Review: L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara

L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara

Claim(from L'Oreal Paris):

Get the look of salon lash extensions with the new Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara! This new lash extension effect mascara visibly lengthens your lashes up to an astonishing 80%.

Step 1: Ultra nourishing base coat infused with Ceramide R and D-Panthenol protects and strengthens lashes creating the

Step 2: Ultra-lengthening tube top coat sets to form lash-extending beauty tubes that visibly lengthen lashes to amazing new heights. Beauty tubes will not run, clump, flake or smudge and will stay on all-day.

Step 3: Beauty tubes remove easily with just warm water – no makeup remover or rubbing required!

Price: 3 out of 5; it cost almost $11 in most drug stores. A bit steep, I think. Wait for a BOGO!
Packaging: 3.5 out of 5; I like the color and feel of the packaging, but it's nothing special.
Performance:

• Volumizing: 2 out of 5;Lengthening: 5 out of 5; Defining: 5 out of 5
• Clumping 5 out of 5; Flaking 5 out of 5; Smudging 5 out of 5
• Fulfilling claims 5 out of 5

What I think: This mascara is excellent for length, definition, and some serious staying power. I have a bad habit of rubbing my eyes and, naturally, when I do that my mascara just flakes right of and smudges all over my eye. Yuck. But today, I tested this mascara. I rubbed my eye and it didn't budge. I rubbed it again. Seriously? It did NOT move! Also, the length is pretty darn amazing. I was very impressed. However, it doesn't add any volume, and I'm a girl who desires long AND full lashes. I'm particular on the full lashes, because my lashes have a bit of length already.

Overall 4 out of 5; It's a really excellent mascara but, personally, I need some volume in my lashes.




Giveaway! I have two of these, so I'm going to give one away. Leave a comment with your email address. You must be a follower of my blog or a subscriber to my YouTube channel (if you are a subscriber on YouTube, leave your user name). I'll select someone in one week on Wednesday, April 15th. Or rather, Excel's random number generator will. I know I don't have a lot of followers, but I have two of these and I'm not going to use both of them. I'll also throw a few other things in there, not sure what yet.

(Sorry, Tiffers, no family members.)

EcoTools Review

I just uploaded a review to YouTube on the EcoTools 6-pc-brush set, which includes a blush brush, an eye shading brush, an eyeliner brush, a lash and brow groomer, a concealer brush, and a brush roll.

Price: 4.5 out of 5; I picked it up for $10. But it was on sale. Not sure what the normal price is.
Packaging: 5 out of 5; it's environmentally conscious; I really like the packaging. The reusable storage pouch is rather cute!
Performance: 3.5 out of 5; The blush and concealer brushes are my faves. I don't have much to say about the lash/brow groomer or liner brush. I don't use a liner brush that much. The shadow brush leaves something to be desired. It is better suited as a concealer or cream shadow brush.
Overall: 3.5 out of 5; great starter set.

ELF Polish Review

I think ELF is a great company. I truly do. I have many ELF products that I use frequently and have even repurchased some of their products. One thing I love is nail polish. So, are the ELF nail polishes any good?

ELF Polish in Fair Pink

Price: 5 out of 5; It's only one dollar!
Packaging: 3/5; The bottle is deceiving. There is only .35 oz. Notice in the photos the large amount of glass on the bottom of the bottle. Also, you should be able to pull off the cap of the handle, but you can't, so you have to work with a big bulky handle.
Performance: 1 out of 5; Seriously. Seriously. It should not take more than 4 coats for opacity unless you're using, say, a glitter. See photos below.



Overall: 1.5 out of 5; I would not purchase again. I might not even take if for free, except I can franken with it.

I saved this by applying two coats of Orly Pearl wisdom over the ELF Fair Pink to give a bit of shimmer.

ELF Polish in Fluorescent Pink

Price and Packaging: same as above
Performance: 2 out of 5; You can kind of see it in the photo below, but this polish has separated. There are streaks of white in the polish. WTF? However, It applies well. 3 coats for opacity.
Overall: 2.5 out of 5; There are better pink polishes out there. This is nothing special. However, it is only $1.

