Friday, March 30, 2007
GRRRR
Due to a booboo on Blogger's part, we regret to inform you that my review of my bathroom stash will not be published any time soon. Wah wah! So I guess I'll have to hold off on this one as well.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Domesticity Reviews: The Contents of My Makeup Bag
While I'm still not shopping for clothes and shoes this year for Lent, I do have a few things that I want to write about - which is why the next few entries are going to be about things that I already have or have bought out of necessity. Today we look at what's inside the makeup bag; next entry we will discuss bath products.
- Rimmel Volume Flash Mascara in Extreme Black: Usually I don't think much of Rimmel's mascara, having had a bad experience with their Extra Super Lash mascara not too long ago. It just so happened, however, that I was in a cash bind and I wasn't able to afford a replacement for my beloved Cover Girl Lash Exact Mascara (or the product that I was supposed to buy, CG Volume Exact Mascara) so I went for this. Let me tell you, folks, it's been two days and I still don't know what to make of this. The first time I used it, I applied it straight from the tube - and not only did I get clumpy, spidery lashes that were smudgy off the bat, but the mascara seemed to make my lashes even less voluminous than they should. How could that be possible, if I should ask? Part of the reason might lie in the fact that this mascara uses regular spooly-brush bristles rather than the rubbery polymer ones now used by Cover Girl and Max Factor. So the next time I tried this I did what I usually do with regular-bristle mascara: I wiped off the excess product from the brush and applied accordingly. Much better, if I should say so - no more smudgy tarantula lashes, and the brush gives such great volume and lift that I was not only wide-eyed, but I swear that my eyeballs got a little more air conditioning than usual. (Hee!) And the folks at Rimmel don't lie when they say that this mascara has a "lock and load" formula - not only does it wear off beautifully, but it really, really does not budge until you use an actual eye makeup remover. Verdict: It may take a while; I may end up hating this, but as long as I use it with care I should be fine.
- MAXeye Shadows by Max Factor: Supposedly this formula can be used wet or dry, but every single time I use it dry I don't get as much color payoff as promised - unlike the L'Oreal HIP shadows, the color on these shadows barely show up unless you use a precision makeup brush, and even then they're more of a sheer wash than the incredibly painted-on look that you see on Carmen Electra in the MF ads. Use them wet, on the other hand, and it's a different story altogether: I have the Metalicious trio (apple green/ royal blue/ light purple) and I always use a wet Q-Tip style applicator so I can put these wild colors on as close to the lash line as possible. The effect, surprisingly, is long lasting and devastating, especially after a wild party. Verdict: Not bad - but if you must use them, I'd recommend one of the more neutral palettes like Baja Bronze or Premiere Pink (shown here); otherwise, if you're stuck with one of the wilder-colored ones, use them as liner instead.
- Rimmel Natural Bronzer powder: I can't seem to rave about this enough - even though the shade I'm using right now seems to have been discontinued (the shimmery Sun Dance, which I like to think of as "my cheeks but better") - because it does blend beautifully without making me look like I powdered my face with lava dust. The other Rimmel bronzers are actually quite matte, which I would recommend if you just need a little color.
- Jordana Easyliner for Eyes in Eggplant: Got this not too long ago. It's the very definition of "cheap and cheerful" - easy to apply, easily smudgeable, gorgeous color (black-purple), and lasts for quite a while. Love.
- Rimmel Volume Flash Mascara in Extreme Black: Usually I don't think much of Rimmel's mascara, having had a bad experience with their Extra Super Lash mascara not too long ago. It just so happened, however, that I was in a cash bind and I wasn't able to afford a replacement for my beloved Cover Girl Lash Exact Mascara (or the product that I was supposed to buy, CG Volume Exact Mascara) so I went for this. Let me tell you, folks, it's been two days and I still don't know what to make of this. The first time I used it, I applied it straight from the tube - and not only did I get clumpy, spidery lashes that were smudgy off the bat, but the mascara seemed to make my lashes even less voluminous than they should. How could that be possible, if I should ask? Part of the reason might lie in the fact that this mascara uses regular spooly-brush bristles rather than the rubbery polymer ones now used by Cover Girl and Max Factor. So the next time I tried this I did what I usually do with regular-bristle mascara: I wiped off the excess product from the brush and applied accordingly. Much better, if I should say so - no more smudgy tarantula lashes, and the brush gives such great volume and lift that I was not only wide-eyed, but I swear that my eyeballs got a little more air conditioning than usual. (Hee!) And the folks at Rimmel don't lie when they say that this mascara has a "lock and load" formula - not only does it wear off beautifully, but it really, really does not budge until you use an actual eye makeup remover. Verdict: It may take a while; I may end up hating this, but as long as I use it with care I should be fine.
