Thursday, August 18, 2011

Luscious Lashes- Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara

I am a BIG connisseur of mascara, and I am picky about it. I absolutely HATE the new spiky plastic brushes that Cover Girl seems to love. Those darn brushes are in every mascara in their LashBlast line, and started a trend that I hope dies quickly. In my opinion, the plastic brushes don't grab every lash, and they coat the ones they do grab way too much. I am not a fan.

I must admit I was a little wary of trying a new mascara, especially this one, after having tried the Grow Luscious original mascara, and not thinking much of it. But, as a true girly-girl, buying new mascaras every month is a treat to me, so I spluged $10 and purchased the Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara in Blackest Black.

Well....I love this mascara! It coats every lash, leaves them thick and full, and they even look LONGER. This is the exact full, and I must say, LUSCIOUS, mascara look I love. Plus, according to Revlon, this mascara has a "Conditioning formula (that) helps strengthen and plump lashes for up to 200% instantly for maximum volume". Also, the "precision tapered brush grabs every lash, individually, and coats it to plump perfection." Yes, after trying the mascara myself, I must admit, these statements appear to be TRUE!  The brush is the standard nylon kind that, in my opinion, grabs and coats each lash better and more easily than a plastic mascara brush. Also, my lashes definitely look thicker and plumper. LOVE!

Now, don't expect your lashes to multipy magically with this mascara. This is not Latisse. Thankfully, Revlon does not claim to produce multiple lashes with this formula, only to condition and plump the ones you already have, which is the truest and most un-misleading statement I have heard in regards to a mascara in a long time. This is a great mascara!

Bottom Line- Plumps, separates, and fans out lashes gorgeously.

Where to buy- Drugstores everywhere.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

L'Oreal One Sweep Eyeshadow- Does it work as Designed?


I am always wary of products that promise to take steps out of your beauty routine. Designed for the lazy, does applying eyeshadow really take that long? If your make up routine is organized (I suggest purchasing the Trish McEvoy MakeUp Planner, or a magnetized compact from Mary Kay to help you do this), you can do your eyeshadow in seconds. Even so, being the make-up lover that I am, I still had to give the L'Oreal One Sweep Eyeshadow a try.

L'Oreal One Sweep promises to give you defined eyecolor for your eye shade in both a Natural (lighter shades) and a Playful (darker shades), as well as some neutral kits for all eyes, that promise to do in one sweep, what three sweeps of eyeshadow would normally do. At first look, I guessed that the eyelid-shaped applicator would blend all three colors together to make one shade, rather than three separate and defined shades, but I decided to give it a try anyway, because you never know.

I selected the "Natural for Brown Eyes" shade. Although I am not a "Natural" type of girl, the dark brown lid color, medium brown shade for above the eyelid area, and peachy highlighter seemed like the defining colors I wore daily. As it suggests on the package, I took the eyelid shaped applicator and swept it across the palette in one sweep, and then swept it across my eyelid. (I do admit, it took me a couple of seconds to realize how to position the applicator so that it swept across my eyelid the way it was supposed to. It goes one way for the right eye, the opposite way for the left). The result? One taupe-y brown shade, just like my skin tone, that can barely be seen except for some sparkle. Yes, the "One Sweep" failed to produce three separate shades, and resulted in only one, very neutral shade, that is way too natural for me. Now, I only tried the Natural for Brown Eyes, and maybe I should have realized that Natural meant "No-Make-Up looking", but it sure didn't look like it from the package (see picture above). I have a sneaky suspicion that the other shades, even though they may appear darker than the Natural shade, will also result in a one-color result.  Nice try, but no dice, L'Oreal.

Bottom Line- Don't waste your money.

Where to Buy- Drugstores everywhere, or Drugstore. Com

Monday, August 1, 2011

Garnier Triple Nutrition Products- Damaged Hair Must Haves!

In place of the EverSleek greasy-hair debacle, I have discovered three really great (although the contain sulfates! LOL!) products. They are Garnier Triple Nutrition shampoo, conditioner and 3 Minute Undo Dryness Reversal treatment.  So, what is the "Triple Nutrition" they speak of? Here is a breakdown:
  • Olive oil: Nourishes the inner core
  • Avocado oil: Nourishes and softens the middle layer
  • Shea oil: Nourishes and smoothes the surface
At any rate, these conditioners do their job, leaving hair shiny, soft, and strong, without being weighed down. Keep in mind that these products are for severely dry and damaged hair. This means that if your hair hasn't been dyed, highlighted, permed, or otherwise chemically treated, you probably don't need it.

Bottom Line- Great shampoo, inexpensive conditioner, and weekly treatment.

Where to buy- Drugstores everywhere or amazon.com