I’d rather not.
$29 for a funny-but-lame name and cheap-looking packaging. This product better be killer, or you will have a lot of angry fans at your doorstep!
What it is: PURE‘s Kajal liner, in Seductive Grey.
The basics: What really interested me in this liner was the fact that it’s a more “traditional” cream kajal liner. Basically, it’s a nifty twist-up cone of liner goodness. I ended up with Seductive Grey, and the swatch had me at first sight — steely and cool-toned, with very finely-milled stunning blue flecks. Seductive, indeed! I was a little put off by the packaging, though; it’s bulky and reminds me of the NARS material. Which I hate. Sure, it looks nice coming out of the box, but such a gummy black picks up dust and does! not! let! go! of it.
The application: Once I started using this, it definitely began losing points in my good books. While it wasn’t too hard to apply, it’s nearly impossible to get a thin, rich line of colour. Or even a thick, rich line of colour! You’d have to apply this with a separate brush, use it on your waterline, or stick to using it for a smudgey look.
The wear: Argh! I was already put off by the application and colour payoff, but the wear of this liner really just shut the doors for me. I know a lot of ladies who actually quite like this, but I just can’t — no matter what, it creases and fades from my lids within the hour! (Even without a base, shadows tend to last at least three hours on me.) I’ve tried everything from bases to concealer with powder, to concealer under a base, to concealer over a base, to powder over a base… but I just can’t make it work. As for my waterline? Hah! That’s a laugh — if I can manage to get a non-splotchy line out of it, it’s all clumped up in my lashline in even less time.
The verdict? Pass, pass, pass. The idea is really nifty, and the shade is great, but this one just does not work for me! It can look really cool… for about fifteen minutes, if you put a lot of work into your application. I’m going to keep trying to make this one work, but I doubt it’ll happen! Maybe I’ll use it for blog-eotds-only — aka the ones that go on, get photographed, and are washed off in under an hour.
It’s just so cute that I don’t want to give up, even though I know I should :(
It’s strange to think that lighting could be too good, but in a way, this was — it was glaringly bright, and the sun was right in my face! So, sorry for the quality of some of these images. The sun was quite lovely for napping in, though. Five levels of comfortable heaven :)
All you need to know about this look is that I got in a fight with someone in my friend group… over my blog. Which really gave me two options: mope about it, or play with falsies.
Well, I’ve never really been one to mope.
More photos + products used behind the cut!
I love these falsies!!
Direct sunlight
Click any to enlarge… I couldn’t settle on just one shot; the first was taken from too low down, the second from too far to the side, and the third is slightly off-focus. Talk about frustrating!
Used:
Revlon “Defining” false lashes, trimmed down by hand
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner, Zero
Fresh Supernova mascara
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil, Milk
Senna eye shadows, Twilight and SpinxLancome Blush Subtil, Rose Fresque
GOSH Velvet Touch lipstick, Darling
MAC Powder Blush, Harmony
Bobbi Brown face powder, pale yellow
Well, guess what, ladies? I made it to week four! With ADD like mine (which I don’t actually have, but I may as well, at the rate I’m going,) I was a little worried it wouldn’t happen… but, nope, after working this gal into my routine, it wasn’t hard to remember to apply twice a day and keep it up.
My final verdict? This is no Latiesse — it won’t “double your lashes” or any of that jazz. But y’know what? I really don’t care. At about $10 (compared to $100) and without such terrifying side effects, I expected noticeable (but not drastic) changes. And I got them, so I couldn’t be happier!
As I’ve mentioned before, lash serums like L’Oreal‘s are made simply to let what you already have grow to its full potential, rather than stimulate new growth. I’ve noticed that my lashes feel healthy, and I’m fairly certain that less of them are falling out, which means they’re a touch more noticeable. What really closes the deal for me, though, is how this layers under mascara — it looks great; well worth the extra step in my routine!
One last exciting thing before we cut to photos and details:
It’s giveaway time!!!
I know, I know, I don’t do nearly enough of these — they’re just such a hassle to organize, and Canadian shipping fees can be… a little overwhelming. (We do have a few more giveaways set to go out soon, though!) I was sent more than one Lash Boosting serum, and I’d love to give one of you lovely ladies a chance to check it out as well!
