RSSGreat Budge-proof Mascara by Estee Lauder
May 9, 2009
I’ll begin by getting the poor review out of the way because I did try it.
Product Review : Revlon 3D Extreme Mascara
Dry and sticky is the first impression. The stickiness makes it easy to push the lashes upwards and they stay there, like they’ve been hairsprayed. You can really work that aspect with more coats. It is very controllable.
The brush is tiny. I prefer that to gigantic for ease of handling but this one is also rather flat, like a little wee spatula. Actually, the bristles are short and unless you clean off all the extra product, not much of the bristle sticks out. Still, it works better than I expected it to. I had to press the product off on the sides of the tube to get the picture.
You expect clumps to form but they don’t. The lashes don’t separate so well either. In fact, they stick together fast! It’s like those hair products that dry and stiffen within 4 seconds from some very volatile chemical or other so you have no time to work with the hair before the product sets (that would be Redken Rough Paste).
It wears moderately well but I still had a few smudges if I put too much on the bottom lashes.
Wash? Terrible. Black smears, with or without makeup remover. Just as bad the next morning. I didn’t do so well with this product.
Never support animal cruelty
I’d love to try Elizabeth Arden’s Ceramide Lash Extending Treatment Mascara because it’s said to leave lashes feeling soft but there’s no freakin’ way. There is too much animal suffering as it is. What kind of pathetic excuses for human beings are we when we support animal testing in an industry where it is not only unnecessary, but also in the minority.
From Vogue Australia Forums, a very comprehensive list of cosmetic companies with info about who tests and who doesn’t. For A to H, for I to Q, and for P to Z. Bookmark those pages, they’re hard to find again.
It was back to Clinique High Impact. It might not be perfection but it’s pretty darn good. I should know better by now than to vex the gods by veering away from it. I want to believe that great cruelty-free mascara can be bought at the drugstore but I can’t find it.
I decide to take my chance with the gods yet again.
Product Review : Estee Lauder Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara
I don’t try $25 mascara without a good reason. I read about this one in the Best Beauty Products Of 2008 Report from Paula Begoun and her group. I was attracted by the ease of removal comment.
Mascara is one of the few products where I don’t rely on MUA (Makeup Alley). I have the filters set to show reviews from worst to best and it’s the same for every single mascara. Even the repurchase rate hovers around 60% for every product.
Here are the reasons I love this one:
1. It doesn’t smudge. Doesn’t move, fade, or change over the day. I like to add moisturizer to soften the lines under my eyes during the day and now I can, without black smudges. It really is zero-smudge. I moisturize to my heart’s content and there are NO smears.
2. Doesn’t clump, easy to work with, separate , and add. The job gets done fast.
3. It DOES come off with water. Easily!! Even High Impact didn’t do that!! I don’t even use a separate eye makeup remover. Hallelujah for that alone!!! There may be the odd black fleck the next morning but it removes easily, unlike the tarry smears that take some work. You just splash water on your eyes and rub gently and the stuff comes right off. You might need an eye makeup remover for your shadow or liner but not your mascara. Big selling point here.
4. The brush is grand. It’s long and skinny and straight. The product doesn’t goop all over it. The corner lashes can be coated without smearing it on the skin. The maneuverability of this brush is terrific, maybe because it goes back to the brushes we all learned with 30 years ago. The big bottle-brush style and the curved designs, never could get used to them.
5. Lashes are not too stiff or crunchy. I really don’t like that at all.
6. I’m wearing mascara on my lower lashes again. I like to wear a little more makeup on the center of my eye because a rounder eye looks a little younger and it draws attention away from the outer corner where not-so-good things are happening. I can use all I like, wherever I like. It will not move.
Clinique High Impact, does apply better. Thicker, smoother, creamier, softer. But it will leave little smears under your eyes.
This formula seems a little stickier, a little drier, than what you may be accustomed to but it gets the job done fine. They sell it as an extraordinarily lengthening mascara. In that respect, it’s fine but not astounding. Estee Lauder also claims that “the lash you see in the morning is the lash you keep all day”. That is true.
