Beauty Shorts: Orgasm-like Discoveries and Glitter Fallout

I haven't set foot in a Sephora in two weeks. I'm waiting to check out the Too Faced Smoky Eye Palette and Tarte True Blood Shadow Palette. But they aren't on shelves in my neck of the woods, so I'm investigating everything that isn't tied down at the drugstore.





Maybelline released new EyeStudio shadow palettes that each contain five shadows. They are available in a variety of colors. I picked up Forest Fury with three glorious greens, a nude yellow and a "top coat" of sparkle shadow. The "top coat" - my word, not theirs - adds a little bit of sparkle and shine to the already glimmering shadows. In short, greens I tried are gorgeous.





(The sparkle top coat is on the left side.)


But the sparkle top coat will fall off of your lids in a few hours, making you look like you've had a long night out even if you just left the house. If you just use the shadow without the crystal top coat, you'll be fine. And since you're wondering, I did use a primer, a few in fact, and got the same results each time.





Always a sucker for peaches, I had to pick up the Limited Edition of Maybelline's Fit Me Blush in Sweet Melon.





(Wearing Sweet Melon Blush)


This gentle peach isn't overly pigmented, but does give a very light flush to cheeks. It reminds me a bit of Orgasm from NARS, without the sheen or sparkle. It's like Orgasm-lite.



(Peach Fuzz)


Speaking of Orgasm, this new gloss from L'Oreal, LeGloss, reminds me of the Orgasm gloss.




It's really, really similar and nowhere near as sticky. It has the same kind of reflective surface the NARS Orgasm does. It's different - it has an opalescence in the layer that shines. It's really pretty. This wears about the same as the Orgasm gloss as well, so try a lip gloss primer underneath to get the most wear out of it.





Lastly, I'm digging the new Master Drama Eyeliner by Maybelline, in Coal Commander.




It's super soft, very smudgeable and long wearing, with just a hint of sheen. It's just a good as similar much more expensive liners. Definitely check these out!


All of the products featured were purchased by me. They are also all tested on animals. Sorry for the generic links, either my drugstores are way behind or the Maybelline and L'Oreal websites haven't quite caught up to their new releases. 

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L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle

After falling in love with another drug store foundation last winter, I decided to branch out and give a few other drug store formulas a chance at winning my heart. The one that succeeded (for the most part) is the not exactly new Magic Smooth Souffle foundation from L'Oreal.




It comes in a square jar and has the texture of a thick mousse. A little goes a long way. This foundation is very creamy and emollient in how it feels, thanks to a decent amount of silicone.


 

This foundation will give you a creamy, radiant and dewy finish, which I adore. I find that it sits on the skin slightly differently than liquid foundations, which helps to make fine lines disappear and gives an airbrushed finish.






(Wearing Magic Smooth Souffle with a light powder to set the product.)

The only downside to this foundation is that because the finish is so dewy and light, it tends to wear away a little faster than my usual liquid foundation.




However, sealing it with a powder helps, as does not talking with a flat, glass cell phone against your cheek. A decent primer will also extend the wear time.



(A closer shot of  how natural the foundation looks, in totally different light.)

All in all, I am really pleased with this foundation. It's been on my vanity for about two weeks and I find that I've been reaching for it almost every morning.

Product was sent for review. Photos by me. L'Oreal does test on animals.

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L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator in Black Copper For Blue Eyes

 L'Oreal Double Release Extend Eye Illuminator has been on the shelves for a bit, calling my name.  I know in the past, when I've tried these kind of mascaras, they haven't worked. I hadn't read any other reviews of this product, because while I had a feeling it would be more of the same, I wanted to have hope.

When it showed up in my mailbox, I assumed it must be a gift from the makeup gods, to show me that it was worth trying.

I shouldn't look into things so much.



(without anything)


I tried the Black Copper for Blue Eyes formula. As a mascara, it's ok. It made my lashes look like they had on, well, mascara. It wasn't anything lengthening or volumizing or shiny. It was a decent standard mascara.



(with black mascara only)


Then I added the bronze, which is applied with a nifty ball-shaped applicator. It didn't show up. I tried adding the bronze to my lashes with a flat brush, by applying a bit of it to the back of my hand and then directly to my lashes. I figured it was a more direct way to apply more product and get more bang for my lash.  That did nothing. Next, I added it to my finger directly and applied it by batting my lashes into my finger. All of that resulted in this.



 (The whole megillah. I can see a few sparkles on my lashes, but that is after applying it three ways.)


It's a lot of work for not a lot of payoff. And it flaked little bronze sparkles off within a few minutes. At the end of it all, it's not bad, but it's not very dramatic or illuminating.

