Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes review

I've had my eye on Lots of Lashes for a while, so I was excited when an opportunity to review it came my way. Ever since I heard about Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara (which can be found here), I've been thinking about how great it would be to have a brush small enough to get to those pesky little lashes that always seem to get missed by my mascara wand. I really liked the looks of the Lots of Lashes from Maybelline, though, because of the tapered wand. I was skeptical of a mini mascara wand doing what I wanted it to with the bigger, fuller lashes, and it seemed silly to purchase a mascara that would only work on the itty-bitties. I figured the tapered wand would do the trick. Plus, it's cute! I've never found a mascara to be "cute" before, but this one is. Maybelline is calling the wand "heart shaped". It's not really heart-shaped, but it's a cute way of describing the tapered wand.

I received the mascara in "Very Black", though it also comes in "Blackest Black" and "Brown Black". I'm assuming that "Blackest Black" is supposed to be darker than "Very Black", but I'm not entirely sure. It's available at mass retailers for $6.40.

I expected the bristles/teeth to be a soft rubber, but in reality they are made of fairly stiff plastic. Not all  sides are created equal on this wand, and I'm not quite sure why. Probably to reach more lashes.

So if you hold it one way, it looks like this:

 Turn it a bit and BAM!

Interesting little brush they have here. But how well does it work?

Well, here are my naked lashes:

And this is with about three passes of Lots of Lashes:

Maybelline claims that this mascara will provide lots of volume, no clumps, and no mess.
I found the lengthening to be far more noticeable than the volumizing, and I did have a hard time keeping my lashes from sticking together. I don't think that it's noticeably clumpy unless you're looking at it extraordinarily closely. I managed to not smear extra mascara anywhere, so it was indeed mess-free. I was underwhelmed when I studied my lashes at extremely close range, but I like the overall effect. When viewed at a normal distance. My main gripe is that the end of the wand has no functional bristles. Let's take a look at it again.

I feel that the end bristles are just too sort to do anything- I feel like I'm just wiping the mascara off the end instead of combing it through my lashes. I'd like to see Maybelline come out with Lots of Lashes 2.0 with better bristles on the last quarter of the wand.

I plan to keep using this mascara, hopefully I'll get a better feel for how to use the tapered wand. Would I repurchase this product once I'm through this tube? Probably. It's a good mascara and I really like the concept behind it. I think that with a bit more careful application, I can avoid some of the sticking together lashes. If Maybelline released one with the improvement I mentioned above, I would absolutely try it out.

Side note: My roommate just tried her own tube of Lots of Lashes and loves it. She told me that she loves that it's bold without clumping.

*The product featured in this post was provided for consideration by PR through the BzzAgent program.  My commitment is to my readers and I will always give my honest opinion*

Stay tuned for my review of Maybelline's Baby Lips Lip Balm!

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter review and swatches

Today's adventure to Rite Aid introduced me to a new product- Revlon's Colorburst Lip Butters. It looked like the display had been put out in the last day or so, as nothing had been purchased from it yet. I went to Rite Aid in search of a tinted balm of sorts, so I decided to give this one a shot.

It is advertised as a "buttery balm + shiny color" that increases lip moisture by 156%. How well does it live up to these claims? I find that it has more drag on the lips than I would expect from a lip butter/ "buttery balm"during application, but once it's on it feels decently moisturizing. It's not nearly as emollient as, say, my beloved Burt's Bees balm, but it's more moisturizing than the standard lipstick. It does provide a nice shiny color. 156% more lip moisture? I wouldn't say it's that moisturizing. Although, I didn't really expect it to live up to such a claim. Numbers like that always make me skeptical.

I purchased one tube from the line- the Lollipop shade. This week, Rite Aid is having a 40% sale on Revlon lip, eye, and nail products plus a $2 +UP Reward with purchase. These are normally priced at $7.49 each, I was charged $4.49 for the tube. Once you subtract the $2 I now have for a future purchase, that brings the total down to $2.49. Was it worth $2.49? Yes. Do I think it's worth $7.49? Not particularly. 

I'm not a huge fan of the bulky stick, but it's manageable.

The packaging isn't bulky, but the tip of the product is a bit. I took some comparison shots with Lollipop next to MAC's Ruby Woo lipstick.

It's a bit too large for precise application, but it's alright for a somewhat sheer, buildable lip product.

Now for the swatches, all in natural light. The swatch on the left is one swipe of product, the right is 3 swipes.

1 swipe:

3 swipes:

The wear isn't anything impressive, here's how it looked after an episode of Pan Am and a few Lindor truffles:

Not completely gone, but significantly faded.

My overall thoughts:
It's a decent drugstore product. Nothing terribly exciting or innovative, but perhaps worth a shot if it's on sale and you want a wash of color. I've gotten spoiled by the high quality of the indie glosses and balms I've come to know and love, so most drugstore products don't quite do it for me anymore.

Have you tried the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters?

Secrets of a Swing Dancer- Foundation

With Lindy on the Rocks coming up, it’s time for me to stop putting off this review. As you may recall, testing foundation makes me a bit nervous. Foundation is a part of my makeup routine that I haven’t quite solidified. I always worry that my foundation looks extremely unnatural. For everyday makeup, I typically hastily brush on the Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Powder Foundation. My reservations regarding foundation probably stem from my makeup history. Until about a year and a half ago, I simply didn’t bother with foundation. Truthfully, I still don’t use it every day. For many years, the only foundation experience I had was that of stage makeup. Man, that pan-cake makeup did a number on my skin and I remember how unattractively the makeup would drip off once I got sweaty. The completely caked on and then dripping off foundation mess is something that I will not put up with for swing dancing.