Who in the world can look at our lashes and know what mascara we used? Nobody. You never really notice other women’s eyelashes unless they’re at an extreme of underdone, overdone, or oversmeared. Mascara is all about application and removal.
Clinique Lash Power gets similar reviews for ease of removal and it will be a little cheaper, so it’s next up.
Note that this is not for you if you’re after major volume or length. It gives real-looking lashes and that’s all I really want in this world - makeup that looks real.
-->6 reasons why I’m really loving this mascara. Length is not one of them.
Perfect? No. If there were perfect, we’d all be using it. Universal formulas don’t exist.
In several important ways, it is very impressive.
Mall To Mall Travels in America
January 14, 2009
We’ve returned from the road trip from Ontario to PEI. Bill says we should just put a fifth wheel on the roof of the minivan and drag a semi trailer. Throw on a CB antenna, and we can converse with the big rigs. If the monster purple suitcase flies off the roof and hits a truck, it will knock it off the road. Then the big rigs will be mad at us.
We crossed into the US at Buffalo, stayed a night in Albany, NY, a night in Portland , ME, and a night in Freeport, ME , getting to Charlottetown on the 4th day. It sure was a better drive than Northern Quebec. If it storms, I’ll take Albany over Riviere-du-Loup anyday.
The whole family together for 4 days in a little van. Dunkin Donuts, chips, fries, what’s next ? My hair flipped up and I’m headed to NASCAR. I found it interesting how overheated my body felt for that 3 weeks of eating so much or so badly, like my personal global warming bioassay. Do you suppose pollution makes our individual furnaces run hotter, just like the planet’s? Eating that way also creates a disturbing amount of garbage.
If there’s a recession, someone should tell the Americans. Malls were as full as ever. The lineup at the checkouts was long. Can a recession can be prevented just by the collective power of millions of people not believing in it? Or is the reality just beginning to settle in? Maybe all those people were not buying, or maybe they won’t be buying now. I think we’re a little insulated from the situation in Canada.
We’re walking through L.L. Bean. Bill saw an item of clothing he liked but refused to buy because it was made in China. He had noticed the same thing about the Lexus cars parked in the center isle of a mall the day before. The sticker in the window said “% Canadian or American content, zero”.
He noticed where an item was made within 15 seconds. Put me in front of those cars or clothes for a full minute and I bet I couldn’t tell you where they were manufactured. That information doesn’t jump out at me.
I see that Canada and the US can trade “fairly” because a dollar is worth a dollar and the wages and standard of living are the same.
I can understand that there can be no such thing as fair trade with a country like Mexico or China where people work for $5 a day while we work for $15 an hour. Companies are sending all the manufacturing there but they want all the consumption to stay here. It can’t happen. If we don’t buy our own stuff, nobody here will have money to spend on anything, regardless of where it’s made.
But the spirit of America is stronger than ever. We want to make the right purchasing choice. It just needs to be more obvious. Put a big US flag or a picture of Obama right on the front of American-made items and I bet more people would add that consideration to decide their action.
If I had $20 left at the end of the week and Made in the USA or Made in Canada or Made in China was more obvious, I’d be swayed by that. I may not always like or choose what America makes but it would pressure North America to make what its citizens want.
Have you watched Mr. Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth? No person over the age of 10 should miss it. It will change your life. Hopefully, it will change all of our lives. In it, he explains that emission standards for cars made in the US are so low that they could not be driven in China. If that is still true, then US automakers don’t deserve to have their vehicles bought. The technology is in place. This is a political low point. Consumers do, and should, use more information than where something is made when they decide what to buy because some issues are bigger than all of us.
For many products, this just needs to be easier. Every consumer demographic should be able, within 15 seconds, to say where a product is made to factor it into a buy decision. It would be easy to say that consumers should be more conscious of the issue and actively find the information like Bill does. I don’t think that’s realistic. I’ll be too distracted by all the other things I’m noticing. We want to do well but we’re lazy. I’m lazy.
