Reviews in Fifty Words or Less

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I got this idea from the wonderful Makeup Withdrawal, and I'm going to give it a shot. It will be a challenge for someone as wordy as I am, but I don't think I have a lot to say about these products, so here we go!

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radiance Perfecting Pen in Luminous Ivory

Sheer, slightly luminous concealer that I use on lazy days. Makes me look less dead but doesn’t cover my dark circles completely. Faint lavender fragrance. Came from a Sephora Favorites set, but I wouldn’t buy it at full price. Lots of cheap equivalents work exactly the same way.

            

Maybelline The Falsies Volum'Express Mascara

Decent volume and length without clumping. The curved brush and length of the bristles work well.

I've been liking this better in month two as it gets drier. Too much flaking for me to repurchase, though.

Wet N Wild Mattifying Powder

Does the job: mattifies, invisible on my skin, fine texture. The main problem is that it contains very little product. I've used it only a couple dozen times.

It looks thick because there’s a sponge in the bottom compartment, but the pan is shallow.

For less than $5 you can get more product from Essence.

Bobbie Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Golden Pink

Got this in a Sephora Play! box. Not really pink--I'd call it peachy-beige. It's a nice, all-over-the-lid eyeshadow, and it lasts better than any other cream eyeshadow I've used, even without primer. Could make a good highlighter, too.

Swatched:

Blended out:

Neutrogena Ultra Light Cleansing Oil

It's ok. I bought it for double cleansing, but it's a little drying, so I only use it combined with gentle micellar water. It removes most of my makeup. The generic fruity-floral scent is a bit strong--and I always end up tasting it after I've rinsed my face. Blech.

Success! Of course, if you have questions about any of these products, I'd be happy to fill in the blanks. I'm also interested to hear your experiences with them, or recommendations for alternatives, as always. 

Drugstore Classics: L'Oréal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black

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I've said before that my favorite mascaras are from Covergirl, especially their LashBlast Volume. Yet I constantly feel the urge to stray and find out what else is out there. My latest dalliance is with this L'Oréal mascara that was recommended to me by a friend with gorgeous eyelashes. Note to self: be cautious about taking future mascara suggestions from people with impressive eyelashes, because maybe they're born with it, and maybe it's not Maybelline or L'Oréal or Revlon.

You'd think after my last encounter with a L'Oréal product called Carbon Black, I'd stay away, but no. It turns out that, despite the tube being made out of the same horrible, slippery plastic as the liquid eyeliner, this mascara is not nearly as disappointing.

I have no idea why the tube looks metallic here. It's not.

The L'Oréal Telescopic Mascara brush is very, very thin, with tiny, spiky bristles. According to the marketing, it's mainly supposed to provide length and definition, and that seems about right. Because the bristles are so short and there are wide spaces between the rows, it deposits a lot of product without combing through the lashes very much. So while there is length and definition, I definitely don't get a full, fluttery effect with each of my eyelashes separated.

Here are my invisible lashes with no mascara:

Here they are with two coats of Carbon Black:

You can see that they are pretty spiky and not very lush. Usually when I first apply this mascara in the morning, I don't like it much, but when I look in the mirror a few hours later, I appreciate it more. It doesn't change during the day--I think it just looks better from a distance. Judging from my friend who recommended it, it works a bit better on naturally full eyelashes, I assume since in my case there are only 14 lashes for it to clump together. As for the whole Carbon Black business, is that supposed to blacker than other black mascaras? I mean it's quite black, but nothing special.

The thing I dislike most about this mascara is how long it takes to dry. I've had the tube open for a couple of weeks now, so it's not just that it's too fresh and wet. I always have to clean a few specks and smudges from around my eyes when I put it on. One day I sneezed five full minutes after I applied the mascara, and I had to completely redo my concealer. I don't have the patience for that.

I don't mind using L'Oréal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black for the time being, but I won't buy it again. It's just not suited to my eyelashes, and the long drying time is a pain.

Anyone else use this mascara? I know it's a real favorite for some people. I'd be curious to hear how it works for you.

Do I Need This? Mascara Primer (Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Lash Primer vs. Lancôme Cils Booster XL Mascara Base vs. Benefit They're Real Tinted Lash Primer)

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Welcome to the latest installment of my Do I Need This? series. In these posts, I offer my experience and opinions about whether or not I think a product or technique is worth it. Obviously, you don't really need ANY beauty products, so the answer to the question is always going to be no, to some extent. But is it going to change your life (or face)? Is it going to make things easier? Are you going to notice any difference at all? That's what I'm getting at. You may disagree with my verdict, because we all have different bodies/faces/brains/desires, but I'll try to offer a starting point, at least.

