Review: L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Faux Cils

Voluminous False Fibre Lashes is the newest mascara in L'oreal's Voluminous range. This mascara is said to be a fibre volumizing mascara, the "lash sculpting fibre formula adheres to lashes for a volumized, sculpted lash effects. Lashes appear fuller, longer, sculpted and curled at every angle". I love the Voluminous line, so I had to try this out and see what it was all about. I think this is Lash Architect 4D in Europe (in a silver tube).

The packaging is really nice, it comes in a gold, shiny "expensive looking" tube, much like the previous L'oreal Million Lashes. You will notice straight away that the applicator (the wand and the handle) is very long, and can be difficult to work with at first, but you get used to it quickly. The brush is tapered, thinner at the tip and wider at the base, also it's angled slightly to the side (picture did not capture that). I picked up this mascara at Rexall Pharma Plus for about $11 Canadian, I've seen it for as much as $16 at Shoppers Drug Mart, best to get it on sale.

Review: L'oreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Lotion

This is a review on the L'oreal Bronze Self-Tanning Lotion. I had previously done a review on the Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Mist, which is the mist version of this product. I think they are essentially the same, depending on whether you prefer a lotion or a mist is the only difference. If you remember my former review, I loved the colour that the Sublime Bronze Mist gave my skin, but hated the application. The spray leaks all over when sprayed, does not dry fast at all and I go through a ton of it quickly. So I opted to try out the lotion version to see if it would work better for me.

I have both products in the shade "Medium" this is the only shade that I have found in drugstores here. I found the lotion to be quite difficult to find at first, but once I did I noticed shelves were stocking it pretty well after that. It retails for $17 CAD, which I find pretty expensive for what you get. The bottle is 150ml, so very small, the pictures here make it look bigger than it is. It's the size of my hand I would say (and I have quite small hands). But since it's a lotion, I definitely do not go through it as quickly as I do the mist.

Review: L'oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Mist

Happy Canada Day to all the Canadians reading this! It looks like a lovely day today, I hope everyone has a nice weekend! Onto the review... today it's L'oreal's Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Mist. In my further attempt to look less pasty and ghost-like for the summer, I have been on the hunt for a good self-tanning product. The St.Moriz was good, review of that here, but it left me half and half because I have to order it online (not available in Canada) and I think I need the dark version as the regular doesn't get me dark enough. There are lots and lots of self-tanning products that can be found in the drugstore, some better than others, lots of gradual ones, not too many instant however. I picked up L'oreal Sublime Mousse, it comes in an attractive curvy bottle, it was $13.99 at Walmart in Canada. It's pricey in my opinion for what you get, it's a 150ml bottle, but since it's a mist you use A LOT of it. I used up the entire bottle in 2 days!

Review: L'oreal Sublime Mousse Hair Coloring

A little history into my hair dyeing.. The first time I ever had my hair dyed was when I was in my early teens and I told my mom that I wanted blond hair. She took me to a salon, but refused to use any peroxide in my hair. My hair is naturally light brown so the hair dye made it turn orange. My mother thought using peroxide on my hair would damage it and refused to do it. I was mortified with how it turned out, I then processed to spray Sun-In all over my head to lighten it to what I actually wanted. Fast forward into my twenties, I dyed my hair with Clairol Natural Instincts semi-permanent several times. The first time I ever dyed it with permanent dye was the Clairol Nice and Easy Foam, which I reviewed earlier. Since doing that, I have hated my hair, it turned out far too dark. I was hoping for a light brown (just to cover greys) and the Nice and Easy Foam turned it black basically. And since I am fair, I think lighter hair looks much better on me. I am still learning about at-home hair dye and am in no way an expert on this.

♥ Best of 2010 ♥

Now that 2010 has come and gone and 2011 is here, it's time to reflect on what products did the job well in 2010. Here is my list of favourite products of last year. I've tried to incorporate as much as possible products that came out in 2010, but in the mix got products that just worked for me too, regardless of when they came out.

