAC Saint Germain on my lips.

MAC Saint Germain Swatch
NYX Sand Pink Lip Liner, MAC Saint Germain Lipstick and MAC Like Venus Dazzleglass.