Imagine if Sephora had all the animal-tested stuff on one wall and the cruelty-free products on the opposite wall, clearly marked. I bet the tested products would be gone in a year. We’re strongly driven to spend our last $20 on what we want but we have enough conscience to support the right side more often than we do if we don’t have to go out of our way too much.
It will be interesting to see how retail does in the next 4 months. Mobil is putting its gas grades R to L, unlike the conventional L for cheapest and R for costliest. Someone not paying attention will select the most expensive. Maybe they’ve always done that, but now, we’re noticing and resenting. Diesel costs more and it’s a by-product of gas. Gas in Canada costs much more than in the US. … and the gas companies are not screwing us?
Some will go under. Some will try to sting us a little deeper.
Thanks to Sandra for the link to Sundance Catalog. There are some beautiful things here, “Cleverly Cute Shoes” , “Ultra Cool Boots”, items for the home, jewelry (Circle Of Friends earrings, be still my heart!), and clothing. The Outlet, always my second stop at a new website (after About Us), is there. The prices are entirely competitive. From the About Us page, everything appears to have been crafted by artists across the US.
-->Every consumer demographic should be able, within 15 seconds, to say where a product is made to factor it into a buy decision. It would be easy to say that consumers should be more conscious of the issue and actively find the information. I don’t think that’s realistic. I’ll be too distracted by all the other things I’m noticing. We want to do well but we’re lazy. I’m lazy.
Read moreEllen as Cover Girl Spokesperson
January 11, 2009
I bet CG will sell a ton of whatever makeup Ellen is promoting because they picked a real person and didn’t Photoshop away all her wrinkles. The brand will be noticed for celebrating diversity in women, just as they were with Queen Latifah. The consumer appeal will be that these are real women, not plastic girls, and they’ve teamed up with Olay to put an anti-aging spin on it.
She’s 50 years old. She’s worth $65million.
This is the link to the CG ad, not reproduced here to protect copyright. There, you’ll find the videos for the photo shoot. I wonder if I could afford those pants and shoes.
Why is she always in black or black&white? Is it her choice, do you think? Neither one do anything to light up her natural beauty. Her incredible eyes don’t shine through and her skin looks tired. Why frosted pink lips? Surely, the makeup artists could have come up with something more interesting.
Real women needed
The fashion and cosmetics industries desperately need to find women of the Over 40 group to inspire real clothes and makeup. Look at how Michelle Obama dresses. She doesn’t spend a ridiculous (a disgraceful) fortune on what she wears.
You can’t tell me that a woman whose ensembles cost $50,000 and up has the slightest idea about the life of the everyday family. Maybe Mrs. Obama doesn’t either but at least she looks great, she has a unique style, her shoes make sense, and she doesn’t buy into what any designer tries to put us all in. She could look at pictures of herself in 10 or 20 years and not cringe. These women really do represent how we look and how we want to look.
Why do women decide that designers somehow have flawless vision? What makes their taste so sacrosanct?
Look around and suddenly you see women in this,
Stiletto at Amazon, linked to source if you wish to buy.
or this,
Pants from Amazon. Click image to find source.
In need of real muses
We look dumb dumb dumb. Weak. Suckers. The marketing department cranks up its imagination and they rake in cash. The media machine doesn’t address the needs of regular women over 40 because it doesn’t know how. It still thinks we all have the body and budget of Diane Keaton. It is dawning on them that we have interests beyond those of Goldie Hawn but they’re not sure what they are.
Ellen’s style of dress may be masculine but at least it’s real. There’s nothing she wears that I wouldn’t like to own (in the right colors, in case I haven’t said it often enough). She doesn’t wobble when she walks. She could even dance to faster music, like You Can’t Stop The Beat from Hairspray, or Avril Lavigne’s I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend, which I think would be a good departure from the present tempo, and she wouldn’t risk falling over and needing help to get up.