Best Foundation

NARS Sheer Glow

MAC Pro Longwear

MUFE Face and Body

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse

Best Concealer

Revlon Age Defying Creme

Benefit Erase Paste

Bobbi Brown Corrector (Light Bisque)

Best Lipgloss

Revlon Super Lustrous Lilac Pastelle, Pink Pop and Peach Petal

Best Lipstick

Revlon Soft Nude

MAC Jazzed

MAC Viva Glam Gaga

MAC Blooming Lovely

Best Blush

MAC Stereo Rose

MAC Peaches

Benefit Coralista

NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink

Best Eyeshadow

NYX Champagne and Caviar

MAC Naked Lunch, Sable and All That Glitters

Best Bronzer

Physicians Formila Bronze Booster (Light/Med)

MAC Golden

Best Powder

Revlon Colorstay Pressed Powder

Almay Wake Up Hydrating Makeup

MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural (Light)

Best Highlighter

Hard Candy Honeymoon

MAC By Candlelight

Best Mascara

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous

Loreal Million Lashes

Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion

Revlon Grow Luscious

Best Eye Primer

Urban Decay Primer Potion (Pro Size)

Best Skincare

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

Clean and Clear Dual Action Moisturizer

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost

Best Fixers

Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover

MAC Fix+ Rose

MAC Prep and Prime Skin

Best Perfume

Thierry Mugler Womanity

Givenchy Hot Couture

Best Nail Polish

OPI Suzy Says Feng Shui

OPI Jade is the New Black

American Apparel Malibu Green

Best Brush

ELF Studio Powder Brush

Sigma F80 Flat Top Synthetic 

Sigma E25 Mini

Sigma F25

What were your favourites of 2010?

Review: L'oreal Visible Lift With Serum Foundation

I picked up this new L'oreal foundation recently during a 50% off face products sale at Pharma Plus. L'oreal products are if not the most expensive, definitely one of the most expensive drugstore brands. This foundation retails in Canada for about $18 I believe, which is so expensive. This foundation is a step up from the original Visible Lift formulation but with added serum. My bottle says "Visible Lift Serum Absolute". The serum in this is advertised  as addressing the "5 signs of aging to visibly transform skin to smoother, firmer, brighter, even, flawless." This is supposed to be "advanced age reversing makeup". I find it funny how the blue part on the bottle are just stickers.

L'oreal claims that this foundation provides "45% more even skin tone, 72% saw more youthful skin, 75% reduction in fine lines and wrinkles, 79% saw fewer imperfections and 90% saw smoother skin." The ingredients Hyaluronic acid, Pro-Retinol A, Pro-Xylane, Pro-Lastyl and Vitamin C. in this foundation include Personally, I don't think foundation can improve your skin, it can make it appear nicer, but I doubt it can improve it. Correct me if I am wrong, but treating your skin is up to your skincare routine. I bought this foundation to try and out and simply see if it's good, I wasn't expecting miracles in my skin, but the stuff in here sounds like it would be good for your skin, perhaps not reversal effects, but maybe prevention.

Friday Faves: What Makeup are you thankful for?

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, (even though I am Canadian and celebrated it last month) we will look today at what beauty products we are thankful for. The products that make us happy to have them around and brighten up our day, or face in this case! I got this idea after reading Maquilagem Masstige do it on her blog.

What products am I thankful for? Ideally all the products that we buy would work well, they would not disappoint us, break us out, cause us to wonder why we bought them in the first place etc. But that is not the case, that is why you see so many favorite and HG posts all over the internet, people are always looking to find the next best thing, never totally satisfied with what we have already. I have a couple of products which I would deem my everyday favourites, products that I love having in my collection and would re-buy.

Quick dry top-coat. This has got to be one of the best beauty inventions ever. No one wants to wait for their nails to dry. Just pile on some top coat (specifically I love Seche Vite or the OPI Fast Forward or Start To Finish) and helps your nails dry quickly and makes them super shiny! Although I do find the Seche Vite to get gloppy and disgusting once you are halfway through the bottle, I still love it. I feel naked without topcoat, it's like a sweater for your nails.

The eyelash curler, another great invention. Pictured is my Revlon one, I haven't found a huge difference between high-end and drugstore eyelash curlers. For me this is a must-have item since my lashes looks so much better when they are curled, I don't even bother putting mascara on if I don't curl my lashes.

I am thankful for lash growth products. The L'oreal lash serum totally changed the look of my lashes, I still use it regularly. As someone who never had long-enough lashes, always wanting them to be fuller and longer, products like these make me happy. I am not sure if the Revlon grow luscious does anything, but I like to think it does.

