Product Reviews

Rockin’ Bad Mama Jama Eyelashes with Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara

August 21st, 2009 by Karen 28 Comments

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I’ve been lovin’ my naturally wimpy lashes lately thanks to Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara in Extra Black ($22). This waterproof delovely does everything a good mascara should, adding dramatic length and volume and holding a mad crazy good curl all day long (it has a densely bristled brush like the one that comes with Diorshow Plum mascara).

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Smoky Lash flat-out refuses to smudge, not even after a sweaty 90-minute hip hop class. Between my Cabbage Patch and Kid N’ Play the other night (it was an old-school theme), I couldn’t help but bat my eyelashes in the mirror; they just looked so BILLBOARD. Big, bad and bold, I tell ya, like Heavy D and Chubb Rock in their prime. 🙂 Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Stick ‘Em Up! Crazylibellule and the Poppies Solid Perfumes

August 15th, 2009 by Karen 30 Comments

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Happy Saturday, gals. How’s it going? What do ya think of these solid perfume sticks by Crazylibellule and the Poppies ($18)?

I should have stuck my hand or something in the picture to give them some perspective, but they kinda look like chubby little lipstick tubes. 🙂

Diverse fragrances

Developed by Sephora co-founder Isabelle Masson-Mandonnaud, each of the 29 unusual fragrances contains a mix of notes like dark chocolate, Tiare flower and ginger. Because they’re generally light, like eau de toilettes, they’re designed to work alone or layered with each other (or other scents).

I’ve tried four of them — Chere Louise, Jeanne Voyage, Josephine Jonquille and 26 Juin Ile d’Yeu — and love ’em all!

Fragrance profiles…

Chere Louise: rose, pepper seed, iris, hyacinth, storax (a plant used for making incense), patchouli, guaiacum wood (a tropical shrub)

Jeanne Voyage: Silician bergamot, amberwood, Spanish mandarin, heliotrope, violet leaves, rose sap, musk, nutmeg, iris

Josephine Jonquille: Tiare flowers, patchouli, black chocolate, jasmine, lemon, ginger, cardamon (an herb from the ginger family)

26 Juin Ile d’Yeu: orange, vanilla, jasmine, plum, black pepper, lily of the valley, peach, musk, wood, rose orange blossom, cardamom, orange

Light and subtle

These are the kinds of perfumes that work great when I just want a lil’ something-something, like for those times when El Hub leans in to snuggle.

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The tube makes them kinda fun to apply. I’ve been swiping the sticks (which deposit a thin, slightly waxy film) on my wrists, neck and between “the girls,” taking a minute afterward to thoroughly massage the film into my skin.

The scents seem to last about half the day, but the sticks travel well and they’re a blast to apply. So far I’ve spotted them online at Sephora, Beauty Habit and Crazylibellule.com (LOVE the music that plays on the site), but I haven’t seen them in any stores yet. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Friday night alien antics, etc.

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District 9 took a lot out of me last night…
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Say Aloe to Vaseline Aloe Fresh Gel

August 14th, 2009 by Karen 14 Comments

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“Child,” Mom would always tell me, “put some lotion on those ashy legs!”

“No,” I’d calmly reply. “I hate lotion. It burns.”

Of course, Mom was right, and by the time I’d hit my late teens I was applying lotion like it was a job, religiously, with all the seriousness it deserved.

Unfortunately, I’ve gotten kinda lax about body lotion lately. Busy days have left me with barely enough energy to shower, much less full-body moisturize.

Thank goodness for Vaseline Aloe Fresh Moisturizing Daily Body Gel ($6), aka my tired (and dry) booty’s BFF.

I’ve been using this lightweight moisturizer a lot this week, and I’m flat-out obsessed, which is admittedly something that happens to me a lot, ha! 🙂

Not only do I love how well it works, as in how fast it absorbs and all that, but I love the summery aloe Vera scent.

A little goes a long way (something that took me about a day to figure out), and when I was using too much, it was leaving my skin a little sticky.

Vaseline Aloe Fresh Gel is fast AND cheap (but not in a sleazy way), and quite possibly my new summer skin staple. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

District 9

T-minus one hour till the weekend!
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CoverGirl LashBlast Length Mascara: Coming Soon to a Lash Line Near You

August 12th, 2009 by Karen 14 Comments

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Today the original CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara has a *major* reputation; millions of ladies love it with almost cult-like Cult of CoverGirl LashBlast! devotion!

I, unfortunately, am not one of them.

Not that I hate it (because I don’t). I’ve just always thought it was only okay (it clumps a little on me).

That said, I can appreciate die-hard beauty fanaticism, and with LashBlast’s reputation in mind, I was looking forward to trying CoverGirl’s new LashBlast Length Mascara ($7).

New for fall

The full-scale deployment begins in September, with the little yellow tubes invading stores by the truckload, but if you can’t wait that long, mark your calendar for August 17… That’s when CoverGirl will pre-sell a limited number of tubes through CoverGirl.com before the big September launch.

Some marketing background

CoverGirl is claiming their newest member of the LashBlast family lengthens lashes by up to 80%. Wow, right?

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They say that’s made possible by nylon fibers in the mix and a new ultra-long brush with more than 450 bristles (for precise, clump-free application).

Colorwise, the product will be available in four shades — Very Black, Black, Brown Black and Brown — and I tried Black.

First, the good stuff

Staying power — it’s no joke. There’s absolutely no smudging or flaking (yay!) even after a full day with it on.

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Bare lashes

Yet at the end of the day, it’s still easy to remove, thoroughly washing out with my regular cleanser and a few splashes of water to rinse.

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One layer of LashBlast Length

Up to and including two layers, I like the way it makes my lashes look. I feel like they’re smoother, thicker and noticeably longer, too, but when I go beyond two layers, things get kinda sketchy, with my lashes beginning to look bumpy and fibrous, ew.