I wrote a while ago about how it seems like we're supposed to "prime" our whole bodies these days, and it's getting a bit ridiculous. Nevertheless, eyeshadow primer kind of changed my life. Or at least how I wear eyeshadow. Mascara primer is another one that's been around for ages, at least in more expensive brands, but it's popping up more at the drugstore now as our need to prime proliferates. Over the years I've got countless mini tubes of mascara primer from brands like Dior and Lancôme as various gifts-with-purchase, and I've used them, but I was never really sure that they did much. So I figured I'd do a quasi-scientific test of a few lash primers to see if they actually make difference.

Do you need mascara primer?

Short answer: No, just use an extra coat of mascara.

Quick addendum to L'Oreal Miss Manga review

When I wrote my original review of this mascara, I had been testing it for 2-3 weeks. I noted that I hadn't had the problems with flaking that I'd had in the past with other L'Oreal mascaras. By the time it had been open for a couple of months, however, and got a bit drier, it became flaky as fuck. It's a mess now. So be warned: if you typically don't get along well with L'Oreal's mascara formulas, this one may not be any exception.

My Cheap Favorites: Review and comparison of Covergirl Lashblast Volume Mascara in Black and Covergirl Lashblast Volume Waterproof Mascara in Very Black

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Covergirl LashBlast Volume has been around for a long time, but I find that it can be hard to find reviews of products that were released before beauty blogging exploded, so I hope this is useful for someone. Plus, I said I would review it in my favorite cheap makeup post, so it's about fucking time. Even though mascara is the one product that I've used since I was about 14, and I don't really go out without it, I find it relatively difficult to review. Mascara is one of those things that seem to perform vastly differently on different people and that people have wildly different opinions about. I've said it before, but Maybelline Great Lash, which you always hear recommendations for, doesn't do shit for my eyelashes. And there are divided opinions about the stuff I'm reviewing here, Covergirl Lashblast Volume. These things make mascara reviews tricky. So, as always, I'm just going to tell you about my needs and preferences and experience with this stuff, and let you decide if it seems right for you. Rather than telling you IT'S THE BEST BUY IT NOW.

This particular mascara is especially difficult to review, because there's nothing exactly remarkable about it, despite its being one of my favorite mascaras out there. That's probably why I've put off writing a full review of it for years. The fact that there's not much to say is why I like it, I guess. It's a good, everyday mascara, that makes my lashes look thicker and longer, but doesn't do anything crazy. It also holds a curl well (both versions), by which I mean that when I brush my lashes upwards with the mascara, they stay that way, since I don't actually use an eyelash curler. From a normal viewing distance, it just looks like I have naturally decent lashes without any goop on them. This is an illusion, because in reality I have short, sparse, invisible eyelashes. It's easy to use and not messy, so it's the mascara I grab when I don't want to have to think about anything. Probably the strongest recommendation for this mascara that I can give you is the fact that, despite trying many dozens of other mascaras over the years, I have bought at least one tube of Covergirl Lashblast Volume annually for almost a decade now--and in several of those years I bought multiple tubes. I keep coming back to it. It's reliable.

I figured, to add some interest to this post, I'd compare the regular and waterproof versions, because they're not exactly the same. That's normal. It seems that most mascaras have very little in common between their regular and waterproof formulas, so if it's the formula you like, you might be disappointed if you switch from one to the other. If it's mainly the brush you're into, you'll be safer. Here's a comparison of the ingredients of these two mascaras.

Covergirl LashBlast Volume Mascara (non-waterproof):

Water, Glyceryl Stearate, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Triethanolamine, Acrylates Copolymer, Synthetic Wax, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Propylene Carbonate, Polyethylene, Oleic Acid, Alcohol Denat., Benzyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Trisodium Edta, Simethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Iron Oxides. may Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Ultramarines.

Covergirl LashBlast Volume Mascara Waterproof:

Petroleum Distillates, Polyethylene, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Trihydroxystearin, Propylene Carbonate, Pentaerythrityl Hydrogenated Rosinate, Tall Oil Glycerides, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylparaben, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxides. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Ultramarines, Talc.

You can see these lists do, indeed, have very, very little in common. The lack of water in the waterproof version is interesting. I wonder if that means it will resist bacterial contamination better?