- MAXeye Shadows by Max Factor: Supposedly this formula can be used wet or dry, but every single time I use it dry I don't get as much color payoff as promised - unlike the L'Oreal HIP shadows, the color on these shadows barely show up unless you use a precision makeup brush, and even then they're more of a sheer wash than the incredibly painted-on look that you see on Carmen Electra in the MF ads. Use them wet, on the other hand, and it's a different story altogether: I have the Metalicious trio (apple green/ royal blue/ light purple) and I always use a wet Q-Tip style applicator so I can put these wild colors on as close to the lash line as possible. The effect, surprisingly, is long lasting and devastating, especially after a wild party. Verdict: Not bad - but if you must use them, I'd recommend one of the more neutral palettes like Baja Bronze or Premiere Pink (shown here); otherwise, if you're stuck with one of the wilder-colored ones, use them as liner instead.
- Rimmel Natural Bronzer powder: I can't seem to rave about this enough - even though the shade I'm using right now seems to have been discontinued (the shimmery Sun Dance, which I like to think of as "my cheeks but better") - because it does blend beautifully without making me look like I powdered my face with lava dust. The other Rimmel bronzers are actually quite matte, which I would recommend if you just need a little color.
- Jordana Easyliner for Eyes in Eggplant: Got this not too long ago. It's the very definition of "cheap and cheerful" - easy to apply, easily smudgeable, gorgeous color (black-purple), and lasts for quite a while. Love.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Out of the Spotlight
Forgive me for the rare posting on this blog; as you know, I've been terribly busy lately - not to mention strapped for cash - and I seem to have pushed blogging for Domesticity further and further down the priority list. But for now, I've got a few things on my mind....
- 40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Reviews (Blogdorf Goodman): It looks like we now have a new Lenten tradition at hand right here - perfect since I've started my no-shop fasting for Lent this year (really, I haven't stepped into a Ross since Ash Wednesday). Annie and friends are taking us through the fragrance and beauty aisles in alphabetical order (we're now on L'Occitane as of this writing) , and I of course have a few choice comments to go along with them.
- Is it me, or are we finally over this whole cheek-stain thing? I was inspired to ask this after reading this review from Beauty Addict - and for good reason, since I'm one of those folks who can't seem to get the whole cheek-stain thing correctly. Too little, and the color barely registers as a "glow"; too much, and I look like a sunburned clown. (And don't even get me started on using powder to tone it down, because "overly powdered Chinese funeral mourner" is definitely not a good look on me.) The folks at Tarte recently posted a sign at Sephora next to their Cheekstains telling folks that it's OK to use a sponge instead of dabbing the product onto cheeks, which I think is a good idea. For now, however, I'll still need to stick to my usual routine of bronzer and powder blush swirled together.
- Finally, since not shopping for clothes = not shopping for shoes, either, I've found myself on a window-shopping kick for beautiful shoes. Sure, there's no way in hell I will ever be able to fit into any of your fancier designer shoes - seriously, even if I had the cash I don't see my 8.5 Wide tootsies squishing comfortably into a stiletto-heeled sandal soon - but that shouldn't stop me from appreciating the comments of Manolo Blahnik, who apparently shares my no-platform philosophy at this point in time. And speaking of Manolos, I should share with you this flashback from The Life of a Ladybug. Because someday, when I finally get around to finishing this Masters degree, I hope to have the kind of significant other who will, indeed, go out of his way to make sure that I get the royal treatment I deserve. Especially when it comes to shoes.
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