Firstly: the Emjoi Emagine is in fact part of the HauteLook sale! Pick it up for just $83 plus change (and shipping) here :) And here‘s an invite, in case you don’t have an account.
Secondly: going to go film a Rodarte video. Two videos in two days! What is this madness!
- Epilating lasts as long as waxing or tweezing — but hurts a lot less. I mean, I’m fine with the sting of waxing or tweezing, but I can barely feel the Emagine pulling out my hairs. It is awesome.
- Unlike razor blades or wax, an epilator doesn’t need to be rebought or replaced on a regular basis — most are under warranty, and reviews I’ve read of older epilators mention that they’ve had the same one for a year, two years, five years… and they’re still at 100%.
- There’s no clean up or prep involved. No dripping wax, no throwing out or washing strips, no frothing up the shaving cream… just plug in and go.
- The price! At $99, the Emagine is definitely more expensive than most of Emjoi’s other selections, though it is still cheaper than many other epilators. However, when you take into consideration that it’ll last you forever and a half, that’s not actually an obscene price.
- Epilating takes longer than shaving. You’ll have to pass over a patch more than once to get all the hairs, and you can’t just zip through it. However, you do do it less often, and it does take less time than waxing, at least for me!
- You want an epilator that’s (a) cordless or (b) quiet.
- You hate shaving, waxing, tweezing, or all of the above.
- Shaving irritates the hell out of your skin anyways. I HAD NOTHING TO LOSE.
- You’re looking for a long-lasting method of hair removal that isn’t going to cost $600. (I’m looking at you, electrolysis. I’m looking at you and fuming.)
- Save up for it. I know, I know — it sucks. But it’s an investment piece, like a good flat iron. Or a microwave. It’ll last a long time, and comparatively, it’s cheap: one full-body waxing session is the same price as one epilator. One round of full-body electrolysis? More expensive than one!
- Try a less expensive model, stick with it for at least a year, then “upgrade” to a top of the line one if you absolutely love it. Maybe Emjoi’s Soft Caress or Divine? I’ve heard a lot of good things about the former.
- Wait it out. That’s what sales are for! Plus, as new models are released, the cost of the old ones will eventually come down.
Note: There is quite a bit of drama surrounding the Rodarte collection. If you’d like to take a part in it… well, take it elsewhere. Quite frankly, I’m going to be ignoring it completely. I think that it’s amazing that MAC is choosing to turn a very ugly situation into a potentially beautiful one, and I’m not pointing any fingers for the original collection details — I personally think it was distasteful, but I don’t believe any harm was meant.All I’m going to say is this: if a “real” artist was inspired by the horrors of women in sweatshops, and sold their art collection… would it even be a blip on the cultural monitor?
I just want to make something clear: I do not think that MAC was in the right about this, and I feel like words are being put into my mouth. I’m just trying to recognize the fact that good things are coming from this collection, and I know that it wasn’t MAC’s original intention, but it is happening. I mean, just take your comments, for example! As I said earlier, I do think this was in bad taste, but I don’t think any harm was meant. That doesn’t excuse MAC or Rodarte in my eyes, but it’s just my perspective!
(I mean, if a whale bit off my arm, I’d be right ticked. But I’m sure the whale didn’t mean to! Especially seeing as it doesn’t even have teeth.)
I usually make a point of not getting excited for MAC collections. There are just so many of them! And truly, they’re like, 99.99999% hype.
But.
I have a soft spot (a massive, massive soft spot) for the Rodarte line. Which is why I’m now quite excited for September 15th.
Now, the good news is that most of the collection sounds vaguely revolting to me. (I’m sorry! I’ve never been a very good liar I CAN’T HELP IT! I throw up the truth like a four year old immediately after realizing that food poisoning has totally occurred.) So… may as well sort through it now!
Check out the full product list behind the cut, with (of course,) a bit of commentary and a few product images.
Note: we do not have the updated details of the collection, but will post them when they have been released. All that’s confirmed so far is that the products will be renamed and that MAC will donate $100 000 to a non-profit organization designed to improve the lives of women in Juarez. (Source.)
Lipstick
Ghost town- Sheer white with white, gold and green pearlized pigment (frost)
Rose State- Mid- tone blue pink (lustre) this one’s a maybe — blue pink? I like blue pinks!
Sleepless- Light grey taupe (frost)
Lipglass
Rodarte- Pale creamy pink with layers of sparkling white, mint, and pink
del Norte- Light creamy violet with layers of sheer sparkling taupe, pink and grey
Lip erase
Pale *yawn*
Mineralize Eye Shadow
Bordertown- black with red, pale blue, and silver veining (frost)
Sleepwalker- beige with copper, pale blue and pale pink veining (frost) waiting anxiously to see MAC’s stock photo for this one. I do love my neutrals!