ELF Polish in Pearl

Price and Packaging: same as above
Performance: 4 out of 5; This was opaque in two coats! FINALLY. (Sorry for messy pix).
Overall: 4 out of 5; I would purchase this again. I like the pearly shade, and well, it's only $1!!!



Overall: I do not generally recommend ELF polishes, but I think with the pearlescent colors, you might find something you like. When I have more cash, I'm going to pick up some more of their pearly colors, and maybe a darker color, and see how those work out.

Starbucks Napkins Review

Starbucks Napkins???? I thought this was a makeup blog!

Well, it is. And this IS a beauty product.

I think most of us suffer from a bit of the oilies later in the day. It sucks. You can use blotting sheets or powder to try and get rid of the shine. I usually use powder, because it's conveinient, but I prefer not to have to put more product on. So, blotting sheets. Well, I had heard from Makeup Alley that you could use Starbucks Napkins as blotting sheets. Whaaat??? See, the word on the street is that these type of napkins are excellent at wicking off moisture. I'm not sure why; it has something to do with the napkins being made from recyclable materials.

Price: 5 out of 5; It's FREE. Plus an excuse to pick up some coffee!
Packaging: N/a; it's non-existent
Performance: 5 out of 5; It really works!!
Overall: 5 out of 5; What's not to like?

When at Starbucks (don't take them if you're not buying something, dudes) I grabbed some napkins. I took them home and cut them into the little squares you see in the pix. No need to use a whole napkin every time! Seriously, what's not to like? It is free and it really works. Plus, it's made of recycled materials. So, you should check it out. And get a White Chocolate Mocha. Mmmmm....

Note: I have heard that any brown napkins will work, but not so. At least, not for me.

EWWWWWWWWWW

This is at 10PM!!!! Seriously.

Physician's Formula Virtual Eyes

A while ago, a long while ago actually, I purchased Physician's Formula Virtual Eyes from Dollar Tree. I had no idea what it was, but I recognized the brand. I had never had a negative experience with PF products and, well, it was only $1.


I just opened it yesterday. Yeah, I know. I can't believe it either. Anyway, it's got a little brush and the color is a cool iridescent purple. To apply it, I sweep a little across my lid and then pat my lid, making sure there is an even coverage and that it's not too thick. It dries a bit tacky.

w/ flash

w/o flash

I really thought it would crease immediately. Or within an hour. So, I did a quick makeup look while hanging out in my room. I applied the PF Virtual Eyes all over my lid and on the lower lash line, too. I did a quick makeup look using a pink and a dark gray shade from the shadows below.

I was surprised to find that, after two hours, it hadn't creased. I mean, that's no big deal for a real primer, but I didn't think that this THIS discontinued product that I bought at the Dollar Tree would do anything at all. Well, I'll wear it all day tomorrow, I decided.

At the end of the day -- I've been wearing my makeup for about 10 hours now (10 am to 8 pm), there is NO CREASING!!! HOLY CRAP. None at all. It looks like I just applied my makeup.

Eye Primer

I don't own Urban Decay Primer Potion or Two-Faced Shadow Insurance. It's a bit to pricey for me right now. I use Mary Kary Signature Eye Primer. Sometimes I use a cream shadow. Well, on Saturday night, I used both. How did it hold up? This is after 8 hours.

Open eye:


I see some minor creasing.

Not as good at UDPP or TFSI, but good enough for now.

What do I think? If you can afford it, get those pricey primers, because they work amazingly well, however, this is after 8 hours! I think that MK did pretty well for herself, for the price. (I got it on e-bay for $5.)

Review: NYX Ultra Pearl Mania

Another Cherry Culture product! Gosh, I love that site... BTW Cherry Culture is having a Thanksgiving Day Sale right now! EVERYTHING is 20% off! As always free shipping with an order of $40 or more!

NYX Ultra Pearl Mania
Price: 5/5
The price is $2.00 at Cherry Culture (on sale for $1.25 right now!). Can't get cheaper than that!
Packaging: 2/5
The little jar is cute and easy to store, but gosh is it a pain. I'm thinking of repotting the shadows into 5 gram jars.
Application: 3/5
They're well pigmented, but the fall out! OMG!
Overall: 3.5/5
Would I repurchase: Probably, since they're so cheap.