To enter, you must be a follower. Just leave a comment letting me know that you’re following (or that you’re a new follower,) and tell me something — anything! For instance: “I’ve been following you for ages. And my socks today are purple!” Re-blogging or tweeting a link to this giveaway can earn you an extra entry (or two, if you do both,) but please, don’t hotlink these images! If you really do need an image for your post, save it to your computer first and re-upload. Thank you!
Anyone can enter, just know that I’ll ship surface mail (no tracking number,) so it may take a while to get to anyone overseas :) This giveaway closes Friday, April 9th.
Anyhow, my results follow. All photos on the left are from four weeks ago, and all photos on the right are from yesterday afternoon! I really wish they could be nearly identical, but let’s face it — I am just not that awesome. It is quite hard to replicate an image of yourself entirely!
CAUTION: Subjects in photographs are naked.
(My lashes are nekkid. Get your mind out of the gutter!)
Click images to enlarge.
I’m five levels of happy, and will definitely continue using this! If you’re still undecided, though, or even if you’re just curious, feel free to read more about my experiences with L’Oreal’s Lash Boosting serum…
Week Zero — my lashes as they were
Week One — a review of the serum as a primer, and photos of the serum on my lashes
Week Two — photos of the serum as a primer layered underneath mascara (Fiberwig and Supernova)
(Week Three didn’t exist, because there wasn’t much to say then!)
Stay gorgeous, and have a great week ;)
View part one here :)
As mentioned before, I would love to hear feedback on these — I haven’t tried any; I’m looking for one myself! Any rants or raves? Anything to add to this list?
As with my list of ‘cone-free foundations, this is simply what I have found so far! If you can suggest something to add to this list, please do let me know in the comments :)
Tinted moisturizers, products with an SPF of less than ten, discontinued products, products with price points of over $100, products marketed as sunscreens, and products not available in North America have not been included.
Wow! Is this list ever getting long, or what? Part two will be going up tomorrow, but in the meantime… have you tried any of these? What did you think?
Snitched the following photo from a friend…
…and put some work into it.
Tu me manques, Alison! ♥
What it is: Marcelle‘s AC Solution Toner
The bad: After using this for about a month, and then giving it to my sister to try out for another month, I think we can solidly say one thing — this doesn’t help with our acne. It also doesn’t smell great, though it is bearable for both of us, and the scent fades quickly. And I’m not a fan of the packaging; in fact, I affixed a pump-bottle top to this to make things easier for myself! It just felt a little too clunky, flipping it upside down all the time.
The good: Dont’ panic; this toner certainly redeems itself! While it’s not the most fun to put on, and it doesn’t make the skies open up and shine down on you, it helps a ton with midday oiliness. After using it for a week or two, both Ri and I noticed our t-zones didn’t get as slick as they normally do. It didn’t dry us out or “patchify” our skin in the process, so I was pretty happy with it!
Patchify: verb: to dry out some areas of the epidermis, but leave others shiny and oily.
The ingredients:
AQUA/WATER/EAU, ALCOHOL DENAT., BUTYLENE GLYCOL, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, GLYCERETH-18 ETHYLHEXANOATE, GLYCOLIC ACID, ISOCETETH-20, CITRIC ACID, SALICYLIC ACID, ZINC GLUCONATE, ROSA CENTIFOLIA FLOWER WATER, ARGININE, ALLANTOIN, BISABOLOL, DMDM HYDANTOIN, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE, DISODIUM EDTA, ENANTIA CHLORANTHA BARK EXTRACT, CHAMOMILLA RECUTITA (MATRICARIA) FLOWER EXTRACT, ALCOHOL, OLEANOLIC ACID, HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) WATER
The verdict? We liked (and are still liking) this toner, and I’d recommend it to someone with normal to very slightly oily skin! However, if you have very oily or very acne-prone skin and you’re looking for miracles… I don’t think you’ll find them here. It’s a very solid skincare staple item in my books, but it’s not the be-all-end-all.
Annabelle‘s Toxic Garden, the second out of four shadows from this spring/summer’s Painted Love collection.
It certainly is… toxic-looking, at least in the pan. I’m still undecided about this one; it can look quite different once applied, and there are days when I love it and days when I hate it. It certainly isn’t as incredibly pigmented at Nymphet once foiled, but it is pretty decent, especially for a drugstore shadow.
With flash/without flash
Opinions?