Concealer is another item that should be essential in every girl's makeup bag and it's definitely a favourite of mine. I am thankful that there are so many different concealers out there, all types of formulations, textures, different ones for all areas of your face. I love the MAC studio finish for blemishes. The select coverup for pretty much all over, and the others primarily for under eye concealing. Where would we be without concealers? it's fabulous.

Being a light girl, bronzer is heaven-sent for me. I use bronzer pretty much everyday, as an all-over powder more or less. It gives me that extra perk me up, specifically I like the Physicians Formula bronze booster.

Last and probably most important, I am thankful for liquid foundation. The kind that provides good coverage while not caking up and making my dry skin look drier. Some favourites right now are Clinique Redness Solutions, NARS sheer glow and Lancome teint idole ultra.

What products are you thankful for?

I also want to take this moment to wish everyone in the US a Happy Thanksgiving! Don't shop too hard today!

Review: L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base

I like primers because they are a quick and easy step in between moisturizer and foundation application. Since I have dry skin, what primers do for me is allow my makeup to apply more smoothly and evenly, providing a nice base. I was curious when L'oreal recently came out with their Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base. At first I was skeptical of this product, the packing is weird and it seems very different to what I am used to in a face primer. I saw Linda Evangelista's face on the advertisements (above pic is a little sample card I got in a magazine) and thought, she has a ton of makeup on, that is totally not her just wearing the base alone. Then I read glowing reviews on many blogs and decided to try it out anyway. This retails in Canada for about $13-$17 CAD, depending on where you get it. I got it for $8 with a $5 off coupon. What happened was the coupon suckered me into buying this.

L'oreal's Studio Secrets Professional Perfecting Base (which is really long name, I am going to refer to it as "base" in this review) is described on the L'oreal website as "instant smoothing results. Get the perfect skin texture, instantly and all day. The silky, lightweight formula glides onto skin and minimizes the look of pores and fine lines. Skin looks and feels smoothed and resurfaced. The result, a unifed matte finish that's flawless. Suitable for all skin types, dermatologist tested, non-comedogenic." Notice how it does not say that this base will help your makeup to stay on longer? I find almost every review of this product mentions how the user's makeup stayed on longer. I generally do not find that any primer actually helps my makeup to stay on longer, however, since my dry is dry I don't have the issue of my makeup disappearing or sliding off.

This product comes in a cute, small glass container, it's 0.5oz of pale pink whipped mousse consistency. The texture reminds me of cake icing. It doesn't feel like the primers that I am used to like Smashbox Photofinish, Gosh Velvet Primer, ELF Minreal Primer, Monistat Anti-chafing or Revlon Smoothing Primer, and also not like MAC's Prep and Prime lotion consistency. Here starts my first issue with this product, the texture of it and the size. Since this base is a thick mousse consistency it is harder to apply than a liquidy clear primer, at least for me. I have to work more at getting this even and blended, which bugs me. The packaging, despite being cute is not practical at all, I have to dig your fingers in to apply this, I would much rather a pump. I have short nails and even despite that, this stuff gets in my fingernails.

Second, the size, many reviewers have stated that this is affordable, cheaper than other primers on the market, I tend to disagree. The MAC Prep and Prime (non-spf version) is $30 CAD for 1 oz (on left), and this is $15 CAD for 0.5oz, so you're actually paying the same. I know it's deceiving. I feel like I am using more of this product than I should because I am digging my fingers in, and if I apply it with a brush, some of it gets eaten away. Whereas with MAC Prep and Prime I would do one pump (or two at most on extra dry days) and done, I know exactly how much I've used and need.

For dry skin, this just doesn't work for me, if I don't blend it in perfectly I notice that I get a film of it in areas of my face. As I said at the beginning of this review, primer should not have to take a long time to apply, and that's what bothers me about this product, it is tedious. Most of the reviews that I have read on this are from those with normal or oily skin, I would interested to see how other dry-skinned girls thought of this. In terms of performance like minimizing pores and fine lines, I think it did okay. Leaving my skin smoothed and resurfaced? It did feel nice on my skin, as far as resurfacing, I don't know how it could possibly resurface your skin. I would not re-buy this, it looks pretty in my bathroom amongst all the other products that I do not use. Nothing "magic" about this for me.

Have you tried L'oreal's Studio Secret Magic Perfecting Base? What did you think?

