Reviews: Avon ExtraLasting Mascara and E.L.F Lengthening and Defining Mascara

Today I am reviewing 2 mascaras - ELF Lengthening and Defining mascara and Avon Extra Lasting Mascara.

ELF Lengthening and Defining Mascara came as part of a set I purchased earlier. I got the Avon Mascara from India. To be honest, mascaras are not a favorite product of mine. I know I may sound weird – a makeup lover who doesn’t like Mascara!! But although I do try to get along with one, I find mascaras hard to use- not because I don’t like the effect but because for some reason it triggers my migraine.
I don’t know if it’s a reaction to the chemicals or if it’s something else, maybe I need to find a light weight mascara.In the meantime, I use my kajal stick to give a color to my lashes.

ELF’s mascara tube is narrower than Avon and most other brand mascaras I’ve seen.
I have used this 3-4 times but after that the formula dried up & I found it difficult to apply.
There are so many negative reviews about this mascara but to be honest, I kind of like it for a daily use [if it didn’t dry up so fast!].
The wand is a typical spiral wand and gives a very natural darkened lash look on applying a single deep coat.
The problem starts when you try a second coat to make it a bit more dramatic.
It starts clumping and goes all weird.

The color is jet black but this is not waterproof so don’t apply if you are going for a family movie!
Didn’t experience any irritation and for $1, I think this is an okay mascara.
Overall, liked this but don’t love it.

Avon’s Extra Lasting Mascara has a nice package design with Red lettering over the case.
I like the wand – it gives a very clump free application.
I only wish that the formula didn’t make my lashes so stiff that I worried that it might break like a cracker if I touched it! It did make my lashes look longer and fuller but the feeling that my lashes got starched was pretty uncomfortable.
Since this was waterproof it made the removal a bit difficult and slightly painful.
It also left the roots of my lashes very sensitive.

The color is not jet black, I would say brownish black.
I remember the price was around INR 200 on sale.
Overall, I don’t like this mascara although it does what it promises.

How to use a lip balm effectively and Review and Swatches: Colorbar Lip Pencil in Moody Maroon

Colorbar's lip pencil in Moody Maroon is a favorite lip liner of mine. I always turn to this one when I am in doubt - this is a total love.

Price is around INR 350 but with Colorbar increasing prices every now and often this may not be the same tomorrow! The color is a beautiful dark red with brown tints that works wonderfully as a contour shade. There is nothing like a dark red shade to shape your lips to get that perfect pout!

The color applies beautifully., though this is not a very creamy liner. In fact, on days when my lips are dry, I find it hard to apply directly on to bare lips. So my suggestion would be to apply lip balm [check my tips below] and then apply this to avoid drying out. This lasts for a goodish time [4-5hrs on avg] and leaves a nice stain.

 Overall I love this product and shade,so try this one before Colorbar raised their price again!

How to use lip balm effectively


Exfoliate lips before application -  For daily use, quickly mix sugar & honey and use your ring finger to slowly massage to avoid excess pressure on lips. If you have pigmentation on lips, add 1-2 drops of lemon juice to the mix. Do not rub for more than a min or 2. Apply lip balm immediately and never apply a lip color immediately after exfoliation as your lips are most sensitive & may react to excess chemicals.


Layer and layer and layer -  I find that the best way to get good moisture is to layer the balm. Apply a thin layer, wait, apply again, wait and then once again for soft and shiny lips.

Use clean fingers to apply the product as this helps with blood circulation and better absorption. Avoid your index finger as the pressure can be excessive. 

After applying the lip balm, slowly pat or tap your lips with your middle or ring finger. Start tapping from the edges or contours of the lip and move inside. This helps with product absorption and makes your lips soft & pout-elicious.

Review: Boots No7 Soft & Sheer Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 Medium

Boots No7 range is available here in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart; I only wish that they would soon include No7 Makeup range as well cos buying from US website means shipping charge of $25!  This is the 1st product I tried from the brand.

Boots says - " Enhance your natural beauty with this translucent color. The sheer wash of barely there color will give you a radiant natural glow and even out your skin tone. It contains SPF15 sunscreen to help protect your skin from the aging effects of the sun and moisturizes for up to 12 hours. Coverage: Sheer. Skin type: suitable for all skin types. How to Use: Use in the morning after cleansing and toning the skin. Smooth on evenly, just like your usual moisturizer, blending away at the jaw line." [from Boots US website]

My experience 

I started using this when Fall started and I found that I need some extra TLC for my face in addition to what my Sunscreen gives.I liked the way it applied very smoothly and blended pretty fast into the skin. This does give a natural glow to skin; there is no scent and no irritation on application.

Now that I said the nice stuff, let me go into why I feel this is not a great product:

1. I know Boots says its a translucent color but this is like no color for me. The shade I got 'Medium' is slightly dark for me but on applying it doesn't show anything expect add a 'glow' to my face. While I don't expect much coverage from a TM, I feel this should have been at least Light coverage.

2. This doesn't last much longer in Winter here in Canada. On days I apply this around 8.30am in the morning, I notice some dryness around 11am-ish. Not impressed!

