Mascara Maddness

Does anyone else have the the hardest time deciding whether or not you like a certain mascara?  I find that I constantly go back and forth between high, mid, and value brands, never able to decide which works best on my lashes.

When Influenster sent me the YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils mascara to review, I decided it would be a good time to compare my current high, mid, and value mascara faves:

• High:  YSL's Volume Effect Faux Cils
• Mid:  Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes
• Value:  L'Oreal's Voluminous Butterfly

YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils Mascara ($32, available @ sephora.com)

YSL's description:  Flaunt bigger than life lashes when you brush on this mascara from Yves Saint Laurent. This non-drying formula is enriched with B5 pro-vitamin, which deepens, darkens, and leaves lashes look instantly thicker. The nylon fiber brush builds luscious volume, coating lashes from root to tip for a bold false-lash look.

My thoughts:  YSL isn't kidding when they say that the formula is non-drying.  This has to be one of the wettest formulas that I've ever tried, which comes with both an incredibly smooth application and few minutes of drying time.  This caused the mascara to transfer easily, but nothing that a little Bioderma can't solve.  My only real negative is that I found myself having to work harder to stop my lashes from grouping together than I normally like.  The final results, however, are worth the effort.





Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara ($20, available @ sephora.com)

Tarte's description:  Tarte lights, camera, lashes™ 4-in-1 mascara could be considered a dramatic makeover for your lashes. This high-performance formula is proven to increase the appearance of lash volume by 330 percent—creating strikingly thick, sexy lashes.

My thoughts:  330% increased appearance in lash volume is a lofty claim that I don't agree with.  I do agree that my lashes seem more voluminous, but it's much less dramatic than what Tarte implies.  That said, I much prefer the way this mascara performs in real life.  I find that this gives me a more natural looking lashes because of the drier formula (compared to YSL).  I also don't have to work quite as hard to avoid my lashes grouping or clumping, which I always appreciate.






L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara ($8.49, available @ ulta.com)

L'Oreal's description:  It's revolutionary Butterfly Brush with asymmetrical lash line shape extends and lifts outer corner lashes to give you a winged-out effect, instantly volumizing lashes at the roots and stretching lashes outward. The unique Cocoon Fibers instantly wrap lashes in a soft, delicate veil to create silky, spectacular lashes that flutter.

My thoughts:  I definitely see the length and volume effects on this one.  It's another very wet mascara, but the (very unique) wand makes it much easier for me to avoid messes.  I do have to work with this mascara quite a bit to keep my lashes from grouping, but for $8, I'm not mad at it.  The final results remind me a lot of the YSL mascara in that my lashes look very voluminous, dark, and less natural than with Tarte.





Despite what I think about the different application experiences, I can't shake the feeling that final results are all very similar, which begs the question:  spend $30 or $8?

Does anyone else have the same struggle in finding the right mascara?  What are your current faves?





*Required disclaimer:  I received the YSL mascara complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

What Would You Repurchase? Winter 2015 Empties

I don't know about you, but I get an enormous sense of accomplishment when I finish an entire makeup product.  It's as though finishing it means that it was money well-spent... but was it?

^Full disclosure, some of these are deluxe samples, but I almost feel 2x the amount of accomplishment after finishing those!

Here is a run-down of what I finished this season and whether or not they are worth repurchasing:

*Obviously these are my personal opinions based on how these products performed on my porous, slightly wrinkled skin.  Everyone is different, and you may have (or have had) different experiences.  

Nars blush in Orgasm ($30, available @ sephora.com)
Who hasn't tried and loved Nars Orgasm blush??  This is the second pan of Nars Orgasm that I've finished in my lifetime, and I think I'm officially saying "Adieu" to my dear friend.  Is it because we've been together for so long?  Is it because I'm approaching 30 and the shimmer is starting to enhance things about my cheeks that shouldn't be enhanced?  Is it because times have changed, and we all need to find a new cult classic?  Who knows.  All I know is that Nars Orgasm and I had many fabulous years together, but I do not plan to repurchase this gem again.  I've already starting seeing several new loves from Tarte, and I think it's best that Nars Orgasm and I move on. 

