Product Reviews

Patience Is a Virtue MAC Cleanse Off Oil/Tranquil Makeup Remover/Cleanser Doesn’t Have

June 5th, 2011 by Karen 23 Comments

I’ve been wanting to try MAC Cleanse Off Oil/Tranquil (a makeup remover/cleanser) for ages, but every time I came close to bringing a bottle home with me from a MAC counter, something eye-catching would always steal my attention away. More often than not, it was something sparkly, or pink, or sparkly AND pink.

But I bet I still would have pulled the trigger anyway if it hadn’t been for the price… Thirty dollars for a 5-oz. bottle? Fuggedaboutit.

The new $10 MAC Sized to Go version of Cleanse is harder to ignore. It packs 1-oz. of the same oil-based makeup remover/cleanser into a handy, TSA-approved bottle. Other than the smaller size and the fact that this bottle’s clear (the larger one is blue), the products are exactly the same. In terms of value, however, the larger bottle is a much better deal ($6/ounce instead of $10), but it’s also too large for carry-on air travel.

Designed for dry, “mature” and/or stressed-out skin, Cleanse is one of two cleansing oils in the MAC skincare line. If you’re sensitive to mineral oil, it doesn’t contain a drop. Instead, it contains a bunch of botanicals like sea grass extract, peach leaf and bisabolol (a colorless oil derived from chamomile; used for hundreds of years in cosmetics for its purported anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties).

The full-size 5-oz. bottle costs $30; the 1-oz. MAC Size to Go version costs $10
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Red Alert! Dior Rouge Dior Lipcolor in Rouge Favori 752 Is the Business

June 4th, 2011 by Karen 28 Comments

MAC Russian Red has been my favorite red lipstick for years, but Dior’s Rouge Dior Lipcolor in Rouge Favori 752 ($30) is nipping at its heels. Part of Dior’s permanent line, it’s a rich, full-coverage matte red with a hint of magenta, which gives it a little extra oomph.

And the oomph lasts. The non-drying formula feels light and comfy on my lips, and the color lasts all day long.

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LancÃ´me Ã”scillation Intensity PowerMascara: Just Because Something Shakes, Doesn’t Mean It Can Dance

June 4th, 2011 by Karen 15 Comments

Lancome Oscillation Intensity

LancÃ´me’s betting their latest vibrating mascara wand will work wonders on your lashes. Ã”scillation Intensity PowerMascara ($34) is basically an upgrade of the company’s O.G. Ã”scillation, which was one of the first pulsating wands to shimmy across makeup counters.

Like its predecessor, it oscillates an astounding-sounding 7,000 times per minute (dude, that’s a lot!), but LancÃ´me says this one’s fuller brush helps it wrap each lash with more mascara for a bolder, longer lash look. And the mascara itself? According to LancÃ´me, it contains the highest concentration of carbon black pigments on the market.

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I’m Stuck on Lancome’s Natural Juicy Tubes by Yayoi Kusama

June 3rd, 2011 by Karen 19 Comments

Lancome’s Natural Juicy Tubes should come with a warning for pet moms that reads, “‘It’s better to apply your Natural Juicy Tubes before (and not after) your cat/dog/hamster/fur baby comes over for a snuggle session.” Last night I slicked on a layer of Dot Apricot, one of six sheer shades in the limited edition Yayoi Kusama collection ($15 each), before Tabs climbed onto the bed for his nightly post-gravy petting, head butts, biscuits and chin bites, and by the time we finished, I had enough cat hair on my lips to weave a friendship bracelet.

It’s uncanny! The thick (even thicker than a MAC Lipglass), gooey formula must be made out of melted fur magnets… I seem to remember the limited edition Natural Juicy Tubes I tried last year feeling lighter, smoother and less sticky than these.

Each shade also sports a different signature fragrance. Dot Apricot’s subtle citrusy apricot is my fave, with Happy Honey (yup, it smells like honey!) a close second. The scents, and the light honey flavor that each of them has, fade after about five minutes on my lips.

I do the artwork on the tubes, though. Lancome tapped the Princess of Polka Dots for the designs, Yayoi Kusama, a Japanese artist known for her use of repetition, pattern and accumulation.

