If you were thinking of picking up the Urban Decay Vintage 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Gunmetal . . .

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Don't.

I know, I know, the discontinued shades of the UD pencils are on sale for $6 everywhere, and it's tempting to go for Gunmetal because it's isn't acid green and seems pretty versatile. But don't bother. It's patchy and sheer. Maybe if you want to use it over another shadow to add some silver glitter, it would be okay for that, but it's pretty useless as either liner or shadow on its own. You can get much better eyeliners or eyeshadows for the same price or less, though.

e.l.f. is on HauteLook today, but don't buy it from there (plus: liquor store makeup)

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The selection is really limited, and it isn't even a very good deal. You'll have to pay $6 shipping on your cheap makeup, and you won't get it for like a month. It's better to just keep an eye on the sales on the e.l.f. website. They always have something good going on - or at least free shipping.

Tangential: One of the local liquor stores here inexplicably has a big rack of e.l.f. makeup. Maybe because it's across the street from the courthouse? But they're selling the $1 "essential" products for $2.50. Don't buy it there, either.

Review: Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil, Part II (The Results, with photos)

If you missed my post on the formula of this product and my expectations based on that, check it out here. This second post reveals the results I got using this product in a number of different ways.

Let me start by repeating the marketing claims made by Garnier about this Dry Oil, since that will the main basis on which I evaluate it:

According to the Garnier marketing materials, this is a combination of "three weightless oils - olive, avocado, and shea" that is mean to "transform hair and skin". It is "made for everyday use on your hair, body, and face" and "instantly absorbs in a touch with no oily residue". They claim that it is the first multiuse oil on the mass market, "making revolutionary hair and skin care affordable for everyone".

I'm also comparing this to other more basic oil products, such as olive oil and rosehip oil, which are inexpensive and readily available. I've used those and continue to use them, so I am familiar with the benefits of using oils and how to get good results with them.

So how did it work out?

Don't Bother With ProActiv (from Slate)

Here's an excerpt from this article on why ProActiv is overpriced at best and a scam at worst:

Marcotte: I suspect a lot of people are wary of buying skin care products sold on TV, but they sign up for Proactiv because the ads do a good job of implying that it is better than anything else on the market for clearing up acne. Is it?

Romanowski: No. They use standard (effective) technology, but their products are not better than the stuff you could buy at Target or Wal-Mart. Anti-acne products are over-the-counter drugs regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are limited in the technologies and claims they can use.

Scary Hair Product

Okay, so apparently don't buy Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Blow Dry Perfector. But DO read this article about it, because it is hilarious.

Cheap Crap: Jordana 7" Eyeliner Pencils

Cheap doesn't always mean shitty, of course. But in this case, according to Scrangie, these pencils are not even worth the $1.29. They sound terrible.

e.l.f. dud

File this under: Don't Buy.

I got my e.l.f. order from the Cyber Monday sale today. I just played with all my new toys for a few minutes, and everything looks great, except one thing. (I'll do some reviews of the good stuff soon.)

The one dud is the Studio Waterproof Eyeliner Crayon in Champagne. It's useless, basically. It's so hard and waxy that you'd have to have eyelids of steel to get it to work. I even tried it on the browbone, and it wasn't happening. Believe me - I tried to make this work. I thought maybe just the outer layer was hard, but no. Removing that did not help.

Also, it's full of glitter, so it feels incredibly gritty and abrasive on your skin. It's not fun. What you end up with on your skin in the end is some patchy-looking color with glitter speckled across it. And the best part? If you try to use your finger to blend it, it balls up sort of like glue and comes off. Gross. Maybe the other colors are better? I'm not going to bother to find out.

Absolutely fucking useless.

Fix Your Face: Lip Scrub

People really pay $25 for this stuff? Really?

I mean, from the perspective of the (many, many) companies selling this sort of shit, it's brilliant. People pay $25 for this stuff! GENIUS.

Possibly my favorite gif.

But seriously, just put a little sugar (brown or white) in the palm of your hand and mix it with a few drops of honey or olive oil. Rub that on your lips. I do it when I exfoliate in the shower.

Or use a soft toothbrush.

And then put on some really good moisturizing lip balm. I like this one, because it works extremely well, it's huge, and it smells like buttercream frosting.

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Which e.l.f. products are worth trying and what you should avoid!

e.l.f. cosmetics has 50% off everything right now on orders over $25 with the code 50WIDE. I’ve made a list of things you should or shouldn’t buy, if you’re overwhelmed by choice and cheapness.

Cheap Duds

This is not about clothes. This is about cheap products that seemed promising or that I’d heard good things about, but that suck. Or at least, suck for me. YMMV and all that.

• Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

Every time I pick up a magazine, some makeup artist is suggesting this. I don’t get it. It does nothing for me. My lashes are barely anything thicker or longer than they were before I used it. Darker, I guess. But like I’ve said before, I think mascara’s quality and effectiveness is highly dependent on the person using it. This might be right for your lashes, but it’s not for mine. There’s no universal mascara that is perfect for everyone, in my experience.

Is BB Cream just trendy tinted moisturizer?

In some cases, apparently, yes. The new Covergirl “BB Cream” is exactly the same as their CGSmoothers Tinted Moisturizer. Exact same ingredients list, new name. So watch out.

Is BB Cream just trendy tinted moisturizer?

Julep fail

So I got the Julep Box I posted about recently, and I think it was a mistake. I’m not going to be buying any more from them.

The America glitter is pretty cool, but it’s super thick and goopy. Hard to put on, and feels like shit on your nails. The Kate shade, which is pearly white, is as blah as I expected. The Daphne (sea foam green) shade, looks nothing like the photo. Or I mean, it’s green, but it’s much darker and dustier than the photo. I understand that monitors can be calibrated differently, but they also sent me a little slip with instructions for a manicure using this color, and putting the printed photo next to the bottle shows that the photo isn’t right at all. So annoying. I haven’t tried Mila (charcoal, multi-colored glitter) yet, but it also doesn’t look like the photo. It basically looks like silver with a little holo or color, not charcoal. 

So anyway, won’t be giving Julep my money again. (I was just as disappointed with my intro box.)

ETA: Okay, I just swatched these, and yes, all of the above stands. Daphne is not “bright” or minty, like it looks in the photo. Mila is in no way “charcoal”. It actually seems like the people who write the product descriptions do so based on the photos, rather than by looking at the actual products, so you end up with both inaccurate photos and inaccurate descriptions.