A New BzzCampaign Review - L'Oreal Double Extend Mascara

So, as most everyone knows, I'm a makeup junky. Anything that adds color, volume to my eyelashes, or "allure" to my face is something that I'm all about! So, when I got the offer to join a product review campaign for a new mascara product, it took less than 2 minutes for me to sign on as a participant!


L'Oreal has a new product, called Lash Boosting Technology. It's a two part effort - in the day time you use a base booster and mascara combo to make lashes look thicker and longer. And, at night, you use a lash boosting serum to help create thicker, fuller lashes. The claim: In as little as 4 weeks, you should begin to see thicker, fuller, stronger lashes, with less lash fall out when you remove your makeup - assuming you use the mascara and booster combo by day and the serum by night.

Well, I couldn't resist. I'm a fan of mascara, and am absolutely amped about the possibility of getting thicker & fuller lashes. I even plan to try eyelash extensions at some point, probably from Wink Eyelash here in the city. I just got the package which included a simple instruction guide along with the two part mascara (mascara and concentrated serum booster) and the nightly lash serum. So, here goes with the Day 1 review.

Pre Eyelash Pics:
As you can see, I have decent length and thickness already to my lashes - and yes, they naturally curl. :)





Ease of use:
I must say, it's pretty fool proof and quick enough to use. First you use the booster in the gold end of the mascara stick and coat the lashes. Simple enough! Then follow up with the actual mascara.





Results:
So far, I'm not a fan. Yes, my lashes look darker and longer, but they also feel plastic-y (eek!). In the past, I've been using Fiberwig - which I love. It really does make lashes look thicker and longer - yet keeps them feeling soft. Right now, I have hard lashes, and the mascara is so thick that it looks like a PSA for not using too much mascara. And, I have to add that I'm not a novice to makeup - I know how to apply mascara correctly. The mascara looked sooooo goopy I had to use my eyelash comb, which I practically never use, to attempt to separate my lashes.





I'm not counting L'Oreal's product out yet - as I still need to use the nightly serum and I still have a month to go of using this product. But so far, it's not looking to great. :-/

Extra important info: This product is hypo-allergenic and has been opthamologist tested as safe for people wearing contacts, etc - super important since I spent money to get Lasik this past Spring.

More reviews to come... :)

Today is a multi-post day!

Yuck, it's gross out! But I have great news. :)

Today was my 1 week post LASIK eye exam and apparently everything is going just fine. Since Thursday I had been using the series of drops four times a day as instructed. Apparently, my corneas are healing so nicely that I no longer need to use the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drops anymore.

From here on out, I only have to use the regular eye drops that are meant to keep my eyes from getting dry. Yay! And, as of Friday, I can start wearing make up again...which will be awesome since I love wearing make up. :)

Overall, my vision is pretty great. I get a few halos at night, but nothing horrible. My very far away vision is still a little blurry...but all in all...I am very satisfied...the money was well spent. :-D

Neutrogena's New Make Up Line

Okay,

So as many of you guys know, I'm a BzzzAgent (www.BzzAgent.com) and my latest assignment was to review a new mineral cosmetics line from Neutrogena. Sadly, I'm kind of doing this under the wire...but I won't tell if you don't!

Anywho...I was given a make up kit to test! Super easy since I'm a make up junky. You can usually find me at Sephora at least once a week. But don't think that I'm kind of make up snob! I'm not...I still have yet to find anything that beats my Wet 'N Wild Liquid Megaliner in black...smooth & precise every time!

The Kit:

This was a four piece kit with the following items:

-Concealer in # 15 w/SPF 20 and loose powder in the bottom

-Nourishing Eye Quad "Tea Biscuit 120/Neutrals w/SPF 15

-Nourishing Eye Liner in Brown Sugar with a smudger on the bottom and a pencil sharpener inside.

-Healthy Volumizing Mascara in Charcoal



So, I gave it a whirl tonight and decided to apply it:

Okay...so the make up had potential but I must say, this set without some additional extras from other make up is a no go if you are of a darker skin tone (such as I am!). After taking the time to apply it, I felt as if I hadn't put any make up on at all. :(

The concealer can appear really light and for a novice (I'm not a novice, I used to work in Sephora and I live for make up), if you apply too heavy, darker skinned users will find that it's super reflective. I only applied a bit under my eyes. It does conceal quite well though. Typically I can have what appears to be bags under my eyes but you can't see any bags which is fab!

Next up was the eye shadow quad. Overall it was farely simple to use (a plus!) and the helpful labeling on the cover and illustrations on the back makes it easy for make up-phobes to create a simple smokey eye without trying to guess what colors go where. But honestly, for my skin tone the colors didn't even do a good neutral look...as you can see from the pics...


Kind of felt like I had raccoon eyes. Granted this is because I didn't mix in any of my other make up stash...until....

I tried to use the Brown Sugar eye liner that I got in the kit but I just couldn't. It matched my skin tone exactly - meaning that you couldn't see it at all. I traded it in for some Almay black mechanical pencil eye liner that I had.

Next up was the volumizing mascara...possibly if I wasn't already a fan of Fiberwig, I would have found this impressive. It did plump somewhat...but if you're familiar with Fiberwig and its abilities...this isn't really competitive.

And finally I cheated and used an illuminizer/bronzer combo that I bought from Sephora...because using just the Neutrogena (even with the Almay black eye liner) made me feel washed out. :(

The final verdict - The Eyeshadow Quad and the Volumizing Mascara are the best bets out of this line (specifically for the neutral palette). If you're not afraid of make up - the Quad is good for any skin tone, but you'll need to work it to make it pop. The Volumizing Mascara provides some decent results...but you won't get dramatic results unless you apply falsies before putting on the Mascara.

The Brown Sugar Eye Liner and the Concealer are too light for darker tones - I recommend them for olive tones or lighter...I think it would have a better effect.