First Look| Flower Beauty Haul

Sometimes, a good old fashioned drugstore haul just...happens. You read a few forum recommendations, a few blog reviews, and next thing you know you're looking through molested items in a brightly lit aisle trying to find what you "need." I've recently hauled these few items and have to rave about them to you.

I want to really highlight how good Drew Barrymore's Flower Beauty line is for the price and how they are cruelty free products. To be honest, I never really wanted to dabble in a hippie brand just because I was afraid of lack of pigmentation/chalkiness/sheerness/general shittiness. However, based on glowing reviews across the board for several items,  I picked up four things at Wal-Mart, where it's exclusively sold.

The first two are cream blushes (formally named Win Some Rouge Some, 7,98 retail at Walmart) in Forget-me-not (right) and Peach Blossom (left). These. Are. So. Pretty. I won't say that they are the best cream blushes, or the best blushes in the world, but the colors are so beautiful and natural looking on my cheeks that they beat over-applied and streaky powder blushes any day. Because they are cream blushes, they are pretty tricky to keep completely clean and I wouldn't recommend them to your average germaphobe. If you apply with a stippling brush, it looks violated. If you apply with a finger, it looks molested. Basically, it loses its appeal quickly unless you are quick to use them up.

Forget-Me-Not is a light pinky apricot that would show up only on pale to fair skintones (it's barely visible on me.) Peach Blossom is a true orangey peach. I'd say that Peach Blossom is the more intense version of the first, and they remind me of gimmicky Korean cream blushes. They last about 4 hours and don't leave you with patches of color. They also have a very slight sheen to them with no visible shimmer. They come in the standard white plastic packaging with rose gold accent and clear plastic lid.



The next is the Powder Trip Powder Foundation in PP3. I really wanted to try PP4, because it's the yellowest out of the lighter end of things (note: the powder line thinks that all women fall into pale, fair, medium, and tan-ish). However most of the powders were either "tested" or gone and I had to resort to this. It's a good match for me at NC25-30. I'm still NC30 and it oxidized lightly/is sheer enough to match.

I wouldn't say it's truly a foundation, setting powder, or finishing powder. Instead, it's more of a lightweight powder that you can layer on top of liquid foundation for a little more coverage.  I think you'd have to use a very dense kabuki or damp sponge in order to find coverage with this bad boy. It comes with a crapola brush and Middle Ages mirror behind it. (9.98 retail)



 

Finally, I gave another chance to drugstore mascara (as always) with Zoom In mascara. The wand handle twists to reveal three types of brushes: for lengthening, curling, and volumizing. It's a genius idea in theory, but I've only kept it at the lengthening shape and it works so well. My lashes are longer, darker, and there are absolutely no flakes at all. I can layer about 4 coats with no problem, and it holds a curl very well. Nice! (7.98 retail)



Lengthen! Curl! Volumize! Pretty cool, eh? There is a drastic difference between the long and short of it, not so sure about the curling option...

 

Well, that's all for today folks! I'm glad I tried out a few of these items and I have to say that they are pretty good for a celebrity line and especially for a drugstore brand. My favorite is the cream blushers and I'm planning to pick up a few more shades that are deeper to see how the opacity and color payoff is like. I was really willing to dismiss Flower Beauty until I read up on recs! So lesson of the day, do some asking around! There are always going to be a few gems within any drugstore brand.

Be

 

Collection| Drugstore Mascaras (Maybelline, L'oreal, Revlon)

As a common peasant suffering from Nolashatall syndrome (used to be Noassatall, but a healthy dose of squats took care of that...), I'm constantly on the look out for good mascaras. As the rule goes, mascara tubes harbor bacteria and biochemical weaponry faster than the speed of light, prompting you to throw them away every 3 to 4 months. That, or the formula dry out into oblivion and crust onto your lashes as easily as cornbread mix on a catfish filet.

Because of this, however, they are also relatively cheap at the drugstore and come in such a wide array of options that promise dazzling results. "Your lashes will be extended a million kilometers south!" "Lashes look as volumized as a spayed cat on a Fancy Feast diet!" And since so many mascaras get PR hype, it's very easy to get pulled in and pick up a few on your trip to the drugstore.

As for me, these mascaras will be decommissioned in another month or so, meaning I can explore other options or throw them out if I hate them! Here are a few that I've been using for the past 2 months and their results. I won't be including close ups of my eyeball, because camwhoring my face is hard enough. Keep in mind that I use either MAC's Cleanse Off Oil or Lancome Bi-Facils to remove all of these mascaras and have no problems with tugging or residue.

 

From top to bottom: Revlon Grow Luscious, Maybelline the Rocket Volum' Express, L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes, Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express waterproof, and L'oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions (all are in the blackest formula available).

