Product Testing

How I Learned to Love my Maybelline Color Tattoos

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To date, I have only owned two Maybelline Color Tattoo pots, both from the Metal collection. I own Barely Branded, a shimmery beige, and Inked in Pink, a cool, shimmery mauve-pink. I have barely touched them since the month I bought them, which was shortly after they were all the rage.

Maybelline Color Tattoo MetalMaybelline Color Tattoo

There is nothing wrong with either Maybelline Color Tattoo that I own, they just didn’t suit me and my application preferences. Cream shadows aren’t my thing. I just haven’t gotten the hang of them. Most of them suggest that you apply with a finger – which I don’t care for. I can’t get precision with a finger, and even with freshly-washed hands I would be needlessly adding bacteria to a cream product (I’m not a germophobe, but still!) Traditional shadows and pigments are my comfort-zone. I once tried some flat brushes to try to pack the color on but it never worked out quite the way I was hoping…so they sat in my drawer for months.

I threw my Inked in Pink Maybelline Color Tattoo in my bag no plan in mind other than thinking the color might be nice with the top I was wearing. I grudgingly applied a layer to my lid with my ringfinger, then added some of Für Elise from Kat von D’s Ladybird palette at the outer edges and blended in. It looked alright, I thought, but the edges were now way too matte sitting against the frosted, almost foiled pink.

I actually had another clean brush handy – one of three Real Techniques brushes I own, the Shading brush. RT’s shader brush is not as much of a shading brush as it is a flattened (but not flat) blender. Despite the quality and affordability of these brushes, I never feel like I use this one as much as I could/should. I had already cleaned my ringfinger off, so I said, “to hell with recommendations!” and picked some up with the brush. If you aren’t familiar with the consistency of a Maybelline Color Tattoo, let me bring you up to speed: though they are cream shadows, they are very firm; stiff, almost. I swiped my brush across the surface a couple times until I was satisfied, then patted the brush over Für Elise to give it a sheen.

Hey, that worked pretty well!

The brush was small enough, despite it’s almost fluffy texture, to allow me to precisely place the Maybelline Color Tattoo where I wanted it…so I decided to intensify the pink across the rest of my lid up to my inner corner. It worked superbly. Like shockingly well. I finally know how to use these in a way that actually suit my preferences! I will actually use them now!

If you’re wondering, at this point, why you should care – let me clarify: I learned something today. We all have products that we don’t feel work for us after a few tries. Don’t give up immediately (bad foundation matches/things that cause breakouts excepted) – give these products a chance; try to experiment with them! In a normal situation where I had my entire collection and brushes at hand, I probably never would have thought to grab that brush for a Maybelline Color Tattoo. Having only a few things at hand forced me to be creative with how I used the product and ultimately led me to find a better way (for me) to apply the product.

We can learn a lot by shopping our stash and thinking outside of the, “box,” that is recommended usage (be safe though!) – to think, I might have tossed both Maybelline Color Tattoo pots during my next de-stashing! I hope this helps you make the most of your makeup, and I hope you have an excellent weekend.

Sephora Eyeshadow in Space Odyssey

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When I was last in Sephora a while ago (springtime!), I picked up one of their shadow singles in No. 21, Space Odyssey. On clearance and never having tried a Sephora branded product before, I wasn’t expecting much. I haven’t been impressed by other, “house-brand,” shadows before, and even though I love Sephora, I was entirely expecting it to be just okay. (Spoilers: MY BAD.)

Sephora Eyeshadow in Space Odyssey - ClosedSephora eyeshadow in No. 21 Space Odyssey

I’ve had it for months now, and just picked it up to swatch it on Thursday night. For the love of CATS this shadow is pigmented. And awesome. And pigmented. And glittery. Take a look!

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Nexxus Therappe & Humectress

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Nexxus Therappe shampoo and Humectress conditionerNexxus Therappe and Humectress

I’ve been on the hunt for a new shampoo and conditioner since my Tigi Moisture Maniac stopped working out for me was discontinued and its successor sucked. I tried a Suave option out of curiosity and…nope. It is surprisingly difficult to shop for shampoo…first world problems, right?