Pigment here’s the thing… I think the packaging is supercute, and Badlands sounds like it would be quite pretty, but I don’t want to purchase MAC Pigments. Ever. Cutting the amount of product almost in half *and* raising the price is just not okay with me!
White Gold- white pearl with gold duochrome
Kitchmas- shimmering pink/mauve
Mauvement- Cool taupe with gold pearl
Badlands- mid tone shimmer beige brown
Chromographic pencil
NW25/NC30
Beauty Powder
Softly Drifting- pale neutral white-ish pink with soft gold pearl love the packaging, love the shade — but I don’t love the $30 CAD price tag for something which will likely be so sheer!
Powder Blush
Quinceanera- shimmery mid-tone blue pink sounds gorgeous. I can’t wait to see what this looks like!
Nail Lacquer
Juarez- bright opal pink (frost)
Factory- Light opal mint (frost)
1. The Lip Junkie glosses are finally out and on the Urban Decay site! If you haven’t heard about them yet: eleven shades, 0.34 fl oz each, $19 a pop, sheer, non-sticky, shiny… and minty and delicious, like thin mints.
2. The Naked Palette now has a Canadian release date — July 29th. Keep an eye out in your Sephora!
Note: this is part two of Adventures in Epilating. Check out part one here!
The right length
Hair needs to be 0.5mm, and it’s not recommended that you epilate long hair. So if you do have long hair, I suggest taking it all off with an old razor blade three days before you’d like to epilate! Not like, gross and rusting kind of old, but “time to change it” old. (Long hair + multiple blades = that hair ain’t never coming out.) They recommend trimming it, but… really? Like, with scissors? *snore*
General boredom
Break up your epilating sessions! Because there’s basically no prep or clean-up, you can just do one body part, pack it up for the day, and do another the next day. Ten minutes a day for three days every few weeks can be a lot less boring than thirty minutes on one day!
Arms
Arm hair. Oh, arm hair, you bitch. (Whoops, sorry! Our lawyers are now telling us we’re supposed to be family-friendly around here. Or something.)
(Ahahahaha just kidding. We don’t have lawyers. Our legal advice comes from a bottle of vodka and a rusty butterknife.)
I totally just deterred this entire section. Let’s try that again.
Arms
Like most post-pubescent people I know… I have arm hair. And I hate it. For many, this isn’t a problem — but because I’m very fair with dark hair, it bugs the crap out of me. The problem with waxing it off is that it’s so obvious when you have totally hair-free arms!
So, try this: epilate quickly, without trimming your hair. Don’t go over sections multiple times. The result? Thinned out hair, without obvous bald patches or regrowth patches! Then just touch it up every two or three weeks — it takes less than five minutes and you’re set ;)
Sensitive patches
Two words: baby powder. Douse the crap out of sensitive areas with baby powder to give amazing slip — it creates huge clouds of powder, sure, but so what? It makes epilating so freakin’ easy.
(Seriously, don’t even think about doing your underarms without baby powder.)
Ingrown hairs
Oh, also — have a facial exfoliator that’s too harsh? Try it on your body ;)
Want more? Well, that’s good, because there is more: our Emagine review, and a video on epilating!
That’s it — I’m out of b.s. to spew my wealth of knowledge has run dry. Have a lovely Tuesdsay, my dears!
So um, this post is really long. If you’re in a hurry, just read the pros, cons, and verdict... for now. Then come back later and read the rest! And if you’re just plain ‘ol lazy, feel free to watch this video instead.
What it is: Emjoi Emagine Tweezer-Head Epilator, a new epilator with (dramatic pause) seventy-two tweezer heads, the most on the market.
That is a lot of tweezers.
The lowdown: (yes, I really did just say lowdown.) This is full of crazy wizarding magic. Hide your children and shield your eyes! On a more serious note, though…
An intro to epilators: because I know epilators are (unfortunately,) not very common, I thought I’d do a bit of an intro. It’s pretty vague, but I don’t want to get too specific — as with any other tool, a lot can vary from epilator to epilator!
Epilators are really cool. (Like fezzes! And bowties!) But why are they really cool? Well, they work by using rotating tweezer-like heads to pull out your hairs, one by one. The action is like shaving, except instead of pulling a blade along your skin in long motions, you’re pulling a rotating head along your skin in soft, short motions. But then, on the other hand, the effect is like waxing or tweezing — you get the hairs right at the root, so they take weeks rather than days to grow back.
(See? I told you they were cool!)
About the Emagine, in particular: its seventy-two tweezers come in two rotating heads, creating the scariest-looking piece of personal machinery that you’ve ever seen. Also, it’s corded, quite loud, and is slightly curved. I didn’t think the “curved” part would be very important — I was wrong. The curve makes it so much more comfortable to hold (and a lot easier to use at any angle) than a totally straight epilator would be.