Small Haul and Clinique Rant

I went to the mall today for something to do and stopped by Walmart and picked up a few things. The Hard Candy section at my Walmart is a mess, there are testers of all the baked products and they are all cracked and spilling all over the display. I admit the products are pretty, but not really my thing, I did buy the Honeymoon blush, but that will be all I get. I don't know why they don't clean up the display, it's horrific. Anyway, I did manage to get their Tinted Moisturizer, in the colour "Fair". I have heard good things about this and wanted to try it out, it was like $8.

Next, I know I said I wouldn't get this but I did anyway with a $5 coupon, the L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base. It was like $8 with coupon. I also got the last Ecotools Eyeshadow brush that they had, this was around $4. I have the original one and it's much different, the bristles are hard sympathetic on that one and this one is a huge improvement. I will do a comparison review soon.

Now onto the rant, that's why you read this post right? Okay, so after watching Pixiwoo's fabulous 'Guide to Clinique foundations' video on youtube (link above), I decided to make a stop at my Sears Clinique counter. They have a gift with purchase on now, so a good time to buy a new foundation. I went in primarily wanting to get the Acne Solutions foundation. I told the girl that I have dry skin, but I do tend to break out along my chin and want something with moderate-full coverage. I know Clinique tends to not give much coverage, and this foundation gives a fair amount. The girl asks me if my skin feels tight or just looks dry? I tell her well it's tight after I wash it but no, it looks and feels dry. Then she tells me that my skin is not dry, I just need to exfoliate and get the dead skin cells off. It's not dry? I do exfoliate on a regular basis, I find exfoliating makes my skin even drier if I overdo it. If you take a look at my skin, it looks dry, I am no makeup guru here but I think it's obvious. Is there any truth in this? She then tells me their 3 step program can help with this yadda yadda yadda, I have tried their 3 step and am not interested.

Okay whatever, she tries the Acne Solutions makeup on me, chooses a shade that I think is far too dark for me (03 Fair Neutral) whatever it looks fine I suppose (I could always return it). I go to pay, oh they don't have that colour in stock, or the one lighter down. Okay, what other foundations would you recommend? Superfit? she don't have any colours available, Superbalanced? She says that gives natural coverage. She recommend their Oil-free foundation (can't remember the name). I am getting irritated now so I say fine I will get that one. She rings me through, oh it's only $26 and you need to spend $28.50 to qualify for the free gift, would you like something else? Oh man... okay I will just come back another time! So fed up at this point.

I think when they have gift with purchase promotions they should really be well stocked with their products, or else they are losing sales, as they did with me. I would order online (probably easier) but their shade selection is often out of stock too and I'd have to pay for shipping. Overall, I was really annoyed with Clinique.

What foundations would you girls recommend from Clinique? or ones to avoid?

Review: L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes

L'oreal's newest mascara is the Voluminous Million Lashes. It comes in a metallic gold, shiny packaging. I got this for $6.99 - $1 coupon a few days ago at The Superstore (in Canada). Being a fan of the original Voluminous mascara I was curious how this one performed, especially with a name like "million lashes" I had expectations of it doing miracles. I have read mostly negative reviews of this mascara, but being a mascara junkie, I had to try this out, who doesn't want Eva Longoria's lashes right? Miiillllions of them!

Mascara Monday: L'oreal Voluminous Naturale

Today's mascara review is the L'oreal Voluminous Naturale, that's right, not the original or the Carbon Black, but the Naturale version that no one ever talks about. This is one of my favourite mascaras because it doesn't make my lashes brittle, gives nice volume and lift without looking caked on, and has a wicked cool applicator. The original Voluminous is a favourite of many people because it gives dramatic volume, whereas this one is more of a toned-down natural look. Reading the ratings for this mascara on Makeup Alley, it averages 2.9, I don't know why people dislike it so much, but then again, people have high expectations for mascara and everyone is looking for miracles, you need good lashes, then every mascara will look good on you, unless it sucks in general, then it won't.

Mascara Monday: L'oreal Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara Review

Today's mascara is the L'oreal Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara. The L'oreal website describes this mascara as "For clump-free, perfectly defined longer lashes. L’Oréal introduces new Telescopic® Clean Definition Mascara for lashes with telescopic length, perfect definition, and a clump-free, natural end result. The patented No Clump Brush™ cleanly defines and lengthens up to 60%." This came out a long time ago, and promised more than anything, clump-free lashes. The packaging is a tall, skinny silver bottle that resembles a telescope, I find the packaging to be kind of ugly but it's not what's on the outside that counts.