Le Couvent des Minimes Nourishing Hand Cream in Honey & Shea ($15, available @ ulta.com)

I already purchased my third tube of this.  It is a really lovely hand cream that helps keep my hands soft and moisturized at all times (especially during this occasionally harsh winter).  It's thick, fits in my purse, and has a wonderful honey scent.  It's not perfume-y and smells like actual honey.  According to Livestrong.com (while I don't trust Lance, I do trust them) and Paula's Choice, honey is a great moisturizing and wound-healing agent.  I immediately notice that my chapped or weathered hands (ew, but it's winter and it's true) immediately look and feel better after applying this.  My hands do feel slightly sticky afterwards, but that feeling goes away quickly, and I'm left with some wonderful skin and a craving for sopapillas.  Is it worth $15 for 1.7oz... I find that it's a nice splurge without actually breaking the bank (and Ulta carries it, so I use my 20% off or standard $3.50 coupon... so you really don't have to break the bank to do a little pampering).

Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser ($28, available @ sephora.com)
I honestly don't know what to say about this one.  I wish it had been better than it was, but it fell a little flat for me.  I loved that it warmed when it came into contact with water.  Surely it must be doing something for me if it's getting that hot while I rub it into my face, right?  Unfortunately, I think the warming was just for my benefit, because I didn't notice anything above average after using it.  I enjoyed the actual experience of washing my face with this cleanser, but once it was over, it wasn't anything to write home about.

Benefit Porefessional Pro Balm ($42, available @ benefitcosmetics.com)
Cards on the table:  I already have 4 more backups of this stuff, but I am starting to go a little stir-crazy.  I've been uhb-sessed with this for almost a year now.  The only negative that I have found thus far is that I have to be very careful about which foundations I layer on top of this (using another mattifying product on top of this guy is WAY too much for my skin to take).  That said, I have yet to find a primer that is better at blurring my pores and fine lines than this guy.  I'm still committed to this guy (after all, it'll probably take another 6 months to make it through my backups), but I'm starting to get curious about the other pore and wrinkle reducing primers out there.  Please give me your suggestions if you know of any that I just "have" to try!

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray ($29, available @ sephora.com)

This was my first foray into thickening hairspray, and I'm definitely still curious about what else is on the market.  My hair is very thin and fine, so I desperately need thickeners and texturizers.  This was okay.  I'll give it another shot eventually, but I want to try a few other things before going back to this guy.  Let me know if you have any experience with this or other thickening hairsprays, and if there is some secret to using them that I haven't figured out yet!

Tarte Double Detox Amazonian Clay Exfoliating Face Mask ($38, available @ sephora.com)
I love this stuff.  I don't know if it really exfoliates or detoxes your skin (can anything except your liver really detox your body??), but I can absolutely tell a difference in my skin after I use this (and worse, if I don't use it).  I typically use this during the weekend, and I find that it leaves my skin feeling and looking refreshed.  On the rare occasions that I sleep in my makeup, I'll use this during the week to repair some of the damage that damage, and it really does wonders.  I plan to repurchase this guy eventually, but I'm dying to try some other clay masks, so this repurchase will have to wait.

Benefit Fake Up Hydrating Crease Control Concealer ($24, available @ sephora.com)
Not horrible, but not a keeper for me.  It did seem very hydrating, but this has to be the fastest that I've ever finished a cosmetic product.  I'm not sure what the minimum time required is for finishing a product to make you feel accomplished versus taken advantage of, but this was definitely the latter for me.  I finished it so quickly after opening it, that I felt more a sense of woe over my $24 being gone than accomplishment at finishing this concealer.

Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder in Universal ($37, available @ sephora.com)
Nothing special here for me, sorry.  The $10 Smooth Criminal Powder by Be A Bombshell is less expensive and gives me a much more flawless finish (granted, I can't breathe while I apply the BAB version, so I don't think I'd repurchase that one either).  Even my $5 L'Oreal Translucent powder gave this guy a run for his money.  To be fair, the Laura Mercier powder is MUCH better than the L'Oreal version, but for the price and brand... I was really expecting more.  I'm used to Laura Mercier leaving me flawless, and this was more of a flop.

Is it just me, or were your empties this season also a little womp-womp?  What do you just have to repurchase, and what is getting a good ole Adieu?

Love it or Hate it? Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Serum

Is the Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Serum worth the hype?

......

^The photo above is used with love from The Muppets' Youtube account.  

I hear they have a movie coming out that you should see if you're into that sort of thing.

Big fat "No" from me... followed by a few expletives and many, many detoxifying face masks in an attempt to counteract the negative side effects.

First, what is Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Serum?

