Recently in Eyes Category

I have not found my Holy Grail mascara yet. There are many mascaras that I really like, but they just don't hit all points for me. I know DiorShow is some of many people's HG, and I love it too...the first month or two. After that it seems to get really dry and clumpy. The closest to my HG mascara right now is Fresh's Supernova, but the only problem, for me at least, is that it raccoons very easily. So I decided the way that I could fix this problem was by waterproofing it. I had heard about the Urban Decay Lingerie & Galoshes Double-ended Mascara and liked how it had a primer on one side, and the waterproofer on the other. The consistency was a little thicker then a gel, and I think that really helped to prevent it from making the mascara look dry. Using the waterproofing side really did help my mascara stop from running and didn't make it look any different then it was before. And I felt that since it's the waterproofer coated over my regular mascara then it wasn't going to hurt my lashes like regular waterproof mascara does. I did feel like I got half gypped though, because I do not like the primer side at all. It was so fibrous that it made my mascara look spidery and would make my lashes turn in every which direction. I wish I could buy the waterproofing side by itself, but they don't sell it that way. The next product I may try to waterproof is Benefit's She Laq which actually comes with several brushes to waterproof nearly all your make up. The only thing I'm weary of is how water the concoction looks. I'm afraid it would look so drying. You can get Urban Decay Lingerie & Galoshes Double-ended Mascara for $18. What's your Holy Grail mascara?

I'm obsessed with Sharpie fine point pens, nothing writes as smoothly or easily!  That is how I felt about Le Metier de Beaute's felt point liquid liner when I tested it out (exclusively at Neiman Marcus!) today.  The tip makes a very smooth line (not jagged like some felt tip liners can get) and it will not budge unless you wash it off with make up remover.  I got the BLEU cuz it was just so fun and funky-- very Valley Girl circa 1985.  The NOIR is a deep deep black, blends really well with fake lashes and look striking on its own.  Have you tried this line?  Tell me what you think!

"Chrome is cool and icy- it's a very modern, but still pretty way to illuminate the skin." - Bobbi Brown

I flew home last night to a mound of mail and packages (24 days worth of mail and blogger packages is a sight to see!) I opened each and every one of the (10) boxes from cosmetic companies and when I saw what was inside the Bobbi Brown package I got a bit miffed.  Not to be ungrateful and all but hello-- I so could have used this CHROME palette during my trip to Asia! It's a tri-fold compact that has 10 eyeshadow shades, 4 lip shades, plus mini brushes to boot. It would have saved me a lot of room in my luggage! 

I played with the shadows after the hubby and boy went to bed and was surprised how subtle the shadows are on the lids (considering how dark they look in the palette).  I used the "Iron" matte shadow as a base and highlighted the brow bone with "White" matte shadow.  I then put "Charcoal Haze" along the lash line to smoke my liner (may be used as a liner itself) which made for a really pretty daytime look.  To test out an evening look, I lightly dusted "Cyber Grey" and "Storm Cloud" sparkle shadow over the entire the lid-- smokin' hot!  I love playing with make up and can do this all night long!
Bobbi Brown Chrome Palette ($75) here.
 
The collection also has three new limited edition lipsticks: Port Lip Color, Chrome Metallic Lip Color and Plum Pearl Metallic Lip Color.  I did not get any samples of these so will stop by Neiman Marcus later this week to test out.  

The collection also includes Bobbi's holiday Chrome Mini Brush Set- the perfect present for the beauty-junkie in your life (wait, that would be moi!). The set, which comes in a chrome zip-around cases features a Mini Face Blender, Bobbi's new Mini Angle Eye Shadow Brush and a Mini Eye Liner brush.

Also available at Nordstrom. Bobbi Brown Chrome Palette $75, Bobbi Brown Metallic Lip Color $22, Bobbi Brown Chrome Mini Brush Set $55.

Laura Mercier is a great line of cosmetics for a natural look. This Laura Mercier 'Renaissance' Collection is great because it is such a good value. And it's like they compacted everything as well as they can for traveling. They made the concealer brush double ended, so that it's two brushes in one. And they have their fabulous secret concealer in a pot, with the setting powder underneath. It also comes with their Flawless Skin Day Creme with an SPF 15 in a deluxe sample size, a mini Black Thickening and Building Mascara, Pink Champagne Lip Glacé, and an eye color duo, all in cute cosmetic bag. Of course, kits are always a great value, but what's even better is that it's also on sale. So for $167 worth of product you only pay $38.90 for all of it. I mean, when does Laura Mercier really go on sale anyways?

It's hard not to laugh when standing at Asian cosmetic counters-- with products named "Happy Butter Lips" or "Shiny Face"-- do you blame me? When I saw this mascara at RMK-- the "Extra Deep W" (directly translated, they really mean extra long), I stifled a giggle and let the SA put it on me. Holy crap! Remember my Awake "Stardom" mascara obsession?  I vowed to buy the company if they ever discontinued it and when they did-- I bought a dozen tubes!  And if you must know, I did try to buy Awake but my hubby refused to comply.  Anyhoo, I've been searching for something comparable and guess what-- RMK has made something even better!  I bought several tubes at Mistukoshi in Taipei.  Just praying they never discontinue this!  Here is my review-- if you don't move moutains to try and get your hands on this mascara you are no beauty snob!  Rated from 1-5, 5 being best.

Wand- 5: My biggest compaint about mascaras are the large bristles, it gets messy and it's hard to reach the inner corner lashes.  There are mascaras made for the inner corner lashes but then they don't provide the same lengethning/thickening.  This wand is perfect, I feel like Goldilocks every time I use it!