3.Since this is not very useful in Winter, I considered using this as a TM during Summer so that I can use this lightweight product on days I dont need much coverage. But then, here is my problem - I cannot use this TM and another sunscreen as it would be too much. But then SPF15 is not enough for a daytime use! 

So basically what I found is the best way to use is - Apply this for a light coverage makeup for  a casual evening out.For Day wear, use this as a base layer for makeup.

Overall: I am not very impressed with this TM but if you have very oily skin, you can try this out.

Review and Swatches: Lotus Herbals Pure Colors Lipstick in Carnation 640

This is one of my 1st purchases from Lotus Herbals Pure Colors Lipstick range.  I have already reviewed this range in shades Peach Creme and Orchid Kiss. So I am not going to do a full range review here but let me say - I absolutely love this lipstick range.

Carnation is a bright coral shade with tints of red and brown. This is one color that would look so out of season if you wear them anytime between Oct - Feb, as this is a pure spring-summer shade. It is perfect for a casual day at beach or when you go off for a walk at your favorite park.

 

However, word of caution -  this color can easily show everything you did wrong with your makeup as this color needs perfect even skin tone finish. So if you have skin pigmentation or darkening around lips [ I suffer from this :(] make sure that your concealer is applied perfectly.

I like to use this as a lip stain as I find it hard to carry it off always in full cream finish. Since this a bright color, I'd advise to go easy on eye makeup. For blush, try using this lippie to get that fresh summer look.

Review and Swatches: FACES Cosmetics Lip Color in 11( Natalia) and 330 (Catherine)

I got these lipsticks from FACES store at Brookfield Mall in Coimbatore; I couldn't find these online in FACES Indian website or in any online store in India but these lipsticks were available through FACES cosmetics' Canada website. Anyways I got this for around INR 250-300 [dont remember exactly].


I liked the packaging of these lippies - such a change from the drab black cases. And these are smaller in size than many. The lip color applies very smoothly and provides full color in a single swipe. This lippies have a very unique finish - it is not all creamy, it is not all glossy, its somewhere in between.

I loved these lippies but unfortunately I found that I couldn't carry off these colors very easily. I cant explain why cos these are really lovely colors -but somehow I wore these very sheered out or layered under a more darker shade.

I wish I'd gotten at least one darker shade from this range. I am visiting Dufferin Mall here in Toronto soon, where FACES Cosmetics has a counter so may be if I find this I will get it.

FACES Lip Color in Natalia - Shade no 11

Natalia - a Bright coral Red

Look at that glossy finish!

FACES Lip Color in Catherine- Shade no 330

Catherine is a reddish orange with brown tints

Left - Natalia, Right - Catherine

 3 Coral Lipsticks from my collection

Left - Lotus Herbals Pure Colors Lipstick in Carnation, Center- Natalia, Right- Catherine

Haul: IMATS Toronto 2013 - RCMA, Graftobian, OCC Lip tars, Bdellium, Beauty So Clean ...

When I passed through the doors of  IMATS Toronto last Nov 9th 2013, I kinda understood how Harry Potter must have felt when he went into Diagon Alley for the 1st time and saw all those magical & wonderful items. Talk about being dazzled - it is a wonderland of everything beautiful.

I saw Eve Pearl and listened to her talk for some time; she was awesome. I really wanted to pick up some of her products but didn't have the budget. I particularly liked the discussion by OCC's Courtney Tichman; she was very humorous and I liked her makeup philosophy. Another speaker I loved was Jane McKay from M.A.C

I didnt visit M.A.C or Crown brush but I tried most of the major outlets. I wanted to buy some Kett items, but then I felt the price was not that good. Here are the items I got and I blowed around $200.00 for these.

Loved their bag!

Graftobian, BDellium, Royal and Langnickel, OCC Lip Tar in Black Dahlia, Morphe brushes, RCMA palette, Beauty So Clean

OCC Lip Tar in Black Dahlia - I love it!

Review and Swatches: Faces Canada Long Wear Eye Pencils in Dark Green, Aqua blue and Purple

Today I am reviewing 3 eye pencils from FACES Canada – their Long Wear eye pencils in shades Dark Green, Aqua Blue and Purple.

Check these out at FACES website here http://www.faces-canada.com/Products/FacesCosmetics-Makeup-Eyes-Eye-Pencil-Eye-Pencil1/FACES/Eye-Pencil/pid-1039893.aspx; there are around 10 shades and costs  around INR 349. You can also  buy it from Medplusbeauty website here http://www.medplusbeauty.com/products/faces-long-wear-eye-pencil

 Regarding the quality of these eye pencils, they are pretty good on pigmentation and on staying power.

There are 2 different finishes here – matte and shimmery/satin.

Staying power on average is around 6-7 hours and is longer for the satin/shimmery one rather than the matte one, which I found surprising.

Also I found that the Satin/shimmery finish pencils applied more creamily and smoothly than the matte ones but matte shade sets faster than the Satin type.

Matte shade also became patchy after 4-5 hours while satin finish stayed better and longer.