So, I always thought of NYX Ultra Pearl Mania as kind of like pigments. I hadn't used them before, but they kind of seemed the same. Let me say no, dear reader. Nothing like it. That isn't to say that they're not good, but in case anyone else is thinking that, they're much different.

Okay, all of these are shimmery. Well, yeah. Look at the name: "Pearl." So, they are all pearly and shimmery. I have to admit, love the colors. They are all well pigmented and sooo pretty. My biggest beef with them is 1) the packaging and 2) the fall out. And, I know, you're going to experience fall out with loose shadows, but I feel like I get more with these shadows. As if they're not sticking so well? I don't know. That doesn't make sense because I didn't have problems with creasing when I put them on top of a good base.

It is useful to note that I usually wear my eyeshadow for about 6 hours. I put it on in the morning and when I get back to my room I usually take it off. Sometimes because I want to play with my makeup (yes, play). Sometimes because I feel like having a clean face. (Usually it's because I want to play, lol.) Or, I often touch it up when I get back to my room. Like today, I forgot to take a FOTD pic, so I went to class, got back, touched up my makeup took pix and then I took all my shadow off, did a new look and so I could review some L.A. Colors shadows. So, if you're wearing your shadow for longer, you might have more problems with creasing than I do.

I feel like I need to give these a second chance. One reason for getting so much fall out might be that I'm not able to get the proper amount on the brush because of the inconvenient packaging. I end up with too much on my brush, always. ... ... That's it! I'm going to repot these suckers.

Anyway, final note: they are worth the two bucks! Try them! I like the colors a lot, oh yeah. They're awesome. Plus, I love all NYX products!!!!

Look below: Walnut and Charcoal on the lid, Walnut on lower lash line, Pearl as a highlight.



Another neat use for these is to put them in a body spray! I got this idea from Leesha (xparkage) saying that she put MAC Vanilla pigment in her Fix+. I don't have Fix+, but I thought to try this out. Give a light shimmer but not too much at all. Very light, not extremely noticable.

I put it in this small travel size bottle of Dove Go Fresh that I got for free with my deoderant. Because I don't want to put it in a full size bottle and then realize, "oh, wait... this sucks!"

See the pretty shimmers!

Review: LA Colors Glittering Starlet Eyeshadow

If you've never shopped at Cherry Culture, I highly recommend it. I've made a few purchases from there in my time and I always make sure to purchase just at $40, because that's when you get free shipping!!! Also, there are often BOGO deals and sales on some great products. And it's not just some of the more inexpensive brands (like L.A. Colors, which I'm about to review) but also stuff like Eyeko and Sugar.

This review is on the Glittering Starlet Eyeshadow. I first looked at this product because they are an insider pick, reviewed by Vanessa at Nessasary Makeup. I purchased two of the palettes: Audrey and Ginger. All of the palettes are named after famous stars. (Elizabeth, Marilyn, etc). I picked these because I loved the colors! I'm a sucker for pinks and purples (Audrey) and I also love darker colors (Ginger).

Price: 5/5
The price is $3.99 at Cherry Culture (on sale for $3.50 right now!). So, you are getting 10 shadows for $4, basically. That's 40 cents per shadow!!!!
Packaging: 5/5
Comes with two double ended sponges and a small mirror. The top of the case is clear so you can see all the shadows. The back so cute with stars and glitter all over. :-)
Application: 3.5/5
See, the glitter drops it a bit, because glitter is hard to work with. And you have to use something to get the colors to really stand out. Not all of them are really well pigmented. But if you do use mixing medium or base, the look so fabulous.
Overall: 4/5
Would I repurchase: Oh yeah!

See the palettes and swatches of the colors (click for larger image):

L.A. Colors Glittering Starlet Eyeshadow in Audrey

Swatches of Audrey

Glittering Starlet Eyeshadow in Ginger

Swatches of Ginger

The eyeshadows are not swatched on top of a base, but I did dampen my brush when swatching. I have to say, that black is one of my favorites. Most of the colors are shimmery, but the black is matte with the glitter on top. I have done a smokey eye with the three colors on the bottom left of Ginger (the sliver, blue and black) and let me tell you, it turned out great!

