Mascara Madness: LANCÔME Hypnôse Star Mascara.

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Mascara finishes any great eye look, so how does this LANCÔME mascara measure up?

I love mascara and i often find that I really do need it to finish and top of my lashes. Since i wear glasses I do feel that I need something on my lashes so they "don't get lost" behind my lenses. Now saying all that my favorite mascara to date is the Benefit BadGal Lash Mascara. This gives me length and volume and its just perf...... Anyways back to the LANCÔME Hypnôse Star Mascara. 

I do actually like it... #shocker i know right? But, isnt there always a but in one of my reviews?? I love the effect it gives, but i wont be purchasing it.

There are two pretty big reasons why I wont be taking the plunge on this one and getting a full size.

First off... this has FRAGRANCE. Yes gurl your read that right, it is fragranced! Ive never had a mascara that is fragranced. Have you? No? Yeah me neither. The eye are is such a sensitive area, i cant believe they would basically perfume a mascara. It is strong, a few times while testing this for a month, my eyes actually watered!!! This is not something i want to happen after ive just applied a precise eye makeup!

The next thing is that the wand in this one is interesting, not bad by any means, it is like flat. It is not rounded but it does flare out on the sides and you can use this just as a traditional wand. It has great maneuverability and you can get even the smallest of small lashes covered. I know what your thinking.... ok Dee Dee whats the problem then? The problem is you ABSOLUTELY have to blot the tip of this because (im guessing for the wand shape) it holds a ton of product on the tip of the wand. Its not cute gurl. There is so much product on the end of the wand if you dont blot it you will run the risk of a gluppy mess.

What they say:

This mascara dresses lashes in intense volume, unfolding a new vision of glamour inspired by Betty Boop and top model Daria Werbowy. The formula's "black-diamond effect" imparts a glossy gel-like finish. The dual-action brush has a flat side for optimizing product deposit at the lash line while the rounded side separates, defines, and lengthens.

I will say they are right about the formula! I Love the formula. It gives me a beautiful black inky almost shiny look. It doesnt flake or smudge. I have worn this for 10 hours and i didnt have any problems out of it. One thing that i did like is that it wasnt runny. I have watery eyes and if i can keep my fingers out of my eyes it didnt run, amazing! I never had one mascara black tear at all. 

Why, Lancome, why? Why you gotta do me this way? I love this but i wont buy it, the idea of fragrance in a mascara? Somebody somewhere in this company shoulda been like 'Hold up, whatchu just say? perfume what? NaWh son, we cant do that' ya know cause frangrance is an IRRITANT!

Tell me in the comments what kind of mascara would you like to see a review on?

XoXo

Dee Dee

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Makeup Porn is MY Reason for Being.......

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Lorac UnZipped: Unpopular Opinion Time

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Sometimes I just cant, with the hype yall.

 "nice"

The Lorac Unzipped palette is available by itself and is also featured in several of Lorac's Holiday sets. I've had this palette for quite a while now, so I wanted to throw my 2 cents into the mix. Needless to say it's Not Hot. At least in my opinion anyway. The problem is that its not bad, but its just not good either.?? IDK what is going on here people, be one or the other. Be loved or be hated but why be indifferent??? Whats up with that. Oh and on the realZ really interesting and unique names Lorac, home run.... (nope that doesnt start with a 'Un') oh im sorry unimpressed. 

The texture of these shadows is rather interesting. In a sarcastic way that is. They are prone to fallout, so avoid your trusty MAC 217 (and those similar) when applying these babies. I'm familiar with fallout, she has been my constant companion while working with this palette. The matte's are hard and have far less than great color payoff. The metallic's are beautiful but  many are "see-thru" or "delicate" aka mediocre and average. Oh and...... did i mention

Fallout like a #BEAST

Undercover, Unbelievable

Unattainable, Unconditional

Unbridled, Undiscovered

Unreal, Uncensored (Ooops I lost the swatchy swatchy pics!)

Unspoken, Untamed 

The funny thing is, is that if I was not a sophisticated makeup maven (or as my mom says: "obsessed, addicted, delusional, hoarder") I would have loved these shadows. It is solely for the fact that I have tried out so many different brands and textures that I can firmly say that these are just adequate, average, ok, and The Kiss of Death in the makeup world..... nice. Funny enough a lot of the shadows remind me of MAC and those textures.

I mean a real testament about this palette is that i've had it since its original release in 2012 and i've only used it 10-12 times and that includes 10 times trying to work with it for review purposes.