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Two layers of LashBlast Length

How well does it lengthen?

Pretty well, in that it does appear to add some length to my lashes.

How much?

Not quite 80%. I’d say the difference is more like 40% on me, but that’s a 40% I’ll happily take. 🙂

Changes I’d like to see

If I could, I’d make a couple tweaks to the product.
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Givenchy Gloss Interdit Lip Gloss: Pretty Plum Shades for Fall

August 11th, 2009 by Karen 38 Comments

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Three of the four Givenchy Gloss Interdit plum shades, from top to bottom: Velvet Purple, Sensual Chocolate, Lilac Confession

Earlier today I spent some quality “me” time with the plummy shades from Givenchy’s new Gloss Interdit ($25) line of lip glosses.

Lilac Confession: a bright, cool-toned lilac with shimmer
Sensual Chocolate: a shimmery plum-brown
Velvet Purple: a shimmery berry
Rose Taboo (not shown): a rosy mauve

Don’t they just scream fall?

Based on the plums, Givenchy scored big with these 15 new glosses, loading ’em up with vibrant color, blinding shine and a smooth, non-sticky texture.

Givenchy also added hyaluronic acid microspheres, which are en vogue in a lot of beauty products now. They’re said to bind with water in the skin to, in this case, produce plumper, smoother lips with fewer deep wrinkles.

I don’t know if it’s more due to wishful thinking or microsphere technology, but I think I see a subtle difference in the size of my lips when I’m wearing these (although I can’t feel a difference).

In short — I think Interdit’s the hotness, but let me know what you think. 🙂

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From left to right: Lilac Confession, Sensual Chocolate, Velvet Purple

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Velvet Purple
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Vaseline Aloe Fresh Protecting Lotion with SPF 15 and Sunny Tiburon Afternoons

August 11th, 2009 by Karen 22 Comments

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Last Sunday it was unpredictably hot and sunny here (finally, summer!), so I took my camera and a bottle of Vaseline Aloe Fresh Protecting Lotion with me to the nearby town of Tiburon, a seaside hamlet and tourist stop about a 20-minute ferry ride north of San Francisco.

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On a sunny day (that is, when the fog stays out to sea), Tiburon’s within sight of some lovely landmarks like Angel Island (formerly known as the Ellis Island of the West), Alcatraz (formerly known as Al Capone’s beach house) and the Golden Gate Bridge.

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I spent about an hour walking around outside, cruising along the waterfront and pier in a sleeveless sundress, snapping pictures of sailboats and seagulls, and thanks to the Vaseline Aloe Fresh Protecting Lotion SPF 15 ($8) I was wearing, my skin didn’t burn at all. 🙂

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One of three new moisturizers in the Aloe Fresh line released earlier this summer, Vaseline Aloe Fresh Protecting lotion’s lightweight and absorbs fast.

Because it absorbs so quickly, it takes me about half as much time to apply as the Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion SPF 15 I’ve been using since June.

It definitely feels moisturizing (not sticky or greasy), without leaving a film, and I love the fact that it doesn’t smell like sunscreen; instead, I think it smells just like it should (like fresh cut aloe Vera).

On top of everything else, it’s priced right, costing a third less than Aveeno ($8 vs. $12).

Yea! Another pleasant surprise from Vaseline… I’m always glad to find a new budget body lotion with SPF. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Eye Love Cucumbers Eye Gel: Cucumbers Ain’t Just for Salads Anymore

August 10th, 2009 by Karen 24 Comments

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I’m riding a wave of nerdiness right now, loving the clever wordsmithery that went into naming Eye Love Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel ($15).

Eye Love Cucumbers… Get it? 🙂

My name is Karen, and I’m addicted to puns.

(HI, KAREN!)

Okay, so the name was the real reason I wanted to give the product a try.

Cucumbers: not just for salads anymore

One of several natural skincare goodies in the Yes to Cucumbers line, Eye Love Cucumbers Eye Gel is a highly-absorbent, moisturizing gel with some great things to offer.
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CoverGirl Exact Eyelights Eye Brightening Liner Keeps Going and Going…

August 9th, 2009 by Karen 41 Comments

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I feel so secret squirrel when I’m browsing beauty aisles at the drugstore, like I’m always just moments away from a huge discovery and the unearthing of some ancient treasure lost to womankind for centuries.

Case in point: CoverGirl Exact Eyelights Eye-Brightening Eyeliner ($7).

Because it’s from a big brand like CoverGirl, the logical part of me knows I’m totally late to the party. It’s been out for months. Millions of women are well aware of the product, but such is the power of the major budget beauty score!

I’ve been wearing Exact Eyelights all weekend long, and if you don’t throw one in your basket on your next trip to Walgreens, I may have to come over to wherever you are and shake you silly. 🙂

This. Stuff. Rawks.

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Exact Eyelights Eyeliner twist-up pencils don’t require sharpening and come in four shades, each designed to complement a different eye color:

Vibrant Pearl: a deep black for girls with brown eyes
Radiant Sapphire: a dark navy for blue eyes
Vivid Ruby: a dark reddish brown for green eyes
Majestic Jade: a dark green for hazel eyes

Lasts and lasts

CoverGirl claims Exact Eyelights Eyeliner “brightens eyes by 4x.” I didn’t notice particularly brighter eyes, but I like it as a basic liner that stays put for a *very* long time.

I’ve been using the Vibrant Pearl pencil for the past few days, and this puppy stays put like nobody’s bidness.

When I’ve worn it along my lash and water lines, it hasn’t migrated, smudged or disappeared, even after 12 hours of wear. It’s not marketed as waterproof, but it might as well be.
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