Considering the extremely different ingredients list, these two mascaras actually do perform similarly, though I slightly prefer the non-waterproof option. It seems to provide a bit more volume and length with less effort, though the difference is minor (and in fact, when I look at the photos below, I can't really see a difference). Both of them are great for not clumping, much like their younger sibling, Covergirl Clump Crusher by LashBlast (reviewed here). I prefer how both of them work about a week or so after I've opened them and they've started to thicken up a bit.

They both, of course, have the same fat, plastic brush. If you hate spiky plastic brushes, you might want to avoid this one, though I have found that since the spikes are short and not too sharp, I don't end up stabbing myself in the eye like I do with some others (Benefit They're Real, for instance). The downside of the blunt ended brush with short bristles is that it's hard to get all the tiny lashes in the corners of my eyes or to get right to the roots of my lashes, especially on the back/top side of them (which I always coat, because they are blond, and they will look two-toned otherwise).

Here are my eyelashes bare, then with the regular Covergirl Lashblast Mascara, and then with the waterproof version:

Covergirl Lashblast Volume Mascara in Black

Covergirl Lashblast Volume Waterproof Mascara in Very Black

It's worth noting that the Black shade is not very black, unlike the Very Black shade. Um, as you might expect. Black is almost a dark grey/charcoal color, which is going to be a little more subtle. I think that when you compare the two photos above, you can see that the Black looks a little softer, and it's even clearer in these swatches:

I always like to have a waterproof mascara on hand, because my eyes are very watery. If it's a cold or windy day and I have to stand at the bus stop for even 5 minutes wearing non-waterproof mascara, I am guaranteed to end up with black streaks on my temples. This Covergirl stuff lives up to its waterproof claims. It is not, however, oil-proof--as it shouldn't be, because how would you remove something that neither water nor oil would melt? But be warned, during a very long and very awkward work dinner a few weeks ago, I went to the bathroom and saw that my waterproof mascara had transferred slightly to my eyelids, because the sweatiness of having to make nice with my professional nemesis in front of a foreign colleague was apparently more than any mascara could handle. I haven't noticed it smearing during normal circumstances, however.

If you want a good, everyday, no-frills mascara, this may work for you too. I don't think it's just my stubby lashes it improves. I first bought it on the recommendation of a friend with gorgeous, fluttery, thick eyelashes, after I asked her what she used, back in 2007. It doesn't make my eyelashes look like hers, but it did enhance both of our natural assets, as unequal as they are. Another thing that probably contributes my buying this stuff so frequently is that are often excellent sales on it on Amazon, so I don't think I've spent more than $4 for it in years. Keep an eye out on Amazon, if you're interested.

It's a bit unusual that I've stuck with the same product for quite this long, even if I do alternate with trying new mascaras. It seems to me that people are more loyal to their mascara than to other types of makeup. Do you stay with what works, or are you fickle about mascara?

No Spider Lashes: Review of L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara

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This L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara isn't exactly new, but then I'm not exactly a cutting edge, new releases blogger--you may have noticed that. I was slightly worried that it would be discontinued by the time I got around to trying it, because I never hear anyone talking about it anymore. But it seems to still exist. Phew.

Based on the way this stuff is advertised, I fully expected to hate it and to write a fun (i.e. scathing) review about how much it sucks. I don't like clumpiness, and since I have quite thin, stubby lashes, globby formulas do not look good. This is one of those mascaras from the last year or so that exaggerates the spidery clumps (sorry, "mega volume") in its marketing. Here's part of the ad photo from L'Oreal's website:

This isn't the worse example of this marketing trend I've seen, but why is this happening at all? Are they getting inspiration from the worst photos posted on Facebook by Younique distributors and assuming that, because they are so widespread, this is the hottest style? Because I don't actually know anyone who wants their lashes to look like that (Younique sellers aside). Am I wrong? Do you? Not judging, just looking for a real-life source. If nothing else it seems like it would be distracting to have that much heavy crap on my lashes--but then I don't like how fake lashes feel, either, and those are becoming weirdly mainstream too (as in, I get the impression that some people now feel that they need to use fake lashes every day just to look presentable; see also: contouring).

Here's are stills from an animation on the same L'Oreal page that, I guess, is supposed to show what the mascara looks like in reality (not "simulated"). It's not terrible, but it's not great. A bit chunky for my taste. Actually, the thing that probably bothers me the most is that she doesn't have mascara on the tips or the back/top side of her blond lashes, which looks odd to me. As someone with invisible eyelashes, I've learned that they look strange when then are two-tone.

