Marketing

Worth it? LAB2 Angled Brow and Eyeliner Brush

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Wal-Mart is opening locations still (how are there so many…) and the newest one in my area features an expanded beauty section that includes brands like e.l.f. and Real Techniques. One day, I went to check out their Real Techniques selection and noticed a brand I wasn’t familiar with…LAB2? Who is this? At a glance, they seemed to have pretty clean, surprisingly professional-looking packaging and are priced in a very wallet-friendly drugstore price-point.. I snapped a picture to remind myself to look into them.

LAB2 Angled Brow and Eyeliner Brush - LAB2 Display

LAB2, which is actually written out, “L.A.B.²,” and pronounced, “LAB-squared,” stands for Live and Breathe Beauty.

Later, I went to look them up, never having seen them – I couldn’t locate a website, but I did find this entry on Justia Trademarks for the brand name, indicating that the rights are held by Pacific World Corporation – who also owns Sensationail, as it turns out, as well as some other drugstore beauty tool brands. Searching, “LAB Brushes,” or, “Live and Breathe Beauty Brushes,” or, “Live and Breathe Beauty,” at the time brought up nothing.

Although I didn’t come up with much about the brand, I DID find a YouTube Channel for LAB2, which features a few brief demo/tutorial videos and an intro to the brand. They don’t seem to have much else in the way of branding or social media presence, however.

Because I’m still on the hunt of The One Angled Liner Brush to Rule Them All, I picked up the LAB2 Angled Brow and Eyeliner Brush. Checking it out without opening the packaging, the synthetic bristles of the brush appeared to be cut with a greater level of precision than, say the e.l.f. angled liner brush. I figured that a $6 brush wouldn’t result in overwhelming disappointment if it didn’t work out.

UPDATE 2/26/2015: The proper name of this brush is the Get In Shape Brow & Eyeliner Brush!

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bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream

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I feel like it has been a while since we’ve had an absurdly long product name.

Mineral-peddling beauty brand bareMinerals is has released a new face product for its loyal fans who want simple-to-use products to improve their complexion without a bunch of fuss. A mouthful, the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream claims to combine the best of tinted moisturizers, BB, and CC creams.

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel CreambareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream

Whoop – hold on. Really, there’s nothing that makes a CC cream especially different from a BB cream; it’s just marketing. CC usually stands for, “Color Correcting,” but it is still just a BB cream – maybe it has a bit of green to help neutralize some red, or a bit of lavender to neutralize sallowness. That doesn’t make it a different product class! So, we’ll nix that and say it claims to combine the best of tinted moisturizers and BB creams.

The bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream is an SPF 30 tinted moisturizer with a surprising first ingredient (as far as bareMinerals products are concerned, at least): Water. After that, there’s a boatload of non-mineral content – humectants, emollients, ingredients that help slow or prevent oxidation (something common with bareMinerals products). It doesn’t seem to have a super-star cast of ingredients, but it also doesn’t feature anything off the wall. It is both silicone and oil free, which is a plus if you like to avoid those things.

But it also contains mineral electrolytes that will energize your skin when you use the product. Holy shit. Really? Reading the product description makes me want to go watch Idiocracy. Even if the product contained electrolyte content, 1) it is small and 2) the skin on your face would absorb a hilariously small amount and 3) please excuse me while I beat my face off my desk at how ridiculously foolish this marketing attempt was.

Anwyay, being a tinted moisturizer, bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream offers a sheer finish which will likely be well-received by the masses of bareMinerals faithful. I, however, am a little skeptical that it is much more than a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen. Is a tinted moisturizer with SPF really worth nearly thirty dollars? I personally don’t think so (and even if I did think so, the electrolyte-marketing was really off-putting). My Ponds Luminous Finish BB+ is a third of that and isn’t relying on a lengthy, gimmicky name or marketing claims, (Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream!).

Just call the product what it is! If it’s a good product, you shouldn’t need to build a mountain of nonsense marketing buzzwords around it.

bareMinerals is selling a new complexion brush to accompany the release of the Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream, the Smoothing Face Brush.

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream - Smoothing Face Brush

This duo-fibre brush has a domed head and looks as though it should blend and buff face products (tinted moisturizers, foundations, y’know). I liked the idea of the brush that was released with their serum foundation, but never got to check it out – I heard mixed reviews; some weren’t impressed, others loved it…if not for the efficacy, for the novelty. This brush, however, seems pretty straightforward and should do well with all types of facial base products. Personally, I wouldn’t buy it, preferring instead to spend my money on Sigma.

You can buy both products for $29 each at Sephora, Ulta, and bareMinerals directly, if you’re so inclined.

MAC Marketing is Weird, Sometimes

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Question:

If you saw the following photo in a retailer’s catalog or on their site without context, what would you imagine they were selling you?