Review: L'oreal Color Juice Lipgloss

I picked up some of the L'oreal Color Juice lipglosses to try out recently, I'd been meaning to get these for a while, but they are pretty expensive for a drugstore lip product. These sell for about $10 CAD. My drugstore had all lip products for 50% off, that's when I picked these up. These feel quite high-quality on on lips. They come in lots of pretty colours, are milky and moisturizing. They've been compared to the Lancome Juicy Tubes glosses, but at a fraction of the cost.I like these, but have some issues with their pigmentation as you will see below in my review.

These come in squeezy tube packaging, the applicator is a slanted dome with a little hole in the centre. As you can tell mine came with two different applicators, the Strawberry Smoothie (on left) has the old design of the round applicator, while Pina Colada (on right) came with the new slanted one, the slanted is definitely better for applying. Most lipglosses have doefoot applicators, offering more precise application. These smell good, but they do not smell like the fruit or name on the package, they all kind of smell like candy.

The formula is moisturizing, shiny, thick but not too sticky and sheer colour. The colour on your lips is not as pigmented as it looks in the tube. It would make for a nice gloss to put over lipstick. As with most lipglosses, these do not last long, they need to be re-applied. I admit I am not much of a lip person, but I am getting into it lately a lot, or so, buying a lot and not wearing very much of it. hahaha. Yeah, I am terrible.

Bubble Gum is like a milky soft pink shade. It has what looks like silver shimmers, not really noticeable on the lips and definitely not something others would notice either. I have read that this is a dupe for NARS Turkish Delight lipgloss, however I do not own that one, so I cannot comment. If you have less pigmented lips than mine, this will look more pale on you..

Pina Colada is a milky nude color in the tube, but on the lips, it looks the same as Bubble Gum above, I find Bubble Gum does a better job at pale-ing out my lips however. This is apparently a dupe for MAC's C-Thru lipglass.

Strawberry Smoothie is a sheer pink, with multi-coloured shimmers. Judging from the swatch above, you'd think this would be really pigmented, but it's really not much different applied. This ones gives a more orangey look.

So would I get more of these? Probably not, I find they all look the same applied, which is a shame because in the packaging they look so promising. I know these are called "sheer" lipgloss, but I was hoping for a bit more colour payoff.

Have you tried any of the L'oreal Color Juice lipglosses?

Review: L'oreal True Match Roller Foundation

This product looked so gimmicky and stupid to me at first, why would someone use a roller to apply their foundation? makes me think of a paint roller, people do not have flat faces, they have contours and a roller will not get in the area that you need. Well, this product surprised me because the roller is actually quite soft and smooth on your face. This foundation claims to give the "perfect, airbrushes finish". I think the idea behind the styling of this product was to make it easier for people who are new to makeup, or don't really know how to apply foundation to have an easy product to use. Sometimes we grab too much foundation out of a package or spill too much out, this way you control how much you apply, a little goes a long way, if you don't get enough, apply some more and roll away!,

Review: L'oreal Bare Naturale Mineral Foundation

Years back, I used to primarily use mineral foundations, and this was the first drugstore mineral makeup product that I purchased. I got this ages ago, my product actually expired 2/2010, but I think that's only the SPF that it's the product, correct me if I am mistaken. I started using it again recently so that I could write this review. This is L'oreal's take on mineral makeup, they describe this foundation as "Bare Naturale re-invents makeup with carefully selected, 100% preservative- and fragrance-free minerals plus built-in professional brushes. The new skin-improving mineral formula with an SPF 19 covers flawlessly and leaves your skin soft and the tone even.". L'oreal has a complete line in this mineral type, including concealer, blush, eyeshadow, highlighter (mineral glow) and finishing powder, all these products come with their own built-in brush.

Review: L'oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder

Yesterday, I wrote a review on the L'oreal Super Blendable Liquid Foundation, today's it's the POWDER version in the same range. This is a pressed powder that comes in a plastic compact container, you can see the colour of the product right away in the packaging, underneath is a little compartment with a mirror and a sponge.

Review: L'oreal True Match Super Blendable Makeup Foundation

I had a request from alvira to review this foundation, so here goes. I purchased the L'oreal True Match Super Blendable Liquid Foundation ages ago. I think their colour selection is probably the best found in drugstores, you can easily find your match, as there are massive shades ranging from cool, warm and neutral undertones.