In actual practice, on me, this is just an impressive volumnizing and lengthening mascara--nothing too wild. I was surprised by how much I liked it. Here is a photo of my bare lashes (and eyebrow) and then a photo with two coats of Miss Manga:

Keeping in mind that mascara always looks spikier in a close-up photo than in person, I think this is pretty good! It adds volume and quite a bit of length as well. My lashes are sort of grouped into mini-clumps of a few eyelashes each, I suppose, if you really want to analyze them. That may be the extent of the "manga" effect. I don't think I would be able to achieve the results in the ad photos even with many more coats, but people with much thicker lashes could, perhaps. You might need to use the tip of the brush to push the lashes together to really get it to work. But then couldn't you do that with any mascara?

The design of the brush seems to be intended to apply a lot of product and to separate lashes into distinct clumps. You can sort of see in the photo below that the bristles have wide spaces between them, and the wand is very flexible. It bends easily at that indentation below the brush. I assume this is to prevent it from combing through the lashes too much so that is deposits more mascara. While recognizing how this is supposed to function, it doesn't really do those things when I use it. It works pretty much like a normal mascara wand.

In the past, when I've tried L'Oreal mascaras, my main complaint has been that they don't seem to interact well with my body chemistry, and I'll get a lot of flaking and smearing. I'm happy to report that I haven't had unusual flaking or smearing with Miss Manga. (ETA: See update on flaking here.) Overall, I was (shockingly) impressed with this stuff and might even buy it again. It's easy to use and creates moderate drama--exactly what I'm looking for. I would recommend trying this, especially if you have similar lashes to mine, and you're not, in fact, hoping to look like a cartoon. Amazon has it for under $6.

Sorry, the grumpy review will have to wait for another time. I actually have two disappointing products that I've tried recently on the docket, so stay tuned if that's your jam.

My cheap favorites: the best makeup under $10

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I wrote a post like this way back when I started my blog, so I thought it might be interesting to update it and see how many of my favorites have stayed the same and how many have changed, now that I've tried a lot of new shit. I've also compared a lot of cheaper things to more expensive products along the way, and in all cases, the makeup in this list equals or outperforms pricier alternatives. I'm just doing makeup today, but I'll follow up with another post about my cheap favorites from other categories like skin care and hair products.

My cheap favorites are reliable and inexpensive. They're things that I replace when I finish them. Obviously I don't use these products exclusively, but I keep coming back to them because I prefer them to others. Below I've included links to previous reviews on my blog, if they exist. I've also tried to link to the best places online to buy these things, to my knowledge. Most of them are easy to find in any drugstore or Target/Walmart, etc.--in which case you might be able to get them on sale. But you might be like me and prefer online shopping when possible, so I've linked them below.

There are a few categories of makeup for which I don't have a current cheap favorite. For example, foundation: I'm picky about it and haven't found anything I absolutely love at any price point, though the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation, reviewed here, is decent when sheered out, and Boots No. 7 Lift & Luminate Foundation is amazing if you can find a good color match (I can't). As for concealer, I have a favorite (reviewed here), but it's not cheap. I've used some good drugstore concealers, like Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circles, but I tend to run into problems with the range of shades available. I had a favorite powder (Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil Translucent Powder--lots of Maybelline here in the "almost" category) but of course it's been discontinued, so I'll have to find something else soon. I don't have a favorite bronzer, because I almost never wear bronzer. I also don't currently have a favorite lip gloss, I guess because it's not a product I love to wear in general. There a plenty of perfectly fine lip glosses out there, but nothing that I am particularly excited about.

But let's get to my actual favorites. My photos aren't the prettiest, because I am currently using most of these things and, in many cases, have been using them for a long time, so they're a bit beat up. (Lots of images after the jump.)

How to find a dupe the scientific way (from The Beauty Brains)

The Beauty Brains suggest using the ingredients list of products like mascara to find dupes (step-by-step instructions on their page, using Benefit's They're Real as an example). I've done similar things with skincare products, but admittedly I've never tried it with makeup. It does seem like it would work better with a product like mascara than, say, lipstick or eyeshadow, where there would be more factors to take into account besides ingredients.

Have you searched for dupes this way? Does it work?

Mascara that does not age like a fine wine: Review of Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara

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I got this Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara in the Birchbox Mass Appeal box recently, which I would have recommended since it was such a good deal, but it sold out right away. (You can look at it here, if you want to for some reason.) I doubt I would have bought the mascara on its own, mainly because of don't really think of Rimmel for mascara - or anything else, really. It's not a brand that gets my attention very often. I'm not sure if I've ever used one of their mascaras before.