If you like ’em too, you might want to make your move before they say sayonara from Lancome counters for good.

When I’d tried those other Natural Juicy Tubes from Lancome last year, it had been right after the company reformulated the line. Like those, these are made without preservatives, and with Hungarian honey, royal jelly, shea butter and annatto.

Dot Apricot (left) and Happy Honey (right)
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A Sunkissed Flush for Paler Pretties: Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Cheekcolor in Sunkissed Coral

June 3rd, 2011 by Karen 17 Comments

elizabeth arden sunkissed coral

Summer showcases so many bright, bold coral blushes (hello, MAC My Paradise!), but if you’re a paler princess struggling to find summer shades that work well with your skin tone, you might really like Elizabeth Arden’s new Pure Finish Mineral Cheekcolor in Sunkissed Coral ($28), one of seven pieces in the new Bronze in Bloom Summer 2011 Collection.

I had to apply four layers of this pinkish coral sheen to get it to make a statement on my tan skin, but I’m betting that a single layer would give lighter lasses a gentle, summery flush.

While I give the packaging major points in the cute category (LOVE that it fits in my palm), I wouldn’t have minded a wider pan. It comes with a mini kabuki brush, which does fit inside just fine, but the pan’s too small for my blush brush (at least without having to shove). A small detail, but it’s a little irksome.

elizabeth arden sunkissed coral

elizabeth arden sunkissed coral
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Turn Around, Bright Eyes: Tarte EmphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener

June 2nd, 2011 by Karen 60 Comments

Between good old-fashioned insomnia, the fear of demon possession and Tabs sprinting up and down the stairs at midnight like a crazypants, I’ve been averaging about four hours of sleep a night this week.

Yeah, the dark circles are in the mutha’ truckin’ house, and neither my normally reliable MAC Pro Longwear Concealer nor my trusty Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener are cutting it. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

While it’s not a concealer, soft beige Tarte emphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener ($18) is designed to deliver wide-awake eyes. The matte finish looks natural to me, and the product’s easy enough to use. Just twist the bottom to expose the tip, and guide it along the lower inner rim and inner corner of the eyes. It can also be used to highlight the brow bone to further define the shape of the brows.

The creamy texture skims along my waterlines, and the twist-up tip means not having to bother with sharpening.

Active ingredients

Beeswax: Forms a protective barrier between the skin and the environment

Vitamin A: Helps reduce free radical damage and retains skin’s moisture

Vitamin E: Acts as an anti-inflammatory emollient and protects against free-radical damage

Aloe Leaf Extract: Helps maintain moisture balance in the skin

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Elizabeth Arden Has Been Busy in the Garden Making Black Violet Grow: Introducing the Smoky Eyes Powder Pencil in Black Violet

June 2nd, 2011 by Karen 47 Comments

Elizabeth Arden Smoky Eyes Black Violet
Ms. Elizabeth Arden has been busy in the garden again. Her Smoky Eyes Powder Pencil in Black Violet ($16), one of seven pieces in the new Bronze in Bloom Summer 2011 Collection, can’t wait to decorate your eyes.

It’s an easy-to-use, long-wearing cream pencil that dries to a soft, powdery finish in a pretty, purplish black. I have a feeling it’ll look lovely on lasses with lighter eyes, but I think brown-eyed beauties are really in luck.

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Happy Birthday, Bare Minerals! I Wish You Love & Happiness

June 1st, 2011 by Karen 38 Comments

bareminerals love happiness

I thought it was April showers that brought May flowers, but yet it rained today. What’s up with that? I was getting a little down about it, too, until I saw the colors in the new bareMinerals Love & Happiness Collection ($35). There they were, like a break in the clouds, these shimmery pastels and brights.

The collection is, more accurately, a kit released to commemorate the company’s 35th birthday (happy b-day, BM!). I’ve played with a few other bareMinerals kits before but was never really moved. In some cases, it just seemed like there was either something missing or off about those colors. These, however, look like a garden party (complete with knee-length dresses, fine china and cucumber sandwiches) in a pretty pink box.

“Did someone say party?!”

bareminerals love happiness collection box
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