Dark Green is a matte green shade that flatters fairer skin tones better than medium to dark skin tones.

On my skin, it looks more blackish green and the color doesn’t actually show very well.

I am okay with one, but this is not a favorite of mine out of the 3.

Aqua blue is a bright shade, but not an intimidating bright.

If you are wary of using a bright color, start using this over a matte color to subdue to color a bit.

This is a nice bright blue color, that is a superb color for summer outings.

Do remember that bright eye colors go with subdued makeup and neutral lips.

This has a very shimmery satin effect and applies beautifully.

Not an everyday color, but a really fun color for Summer and beaches.

My fav color out the 3 shades is the Purple. I love it, its a beautiful egg plant color.

It just looks so beautiful and applies so nicely.

It can be applied dark to look more blackish purple for a daytime wear or sheered out a bit to bring the purple tones better.

Try smudging purple against black to give a wonderful smoky effect for a beautiful day look.

Overall, I like this range as a whole, though I would pick a satin finish & stay clear of mattes.

Review: The Face Shop Raspberry Roots Sleeping Mask Sample

This is a quick review or a 1st impression review because this is based on a sample I received. Since I got only 1-2 uses of this product, I cannot say anything regarding the long term effects of this item.

I have got so many Face Shop products recently - all because they opened a pretty new store at a mall near by :( I will be doing a haul post on that soon. This was one of the samples I got. The SA at the store raved about this product as well as another eye de-puffing item which she said is a must have for people with baggy eyes like me [though she politely said 'tired' eyes]. I may get that as soon as the weather here makes me not want to kill myself every time I go out!

I really liked the concept here- apply mask at night, wash off in the morning. No worries on waiting for mask to dry, then wash and then sleep blah blah. Also I am all for a product that doesn't prevent me from eating or drinking. So I applied this mask at night after my CT ritual ; instead of moisturizing I applied this mask[I got 2 uses out of this sample] and washed it in the morning. I noticed a slight brightening and overall smoothness to skin that lasted through the day. I liked its scent and also the fact that it dries clear so I don't have to worry about staining my pillow.

Overall I liked it both times I tried. I didn't notice any long lasting effects but then I didnt honestly expect any. It really did a good job of making my face fresh and smooth and that is enough for me :)

Review: Smith's Rosebud Salve and 5 ways in which I use this!

I am in love with this wonderful product. I heard about this lip balm being a celebrity fav somewhere [was it Instyle? I dont remember] and next time I went to Sephora, I made sure I got this beauty.

For $6-$7 CAD, this is an amazing super-performing product. This lip balm saved my lips last winter and I am soooo thankful for that!



The jar is very pretty; the only flip side is digging the product from the tub. So I don't use it as a travel item.
I use a tiny spatula or at times a Q-tip.  I am also getting a lip gloss wand cleaned up for this purpose - getting lip balms out of jars!

This doesn't have a strong smell; it has a very comforting smell. I used to have a product - Rose water gel - that used to smell like Rose water and this has a very subtle scent of that. There is no tint to this product.


How I use and for what: I use this product every day morning and night after cleansing my face [including my lips] and hands. I use a thin layer as you dont need to use much. This applies smoothly and doesnt sit on the lips.

I use this as a lip balm as well as a skin salve for dry or chapped skin. I used this when the skin near my mouth started getting very dry and cracked. I used this daily for around 3-4 nights and days and Voila! my skin is back to normal again.




I also use this as a primer. Yes, primer. :) Thinking I am crazy? Well, if you have normal to dry or dry skin, you would definitely be needing or using a primer. I tried this one day when I thought my cheeks looked very dry and I applied a thin layer over my face and massaged it in. Then after 3-4 mins I patted my skin and it looked really good. I applied my makeup as normal and it lasted as good as it does when I use a primer.

Do you need some dewy skin effect? Try applying this balm over your blush in a very thin layer. Do remember not to smudge or mix this. Instead apply a thin layer and pat it with your middle & ring fingers. Also apply over your nose to avoid any drying on your nose and to give a nice lil shine.



Another way I use this product is as a lip color diluter. If I have a very bright color that I want to tone down seriously but don't really have much time for applying carefully or blotting much, I apply a slightly thicker layer of this lip salve and then apply my lip color over it. This makes the color much more sheerer and probably easier to wear.

Review and Swatches: Rexall Eyeshadow Palette

I got this eyeshadow palette from Rexall early 2013; there was some sale going on for the New Year and Xmas palettes and I saw this one from Rexall's own brand on sale for around $5.00.

Since I was looking for a dark blue shade, I thought this might be an interesting color and if the shadow is good for $5.00, well that good for me :) Alas but it was not to be! This is a very mediocre palette with most of the colors either dry chalky or non pigmented.

The fallout is also pretty extreme. I wouldn't recommend this palette to anyone. If you are looking for something around $5.00, try Essence, NYX or Wet n Wild. This is a lesson for me to not buy random cheap items in the hope that they may be hidden diamonds, especially if its about eye products.

This may look pigmented but its just the swatches !

Nothing much to add except - if you see any eyeshadow palette from Rexall, don't expect much!