Lancôme 'Hypnôse Doll Lashes' Mascara

I have been wanting to try Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes Mascara for months, and Christmas (and being able to get a free gift at purchase) gave me my chance! I wasn't quite sure what "Doll Lashes" meant exactly. Dolls have long lashes? Separated lashes? Fringey lashes? I wasn't sure. According to Lancome, the secret behind the amazing definition lies in the mascara wand, and I guess "Doll Lashes" are shiny, defined, and fringey.

The secret behind this amazing result? A new, unique, cone-shaped brush with nylon bristles provides an extremely smooth and clean application, precisely defining even your hard-to-reach corner and lower lashes. Combined with the exclusively developed FiberShine™ formula, it sculpts, curls and loads each lash for the ultimate shiny lash fringe. Lift and thicken every single lash without weighing it down. Push up your lashes for your most flirty, wide-open eye look with a clump-free finish.

This mascara is not cheap, it retails for about $25, but it has that level of amazing formula and wand that makes it worth it. This mascara did not take weeks for me to get the formula to a less drippy, workable level that it usually takes me to get to with drugstore brands; it was immediately workable, and the sleek packaging made it seem worth the price. I really like Doll Lashes. I admit that I still use it with my L'Oreal False Fiber Lashes Mascara, but it works perfectly with it; leaving my lashes long and defined and clump free. Love! I will buy this formula again (if I have the money!).

Bottom Line- If you have a spare $25, this mascara will leave your lashes long, defined and fringy, without a lot of mess. You may want to use it with another mascara formula that deposits fibers on your lashes, or adds volume, but it is a great mascara to use for that fringey finishing touch.

Where to buy- Most department stores, like Nordstrom.

Lashing Out- Andrea Perma Lash Starter Kit False Lashes

I have to admit that I have fallen prey to the recent false lashes craze. I didn't realize just how many stars, both real and of the Jersey Shore variety, have false lashes added regularly. Lash boutiques have recently popped up all over Dallas, offering to give you the long and luscious lashes of your dreams for about one hour wait time, for up to $200 for a set!

After learning that Kyle Richards of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills puts on her own lashes regularly, I figured that I could also do it myself, and save myself the money.

Kyle Richards puts on her own fake eyelashes. Why can't I? Maybe I should read her book, Life Is Not a Reality Show: Keeping It Real with the Housewife Who Does It All.

I had heard that individual lashes look the most natural, and are the easiest to apply and care for. You also don't have to put a full set of lashes on. You can just add a couple to the corner of your lash line on each eye, for a fuller look. That sounded pretty easy and right up my alley.

After purchasing the Andrea Perma Lash Starter Kit, I pulled out the mini bottle of lash glue and attempted to add two drops to a piece of foil, just like the instructions suggest. Well, the bottle the glue comes in is tiny, and the glue itself is extremely thick. It would not pour out on its' own, no matter how hard I shook it, tilted it, and left it upside down. Finally, in desperation, I used the tiny lash pliers that came with the kit to scoop out the glue, because they were all I had around me that was small enough to fit inside. Bad idea. Only, one small drop came out this way, and the pliers became stuck with glue. I couldn't get all the glue off, no matter how many times I washed it.

Finally, I figured the pliers were clean enough, and I knew that I better use that one drop of lash glue quickly, because I doubted I would be able to get another drop of the glue out of the bottle. I positioned the small set of lashes in the pliers, dipped them in a small amount of glue, and then attempted to get them to stick to my lash line. Fail. The lashes did not position or stick. I tried again, and again, and again. It is hard to stick the lashes on with the tiny pliers, and it is hard to see if they are next to your lash line or not, before you pull the small lash set off, or move them to where they are not supposed to be. On the fourth try, I was able to get one small set of individual lashes to stick to my eyelashes, and it looked pretty good. One small set down, 5 more to go (I wanted to try 3 sets on each eye). I managed to scoop out a little more glue with a safety pin, and I wanted this next lash set to stick. I stuck the lashes in a big dollop of glue and then attempted to put it a little to the right of my first set, to make a fanned-lash effect. Fail. The lashes I just applied then slide to the right and attached itself to my eyelashes, bonding them and not the lashes together. I now had a semi-permanent clump of my own eyelashes stuck together. What a disaster.

I only tried two times more to add only one small lash set of lashes to my right eye, since I was successful with one small set on my left. After these attempts failed, I gave up, and pulled the only set I was able to apply off.  This was over a week ago, and only today has the eyelash glue come off my bonded eyelashes. I think next time I get the desire for longer, fuller lashes, I will either save up my money to go to a lash boutique, or just continue my search for the perfect mascara.

Bottom Line- Not worth the hassle. Unless you have a lot of free time, or a patient friend to help add the lashes for you, don't even try it.

Where to Buy- Drugstores everywhere, or Walgreens.com.

Christmas Kissed Cheeks- L'Oreal- The One Sweep in Poppy

I wasn't a big fan of the L'Oreal One Sweep Eyeshadow when I tried it. The color blurred together to make one color, and I looked nothing like the model in the ads, with defined eyeshadow in multiple colors after one sweep of shadow. I actually love L'Oreal The One Sweep Blush in Poppy. It gives my light skin a fresh, believable pop of fresh, pink color, like my cheeks have just been pinched, or I have just been outside in the cold. I love this color for my lighter- winter skin. This color is so natural looking that my attempt to show the color blended in perfectly with my skin color and did not come through on my camera when I attempted to take a picture of it for this blog.

To be honest, I don't see how The One Sweep Blush "contours" my face as it claims. On the label it is called a "Sculpting Blush Duo". The brown color in the duo seems to blend in with the fresh pink to produce a believable blush shade. It actually looks a lot scarier in the compact than it is on the skin. The brown shade looks very bronzy and the pink looks very pink (the pink is a lot brighter than it appears in this picture). I was afraid that after I applied this blush, I would look like a tan clown. Instead, as I mentioned earlier, the two colors blend together well on the skin to produce a very believable pink cheek color.

If this blush is sculpting my face, I don't see it. If you want to see a more sculpted look, I would suggest using the two colors separately to contour your face, rather than blending them together. Also, I had to skip the brush included in the compact for my own blush brush, as it was small and awkward to use, and did not collect enough color (if the brush was bigger, it might have made it easier to see a contouring effect, but then again, it would not fit in the compact). As someone who is a little "heavy handed" with make-up, I find that I can apply and apply this blush, without looking overly made-up. I love it, and I will definitely purchase it again!

Other Available Colors-

Poppy- Fresh pink for fair/light skin.
Flush- Darker pink shade for medium skin.
Posh- Subtle pink shade for light/medium skin.
Nectar/Peach- Subtle peach shade for light/medium skin.


Bottom Line- Great color, very believable, not sure if it sculpts the face as it claims, but it is a great product anyways.

Where to purchase- Drugstores everywhere, or Amazon.