This mascara is an interesting one, although (spoiler) I wouldn't buy it again. Mascara reviews are tricky, because there doesn't seem to be a lot of consensus about which mascaras are good and which are bad. Mascara is pretty polarizing. For instance, I've read a lot of recommendations for Maybelline Great Lash (from real people, not just fashion magazines), but it is a huge fucking blah for me. And I absolutely love Covergirl LashBlast, but other people have told me it does nothing for them. So I think it depends on what your lashes are like and what results you're looking for. I'll give you my specs so you can decide if you will be likely to agree or disagree with my assessment of this stuff.

I have short, sparse, blonde lashes. In other words, they're invisible and they need a lot of fucking help. Accordingly, I like my mascara to provide both volume and length. I don't like clumps. I know some people are into drama at any cost and so a little clumping is fine, but I think it looks and feels weird on me. I am not too concerned about the shade of the product: brown, fairly black, very black, whatever. I can't put up with flaking or smearing, though. Dealbreaker. Some mascaras I like are, as I said, Covergirl LashBlast (in all its variations - Clump Crusher reviewed here), e.l.f. 3-in-1 (reviewed here), and Urban Decay Perversion. I liked the effects of L'Oreal Butterfly, but it flaked like crazy (reviewed here).

The most interesting thing about this mascara is its weird, curvy brush. I was afraid it was going to be gimmicky and annoying to use, but it's actually fine. You don't even really have to twist it around much - any part of the curve tends to work on any part of the lashes. The convex part of the curve is extra helpful to get at shorter lashes in the corners of the eyes. It also doesn't flake or smear on me, though even this will vary from person to person it seems, depending on how the oils in your skin react with a particular formula.

Usually I start to like mascaras a week or two after I've started using them, when the product has become just a little drier. They tend to become less messy and to add volume more easily. But I've had the opposite experience with this stuff. At first it was great - smooth, even length + volume - but now, a couple weeks later, it's starting to get globby and clumpy. You can see a glob stuck to the end of the brush in the photo above, and it's often worse than that. To get it to look really good, I should be combing through my lashes after applying it, but that's more work than I am willing to do on a regular basis. You can see below photos of both of my eyes taken on the same day. The first one is okay, but on the second, there are lots of blobs stuck to the ends of my lashes. Not great. It's pretty inconsistent.

No mascara

Two coats of Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara

Two coats of Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara

I'm guessing it's the brush that makes the difference here. With a spiky brush, a thicker/drier formula might work better, but a fluffier brush like this is more likely to gather globs, so the formula needs to be thinner. Of course, not every fluffy brush has that problem. I've really liked the two mini tubes of Urban Decay Perversion that I've used, for instance, and its super fluffy brush didn't have this problem, even after using it for weeks.

Overall, I find this mascara just okay. It does the job, and I certainly have used worse, but I also know there are better ones out there. While I don't love this for myself, I think it might be worth trying if you like thick formulas for lots of volume. The goopiness might not be as evident if you have thicker or longer lashes than I do to begin with (and I think most people do).

What do you think of mascaras with weird brushes? I've liked some and hated others. This one looks particularly weird but was surprisingly easy to use.

Unintentional Project Pan

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I guess you could call this being in a makeup rut, but I am going with unintentional project pan. That sounds more noble and interesting, doesn't it?

In case you're not familiar with the concept of "project pan," it's when people challenge themselves to use up enough of a makeup product (or multiple products) to "hit pan" - i.e. to reach the metal pan in the bottom of the product. I haven't been able to figure out where it originated, whether it was a specific blogger or in a community like Makeup Alley. Can anyone clue me in?

In my case, I realized this month that I was using the same handful of products day after day, though I hadn't chosen them deliberately to reach any particular goals. Some are things that I've vaguely thought I should try to use up, but I didn't vow to eschew all other makeup or anything. Most likely the reason I've been sticking with these few options is that I've been working from home, and most days I barely bother to wear makeup at all. When I do, I just grab a few things that I know are easy and effective, and that's that. I'm sure I will snap out of my rut project pan before too long, especially when I go back to working in an office (by the way, I finally got a job - temporary, but still a relief!). For now, these things are working for me, and I'm not sick of them yet, so I'm just going to go with it. Every now and then I put on a different lip color or blush, but for the most part it's been the things pictured here.