Some RAW thoughts on the colors:

Undercover- perfect pale girl brow bone matte highlighter. Stiff and dry feeling ok color payoff. Similar to MAC Brule but a little brighter and a little more pigmented.

Unbelievable- Looks can be deceiving.... In the pan it looks like a mid-toned bronze but swatches and applies like a bronzed pink and I mean shimmery  piiiiiink. I would say its metallic pink. Blends ok

Unattainable- Hello fallout my name is “Unattainable” darker than “Unbelievable” this is her older more expireced sister. A Pink-y bronzed taupe (I just cant with color descriptors yall im sorry). Probably best as a lid color, I wouldnt venture into the crease with this one.

Unconditional- kinda resembles MAC Quarry but not really (70% dupe). Another stiff and dry matte, im not getting chills here girls. Best for crease and blending out.

Unbridled- uggh with this matte texture. Stiff dry on repeat on da reg. Why why why. Kind of like a dark chocolate. 

Undiscovered- BFF’s with fallout. Friends & Fallout?? Good all over lid color, but you will need something in the crease, very one dimensional. Close to a perfect dupe of MAC All that Glitters, if thats your thang....

Unreal- perfect dupe for MAC Grand Entrance and similar in texture and color payoff.

Uncensored- Taupe-y ok pigment with some but not as much fallout as some of the other colors in the palette. Similar to Inglot #402 but bronzier and a smidge bit more red. (also not as awesome)

Unspoken- Finally!!! The texture is tight and right. Great matte color great color payoff, wow omg was it that hard LORAC?? Similar in finger swatches to MAC Charcoal Brown, but where Charcoal Brown is lacking in pigmentation this one is not, EXCELLENT pigmentation. Hey 1 out of 10 aint bad right?

Untamed- Fallout, TN yall. This is a beautiful color its a dark reddened chocolate metallic brown. I thought I had close dupes, but I dont they all needed to be mixed with something else, so im not even going to mention them, I mean come-on aint nobody got time for that. 

So I know your thinking, "Ok who IS this good for?" I would recommend this for the obsessed makeup lover, who might not have 673 brown eyeshadows. People that travel. Makeup Newbies who do not have a lot of palettes or might have issues making color pairing and combos. Hoarders that just NEED it (ya feel me?). Also this would be good for those few persons (possibly in the witness protection program) that have not tried the Lorac Pro palette because there are to many sultry shades in it.

Dont get me wrong its nice, its just not life altering (or good for that matter).  To me its not worth $40 alone or as a focal point for a larger Christmas set. AND thats the bottom line 'cause Dee Dee said so.....

XOXO

Dee Dee

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Laura Mercier Holiday 2013 ~ Artist Eye Palette

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Laura Makes me happy happy happy.

all teh pretties

Laura's offering this year is very exciting! I know, its a shocker that I am excited about new a new makeup release right? I missed out of last years holiday palette, and I still find myself thinking......... what if? Why did I wait so long? Well this year I did not go for a repeat makeup failure. I snatched it up quick from Sephora when I had a F&F code. Oh gurl, i'm glad i got it for sure.

Finger Swatches are sometimes a necessary demon....

12 colors that can produce a litany of looks from the lightest of wearable corporate appropriate day ware  all the way down (or up depending on how you look at it) to a sultry smokey eye. The colors include 6 matte shades 3 shimmer shades and 3 satin shades.

Sparkling Dew,  Guava,  African Violet 

Plum Smoke,  Kir Royal, Violet Ink

Vanilla Nuts,  Primrose,  Fresco

Bamboo,  Truffle,  Espresso

My only little thing which might or might not be an issue for some is that some of the shadows are so easily blendable that they can be over blended, and blended out to almost non-existant.

Here are some RAW thoughts on the colors in this baby.

Sparkling Dew- soft beige with a hint of shimmer but not really, maybe a sateen texture. Lovely inner corner, or base color. Close to MAC Orb

Guava- Shimmer-ish light pink. This does not give me chills its just nice.

African Violet- Typical shimmer texture and feel. A burgundy - brown mix. Pulls brown or purple depending on colored base. Similar in color tone (if that makes sense) to bamboo except that one is brown, so either a purple look or a brown look.

Plum Smoke- Matte. Mix of colors grey, purple, medium brown. Da BOMB for crease and blending out a sultry look. Plum Smoke + African Violet = love at first sight (think 6th grade when possibilities abounded)

Kir Royal- Texture of a shimmer without the shimmer. Satin? Applies like BUTTAH wow lovely color. Burberry Mulberry seems like a close dupe. Im thinking I have an Inglot color ???? Very close if not dead on.