One thing about these, the glitter is a bit chunky. It is by no means a finely milled shimmer shadow. But, the good thing is, it's not just a shadow with a glitter on top. You ever get that where the glitter is just sitting on top of the shadow? How much does that suck? But the glitter is worked into all the eyeshadow. I always use a base when applying my eyeshadow, so I can't tell you how well it stays without one, but with one, it stayed very well, not creasing at all.

Without a base or mixing medium, not all of the colors show up well. The well pigmented ones are (numbering the top row 1-5, bottom row 6-10): Audrey 3,4,5,6,7,8,10; Ginger all but 7. The others are good, but need to be built up a bit.

Below is a look I did using : Audrey3 in the inner 1/2 of my lid, Ginger5 in the outer half; Audrey2 as a highlight (I was feeling funky); Audrey4 to line my lower lashes. (NYX Sky Teal for mascara.) I did try to brush away most of the glitter because I was concerned about fallout during the day. My lower lash line (I don't know if you can tell) still has glitter on it, though. I like how that looks. However, another time I used this palette and did not brush the glitter away and I did not experience a lot of glitter fall out during the day. A little maybe, but I have a bad habit of rubbing my eye sometimes. This was easy to remove and surprisingly, I didn't have problems removing the glitter. Don't rub your eye back and forth, that's the problem. Soak a cotton ball in eye makeup remover and press it to your lid for a few seconds to let it soak in. Then, wipe away gently. Do it that way, and you won't have problems with getting glitter all over the place.

Note: my camera washes out the colors a bit. I'm going to have to find a setting that makes the colors show up better.

Note: I just checked Cherry Culture and there are FOUR new Glittering Starlet Palettes: Bette, bright bright bright; Jean, golds and browns; Ingrid, purely pink; and Claudette, an array of bold beauties. Bette is currently sold out. No surprise! I can't wait to try Bette and Claudette.
What about you? Interested in trying any?

Estee Lauder All Day Lipstick in Twinkle Pink

Really quick note on this lipstick:

Estee Lauder All Day Lipstick in Twinkle Pink

I got it for free when I went to the Blockbuster Makeover Event. I love it!

Awesomeness #1- It EXACTLY matches my hair color! Holy Crap! I love it!
Awesomeness #2- Stays on like heck. I just ate dinner and I can still feel it on my lips. And it's not like I just had something simple. I had pasta, people. And it stayed on.
Awesomeness #3- Even when I can't feel it on anymore, I can still see the lipstick color pretty darn well. Stains my lips a bit. I really like that. I hate having to reapply.


Okay, that's all for now. I'm going to go to Waffle House with some buds.

First Glance Review: Kleancolor Vs NYX Blue Mascara

I don't know about you people, but I'm in love with mascara, but I'm absolutely CRAZY for colored mascaras. When I made a purchase from Cherry Culture I got a few colored mascaras. One from Kleancolor in Electric Blue and a few from NYX in Bronze, Baby Pink, and Electric Blue. Yeah. I didn't mean to get two Electric Blues, but oh well. And I was too late to return it (I'm such a procrastinator). So I put them both on to see which was best.

External Packaging:

• Kleancolor: I LOVE the metallic blue tube with silver printing. I do think it's very pretty

• NYX: The NYX mascaras have a more chic packaging with a black tube that is thin and gets a bit wider on the ends, with a stripe of color (the color of whatever mascara it is) around the middle

Brush:

• Kleancolor: The brush is fairly large. Not as big as, say Lash Blast, but still fairly large. I, however, and not one of those people who is really bothered by large brushes. However, this one just seems to be cheaply constructed. I can't explain it. When you pull the brush out, you know it's a cheap mascara.

• NYX: It's a thinner brush, which makes it easier to work with. Also, if you look at it closely, you'll see that one side is curved and another side is not! Weird! One side, the bristles get shorter in the middle and longer on the outside. The other side, they are a mostly uniform length.