MAC Marketing is Weird

Tartan plaid, maybe? Shirtless, kilt-and-boot-wearing long-haired men? Going barefoot in a dress with a portrait neckline?

I really wasn’t sure to think. After I looked at it for a few minutes, I decided that sometimes images used to sell fragrance are weird like this sometimes. Let’s set up a weird photoshoot with a couple mdels, dress them weird/fancy/whatever, instruct the models to put on a smoldering gaze and toss their hair around carelessly. Somehow, that is supposed to translate into, “This is the imagery this scent inspires!” Tartan Mystique, let’s call it.

Maybe it’s just trying to say, “This scent is so awesome that this is what you’ll feel like while wearing it. Off with you! Get your dress, your tartan, your random rocks and a watercolor backdrop!”

Weird.

As it turns out, however, this is not trying to sell you fragrance.

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Clarisonic Mia 2: A Year of Use

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clarisonic

Clarisonic Mia 2: A Year of Use

A post on a Thursday? This must be special, right?. I alluded in my Weekend Trip Skincare and October Favorites posts, I own a Clarisonic Mia 2. At long last, I am so damn pleased to share this with you. I have used my Clarisonic Mia 2 to cleanse my skin daily for over a year just so I could get out of the device’s, “OMIGAW I LOVE THIS THING!!!” It was very important to me to deliver an assessment that isn’t penned with rose-colored lenses in the way; I feel that happens all too often when we make investment or luxury purchases.

You can check out my extensive assessment: Clarisonic Mia 2: A Year of Use skincare device here. (Originally shared as a guest post on a now-defunct blog that went down for shady reasons; I removed the references to it as the content was my own.)

I address:

  • the product’s performance in comparison with its claims (as always)
  • its pros and cons
  • brush and battery-charge lifespan
  • whether or not I think it is a good value
  • and if I would repurchase the Clarisonic Mia 2, if I had to do it over again

…among other things.

Christian Louboutin Nail Polish

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As you may imagine, as a beauty blogger I spend a lot of time on various beauty sites to check out what it new. On one of my recent trips down the makeup-on-the-internet rabbit hole, I came across this:

Louboutin Nail Polish – Rouge

This is nail polish. The bottle looks kind of neat (in fact, the cap reminds me of Julep’s Plie wand [that I have not tried]).

Christian Louboutin Nail Polish

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Worth It? Sephora Swarovski Pro Airbrush 55

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Indulgent. Exquisite. Envy-Inducing. We’re presenting our most coveted gift sets of the season. No one deserves them more than you.

was how a recent email I received from Sephora started out. Eyebrow already cocked.

This brush (via the Wayback Machine), the limited edition Sephora Swarovski Pro Airbrush 55, was referenced said email. “Oh, a sparkly brush. That’s fun,” I thought. I didn’t see the price in the email.


 Sephora Swarovski Pro Airbrush 55Sephora Swarovski Pro Airbrush 55

Later on, while browsing Sephora’s site, I came across it again.

The Sephora Swarovski Pro Airbrush 55 costs $275. One brush. Nothing special other than the fact that it is decked out in rhinestones. I could revamp my entire brush collection in Sigma and have money left over.

This is not even a specialty brush. Just a basic brush. The regular version (which has outstanding reviews!) costs only $34. See:

Classic/Regular version of the Sephora Pro Airbrush 55 as compared to Sephora Swarovski Pro Airbrush 55

On top of being ludicrously expensive, the, “luxurious,” Sephora Swarovski Pro Airbrush 55 is also wildly impractical – if you ever try to use it, good luck not getting makeup caked onto it. It will become a breeding ground for bacteria, the sparkle that you ostensibly purchased it for will dull. Cleaning in between the stones will be hellish at best. Even routine cleaning would be nerve-wracking – what if the adhesive holding the Swarovski crystals on weakens due to exposure to moisture?

For the love of cats, no, this Sephora Swarovski Pro Airbrush 55 brush is not worth it. Brushes are tools not decor; and while I can certainly appreciate an aesthetically pleasing brush, I don’t want or need my brush handles to resemble a cheap-quality, vastly-overpriced mall-kiosk cell phone case that a 12 year old would slap on her phone.

I’m all about investing in quality tools. I do believe that the right tool can make or break your experience (and not just with makeup, with anything. Ever needed to unscrew something but couldn’t find a screwdriver and had to use something like a butter knife? IT SUCKS) but there is also a point where it doesn’t make sense. Sephora’s Swarovski Pro Airbrush 55 crossed that point well over $200 ago.

Fortunately, the very few reviews this brush has point out that this is not a great buy. If you want to give someone a cosmetic-related gift, try something else (like a holiday palette or some Sigma brushes). At least it was good for a laugh!

I really enjoy Sephora and they come out with a lot of neat stuff, but unfortunately some things are just misses. What other hilariously-priced (and not possibly worth it) tools have you come across?