I hope they’ll paint Ellen as a real woman. They’re almost forced to because she’d look too goofy in sparkle and cartoon eyelashes. They couldn’t get away with it. I’m hoping to see what their makeup artists can do with neutral. Because her coloring is so incredibly soft, they can’t overpaint her. Even here, she looks interesting, if a little metallic.
Photo Michael Thompson. Ellen on W, February 2007.
She is funny. Like all people who have a certain exterior face, her private side is probably fairly serious, maybe even overly reflective. People who are always up and funny on the outside are often the opposite on the inside. Here, she is just plain funny, from YouTube.
One bone to pick
Now why is she selling for a company that animal tests? Why? It is so outdated. It also feels a little two-faced in light of her support of animal charities. Her tell-it-like-it-is honesty isn’t really her biggest selling point. Her funny sense of timing and dry, throwaway remarks are, like Bill Cosby. She’s incredibly likable but this feels deceitful.
Among the charities various celebs support, this page shows Ellen’s causes.
There are more Ellens in reality. There are no Julias. That’s the beauty of the woman. She’s all of us.
-->I bet CG will sell a ton of whatever makeup Ellen is promoting because they picked a real person and didn’t Photoshop away all her lines. The brand will be noticed for celebrating diversity in women, just as they were with Queen Latifah. The consumer appeal will be that these are real women, not plastic girls.
She’s 50 years old. She’s worth $65million.
Gift Ideas For The Real World 4
December 3, 2008
The last 10 suggestions:
1. A blender and a Smoothie recipe book. More Smoothies For Life:Satisfy, Energize, and Heal Your Body by Daniella Chace looks fabulous.
2. A Lighthouse print by Tony Diodati. These are prints of PEI, a place that really is as beautiful and relaxing as everything you’ve heard about it.
Tony’s paintings are interesting because they have unusual dimensions, often long and thin in one direction or another. I find them surprising and interesting in hallways or entryways where the effect is that of looking out a window. They are whimsical and peaceful over a buffet, with truly beautiful colors to decorate a room around.
I’m suggesting the lighthouses because I’m partial to them for their solid, quiet mood. They look cool and geometric as a mounted print, and since this time of year is expensive, these prints are a little smaller and less costly.
But DO look at some of the other paintings and prints. I love the pigs (at bottom of page) for a child’s room or bathroom. This scene of French Harbor, near Tony’s PEI studio is colorful and gorgeous. Since I’m truly happiest on a beach, here is my all-time favorite, Penderosa Dunes.
3. www.nhl.com outlet page. Say no more. My strategy is pretty clear now. Go to the good sites, skip all the New Arrivals, and head straight to sale/outlet/clearance.
This might also be a year with an excuse to delay your shopping. Anticipating a bad year, retailers seem like they’re going to pony up with some excellent sales before Christmas.
4. Diorshow mascara. We’ve all heard about it. Seems like those who love it absolutely OMG HOLY GRAIL LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Would we be one? Costs over $30 to find out.
BEFORE you buy, you must look at Beauty Addict’s Encyclopedia of Mascara. So maybe we should make it Lancome Fatale instead?
Wait a minute. This gift is not for everyone and that must include me. Christian Dior appears on too many lists of companies that test products on animals. L’Oreal, which owns Lancome, is not cruelty-free either. I don’t buy their claims about trying to phase it out. Others (Clarins, Clinique, Estee Lauder) have found alternatives and with all L’Oreal’s money, so can they.
There’s some controversy about Lancome, which appears on both Test and Do Not Test lists, but if there’s any doubt, I’ll buy from a company I trust. If you search “animal testing policy” on their site, you will get 0 hits. It’s time the onus were on the company to make their status clear on this issue. The consumer shouldn’t have to go all over the internet looking for this and wondering.
And the consumer doesn’t have to. If you’re buying for me, Estee Lauder Turbolash from Gift Ideas For The Real World 2 would be delightful.