This is a 1oz anti-aging serum from the UK that costs $20.99 per ounce, available at Target and other drug stores. Boots describes this as:  "Powerful Prevention.  Supercharge your skincare regime with this clinically proven serum.  No7's highly acclaimed Protect & Perfect technology has been re-engineered to deliver even better anti-ageing results.  Independently tested and proven to work.  This serum is powered by Matrixyl 3000 PlusTM, a combination of the most powerful form of Matrixyl plus a next generation peptide that work together to help restore more youthful skin.  With our patented antioxidant complex it helps protect skin from future signs of aging, keeping it looking younger for longer whilst salicylic acid promotes clearer, more radiant skin.   After 2 weeks skin looks younger and more radiant, and by 4 weeks skin looks clearer and fine lines are visibly reduced.  Results keep getting better with continued use.  80% of women said this serum provided the best anti-ageing results they had ever seen."

That sounds great!  How in the world can this be anything short of wonderful?!

At first I thought that I was one of the unlucky 20% of women who just didn't get the hype with this product.  Then I went to the Beautypedia from Paula's Choice (PaulasChoice.com) and realized that I very likely am in good company.  Paula's Choice does an exceptional job identifying the flaws with both the scientific study and the ingredients.  I can tell you from my own experience that this did nothing for me.  In fact, my fine lines and pores were thriving.  This product did not reduce any fine lines, did not make my skin feel more radiant, or do any of the other claims that the back of the box leads you to believe.  In fact, it clogged a lot of my pores (I'm "blessed" with particularly porous skin BTW) and led to some significant breakouts by the end of my self-induced 4-week trial.  I will say that I did notice a bit of a tighter feeling (my skin is fairly taut to begin with) around week 2.  It was downhill pretty quickly after that, though.  

That was dismal.  Is there any hope?

If you have small to nearly non-existent pores or if you already know that you like (or don't have negative reactions to) silicone-based products, this might work for you.  Albeit, according to Paula's Choice, if it does work, it would likely be mediocre.  

Best of luck, ladies (and gentlemen), and a big congratulations if this happens to work for your skin.  If you have any good skincare or fine line elimination/prevention, let me know!  To borrow from my favorite pirate:  

^The photo above is used with love from Drumble007' Youtube video, "Jack Sparrow, Captain Jack Sparrow."

It's a montage of classic Jack Sparrow moments; check it out if you have a moment :)

Battle of the Brands: L'Oreal vs. Rimmel Eye Makeup Removers

Welcome to my first installment of Battle of the Brands!  In one corner, we have my tried and true L'Oreal Clean Artiste oil-free eye makeup remover that I have purchased and repurchased for ages.  In the other corner, we have Rimmel's Just Let It Go oil-free eye makeup remover that was sent to me for review through Influenster.  

Just a bit of background on me and this whole "Battle of the Brands" concept:  I can be a sucker for certain brands, but I've realized that once products are out of their packaging, performance is the only thing that matters.  Drugstore brands can perform at a prestige level and prestige brands can be garbage.  L'Oreal might as well be Urban Decay and vice versa (btw, L'Oreal actually owns UD, so I strongly suspect this to be the case with products, but I digress).  Point is, I've started being relatively thorough about testing the performance of certain products and want to share my results.  Voila, "Battle of the Brands" was born.    

With that said, here is my pseudo-scientific approach:  I wore a medium amount of eye makeup (substantial, but nothing too crazy, photo evidence below).  I used one cotton pad for L'Oreal and one for Rimmel.  I put a similar amount of product on each cotton pad so that each was saturated, but not dripping with excess product.  I used L'Oreal to remove the eye makeup from my left eye and Rimmel for my right eye.

Before pictures:  See?  Substantial, but nothing too crazy





















On my eyes:  Benefit's Stay Don't Stray as a base, Urban Decay's Naked 2 & a bit of Stila's Kitten on my lids, Maybelline's Eyestudio gel liner on my upper lash line, and L'Oreal's Voluminous Butterfly on my lashes.  


After picture:  Rimmel FTW

Rimmel removed way more product than L'Oreal.  Not only that, it was easier to use.  I had to scrub quite a bit with L'Oreal, to the point that I was really pulling on my eye at one point.  I didn't realize that that wasn't normal until I tried this Rimmel product.  People, do not pull at your eyes to remove your eye makeup.  I will say that Clinique's Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil is even easier to use than Rimmel, but it makes my vision blurry for a good 10-15 minutes after using it, no joke, so it's not one that I would recommend or put ahead of Rimmel.  I still don't know that I've found my "holy grail" eye makeup remover (is that even a thing?), but for now, Rimmel moves to the front, and I will be purchasing it as soon as I run out of my current bottle.

Let me know if there are any other products that you want to compare or if you've had similar or different experiences with the products mentioned!

xxRachel