This was sent for review. L'Oreal tests on animals.


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L'Oreal's (Really Silly) One Sweep Eye Shadow

A bit ago, someone at L'Oreal had the ludicrous idea that if they put three shadows in a tin together and made a sponge that was sort of shaped like your eye, they could give those eye decal thingies a run for their money. What a dorky idea.

Which is why when I found out they existed, I scoured my area looking for them. Finally, three weeks later, they arrived at my Ulta and I labored over which (silly) color to buy. Since I went through the trouble of having a blog and all, how can I pass up writing about something like this?

I picked the silver, blue, platinum combo. It looks like this.


Here is how you do this. Or at least how I tried to make the best of it. It comes with a sponge that is shaped like your eye, in a weird way that sort of works.


I took said sponge and smooshed it into the powder on the side of the sponge that would correspond to the eye I wanted to apply it to (you have to use both sides of the sponge to do both eyes). I laid the sponge on the shadow, pressed down and wiggled it very slightly. This picked up the powder in the shape L'Oreal intended, and without messing up the powder for use later.


Then I carefully placed the sponge over my eye, making sure to line up the corner of the sponge with the corner of my eye. Then in One Sweep, I applied the shadow. I did this on my first try.


Ok. That isn't a total fail, but I wouldn't call it a win that deserves to be mass marketed. I was afraid to try to blend the lines, as it didn't really deposit a lot of color. I didn't want to do the same eye over, as the lines wouldn't line up. Maybe that is how you are supposed to get a blended look. But that would also mess up the applicator (have you noticed I really hate sponge applicators?). So I flipped it over and did the second eye.


Basically, the same results. Super.

I added some eyeliner (a new Revlon product, which I actually love and will tell you about later) and mascara to complete the look.


In the end, it isn't really all that bad. I have no idea why you would want stripey eye shadow and if you play with it enough (and add a brush) you can probably blend this out and make it look pretty. But that would go against the One Sweep idea. So is this a total fail? Nah. Is it worth the $8? Nah.


I guess if you are totally makeup-challenged, maybe you can pull this off. It's not the easiest to use, but also not the hardest. If you can use a brush and blend, then you already have the tools and don't need this. If you try it, let me know how it works for you.

I bought this. L'Oreal does test on animals. Revlon does not test on animals. In fact, they were one of the first giants in the industry to swear it off.


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Voluminous Million Lashes by L'Oreal (With a Healthy Dose of Social Commentary)

I am always searching for a mascara to make the most of my lashes. I was a little hesitant to test this mascara after reading a lot of the online reviews, but when it showed up in my mailbox I decided to give it a try.

L'Oreal's Voluminous Million Lashes claims to give you seriously dramatic lashes, with tons of volume and the look of a million lashes. Here is a screen grab from a tv spot Eva Longoria did for the mascara in a foreign market.

Unless her lashes grow like shark's teeth, I can clearly see where the faux lashes are placed. I get that things have to be dressed up for television and print, but makeup ads are making me mental with all of the ridiculous retouching and faking the benefits of the product. I know some of the ads may even have a disclaimer that the photos have been retouched (this product doesn't contain a disclaimer in the 12/10 In Style), but that doesn't make me feel any better.


(The lashes are slightly more realistic in this mag ad, but not by much.)


What bugs me about this is that it sets the expectations so HIGH. In my mind, I know my lashes will never look like this in real life, so I take my expectations down a few notches and expect them to look half as good as Eva's. But there is one problem.

THAT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN EITHER. So no matter how I look at it, I'm going to be disappointed. My lashes will never look that lush and long and thick. I'm just not sure it's responsible to keep the expectations so high with the knowledge that it won't ever live up to the dream. I'll also shell out another $7.99 to try another type of mascara that might offer closer results to whatever impossible look is floating around in my mind's eye. So either way, some days I end up feeling like I lost. That can't be good, can it?


(My measly lashes with NO primer. Normally, they are invisible without some primer.)


At the end of the day, this mascara did a surprisingly good job. It didn't make my lashes look any thicker or curlier than other mascaras I have tried. It did make my lashes slightly longer, which was fantastic. I didn't experience the clumping some people complained about. I also didn't experience the flaking. Mine wore very nicely for a full work day. I liked this mascara. Just don't base your hopes on the ads. Unless you are really good with daily use of false lashes.

This was sent for review. L'Oreal still tests on animals. Rumors are this will change in 2013.

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L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base Works!