5. Cool rainboots so I don’t have to walk the dog in my Canada Tire special gumboots
These red ones (Womens Zetta Tall, top R of page) at Target are cool and tall and nifty.
6. One very nice T shirt. I avoid clothes with logos as a rule. If they want me to advertise for them , they can pay me. But sometimes, the message, the fit, the color, and the price all come together. Like this one at Patagonia, from the Gifts Under $50 page.
I thought the O Web Belt was handsome too. Simple design, not fussed up, lets the outfit speak for itself, cool elegance.
7. The best boots are at The North Face. Expensive, but look at W Abby II in Moonlight Ivory/Tempest Brown. Fashiony boots are fine, but I’m too old to be frozen just to look good. I can be toasty and look superb all at once.
W Isabel II in Espresso Brown/Cigar Brown is also a doll of a boot.
8. More great slipper shoes. If I had money left after shopping at J. Crew, I’d spend the rest here. The clothes are terrific for active women. I’ve been told that Title Nine makes the best sports bras in existence. The origin of the company name is interesting and worthy. Any company that is against policy and pro-dessert deserves attention.
Look at these slipper/shoes.
This is a nice bag. It folds up to a messenger size or expands to backpack size. $34 on sale!
8. Skin Medica Retinol Complex.
Here’s a story : I was sent an email regarding Seattle dermatologist, Dr. Brandith Irwin’s book, The Surgery-Free Makeover. My favorite topic absolutely.
I looked around on the website, Skin Tour, for 30 minutes at least, almost a month in internet time. I was sitting up pretty straight.
When you look, take the Anti-Aging Tour. It is slick.
I went to Product Recommendations > Product Kits and Regimens, and found my skin type (Mature, Normal/Slight Oily). There are a number of products here that sound fantastic.
I followed up by looking for this product at Beautypedia. When Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron are using words like “ symphony”, I am REALLY paying attention.
Anyone thinking of buying this for me – you really shouldn’t. It is already whisking its way here. And, um, so is the next item. I found it in the same place.
9. Topix Replenix Cream with 90% Polyphenols. Not reviewed at Beautypedia, but I have faith.
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Gift suggestions 31-40 for those of us who cannot give $250 gifts and feel almost embarrassed to receive them.
Read moreWhy You Need A Foundation Brush
November 8, 2008
The foundation brush I have is by Estee Lauder and I don’t like it. The bristles clump together in a waxy blob instead of fanning out a little to move around the contours of the face. The brush doesn’t hold the product and distribute it evenly. It just sits on the end of the bristles and gets moved around on the skin. No amount of cleaning returns it to its original texture.
I do know this : foundation still looks ten times better when applied with this brush than any other way. No comparison. This is how you get foundation to diffuse over the skin. Any foundation, any texture works better. On aging skin where anything opaque and cakey looks terrible, a great foundation brush is essential.
Why?
1. You’ll use a quarter as much foundation. It’s just amazing how little product is really needed to blur away imperfections. The less product, the better the skin looks.
2. You can aim it where you want it very precisely. Larger pores on the nose? Push the bristles into the pores to smudge them away.
3. You have precise control over how much foundation is placed in any given spot. Have some lines at the corner of the eyes? Who doesn’t? Any product here highlights these lines but with the brush, it’s easy to get a very light layer around the corners of the eye and on the more lined skin of the eyelid.
4. You can blend foundation colors together better.
5. It’s more artistic. A lighter touch is just instinctive. You learn to look at your face as a canvas of parts and place the product only where skin color or texture is uneven.
6. It is never cakey in spots so you have to rub it to thin it out. You have complete control over how much goes on and it’s easy to build more where you need it.
7. Makeup lasts much better at the end of the day; 8 hrs later, makeup still doesn’t look tired
8. You can achieve a feathery touch over concealer so it doesn’t move around if you like applying it first. Remember the piece on BB Corrector (Why Does This Concealer Work So Well? )? I apply the Corrector first, with a lipstick brush actually, in a thin layer. I don’t even blend it. By the time I’ve applied foundation over it with the I-don’t-like-it-but-I’m-coping EL foundation brush, the Corrector underneath is buffed out but still in place.