Here are the products in my unintentional project pan, listed clockwise from top left:

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (sample)

I'm going to take a photo of this mascara on my lashes soon as an example of something I really like. It's light and fluffy and adds volume and length. It works well for me. This is the second mini-tube of this I've had, both of which came from subscription boxes. Sephora sells this "travel size" for $12, though, if you want to try it for a smaller price. Still more than a full size, good, drugstore mascara, though, and I'm not convinced it's that much better.

The Balm Stainiac

I should really write a dedicated review of this stuff, since I've been using it for years, and I love it. Since my lips are fairly dark/pink naturally, it nicely enhances the color while still looking natural. I don't really use it on my cheeks, because I find liquid blushes difficult to blend evenly (though this is more of a thin gel than a liquid).

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

I've had this for ages and only recently (when I posted it on Instagram) remembered how much I like it. It's easy to use, since I just apply it with my fingers, and the shimmer makes it look multidimensional when blended from lashline into the crease. Some days I use Barely Branded (photos here) instead, for a more subtle look. If I'm going to be going out anywhere, I will use primer under Color Tattoos, but if I think I am going to be sitting home most of the day, I won't bother. Here are some primers I've tried recently.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Fearless (sample)

I've used this card sample at least 30 times and there's still some left. That goes to show you how incredibly long it would take to finish a full size blush. Has anyone ever done it? Tarte calls Fearless "pink coral," but I would has thought of it as more of a bubblegum pink. Maybe a tiny bit warmer than than, but not much. In fact, I thought it would look weirdly fake on me, but it's actually very natural and flattering. I don't know about the 12-hour claim. I never remember to check my blush at the end of the day to see if it's still there. I don't many (if any) completely matte powder blushes, which is why I've been drawn to this sample, I think. I might have to replace it with something similar when it's gone.

Avon Ultra Luxury Brow Liner in Blonde

Of the many, many eyebrow products I've tried (most of which are swatched and reviewed here), this is the one that I've found the easiest and quickest to use, and the most natural looking on me, regardless of my hair color. Even though my hair is medium brown right now, this works perfectly. Magic. (Look at the stub of the last pencil I used up. Aren't you impressed?)

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles in Fair

Almost empty! Mini review here. I like that it doesn't crease much, but since the color isn't quite right, I don't know if I will buy it again.

e.l.f. Tone Correcting Powder in Cool

Reviewed here. I use this to set the concealer and just generally all over my face. This stuff mattifies, but the effects don't last long in the summer, so I prefer to use something else if I'm actually going to be out in the sweaty summer world.

That's it! I expect I will be finishing a few of these before the end of the summer, so that will be a fun side effect of my unintentional project. Then I will have to think of what else I want to fixate on.

(Note: I'm playing around with using ShopStyle affiliate links, since it gives me more options than just using Amazon's. I can pick out the cheapest place to buy things, for instance - though that is often still Amazon. Let me know if there are any technical glitches if you end up clicking any of the links.)

CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara: My Thoughts

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By now you've probably read a bunch of reviews of CoverGirl Clump Crusher, because it's not exactly new any more. But there are a few things about it that I've found interesting, and that I didn't see mentioned anywhere before I bought my own, so I thought I'd share them here.

I was interested in trying out this particular mascara since I am a huge fan of CoverGirl LastBlast mascaras. I've probably tried out more than a dozen other mascaras in the last year or two, but LashBlast is still my favorite, and I was using it before I ever started makeup hoarding blogging. I find the LashBlast brush really user friendly - easy to get down to the roots of my stubby lashes - and the formula lengthens and volumizes without getting all spidery. It's not overly dramatic, but it looks great. It also never splatters or smears or flakes, which I think is at least partly because it has a drier formula (and I actually prefer it after it's been open for a couple of weeks and dried out even more).

Most of the information I read about Clump Crusher suggested to me that it would be similar to LashBlast but even less clumpy. I mean, there are a bunch of tests people have done in which they apply 48 layers of mascara or whatever and it never clumps. That's not particularly useful, but good to know, I guess.

I don't have a tube of LashBlast available right now to compare directly, since I am still using up the handfuls of other mascaras I decided somewhere along the way I needed to try. But here are my thoughts about Clump Crusher. I got it in brown, because all my other mascaras were black, and I like to have a brown option on hand. Since my coloring is so light, it's nice for creating a more natural look.