Violet Ink- Matte dark purple....‘nough said. Along the lines of MAC Fig 1.

Vanilla Nuts- Matte my skin tone in a pan THE brow bone highlight for me. Thanks to Laura I will not need to use another shadow with any look I do.

Primrose- Pink shimmer much better color than Guava. Blends like buttah. 

Fresco- Matte. 2nd warmest in palette. Blends good, with almost a ruddy undertone.

Bamboo- Golden shimmery neutral. AKA brown yall. To base color is a bronze-y brown but the micro-micro shimmers in it are golden and flash with a hint of red, so it leans a little warm. When I look at it I think Inglot 402.

Truffle- Matte. Warmest color in the palette. IMO the best matte in the bunch. You would think that a matte chocolate brown would be easy to dupe but you would be wrong, I cant think of one off the top of my head.

Espresso Bean- Dark Matte Ashy brown pulls like a dark slate grey on me. LOTS of grey in this one. Best bet for outer corner or liner. Blendable not dry.

Swatchy, Swatchy

If you can get your hands on this, dont let it slip through your fingers. While it does lead a little warmer on my skin than I prefer, its still a winner. I am so glad I was able to get my hands on this one this year. This one is an all encompassing perfect travel palette for all skin tones, thanks to the depth of color choices. AH-maz-IN.

Highly recommended!


XOXO
Dee Dee

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What is The Power of Neutrals?

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Its da Bomb.com thats whats up.

The Bare Minerals line launched the pressed formulation of their shadows a while ago. Like a long while ago and I have a few of the palettes and have always enjoyed them, and thought the quality was nice. But none of them have ever really set my body a buzzing. You know that feeling where you dig your (clean) little grubby fingers into an eyeshadow and the clouds part a perfect beam of angel light shines down on you and sweet cherub babies mock you at your reluctance to believe in the hype surrounding a new product. Yeah gurl that kind of BUZZ. 

(I'm very "fair" i.e. sickly so two of the colors blend into my skin tone and take a back seat in the photos, but I a sure you there is NOT a dud in this palette.)

Bare Minerals READY Eyeshadow 8.0 has........ 8 (who would have guessed) eyeshadows and the palette itself has  8g's of product weight has a whole.

Check on that pamphlet, BE is getting all kinds of helpful.

I'm not gonna lie, when i started hearing about this baby I was like "oh ok another neutral eyeshadow palette like I need one more taupe eyeshadow, ya know" NOPE I was WRONG! This is not like all the others. Its full of cool tone eyeshadows. Which is always my preferred colors of eyeshadow and really any makeup products as a whole. There seems to be an issue when i apply warm yellow or red based colors to my face, it just doesn't look right on me.

I have not experienced any problems with longevity of wear with Bare Minerals eyeshadows, now saying that...... I have oily lids and I use a primer AND a base every time I apply eyeshadow. BE has also included some proprietary ingredients for anti-aging and such. It also contains caffeine which is an ingredient in many de-puffing eye creams and serums. Just remember for the ant-aging properties to meet their full "potential" if you will or to get the best results you would need to wear these on the daily (and probably skip the primer).  

SOME RAW THOUGHTS ON THE COLORS 

Boss Lady- A shimmery beige with a hint of peach. Very smooth. ah-MAz-ing inner corner highlight. *Looks glittery in the pan but its not. Close to MAC phloof

Moneymaker- a MATTE eyeshadow that almost looks like “wet concrete” to me as a posed to dry concrete. It could also be described as a darkened khaki brown. I cant think of any dupes right off the top of my head.

Schmooze- The superstar of the palette. Like BUTTAH wow wow omg. Its just so good. Metallic finish. Burberry pale barley looks similar from what I can tell from online swatches

Boardroom- This one is the driest texture wise of all 8 shades. Its kind of like a dark hershey’s chocolate color. This one for me is best as an outer corner or liner color because of the dry texture made it a little harder to blend. Inglot #326 is the closest thing I have but it is more pigmented and blends better.

Exec- Hold da phone Batman, is it purple-taupe? Is it grey-purple-taupe?? Grey-taupe-with a dash of purple? What is it? Its sass in a glass is what it is. When you look at it you think it would be easy to dupe, it doesnt look like anything special, but as many shadows as I have in my collection it is completely unique. More sating than shimmer and blends well. MAC Electroplate is close much more purple.

Payday- The yin to the yang of Moneymaker. This one is like a dry concrete color with a hint of grey stuck in for good measure. Good blender or crease color of more sultry neutral looks. Another matte

Magnate- hmmm matte peach color, probably the best brow highlight offered in this palette. Not gonna lie kind of blah. Kind of looks like a mix between MAC Brule and Kidd. Definitely the warmest color in the palette.