9. It’s very easy to apply darker and lighter shades of foundation right on specific areas of the face and keep the color where you want it
10. The lightest dusting of powder is plenty. A face dried with powder is part of the Old Lady Face recipe. Powder is a very useful thing but Less Is So More. With a foundation that dries to a mat finish, you might only use powder along the sides of the nose, chin, and center of the forehead. Leave as much natural glowing skin coming through as possible.
You can buy real cheap brushes from Avon, mid-range ones from Clinique, big dollar brushes from Bobbi Brown, and many in between. Some are thin in cross-section, some are small, some fat and fluffy. Search Foundation Brushes at MUA. Since you won’t be buying one of these often, spending a little more is justifiable.
The best reviews come from women who have never used this item before. Everyone is surprised by what a difference any of these brushes make, regardless of the details of each brush. Even the bad ones do a better job than fingers or sponges.
I’d look at Bobbi Brown, Smashbox, Chanel, and Clinique. None uses animals in the testing of the final product. The one I ended up buying isn’t in this group. I’m still testing it but I’m thinking it will be a good one.
Not everyone needs foundation but many avoid it because of the idea that it looks like makeup. Well, it does look like makeup but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Foundation today can deliver perfectly gentle smoothing of uneven skin tone, like a photograph taken through a thin veil. A sheer foundation, a good brush, and a light touch can deposit a mist that looks like your skin but better.
-->The foundation brush I have is by Estee Lauder and I don’t like it. The bristles clump together in a waxy blob instead of fanning out a little to move around the contours of the face.
I do know this : foundation still looks ten times better when applied with this brush than any other way. No comparison. This is how you get foundation to diffuse over the skin. Any foundation, any texture works better.
Product Review : J/A/S/O/N Satin Shower Bodywash
September 13, 2008
Try this product. It is just fine.
Smells good. Feels good. No animals used in the process. Buy it at the grocery store.
One by one, I’m looking for good cruelty-free replacements for my products. This was recommended to me and right away, I could see why. I love it. I’ve used Lavender, Rosewater, and am now I’m on Citrus. Citrus smells how orange-lemon Sweetarts would taste (leap of imagination required).
The price is very comparable at $10 for 900ml, since most bodywash bottles sell for $5 for 400ml, give or take.
The pump works well and dispenses a controllable amount. A little goes a long way. It is not one bit irritating for my child whose skin easily becomes dry and itchy.
All round agreeable. I cannot think of a single negative detail about this bodywash.
Others have said this at epinions.com and this at smartplanet.com.
I was amazed that someone thought the Citrus smelled unpleasant. Luckily, there are 10 scents to choose from! You can find all of them here, at J/A/S/O/N/.
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Try this product. It is just fine.
Smells good. Feels good. No animals used in the process. Buy it at the grocery store.
Sunscreen Search 2008
June 16, 2008
Each year, I take a look at what’s on offer in the sunscreen world. Our family goes through 12-15 tubes in a summer, so I’m price-conscious. What I put on my face ( see the articles Clinique : A Gorgeous Lipstick, A Fabulous Sunscreen and 2 Estee Lauder Product Reviews : A Best-In-Class Sunscreen and a So-So Foundation ) and what my kids cover themselves with at the beach or the pool is not the same product. To show you how seriously I take sun protection, take a look at my new sunglasses.
Read moreSITES TO KNOW : LIVING CRUELTY FREE
May 12, 2008
Here is the blog of a woman named Emily. She is doing what so many of us would do in a perfect world. She has made the commitment to only buy from companies that truly do not employ animals at any stage of testing their product. The first anniversary of her endeavor to buy only CCIC-approved 100% cruelty-free products has just passed.
Read moreGet daily makeup and colour updates. Join the 12 Blueprints Fan Club on Facebook! A Click on the box will take you there.
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A Greener Tea
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