Powder vs. Liquid foundation:

Please keep in mind that I am still learning about foundation and am by no means an expert on the subject, so I’m just speaking from my personal experience. (Feel free to share your foundation expertise in the comments!)

I’ve found that in sweaty situations, powder foundation simply won’t cut it. It ends up cakey and uneven and generally unflattering.  A high-performance liquid foundation yields much better results. However, it should also be noted that the less makeup you have on, the less makeup there is to melt off.

My skin concerns:

As you will soon see in the photos, my skin certainly can benefit from some foundation coverage. I don’t feel like anyone’s going to run away screaming if I don’t wear foundation, but there’s definitely room for improvement. I have sensitive skin, which is prone to breakouts. My t-zone is quite shiny, but parts of my cheeks, nose, and chin tend to be dry and peel. My skin tone is uneven and I also have scars from acne. The dark circles under my eyes can look downright ghastly in certain lighting. I look for a foundation that will help cover up the unevenness, scars, shine, and blemishes.

The foundation:

I took the Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in Warm Ivory (102) for a test drive. It’s $7.29 for 1 fl oz on the Ulta website.

Adorably tiny photo from the Ulta website

The claims:

It claims to provide a “naturally flawless” and “hydrating and lightweight feel”. The packaging also states that it is “sweat, heat and humidity proof for up to 25 hours. Transfer resistant. Enriched with a revitalizing Mineral Complex and moisturizing Aqua Primer. Skin feels energized and hydrated all day.”

The look:

 My naked face, with flash.

With Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in Warm Ivory, with flash. (And mascara)

My thoughts:

Overall, I was happy with this foundation. The only issues I had with it were that it made my pores a bit more obvious than I would have liked, and that it highlighted the peeling on my face. I wonder if a primer would help with the pore issue. The peeling issue is pretty standard for me though- every foundation seems to make the peeling more obvious. I did notice feeling like my skin couldn’t “breathe” very well, but that’s how I feel about most foundations. Through an evening of swing, this foundation stayed put. I didn’t notice any streaking or transfer. It did a good job of concealing my scars, blemishes, under eye circles, and unevenness. I like the finish- it’s not totally matte, which I think makes it look more natural. The main thing that’s keeping me from using this all the time is the breathability issue. Obviously, naked skin is going to breathe better, especially compared to skin with a foundation designed to hold on through moisture. I’m on the fence about the trade-off: whether I prefer the comfort of no foundation or less breathability with a foundation and thus, nicer-looking skin. The aesthetic difference is obvious in still photos, but when I’m dancing the night away I’m not sure it makes as much of a difference. The lower lighting and nearly constant movement in dancing situations is much more forgiving than my mug-shot type photos. Unless I know I’m going to be in a situation with lots of light and photographs or my skin is looking particularly bad, I’ll probably opt for a bit of concealer here and there over a full face of foundation. BUT: if you’re looking for a foundation to stay put in sweaty situations, I’d give this one a shot.

And hey, it’s worlds better than pan-cake.

Wet n Wild Sweet As Candy Swatches

When I was in Rite Aid a few weeks ago, I picked up the Wet n Wild Sweet As Candy Color Icon trio. I bought this particular one because it seemed like a great palette for a pretty, but brainless look. Sometimes, I just don't want to have to think about colors and would just like to throw some pretty colors on and call it good. The pink in this palette is really what did it for me, though.
I can't say much on wear, because I haven't used these shadows yet. They applied nicely for the swatches.



Swatches over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, photos in natural light.




The pink is so pretty! I'm quickly becoming obsessed with pinks these days.

What do you think?

Physicians Formula Eyeliner Review

Do you ever come across a great product, but then never end up using it?
That seems to be my experience with the Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel CreamLiner from Physicians Formula (what a name, right?)
After seeing so many great reviews of the eyeliners, I was excited to get a chance to try them out when I could finally get my hands on them a few months ago. I immediately swatched, tested their wear, and decided they were wonderful. How many times have I actually used this product since I bought it nearly 4 months ago? Once. It's a great product, but I just never reach for it.
I picked up the set intended for brown eyes. Right now you can order it online on Ulta for $8.00 instead of the usual $10.99. I bought mine at CVS for about $10.



I really like the packaging, especially how it snaps together or apart.



It reminds me a little bit of legos.



Usually, brushes that come with cosmetics are pretty sub-par. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the brush that came with this set.



Natural light. I was impressed by the pigmentation and smoothness of the liners. Soo creamy! After I let it set for a minute or two, I tried vigorously rubbing my finger across the liners. They didn't budge.



With flash to show the sparkles better.

I was definitely impressed by this product, yet haven't been using it as much as I thought I would. I've used the black once, and the others have only been swatched. I tend to use my mineral eyeshadows as liners, and never think to grab one of these. I've been using a lot of dark blue liner lately- my go-to look these days is a neutral look with the Drama Blue liner from Aromaleigh. If you're looking for some nice gel/cream liners for a good price, I definitely recommend these. I definitely don't regret buying them, I just need to make myself use them more!