Emjoi also uses something they call Glide Technology. Behind this gimmick-y name is actually technologic gold: my Emagine basically slides itself along my skin at the right speed, and doesn’t nick or pull in the least. And the Emagine, in particular, is the first epilator (ever) to feature Silver Ion Technology, which is exactly what it sounds like — it doesn’t affect how you’d use the epilator, but it helps provide antimicrobial protection.
(Yay antimicrobials yay!)
Some pros:
And some cons:
the emagine comes with a lid, a cord, a little cleaning brush, and a cute little white bag to hold it all.
The verdict? The Emagine is my first epilator, and I haven’t another to compare it to — but I’d definitely recommend it all the same. It’s a very solid piece of tech, and it made my foray into epilating a complete dream.
However: would I have actually shelled out $99 of my own money on my first epilator? Honestly, no. Knowing how much I do like it, I certainly would have (say, if I tested it out before buying or something,) but never having tried an epilator before, not having any idea if I would like it or not — I wouldn’t have spent $99.
Note: I just checked HauteLook, and it seems fate has intervened! (And by “fate” I mean “a cool coincidence.” Emjoi is 30% off starting tomorrow :) This model likely won’t be part of the sale, but others will be!
So, some more lists! Run behind the cut for “skip it if…”, “try it if…” and “if you’re on a budget…”
that’s right. a photo of a unicorn.
because I am bored.
Skip it if…
Try it if…
If you’re on a budget…
not as frightening as it looks
If you have any other questions about epilating, now’s the time to ask them — even if they’re ones which you think are “dumb” or “weird.” Epilating is very unique, but that doesn’t mean it’s scary or hard. It just takes some getting used to!
Care to read more on the Emagine, or on epilators in general? Check out our Tips and Tricks, or our video!
Have a question, or want to share your own Adventures in Epilating? See you in the comments thread! ;)
Has anyone else gotten tired of seeing my mug every Monday? Because… it’s wearing a little thin for me. So, I thought I’d share a few photos of a friends’ eye this week! We did three looks about a week ago, so you’ll be seeing the other two in the future. (And yes, those two are FOTDs.)
Note: you’ve seen here before, here!
For a product list, a how-to (this look is super-easy, trust me!) and a ton more images, follow the cut!
Prime eyelids. Then, foil a vivid pink shadow onto the middle of the lid using a flat shader brush, and buff the edges out with a dry blending brush. “Pull” the colour to the outer corners by blending, creating a bit of an ombré effect. Layer a shimmery, light pink on top of this in the inner corner (also take this pink on the inner 1/2 of the lower lashline,) and a deep violet in the outer V. Take this same violet along the outer 1/2 of the lower lashine (with a liner or flat brush) and into the crease (with a blending brush.) Using the brush you chose to apply the violet to the lower lashline, “connect” the lower lashline with the colour on the lid.
Blend the colours together again with a large, fluffy brush. Reapply more colour where needed. If the outer corner has enough depth but not enough pigment (as is common with many dark violets,) use the same fluffy brush to buff in a brighter violet overtop the deep base. Hilight if desired, add liner and mascara, and you’re good to go!
Used:
Annabelle Pinked eyeshadow (vivid pink)
Annabelle Violet Vibe mineral pigment dust (bright violet)
Korres Plum eyeshadow (deep violet-brown)
Marcelle Rose Satin mineral eyeshadow (shimmery, light pink)
NYX Milk jumbo eye pencil (base)
Urban Decay 24/7 Zero eyeliner
MAC Blanc Type (base and matte hilight)
Aura Science Grey eyeliner (waterline)
photo credit Angus Fergusson. via A Perfect Gray.
Oh, Ellis Red. How could I have been so very, very wrong about you?
You take a few uses to get used to — there are a couple of tricks to keep in mind. Exfoliate first. Do not apply over lip balm. And above all, do not apply sparingly. (Though, of course, you do make a lovely stain if you’re blotted off after application.) But if those tricks are in fact followed… my god. My god! You’re moisturizing, and you stay where you’re put. You last a good amount of time, and you leave just the most gorgeous stain. Your amazing liquid form soaks right into the lips, blending in just flawlessly.
“True blood-red,” you say. And — yes. But somehow… somehow, despite your warmth, you do look gorgeous on my cool-toned skin. How is this possible, Ellis? Why does this work?
But why trust my words? Instead, have trust in images… images with just you, Ellis Red — not a speck of anything else. Images that are worth a thousand words. Images that are proof: proof of your splendor, your versatility, your existence.
The answer is yes, Ellis Red. Yes, you’re worth $35 in a heartbeat. Even if it means not buying any other makeup for the next three months!
(P.S. Here’s a barefaced image for comparison — what a difference lip colour makes!)
n’oubliez pas: images have been gently retouched!