Smashbox claims that their amino-acid packed Lash DNA ($19) mascara gives you amazing length and volume. This is my first experience with a Smashbox mascara, and I got it as part of the "After Hours" kit at the Nordstrom beauty event. From the Smashbox website: "The unique double helix brush grabs each lash, no matter how small, for the ultimate fanned out effect." So I was pretty excited to check out the wand, as well as the formula.
Whoa. Well, I did want to see the brush, but I kind of can't. I mean, I think I get the general idea of what is going on here. Maybe. But it doesn't stop with the brush - I then take a look at my tube:
Holy crap. THAT is going to make a mess when I go to put my wand back in there. But I don't want to think about that yet. Let's take that wand and give it a whirl.
The end result is some really lovely lashes. Full, long, and inky black. However, it did require some brushing and declumping. I like the effect, but I don't know that most people would want to put the time in to deal with the mess. Would I buy it again? I don't know. Would I recommend it? Only to another mascara junkie.
Seven Days of Mascara: Smashbox Lash DNA Mascara
Seven Days of Mascara: Revlon DoubleTwist Mascara
Okay, I'll admit it. I was suckered in by the ads for Revlon's DoubleTwist mascara. Those TV spots that showed us the fabulous wand that brought you volume beyond your wildest imagination sold me. I had to get my hands on the coolest brush I'd seen: a combination plastic and old spoolie brush TOGETHER! For every benefit POSSIBLE! I was excited.
And I still am. This is a fabulous mascara, and I love it. I'd compare the volume to Diorshow, and I don't say that lightly. It thrills me that it comes in a waterproof formula, and it's easy to get off, doesn't make a mess, doesn't smudge, doesn't flake, and stays put all day long.
But...you knew there was a "but," didn't you?
Yeah. It's a bit of a mess. No, not a bit. It's a huge mess. It's scary and intimidating when you pull your wand out and see this.
It can clump. You have to just gather up your courage and slap that wand on those lashes. Trust. Keep an eyelash brush or comb near, if you must. But don't back down. One coat can give you this:
And it only gets better from there.
PS: This was supposed to go up last night, and for reasons unknown, it didn't. So you get two mascara posts today. Aren't you thrilled?
Seven Days of Mascara: Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mascara
I grabbed Glam'Eyes Mascara by Rimmel for about $7 when I realized, while walking through the Target beauty section, that I had never tried a Rimmel mascara. After checking them all out, I chose the one that promised me 10X the volume!! of regular mascaras.
I didn't like it at first. My first impression of it was that it really didn't do much in the way of volume at all. But I kept reaching for it. Now, about two weeks later, I'm kind of digging it.
The brush is one of the newfangled plastic/silicone ones. It's thin and flexible, and you can work it. Normally I like old style spoolie brushes, but this one isn't half bad. Also, the formula is buildable. You can really build up some amazing lashes if you're willing to let each coat dry and be patient.
Frankly, I can get better lashes in one coat with my favorite, Diorshow, but if you don't want to spend much money on a drugstore mascara, and don't require super volume, and don't mind the learning curve, then this mascara might be right up your alley.
Bonus points for the cute pink and black boudoir packaging, though. Super cute.
Sunday Night Beauty Rituals
It's Sunday night, and I'm sitting on my bed sipping a cup of jasmine green tea from Trader Joe's and getting ready to watch a little True Blood. So far this evening, I've washed and deep conditioned my hair, tweezed my brows, used a clay face mask, trimmed my cuticles, rolled, set, and wrapped my hair, put my nighttime anti-aging facial serum on, and slathered my feet with something to keep them looking pretty.
Sunday is such a great day to do all that stuff that you just don't get to throughout the week. So tell me, what are YOUR Sunday beauty rituals?
Seven Days of Mascara: Better Than Waterproof Mascara by Cargo
Today was a beach day, so my routine this morning was pretty easy. I slathered on a bunch of Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment on my locks, put a bun in, threw on a scarf, washed my face, threw the SPF on there, and reached for my Better Than Waterproof Mascara by Cargo.
Why? Because it lasts. Forever. Through the beach, the shower afterward, and just about anything else you can throw at it. The best part? It's actually a really good mascara! It goes on easily, it does not clump up at all, and has some excellent volumizing properties for a mascara that lasts so long.
Cargo claims that it will come off with gentle pressure and some warm water, but since I wear contacts, I'm hesitant to put gentle pressure on my eyes at all. However, it comes off just fine with my eye makeup remover, and doesn't make a mess while you're doing it.
While I wouldn't grab it for a night out on the town, mostly because I'm usually sporting some falsies, this is my gold standard for any active days I have and need to know that my mascara isn't going to make a mess on my face.
Grab it at Cargo.com or Sephora for $20. You won't be sorry.
Seven Days of Mascara: Maybelline New York Pulse Perfection
It's been said, mostly by me, that vibrating things are a girls best friend. And there are lots of things that vibrate these days, from an Apple iPhone app to mascara. I'll leave the thoughts on various vibrating items to others, and just focus on what I know best: mascara.
I consider myself a mascara expert. I've played with just about every mascara out there, and have very strong opinions about them all. I believe that a woman should have gallons on before she leaves the house, that volumizing mascaras are the best, and waterproof mascara is truly a gift from the gods. I've written before on choosing the best mascara for you, and that's why I'm bringing you Seven Days of Mascara this week. I've been trying out some new brands and want to share my finds, good and bad.