It definitely does not clump. Surprise, surprise. It also has a fairly dry formula, comparable to LashBlast. One thing that I love about the non-clumpiness is that it means that this stuff works better on my lower lashes than any other mascara I've tried, because non-clumpy also means non-globby. I basically have seven short eyelashes below each eye, and trying to apply mascara to them is usually a semi-disaster. I tend to end up with a blob on each lash, and then I have to wipe the blobs away and sometimes the blobs transfer to my lower lid. It's annoying and doesn't look too pretty, so half the time I skip my bottom lashes completely. But this stuff just coats each individual last evenly, and that's it! It's a fucking miracle. I'm going to keep one of these on hand just for doing bottom lashes even when I'm using something else on the top. Here are some photos of what it looks like on my eyelashes:

Invisible eyelashes with no mascara.

Three coats of Clump Crusher on upper lashes; one coat on lower lashes.

Three coats of Clump Crusher.

Four coats of Clump Crusher on upper lashes.

CoverGirl makeup for $2-4 on Amazon (and $3 Cetaphil coupon)

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
For example, Clump Crusher mascara for $3 when you "clip" the coupon that page (or $2.70 if you do subscribe and save, which you can cancel later). Most of the products with coupons are mascara or foundation - here's the full list. I kind of want to try the Outlast 3-in-1 foundation, since I've heard it's good. Thoughts? Only one coupon per account, I believe.

There's also a $3 Cetaphil coupon here.

A whole fucking dissertation on eyebrow products for blondes and redheads, plus a mini review of L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly mascara (photo-heavy post)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
So this is the latest installation of a quasi-series in which I pull out all the products I have in from single category and try to decide what I should keep and what I should get rid of. Spoiler: I decided that I'm going to keep all of my eyebrow shit, because it's practical and really won't ever expire, so I'll use it up eventually. I did come to the radical conclusion that I should stop buying more, though. Duh.

All my eyebrow products (top to bottom): NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Auburn/Red; e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit in Light; Milani Brow Tint Pen in Natural Taupe; CoverGirl Brow and Eye Makers in Soft Blond; Avon Ultra Luxury Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde; and Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium. 

My hair color over the last few years has run the gamut from blonde-blonde to strawberry-blonde to dark-blonde to red to really-fucking-red. Some of the products below have served me well no matter my hair color, such as the e.l.f. kit and the Avon pencil. Others, like the NYX kit and the CoverGirl pencil really only well with certain hair colors - but then they work very well.

You can tell from the photo above that almost every brow product I have has been well used, so I know them intimately. Look at those stubby pencils! The one exception is Benefit's Gimme Brow, which I got as a graduation present in May. It actually came from the Benefit vending machine in the Minneapolis airport. That's a thing that exists.

In the past, when I thought about my minimum makeup - like what I'd wear if I was running out the door and only had time for a couple of things - it was always just mascara and blush. Maybe under-eye concealer. Lately, though, I feel like I can really take or leave those things so long as I've filled in my eyebrows a little. They're fairly invisible on their own, and as I've pointed out before, they really do make a difference.

I used to use the sort of technique where you define the bottom edge of the brow completely and then fill the rest in, but recently I've much preferred Lisa Eldridge's method of focusing on the peak of the arch and working lightly out from there. (If you have never watched a Lisa Eldridge video, do it some day when you're in a bad mood or stressed - trust me, she's so soothing.) This method really does create a more natural-looking effect. I do fill in the part closest to my nose more than she does, however, because that's where the hair on my brows is the lightest and thinnest. If I don't add a little extra there, my eyebrows look too far apart - I think they still do sometimes, honestly, but I'm not (yet) totally comfortable filling in where there's no real hair at all. Anyway, as you can see in the photos below, this isn't the super-defined and polished look that you tend to see in closeups of dramatic eye makeup. It doesn't look flawless. Super-defined is pretty, but it's just not what I'm going for. My brows might look a little less than perfect in a super closeup, but no one is looking as closely as my camera is getting in these photos - and the lack of perfection is what makes them look natural, I think. Here's what they usually look like at a normal distance (scroll down).

I hope you have a couple of weeks to read the rest of this post, because as usual I am long-fucking-winded.

Quick review: e.l.f. Studio Makeup Remover Pen

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
So this is a review of a somewhat odd product that is actually quite useful if you are a clumsy person who is often in a hurry, like I am. If you have a bad habit of ending up with flecks of mascara on your face, because you stabbed yourself in the eye, because you were in a terrible rush to finish your makeup, because you were running late, because you're disorganized, because you are a human mess, this is a product you could consider.

It's a marker. It's shaped like a sharpie, with a firm, white, felt tip point (see it here). If you make a small mess, it's much more precise than a Q-tip, so you don't have to redo all of your under-eye concealer or your eyeshadow or whatever. Observe:

Before: Mascara mess.