 

Revlon Grow Luscious is my go-to mascara when I don't want to deal with mascara or eyelashes in general. It gives a dark color to my lashes as well as a bit of length and a bit of volume. It does smudge slightly after a long day of wear. This is strangely my second tube, because it doesn't feel crispy on my lashes. It's easy to build because of such a wet formula, but I usually don't try to. Very basic contender.

Though hyped, The Rocket is also your average contender. It gives lashes a natural and somewhat longer look and doesn't feel too dry. It doesn't smudge, but it isn't extraordinary by any means. The large and hard bristled brush also means a higher risk of eye pokage if you're not careful. If you try to build up with this one, not much will happen except clumps.

Although I didn't have high hopes for L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes, it is actually one of my favorites. I'm not a huge fan of volumizing mascaras because they tend to clump and give me spider leg lashes. This one is very unnatural (in a good way) and would probably look great with long lashed gals. On me, it gives a great impact due to the intense black color and thickening effect. It's also great layered over a drier/curling mascara. This one doesn't smudge, but I wouldn't say you can build any more after 2 coats.

The Falsies is my favorite of the bunch because of its smaller curved brush shape that reaches into the inner and outer corners and dark waterproof formula. There is absolutely no smudging or flaking, and it gives lashes a very dark and feathery look and does a surprisingly great job at lengthening as well. This one can be built up to 3 coats. For every day looks where I want to amp up the drama, I will always reach for this one. I will repurchase only this one once all of these dry up.

In an earlier blog post, I gave L'oreal's Telescopic Shocking Extensions glowing reviews for its ability to lengthen my lashes. It won't add much in volume and it definitely doesn't smudge, but contact lens wearers need to be weary of this one. After a few hours, its fibers will flake slightly...into your eyeballs. What joy. Layered over Urban Decay's Canonball, it is the BEST look for my lashes. Sadly, I can never wear it when I have contacts in simply because it is too irritating. The small wand means you can build to your heart's content and reach everywhere. Still, I may only repurchase to use on my bottom lashes.

I hope that helps you on your quest to find the holy grail mascara. In all honesty, mascara doesn't have to be a life changer if you already have longer or thicker lashes. As for me, finding the perfect mascara is still in my 5 year plan. I have found some great mascaras in the mid and high end price ranges, but it is a little ridiculous to pay such an amount of money every four months. It really becomes an investment rather than a staple. Since I'm not a huge fan of false lashes for every day, I usually neglect my lashes anyway.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Be

Review| L'oreal Telescopic Shocking Extension mascara in Waterproof Black

I am always on a quest for new wonder-mascaras, and as we all know, the drugstore actually has some great mascaras on par with high end brands. For me, a lengthening mascara that holds a curl and doesn't smudge takes the cake. Though I already have many great mascaras in my arsenal, I'm always looking for something that lengthens even more than it gives volume. I was a little wary of this, since my last rendezvous with the Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara left me depressed and disappointed. While Maybelline's The Rocket and Falsies are both very well made and frugal choices, I needed something that would let me forego wearing false lashes. I picked this baby up for $7.97 at Wal-Mart. You can find it at a local drugstore or Ulta.



The packaging is rather cute and whimsical. It looks like a tiny telescope. I'm not sure what the connection is with telescopes and eyelashes, but I'll go with it. Thinking about it, the name of this mascara is apt. The extension it gives to my lashes are indeed shocking, as is the amount of pain you receive if you accidentally poke yourself in the eye. One shaky hand movement and it feels like a thousand porcupine quills into the eyeball. This is why I was so in hate with the LashBlast mascaras hyped over years ago. It was big and dangerous, a bad combination especially for anything going near your eye. (Wow, that sounded almost dirty..)



The wand itself is a skinny plastic brush with tiny little teeth, meaning you can also use it for bottom lashes for a doe-eye effect. Tiny little teeth grab onto the lashes and create false length when pulled upwards. It is also curved to the shape of your eyelid for easy application. The long and small brush also means I can reach into my inner eye corner and pull the lashes out.

The mascara liquid is thin but not watery and can be layered when wet. It is a little wetter than my Definicils but because of this, does a much better job of layering even when dry. I pull from root to tip without much wiggling of the wand, since I'm not trying to build volume. Of course, this doesn't clump unless you're over-eager and try to layer on five coats at once. It's better to just coax the length out at the very tip once you give everything the once-over.

The result is a very long lashed look that doesn't flake (like many fiber based mascara formulations) or smudge onto my undereye (like many cheap mascaras). If I'm feeling industrious, I like to curl before and after this mascara. If not, a light layer opens up my eyes in the morning. I think I will be holding onto this mascara and getting much more use out of it than any other one in my stash.

So, what do you think? Is this a drugstore treasure that I'm late to jump onto the bandwagon with?

Be