Thickening- 3: There are two sides to the tube, the base side provides thickening but not as well as DIOR Show.  The only downside is this is waterproof-- I abhor waterproof mascara because it's so difficult to remove!  What's the point?  I don't bathe nor swim with make up on!

Lengthening- 5+: The other side of the tube is the reason I love this mascara. This is by far the most superior fiber mascara out there, the fibers are tiny so they don't look obvious or get messy.  You can also keep applying (I do 3 coats) without clumping, a major plus!  In fact, my lashes were so long that my dad (who never notices these things) asked me if I was wearing fake lashes!

I paid NT$1,250 (roughly $38USD)-- very pricey but worth every penny!  Extra Deep W Mascara at RMK counters in Asia and Selfridges in London.  





 

One of the first things I do when I'm in Asia is to cruise the cosmetic department at Mitsukoshi- (chain of department stores not unlike Neiman Marcus in the states). I love the vibe in that part of the store. Asian women take their beauty products very seriously so there is a lot of jostling and elbowing to get to the favorite brands! It was hectic in there as usual (imagine Christmas eve on a Saturday afternoon except it's everyday!) plus I was dragging my 5 year old with me but I finally made my way to RMK (my absolute favorite Japanese cosmetic brand) and snatched up all the latest and greatest!

First is the new Mystique Eyes shadow line, I can't tell you how amazing the texture of this shadow is-- it's velvety soft to the touch and stays on the eyes without creasing or flaking. I got very daring and bought the Green (04) collection (NT$1,200 is around $37USD)-- the SA put the dark moss green along my lash line and swept the powder brush across the lighter colors (to blend them together) and put that along my crease. I was kind of scared to look in the mirror but it turned out so gorgeous! I've decided I need to go back and get the silver/gray/blue combo, too. You must try this if you can get to RMK (sold only in Asia and at Selfridges in the UK). Rumiko is a famed make up artist in Japan (she's like the Bobbi of Asia!) and I have been obsessed with her products for 10 years. I also bought the creamy foundation-- will have that review later this week! More details here on the RMK website.

If you are under the age of 35, skip to the next blog article. Now, if you're about to enter the new age bracket (the 35-45 box at the doctor's office) or above, you need to know about this!  I was sent a sample of Sensai's Eye Wrinkle cream a month ago and despite the PR person warning me it was very rich and probably best for a more mature skin, I generously applied it twice a day.  The consistency is really thick but goes on fairly smoothly and I liked how it nourishing it felt around the eyes (and diminished the lines!).  However, I noticed a tiny white bump under my right eye recently which my facialist tells me is probably from over use of the very rich eye cream!  So I'm back to using my iS clinical eye cream (heard they have a new version coming, out can't wait!) and saving this for days I feel really old and tired.  If you are very dry or have very mature skin-- definitely try this.  Go ask for a sample at the counter at Neiman/Bergdorf and see if it's too rich for you.  I'm an eye cream addict and slather on eye cream like there's no tomorrow but now I will use the tiny bit that they always recommend because I don't want those little white bumps to appear again! 

Sensai Eye Wrinkle Cream $170 at Bergdorfgoodman.com 

So I finally shopped at the Sephora at JCP the other day, I never really found them interesting because there is a regular Sephora just on the other side of the mall. They have probably 1/5th of what the regular one has-- but I guess since it is so much smaller that they change the lines often which means the old lines go on sale. They had a great deal of Stila products on sale from $4-$10! Some of the items I picked up was a Cobalt Smudge Pot, which I always wanted to try and I'm glad I did. This rich, but dark blue goes on so smoothly and dries to smudge resistant in a minute. I also picked up some Eye Shadow Pans. The only drawback of these is that you have to buy the refillable container for it, but for $4 it was still worth it. I also bought a Shine Lip Color like something between a sheer lipstick and a lip balm. At first I thought some of these were being discontinued, but looking on Sephora's site I see that they are still the retail price. So check out your local Sephora or Sephora JCP and see if you can find these great steals!

About three weeks ago I was sent a sample of Lash Allure, a physician formulated lash growth serum. I had my doubts but dutifully tried it in order to review for you guys. I used it morning and night diligently each day and really didn't notice anything until this last week in New York City. I had to work in front of the camera for a couple of days and of course used my favorite false lashes. I've been using the false lashes less than usual lately because I noticed that I was losing lashes after having the fake ones glued on all day! So I decided to use the LASH ALLURE conditioner before applying the lashes and after I removed the false lashes and didn't seem to lose any at all this time.  And now, after 3 weeks, my own lashes are noticeably longer (a few lashes are so long I'm wondering if I should trim?)   I am officially addicted!

Lash Allure MD is a nourishing blend of ingredients designed to condition and stimulate the growth of eyelashes and brows. By creating the optimal cellular environment for rapid growth, Lash Allure MD achieves noticeable results in half the time of leading brands. Physician formulated without prostaglandins which have been shown to cause skin darkening and eye discoloration in some consumers.

Dr. James wanted to offer a safe lash serum that not only worked, but also is affordable!  Retail: $49.50  Application: Morning/Night along lash and brow line

Most exciting, however, is Lash Allure MD's HUGE cash giveaway- $100,000!  This is the biggest beauty giveaway of all times!  Go to the site and tell them what you'd do with $100,000 to enter to win (I know what I'd do, a quick trip to Hermes please)!  No purchase necessary, contest will end on January 1st, 2010.  Enter to win $100,000 HERE!