Back to vibrations. Maybelline New York is the first mass brand to introduce a vibrating wand. Unlike others on the prestige market, Maybelline has you push a button when applying the product. I'm assuming this is to make sure the life of the battery lasts as long as the product. If there is any other reason, I'm unaware of it.
So what do I think of it? I think it's Lash Stiletto with a vibrating wand. I really don't know if the vibration brings anything to the table. I mean, it's a great idea, but I personally didn't see any difference at all in the eye with Pulse Perfection and the eye with Lash Stiletto. It's a great basic mascara, the cheapest one on the market if you're into the vibrating thing, and great for length. If you're like me, though, and want some major volume, you'll probably be disappointed.
One saving grace: I discovered that if I used Pulse Perfection (or Lash Stiletto) as a base for my volumizing mascara, it looked fantastic. Just FYI - there is a use for everything!
Special props to my girl @eccentricpuzzle on Twitter who suggested that I put my own twist on the vibrating mascara phenomenon. I see she's from Missouri, too. Us Missouri girls are crazy, let me tell you!
Now, do share in the comments your favorite vibrating thing! If it's not mascara, what is it? Nosy girlfriends are just dying to know!
Edited to add this photo of me sporting it.
Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Programming
Have you been trying to leave a comment here at Daily Dose of Coffee? We thought maybe you all just didn't like us anymore, but no. Our comments link wasn't working.
So, it should finally be fixed, and we are looking forward to all of you joining the conversation!
Thanks to all our wonderful readers who let us know there was a problem. We heart you!
Ten Minutes in Heaven: Caress Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Body Wash
I can remember singing the Caress jingle as a kid. "Before you dress, Caress." What can I say? I was a child of the 80's, when it was hip and cool to watch tv and be able to sing all, or at least most all, commercial jingles. I recently had the fantastic privilege of trying the Caress Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Body Wash and Beauty Bar with burnt brown sugar and karite butter. I have to admit. I was a skeptic at first. I am a bar-of-soap kinda girl. I have always loved a bar of Oil of Olay or Dove, eventhough they might be old-school and boring products that were revolutionary in their time of creation but sadly are commonly replaced by these new body washes and shower gels. Poor old bar of soap.
I must describe my first experience with this wash to you because it was that amazing. It had been a long day. I had just put my girls to bed and managed to distract my husband long enough to take a hot shower with no interruptions. Yes, I did. I enjoy my showers to be almost scalding, simply because it seems to melt away the stress from the day (Or sometimes leave angry red marks all over because I might've been a tad over-zealous with the rising temp.) Regardless, private hot showers are my zen. They are my favorite, and sometimes only, way to recieve a moment with no noise but water and no smells but my soap. Insert C.E.G.E.B.W. and the rush of emotion begins!
At first, I'm hungry. Ha! Serious, though. It smells like brown sugar and butter GOODNESS. So good, in fact, I made a quick run to 7-11 to cure my sweet tooth. Since this wash never makes any promises of hunger cravings, I attribute my "Snickers Moment" to low blood sugar. It happens. SO...we left our beautiful seductress (Because I am) in the steaming, hot shower, tonguing the shower wall in hopes of catching some of the brown sugar bubbles sliding down. Okay, not really. But I was enjoying my discovery of body wash bliss. The brown sugar granules are small enough that they don't sandpaper 3 layers of skin off but large enough that you feel a smooth difference when you step out of the shower. Like I said before, I've never been a fan of body wash or shower gel. I am a softie for a good ol' bar of soap. But this wash, I could and will use again. My biggest turn off is how slimy and thick most washes I've used have felt. This one, not so much. Thick enough you feel like you're lathering it up, but no sticky or filmy leftovers. I got out of the shower hungry, smooth and smelling of baked goods!
I asked my husband if he had seen that I was using a new body wash and he said, "Yeah. I used it. Smells really good." So C.E.G.E.B.W. has also gotten a strong thumbs-up from a dude, which in my book, counts twice. I decided to use the beauty bar just for hands at my sink. My hands have been silky and moisturized for the past week. The bar leaves a light scent of sweet on your hands, one that lingers throughout the day. I was extremely impressed and excited about these two new products. The body wash (18 oz) retails for $4.49 which is incredibly reasonable. The beauty bar comes in a pack of two, $2.99; pack of four, $4.49; pack of six, 6.49; and a pack of eight, $7.99. Check 'em out at CaressYourStyle.com. These products have my seal of approval and have made a future user out of me. Will I give up my old school bar for a wash? Probably not. But I'll be using the wash more frequently now, whenever I get those 10 minutes of freedom, or maybe when I'm craving something sweet.
Today Only! Free 10 Day Sample of Estee Lauder's New Advanced Night Repair
Listen carefully, I have a bit of inside information. Ready?
For 4 synchronized hours – from 5:00pm – 9:00pm (all local times) TONIGHT, July 23, 2009 – Estée Lauder Beauty Advisors will be distributing 250,000 10-day samples of NEW Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex at ALL Estée Lauder department and specialty store counters nationwide – one per customer while supplies last. They are calling it "America's Night to Repair."
So get yourself off to an Estee Lauder counter and grab yours while they last. I was able to try a preview sample, and believe me, you'll want to give it a shot.
Go visit the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair website for more information.
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