After: Disaster averted.

I should have included a dime or something for scale, though maybe the tiny freckle above the swatch serves that purpose to some extent. The swatch was made with a typical eyeshadow brush (a little over a centimeter wide) and the black specks are from the bristles of a mascara brush. You can achieve precise removal using the e.l.f. pen, and then you only need to do a little bit of patching and blending to fix things up. I don't know of another method/tool that allows for as precise cleanup. (Suggestions?)

The pen is weird. I've had it for several months, and it's still working. But it feels light and empty. If you shake it, you don't hear any liquid inside. The tip feels quite dry to the touch. Mysterious, and yet totally functional.

After you use it to clean up a few specks of mascara or whatever, I recommend wiping off the tip on your hand or a kleenex, otherwise it will end up smearing the product around instead of removing it.

Watch for 50% off sales from e.l.f. and you can get this thing for $1.50, or you can get it for $3 from Target. It has come to my rescue after many a morning's disaster during which, 5 minutes before I was about to head out the door, my house was filled with the sounds of MOTHERFUCKER FUCKING SHIT FUCK GODDAMN IT! You know what I'm talking about.

A couple of cheap dupes for D&G and Lipstick Queen

I've got two nice dupes for you today. A Different Face has compared CoverGirl Clump Crusher with Dolce & Gabbana Passion Eyes mascara and found them to be virtually indistinguishable Clump Crusher is definitely going to be my next mascara purchase. The Lash Blasts work so fucking perfectly for me that I need to try Clump Crusher. Everything I've been using lately has been flaking all over the place (I'm looking at you, L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly - if it wasn't for the flaking, I'd be a fan).

The second dupe comes from the always brilliant Savannah Scorpion:

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in Enticing is a dupe for Lipstick Queen's Medieval, down to color, pigmentation, consistency, and texture. Plus, the Lacquer Balms are easier to apply, because they are a chubby pencil.

Excellent! Thanks!

Target beauty box: 5 products for $5 + free shipping

Disclosure: This post does not contain affiliate links.
Target has had free beauty bags in the past. This time it's $5. But you get 5 things: 3 (biggish) samples and 2 full size products. You can see them all here. The L'Oreal butterfly mascara alone normally costs about $8, I think, so if you'd been thinking about buying it, this might be the way to go. I can always use more mascara, and I want to try out the Herbal Essences dry shampoo, so I'm in.

Has xoVain become Pinterest? (i.e. a cesspool of DIY bullshit that either won't work or will end badly)

Here's a good recipe for an eye infection. I mean, okay, do it once in an emergency, and then throw the fucking tube away. When the author gets called out in the comments, she claims that that is what she meant, but in the article itself, she says you can keep using the mascara for a few more weeks by doing this. MAKE UP YOUR MIND.

"Stamping" mascara as eyeliner (a trick for those of us with limited eyelid real estate)

The Beauty Department is a great resource for makeup tricks. They make everything look so fucking pretty, though I've had some mixed results trying out their techniques myself. I'd say they work most of the time, but every once in a while there's a fail. Like this two-toned lip tutorial - I couldn't find any combination that didn't just look like the 90s dark lip liner thing. Even when the liner wasn't really darker than the gloss. Maybe that's why there's no full face image? And even though I do layer my skin care products like this, this post is rife with misinformation (the comments point out many of the problems).

One of the treasures I've discovered, however, is this technique of "stamping" mascara at the base of the lashes to basically do the job of eyeliner. I really don't have much eyelid to work with, so sometimes I have to choose between eyeliner and eyeshadow. With this trick, I can get the thickness and darkness of an eyeliner without taking up any extra space on my lid. Since it works so well, I thought I'd share my results.

Before and after stamping at the base of the eyelash roots with mascara.

It's not dramatic, but it definitely does make a difference. Another way to do this is to dot in between the lashes with eyeliner, but this is much faster and easier. All the instructions are at the link above, but you're not actually applying any product to your eyelid. You're just making the base of your lashes darker. You might end up with a little mascara transferring to the lower rim of your eye immediately after you do it, but that's pretty easy to just wipe away.

Here I used CoverGirl LashBlast Volume in Black-Brown for the first two coats and then Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara (reviewed here) to stamp at the base. There's no real reason why you couldn't use the same mascara for both steps. I just like the separation I get from the CG one and the thickness of the Jordana one. And then I'm left my whole eyelid (what little there is) to play with eyeshadows.