Get Ahead- ANOTHER MATTE!!!! Its kind of like a (darkened) medium-brown (sorry, im crap at describing colors especially all browns) Blends like nobodys business, an absolute joy to work into a look. It does have a grayed feel to it which is why it leads so cool toned. For duping possibilities look to Inglot.

In conclusion........ OH my LAWD you NEEEEEED THis YALL

XOXO

Dee Dee

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Sonia Kashuk: A $20 Palette Worth its Weight in Gold

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After a month of disappointing drugstore products,  Eyes on Neutral 02 gives me something to consider.

Aaahhhh 12 all matte colors YES YES YES. 

Let me explain, I love matte colors. well matte neutral colors that is. This palette contains a wide variety of neutral colors ranging from a off white all the way to a black. The reason i love this one so much is there are only 2 colors that I don't use! My usual eye looks consist of pearl shadows with matte shadows worked through the crease, the brow bone, and the outer V. 

As you can see some dips are already forming......

The reason this is a must have for me is because has so many cool tones. Its hillbilly love y'all. So i gotta ask, "Whats your favorite matte palette or matte eyeshadow formula?"

xoxo 

Dee Dee

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NARS WEEK: Smudge Proof Eyeshdadow Base

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Holy Grail Time: The only Primer on da block

I really enjoyed talking about the Nars Pressed Powder yesterday. There is nothing like the feeling of  pulling out a product that you love, expressing that love, and blogging about said admiration on the internet. 

So I decided i would dedicate a whole week to products from Nars. on today's menu is MY holy grail Nars product. The Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. This primer y'all. This primer. Its like liquid perfection in a tube. Let me explain

the trials and tribulations of photographing a black and white product on a black or white black ground #photoFAIL

luRve it! Personally, this works wonders for not only oily lids but allergy prone lids. This little gem is a god send! I have very oily lids, and extremely watery eyes. Allergies are the kryptonite to my makeup girl of steel! This holds up to both conditions wonderfully. The weepy eye situation usually looks like all the eyeshadow has worn of beginning at my tear duct and can even extend into the crease (zoinks batman). The oily lids??? its not pretty y'all I wake up with them, i have to have something in my arsenal to fight my never ending struggle and this is it. Ingredients include:

Isododecane, Talc, Cyclopentasiloxane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Dimethicone, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propylene Carbonate, Peg-40 Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Phenoxyethanol, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Oryza Sativa [Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil Extract], Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Castor Oil Phosphate, Sea Whip Extract, Mica, Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride).

So there are a few allergens in here that you need to be aware of like: talc, dimethicone, caster oil, bismuth, mica and etc. (totes not gluten free)

My best advice is start with a sample size if you can, always check for return policies before you buy, and most important do you research!!! Have you used any products with these ingredients in them before? Do a test patch if your not sure. 

The application of this product is relatively easy with the product itself being "colorless." I would say colorless on most skin tones, deep and deep dark skin tones might have to take some extra care in placement as its not exactly translucent in my eyes. This can be applied with the fingers, but i do prefer a brush of all most all of my makeup.

Tip Time: Once you've hit the bottom of this baby, pull out the stopper and get another set of uses out of the tube.

Funny Story Time: When i was in beauty school..... the last time (we'll discuss later), the class that came in behind mine was learning how to dye (or tint if thats more your thang) eyebrows and the first thing you do is remove the eyeshadow. AND i having blonde eyebrows was asked to be a model, when i got the the class the students were already beginning to start here and there and as i sat down and the teacher walked over she asked me from standing behind me "Dee Dee are you wearing makeup?" To which i replied "Yep" then she walked around and saw that i was sporting a metallic blue arabic inspired eye makeup, then she laughed and told the girl "Good luck on getting that off" Well of course she was right the poor girl was still trying to remove my makeup while a good number of the students were preparing their final looks.

I was wearing This Nars primer, and a Estee Lauder Double Wear Cream Shadow, and powder eyeshadows over top.

XOXO
Dee Dee

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Sephora sale items

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OMG Get on These, They on Sale!

Hey guys! This is just a quick not to tell you about some great eyeshadows in the Sephora Clearance section. THE OUTRAGEOUS PRISMA CHROME METALLIC EYESHADOW. I LURVE this formula! These are very similar to the Estee Lauder Cyber eyes powder gelee shadows, which is my favorite eyeshadow texture!

I also did a quick video of these HERE

Check on these!

XOXO

Dee Dee

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