COVERGIRL NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara

While mascara seems to be one of the easier products you can skimp on (after all, you should replace it after three months) I have a hard time finding mascaras in the drugstore that live up to my expectations. I like them extra dark, extra long and they should be able to make it through a full day without flaking under my eyes. Now that my lashes are extra long thanks to RevitaLash, I can actually wear a variety of lash looks. Some days, I like to go for the extra glamour and some days I prefer a natural, feathery look.




COVERGIRL recently launched the new NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara. It's kind of amazing, for a lot of reasons. First of all, it's made with beeswax, which adds volume without flaking. This mascara is very light and feels almost weightless on the lashes. According to their scientists, it's actually 20% lighter than traditional mascaras. It's made with Tapioca Polymers that keep lashes curled while allowing them to feel flexible. Finally, it lives up to its green packaging. Compared to other similar mascaras, NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara is created in a way that reduces emissions, water consumption, energy use and package waste.




The brush on this is a simple plastic bristled brush that gets into the base of the lashes and encourages them not to clump. This tool provides a nice combo of stiff bristles to control the mascara and a medium thick brush (diameter-wise).





It's not so thick it goes all over my eyelids, but is thick enough to coat all of my lashes evenly. 




But how does it look? Gorgeous! Light, shiny and feathery. My lashes looked perfect all day long, even though I was walking around outside in the heat and humidity. This mascara didn't budge or flake, at all. If you are looking for lashes that look naturally very pretty without being overdone, heavy or super thick, Natureluxe Mousse Mascara is for you!





(Wearing NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara and Rapture Lip Perfection Lipstick)

It's available officially in July, but I've seen it everywhere already.  It's selling for about $9 and is available in a waterproof formula as well (I tested the regular formula).


Product was sent for review. COVERGIRL tests on animals.

Subscribe and never miss a thing! Disclosure/Disclaimer Statement. Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews and more! Copyright 2009-2011, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

Safe For Work Smoky Eye Tutorial

Several people have been asking me to do makeup tutorials. I haven't done them in the past because I'm no makeup artist and because I'm not great on camera. Turns out, I am very good at saying "um". If you're so inclined, this doubles as a drinking game. But since several of you asked for a tutorial nicely, I thought I would give it a try. In this video, I'll show you how to do a really easy smoky eye that is totally SFW. I'll also share my new favorite way to apply blush (with a sponge!) as well as what the new Buxom mascara actually does that makes it different. I apologize in advance for this being so long. It's the thing I hate most about web makeup videos and I went and did the exact same thing. Feel free to fast forward (unless you're using it as a drinking game). Check out below for links to the products used in the video.



Dan Read Foundation
Dan Read Blush in Corralin
MAC Magically Cool Honey Rose Powder
Joey Healy Brows in Equestrian
BE Gunmetal Primer Shadow
BE Steel Eyecolor
Stila Primer Pot in taffy
Dalton Cream Liner
Smashbox Arced Liner Brush
Buxom Amplified LashMascara
MUFE Lip Liner in IC
Smashbox Limitless Gloss in Limitless
RevitaLash Eyelash Conditioner made my lashes super long.

Subscribe and never miss a thing! Disclosure/Disclaimer Statement. Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews and more! Copyright 2009-2011, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

Beauty Shorts: Curls, Caps and Cils

It's been about a month and I am still all about air drying my hair. The change it's making in my hair is nothing short of a transformation. My normally straight-to-my-head-hair is now bouncy, wavy in ways I never thought possible and incredibly smooth.





(This was my hair, probably two months ago, in it's natural, straight state.)

I recently read somewhere that taking only two days off from the blow dryer is enough to help restore your hair. If two days works, you can imagine what seven days will do. I'm trying new products after each washing, and some have really blown me away.



By far, what has given me the curliest hair has been Boing! Curling by UNITE. This light purple cream made my hair Boing! And these curls didn't frizz or flop, from the time my hair dried until the time I went to bed, my hair was seriously wavy.




(This is me air dried after using Boing! Curling.) 


(This is my hair on another day after using Boing!)


This does leave hair a tiny bit crunchy, so you will need to gently smoosh (technical term) the hair to remove the crunchies. It's just a little bit of crunch, not anywhere near like what a gel will do to your hair. This is good stuff. I've been trying a ton of different products and so far, this is definitely in the top three (and it's vying for the top spot!).




Since I'm trying to protect my hair color and my face from sun damage, I've upped my game.
When I'm outside for extended periods of time, I've started wearing a hat with UPF Protection* 50+ built into the material. The Stephanie from Scala makes it so much easier to read my Kindle when lounging outside, and I'm not worried about my sunscreen melting because I know this stylish hat has my back.




Finally, if you haven't heard me bragging about my super long lashes from RevitaLash, then you are missing out. My lashes used to be short and sad. Now they are almost perfect. Sometimes I still like to plump them even more with a primer. However, I am always missing small spots on my lashes, leaving little white primer dots that are easily seen on my cils.





RevitaLash has a new Perfect Primer that makes sure your lashes look lush without those telltale white spots primers can sometimes leave behind. This primer is bright blue. Even if you miss a spot, it won't ruin your look. Sometimes, I forgo the mascara entirely and just go with a slightly plumped blue look. It does wonders for the whites of your eyes!

*Ultra Violet Protection Factor. With a rating of 50, this means that the fabric is only allowing 1/50th of the UV radiation falling on the surface of the garment to pass through it. In other words, it blocks 49/50ths or 98% of the UV radiation.

Some product was sent for review.