A bit ago, I reviewed a primer that was supposed to diminish the look of pores. It didn't work for me, which was a bummer, because I had high hopes. However, I have had a primer lurking on my vanity which gave me the results I was looking for. It's not perfect, but it is pretty darn good.


L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base is a primer that is a thick, whipped mousse/creme-like product that you apply before makeup to help give your skin an airbrushed look. It is very dense and a little goes a long way.


I love to use it under my eyes and on the pores around my nose and cheeks. It doesn't give me a flawless canvas, but it works much better than the other product I tested, for a fraction of the cost! Lines under my eyes and the pores around my nose are diminished!


(My skin when prepped with L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base. Lines are diminished, pores aren't visible. Love it!)


Definitely check it out if you haven't tried it. It is sold out often, but it is usually restocked fairly quickly. Have you tried this? Did it work for you? Tell me in the comments!

This product was sent to me for the purposes of review. L'Oreal does test on animals.

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The Results of My Inner Rim Eyeliner Road Test

I have been looking for months for a liner to actually stay on my inner rims for more than 4 hours. And when I say looking, I mean searching high and low and talking to makeup artists everywhere. The general consensus from the public is that Urban Decay has cornered the market on this specific type of liner. I have tried their liners and they are very nice. I have a bunch of them and I love them (especially Yeyo, for the inner corner of my eye).

But something in them irritates my eye when used on the rim, causing it to water and ruin the look I was going for. I don't know what the specific cry-inducing ingredient is, but it is annoying. I can't wear them on the rims of my eyes, ever. It's not just UD, several liners cause my eyes to water more than usual (and some liquid liners with glitter burn my eyelid). I have no idea why this happens to me, but it has driven me to try everything on the market. And has hard as I try, I can't dry my upper eyelid rims and put a pigmented eye shadow on them, no matter how many people tell me that is the key. I want to be able to do this, but the klutz in me can't.

After testing almost everything in Sephora (and Ulta, Target and Walgreens) I found two standout liners. One is in pencil form (easy) and one is in pigment form (not as easy). First, the pigment liner.

L'Oreal Hip Kohl liner is amazing. It's not that hard to apply, especially after watching this video, and gives a perfect smokey look that lasts more than 8 hours. It's a loose pigment and flies in the face of my above statement, but it's the applicator makes the difference. It comes in several colors and is almost always on sale at one drugstore or another (Bionic Beauty has great roundups of upcoming sales each week!). I personally love the Navy color.



The second liner is in the form of a pencil and is hitting the shelves this month at Sephora, Studio BeautyMix, Ulta and Stila Cosmetics online. Stila's new Smudge Stick Water Proof Liner comes in 8 colors ranging from gold to teal to intense black. I have only tried Stingray, the intense black, so far but I can tell you it didn't irritate my eyes at all and wore for more than 6 hours with no migrating, smudging or disappearing. It is a dark, deep, rich black. These liners are butter soft and waterproof. Some of the colors are slightly reflective which will make summer eyes pop even more. If I can get my hands on the other colors, I will swatch them for you asap!

I am in love with these new Stila liners. Definitely check them out for summer!

I was sent the Stila in Intense Black for the purposes of review. I bought several of the HiP Kohl liners with my own nickels.

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Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews & more! Copyright 2010, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara

I had been curious about this mascara wand for more than a year, but I couldn't justify dropping $28 for the Givenchy Pheonomen'Eyes Mascara. One thing I have learned when it comes to mascara, it is more about the brush than it is about the formula. Both are important, but the brush is what makes the difference.
A few months ago, L'Oreal launched their Telescopic Explosion Mascara, which is strikingly similar to Pheonomen'Eyes. Granted the brush isn't as spikey with the irregular length brushes and the L'Oreal is made from plastic bristles, not a traditional bristle. So you can't really compare them apples to apples. I did pick it up on a recent trip to Target and checked it out.

If you like to put mascara on as shown in the opening credits to Secret Diary of a Call Girl, then this is for you. If you have long, thin lashes and want to define and separate them, then this is for you. This mascara slowed me down in the morning and while it looks ok, It won't earn a permanent place on my vanity. Although it didn't do a bad job, I don't think the extra time it takes to apply with this brush is worth the hassle. It would be fun to use on the outer corners of my lashes to make them pop - but only after I use my regular mascara. By itself, I didn't notice anything super special about how this made my lashes look, but what do you think?

(My lashes with the L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara. They are getting longer and longer thanks to Marini Lash).

Try it yourself and save $2 with this coupon.

Have you tried this? What did you think? Tell me in the comments!

I bought this because I am adventurous and like to spend money on funny looking mascara brushes.


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