Formula:

• Kleancolor: The formula take a while to dry which mean that, for me, I have to wait longer before I can comb my lashes out. (I ALWAYS comb my lashes out after I put mascara in with a mustache comb. Habit. But, also, spreads my lashes out quite nicely.) BEFORE I comb my lashes, it seems like this formula makes my lashes stick to each other more than the NYX. I mean, I don't wait until it's all the way dry to comb it out, but it's much wetter for much longer. This also means I'm more likely to get mascara on my lid if my lashes are curled

• NYX: This formula dries faster, but not so fast that it's difficult to work with. So, thumbs up for that. It's more creamy than just *wet* which is what the Kleancolor feels like.

Lenghthening? Thickening?

• My lashes DEFINETELY looked longer and thicker with the Kleancolor mascara.

Color?

• Pretty similar, but the NYX is a bit brighter.

Guest Review: N.Y.C. Ultra Last Lip Color

N.Y.C. Ultra Last Lip Color Review
by LadyTiffanyAnne

At a Hollywood themed party, I received a gift bag filled with fun little goodies. Among other things, the bag contained a bottle of N.Y.C. nail polish in Purple Pizazz Frost. New York Color is a brand of cosmetics that is generally off my radar. I rarely glance at the N.Y.C section in the cosmetics department and only do so when I need a cheap lip gloss or black eyeliner. The nail polish was fairly decent, though, and so, when I was on a hunt for lip stick, I decided to give N.Y.C. a chance. After realizing that most lip stick runs for a minimum of $5.00 a tube, I wanted cheaper options. This would be my first foray into the world of lip stick since...well...since I don't know when. I'm a lip gloss kinda girl and didn't want to waste ten dollars on a couple of tubes of something I might end up hating. I ended up purchasing N.Y.C. Ultra Last Lip Color in "Caramel".

First, I must say I was surprised. I actually liked it. It's a good lipstick. But, really, isn't that like saying Sarah Palin did good in the VP debate? Well, I had low expectations and the lipstick didn't completely fail or embarrass me. So...it's good. I cannot compare it to a nice lipstick because, well, I have no experience with nice lipstick. But as a stand alone review, this "ultra last lip color" indeed lasted--albeit with a bit of fading--for some hours until I had a spaghetti lunch. No surviving that. It wasn't dry. It didn't flake off. It had decent staying power.

The color? I love it. It isn't aptly named, though, because it looks nothing like caramel. Maybe more of a shimmery cafe au lait--not that the name really matters. I'm vary careful of the colors I choose because I don't want to look like a fool. This lipstick makes me feel pretty and, really, isn't that why we wear makeup in the first place?

Product: N.Y.C. Ultra Last Lip Color in Caramel

Price: $1.72 at Target, $1.99 at Ulta

Inexpensive Eye Shadows

I did a look on my eyes using (except for the mascara) ONLY wet 'n' wild products. If I had thought about it, I'd have used my Wet 'n' Wild mascara, but my Lash Blast was lying right there!!! This is just to show that, if you use a decent eye primer, cheap eye shadow can look good too!

The products I used:

Cover Girl Lash Blast in Brown Black, Wet 'n' Wild Kohl Kajal Eye Liner in Sky Blue, Wet 'n' Wild Mega Eyes in Island Blues, and Mary Kay Signature Eye Primer

Max Factor Liquid to Powder Makeup in Cool Bronze, E.L.F. Natural Radiance Blusher in Shy, and Maybelline Shiny-Licious lip gloss in Coral Punch.

First, of course, put on your moisturizer, foundation, etc. Dab a bit of the Mary Kay eye primer on your eyelids and blend in gently using your ring or middle finger. Apply the medium blue shade of eye shadow to the inner half of your eyelid. Next, apply the dark blue shade to the outer half. Blend together using the brush you used for the light blue shade. The dark blue shade is matte, so it will make it a little more shimmery. Sweep the lightest shade under the eyebrow to highlight the brow bone. Blend in gently with the other colors.

Next, line your lower lid with the blue liner. (In retrospect, I think Silver Blue would've worked better. Oh well.) Set it with the medium blue eyeshadow. Curl your lashes and apply mascara.