theNotice: a beauty blog

When I set about to do a look this past Saturday, I had intended to re-create the recent Chanel Fall 2011 couture look - a sexy, glossy, all-black eye.

Needless to say, I was waylaid by a pigment stack I (inadvisably) had sitting out on my desk, and we didn’t really make it to our originally planned destination.

In the end, I put together a basic, black smokey eye with a gold highlight in the center, a look I’ve been quite fond of recently. (Er, having the main highlight being in the center of the lid rather than the inner corner, that is. But to be honest, I don’t wear a lot of black in terms of eyeshadow!)

Even more importantly, though, I’m super excited to get reviewing some of the products I tried out in this look. A few of them were in this bowl, and a few of them weren’t, but there were a couple of new textures that I’ve really been enjoying. We should have a review of the Clinique Lid Smoothie line within the next forty-eight hours, but consider this your “sneak preview” into some of our upcoming reviews!

Keep reading; you know you want to »

The product: L’Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes (tubing mascara)

L’Oreal’s Beauty Tubes mascara is a product that I’ve had for ages, reach for almost every single day, and love to bits and pieces. Why I haven’t reviewed it already is a bit of a mystery… but I’m chalking it up to being dropped on my head as a child.

Step one: To be completely honest, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve used this white primer. I’m not one for extra steps, and I don’t really care for the effect it gives – it’s all too easy to end up with clumpy lashes, when the primer comes into play, and I find the resulting tone (after the black is layered on top) is rather ashen.

Step two: Okay, so here’s where the action’s at! The mascara end of this product gives a flawlessly natural, clump-free lash, and it holds up brilliantly – through rain, tears, you name it. Despite its incredibly light weight (I kid you not when I say it literally feels like nothing), it keeps a curl from eight in the morning ’till eleven at night when I rinse it off.

I do wish this gave my lashes more “oomph,” because it really doesn’t provide much in terms of volume or length, but I’m more than willing to make the compromise – at about $10, and with frequent sales in the drugstore, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than the other tubing mascaras that come to mind.

The verdict?

So this isn’t my favourite tubing mascara of all time (hello, Fiberwig), but it’s still a great no-frills, no-fuss product. Because I have such troubles with mascaras smudging, feeling heavy, and irritating my eyes, I really do reach for this every day, save only for the days where I skip the mascara altogether.

Tip: have an almost-perfect mascara that gives gorgeous results, but smudges and smears throughout the day? The mascara side of this product makes an awesome “mascara topcoat” that layers wonderfully!

one coat of step 2 (black), no flash

(Ingredients and more photos…)

Just a few quick swatches (and comparison swatches) today; my apologies for not being able to review the product itself, but it’s full of silicones and to be honest, I’m a bit afraid of it!

The product itself feels light and velvety upon application, with your regular mousse/”soufflé” texture. It’s on the sheer side, though, and doesn’t layer well – if you try to put on too much product, it simply balls up rather than settling in. Like a lot of other bloggers, I’d definitely recommend this for a drier skin before an oily one, but as I said: I haven’t worn it around, so do read up on it if you’re curious!

A note on the images: these have been uploaded in 1000px across, so do give them a click if you’re looking to see the swatches up-close! Additionally, it’s worth noting that the exposure setting is a touch darker than normal, to help show off the shade differences a bit better.

L-R: L’Oreal Magic Smooth 512 Classic Ivory, L’Oreal Magic Smooth 516 Nude Beige, L’Oreal Magic Smooth 530 Sun Beige

L-R: MAC Studio Finish Concealer NW20, L’Oreal Magic Smooth 512 Classic Ivory, MAC Studio Stick Foundation NW20, L’Oreal Magic Smooth 516 Nude Beige, MAC Studio Stick Foundation NC35, L’Oreal Magic Smooth 530 Sun Beige, MAC Studio Finish Concealer in… bollocks, I have no idea what that last shade is.

& finally, a few full reviews worth reading, if you’re interested:

• Musings of a Muse
• 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic
• Beauty Ambition
• Makeup Alley

L’Oreal officially launches a new campaign to find three ladies to be the next “Féria Girls” next week, so this got the “rush!” rubber stamp. I say we should be rewarded for reading beauty blogs (because it’s so hard,) so you ladies get to hear about it before the rest of the nation! (Those of you who read theNotice regularily know that it takes me forever to get things from my vanity to your screens.) The campaign is open, but it hasn’t really been pushed yet.

The concept is pretty cool — I’ve always been a fan of marketing that gets people involved, as opposed to “here is a shot of our beer. Here is a shot of a half-naked woman dancing. Go buy our beer,” campaigns. They’re looking for “girls whose hair and style define the trends” … in other words, gals with great hair and super-chic style! If this is you, all you have to do is submit a photo on their Facebook page. The winners will get to be made over, take part in a photoshoot, star in the fall Feria print ad, and go home with an Andy Thé-Anh dress.

Now. Don’t say I never tell you things ;)

Bonus hair faux-timeline behind the cut, because… I have hair too. And sometimes, it is in photographs. (This is due to the fact that my scalp is non-removable. Apologies.)

I stopped using L’Oreal’s Lash Boosting serum a week or two back, despite how much I loved it, and I wanted to share the “why.” Check out the photos below and see if you can guess at it, then go behind the cut to find out for sure! As usual, a reminder: click to enlarge!


(My apologies for the naked, awkward-looking eye.)

What are we seeing here? Lashes! Lashes that do not belong! I trust that the Lash Boosting serum won’t harm my eyes (after all, they’re not sneaking prescription meds in there or anything,) but I don’t really feel… comfortable… with having lashes growing on my lower lashline.


One last thing to keep in mind before you crap your drawers: my lashes droop downwards due to the shape of my eye. Even when curled, the base of my upper lashes touches my lower lashline! I have a feeling this is the reason as to why I’m seeing some strange growth, as you’re quite specifically told not to use this on your lower lashline, but there’s really nothing I can do about it.

The bottom line is that I still think the serum is awesome, and this actually attests to its intense awesomeness rather than discrediting it. However, I don’t think it’s for me (even though my lashes were looking great thanks to the serum,) so I don’t plan on picking up my tube again anytime soon.