Subscribe and never miss a thing! Disclosure/Disclaimer Statement. Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews and more! Copyright 2009-2011, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

Beauty Shorts : Brows, Butters, Sparkles and Sheen

Before I leave on a family trip for the upcoming holidays, I spent the morning running errands, discovering new things and getting unbelievably soaking wet. I actually broke two umbrellas! Never mind that. Here are the stories you care about. They are shorter, to the point and all facts, with less fluff than my normal blather.

BUSHWACKED BROWS

I needed to get my brows shaped, as I hadn't had it done professionally in more than two months. I started using RevitaBrow in March and a month and a half later I hadn't really seen much of a difference in my brows, other than they were slightly harder to shape with my daily application of brow powder. I went to La Papillon in Timonium, the only place I trust with my brows.. Here is how the convo went:

Chris (esthetician superstar): Um, how long has it been, exactly, since you've been in?
Me: I don't know. Maybe two months?
Chris: I'm trying to be polite here, so I am not exactly sure how to say this. Are you doing anything to them? You don't have any shape, it's almost like you've never been in before.
Me: I've been using RevitaBrow for a bit. I guess I didn't realize how much they had grown.
Chris: You know, you can try to apply it only where you need the hair to grow. You don't have to put it on everywhere. That will make your brows grow in less like they are and it will last you longer.
Me: Good point. Sorry 'bout that.

I wish I had known to take a before photo. I can tell you they are almost perfectly full and gorgeous. In another month, they will be glorious.  So just like the RevitaLash product, RevitaBrow is equally as amazing!

ULTA? WHO KNEW?

Ulta sells Butter London nail polish? Who knew? The store employees themselves seemed equally surprised. Which was odd, since someone had gone through the trouble of featuring it prominently on an end cap. I haven't tried these for two reasons. 1) They are $14 nail polishes, and 2) I can't currently afford $14 nail polishes. I know they don't have carcinogens and aren't tested on animals. And I know the colors are very, very lovely. Oh! And that one of their very popular colors is called No More Waitey, Katie. But that is the extent of my knowledge. Love 'em? Tell me why!

STILA SPARKLE WATERPROOF LINER SWATCHES



(From the top:  Starry, Bora Bora, Royal, Flash, Curacao, Rock Candy, Sequins - Electric was missing a tester.)

I can't wait to actually get to test these colors. They are gorgeous!! I did test them on my arm at Ulta and I can attest to the fact that, despite being caught in a monsoon, they are totally waterproof and still sparkle like it's their job. Which, I suppose it is. I don't even know which colors I should covet. They are all so pretty!

LONG LASTING SHINE



 (Other than mascara and the Pearl Shimmer, I have no makeup on. So don't be judgey. That shimmer is still kicking hours after application, including the morning's monsoon.)



I almost forgot. La Papillon now carries Becca, which is exciting for me as no one else has it within my reasonable driving area. I fell in love with the Pearl Shimmering Skin Perfector, which is a pearly lotion that you can add to your cheekbones or brow arch or mix into your foundation. It comes in several colors, but I love Pearl. It's white and all about the shine. The best part is, two broken umbrellas, soaked shoes and three hours later, my cheek still had an amazing highlight to it. I didn't pick this up, but I'm going to have to go back for some, asap.


RevitaLash sent me the product for review.

Subscribe and never miss a thing! Disclosure/Disclaimer Statement. Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews and more! Copyright 2009-2011, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.

My Longest Lashes Ever! RevitaLash Serum and Mascara

I try a lot of lash growth products in an attempt to really grow some lashes that can turn heads. Or look like lashes in a magazine. Honestly, I'll settle for lashes that show up in pictures.


(My lashes with mascara, before.)


Most recently, I tried RevitaLash lash growth Serum and Mascara for about two months. When I started, my lashes were at their normal, paltry, embarrassing, stumpy length.


(Stumpy!)


According to their website, RevitaLash^® was developed by Dr. Michael Brinkenhoff as a special gift for his wife, Gayle, while she was recovering from breast cancer. Intensive chemotherapy treatments had damaged Gayle’s once beautiful eyelashes, leaving them sparse, breakable and fragile.

Reviews on the product have been mixed and lash growth products may not work on everyone. I've tried several that have worked and several that haven't.

However, I was gobsmacked when I caught a glimpse of my lashes one day. I knew they had been hitting my glasses for some time. But that happens every now and then, depending on which serum I am using. But I wasn't expecting this.


(No primer. Just amazingly long lashes. Even Loxy asked if the ones on the outer edge were fake!)


These are by far the longest lashes I have ever achieved using a lash growth product. Yeah, RevitaLash!!



The main active ingredient in this is Trifluoromethyl Dechloro Ethylprostenolamide, a prostaglandin analogue, along with peptides and botanical ingredients. Wondering where you have heard that term before? Latisse contains Bimatoprost, which is another type of man-made prostaglandin analogue. The use of prostaglandin analouges made the news quite a bit when Latisse was released on the market.



RevitaLash does run the risk of darkening the skin it contacts, although I have not had any of those side effects.


(My lashes this morning. Even longer than the pics I took two weeks ago for this story- above!)


Like other cosmetic products, RevitaLash has not been approved by the FDA and is for cosmetic use only. It is not a medical treatment and does not require a prescription. However, Latisse costs $120 per month and RevitaLash is closer to $25 per month. (One $150 tube will last 6 months.)



(Also from this morning. My lash is hitting my brow.)


I have never, ever had lashes this long. I'm, well, gobsmacked. Have you used this? Did you experience any side effects or lash growth?

Product was sent for review. RevitaLash does not test on animals.

Subscribe and never miss a thing! Disclosure/Disclaimer Statement. Makeup, beauty, skincare reviews & more! Copyright 2009-2011, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.