Here’s my hair profile:

  • Loooong. Mid-back, even after having four inches lopped off.
  • Straight-ish. Sometimes wavy. I have no idea what the letter/number combinations mean or what I am in them, but I assume they’re really only relevant for curly-girls.
  • Not colored/dyed (though I did do a DIY Hair Gloss once).
  • Free of other chemical processing (no perms, relaxers, Brazilian Straightening witchcraft, etc).
  • Not frequently heat-styled. I blow dry approximately every two weeks at the moment. This increases to 1-2x per week when the weather gets cold because mid-back length damp hair + cold = a big ol’ glass of NOPE. I curl or straighten even less often. I always use a heat protectant when I use heat tools. You should, too. Your hair is worth it.
  • Not a ton of product usage. I have a serum I throw in when I blow-dry. I have one of the twelve thousand flavors of It’s a Ten! that I use every now and then. I use hairspray when I curl or straighten so my hair doesn’t get sassy, but nothing extreme. Basically, I’m trying to tell you I don’t personally contend with a ton of product build-up.

I like to use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner although my hair isn’t particularly dry. On a whim, I grabbed a little tube (5.1 oz) of Therappe shampoo and the coordinating Humectress conditioner from the Nexxus haircare line (mid-range line available at drugstores). At first, I was confused, I spent a couple minutes searching for a Therappe conditioner; not finding one, I looked at the back of the tube and found that Humectress is the accompanying conditioner.

I popped the cap open of both Nexxus products just to see how they smelled. Although performance is far more important than scent when it comes to such a product, but we also don’t want a shampoo whose scent we can’t stand if the scent lingers, you know? Nexxus Therappe, according to the Nexxus website, is formulated with rosemary, chamomile, and nettle – but smells (to me!) like coconut…and was sold. The Humectress conditioner from Nexxus smelled nice too, but not nearly as nice as the shampoo.

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Worth it? Mally Volumizing Mascara

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Mally Volumizing Mascara
Mally Volumizing Mascara

On any given day, if I could only wear one type of cosmetic, it would be mascara.  A while back, I had gotten one of the gift bag things with an Ulta purchase that was full of all sorts of goodies. One such item was a full-sized Mally Volumizing Mascara. I hadn’t used any Mally products before (though I am interested in trying the Poreless Face Defender), so I went into this as a clean slate – no preexisting opinions or notions.

Here’s what Ulta’s site says about the Mally Volumizing Mascara I received:

This Volumizing Mascara has a unique formula that helps create the look of gorgeous, full, luxurious lashes. The combination of natural waxes and carefully chosen powders gives lashes an instant boost. The plush brush works with the powders in the formula to help thicken lashes without clumping, giving you gorgeous volume that lasts and lasts. Apply 2 coats to the top lashes and 1 to the bottom to get instant volume that lasts.

Okay, cool! I know Benefit Gimme Brow has fibers in it for a similar effect for your brows. That should work great.

Pristine, first-use mascara wands are a beautiful thing, right? I was excited to open it, but found that it didn’t have that pristine quality newly-opened tubes have. It had surely not been opened, but the formula looked very wet and clung to the wand. The bristles are the more traditional plush variety, which I find slightly more difficult to work with (less precise) than the shorter synthetic ones.

My first application was just okay. Initial consistency can be weird on plenty of products. I like to give mascara a few weeks before calling in a verdict, as you’ll find it sometimes differs between its initial use and several uses in. I often find I like my favorite ones best after about the 4th use.

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Worth it? Benefit they’re Real Push-Up Liner

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The internet went a-buzz when Benefit Cosmetics started leaking information about their they’re Real Push-Up Liner. They did a couple advanced sales between their site, Sephora, and Ulta and then everything was kept mum until its official release on June 27.

I am already a gel liner user – I find using an angled-bristle brush with gel gives me the most control and best results. I also like gel because it is pretty smudge-proof and long lasting. As I’m sure you can imagine, I was intrigued when I heard about Benefit’s they’re Real Push-Up liner. For $24, however, I decided that I would pass for the time being; although I like to try new things, I was already happy with my liner and didn’t want to drop that kind of money on a single eyeliner.

I actually made a Sephora order for other things on June 27 and to my delight found that one of the samples they were offering (via promo code) was a Benefit they’re Real Push-Up Liner deluxe mini. Of course I got it, we need to try it for science after all, especially considering all these top bloggers/vloggers got it early and are losing their minds over it. It is really innovative and clever, but it is that good?

Always a skeptic.

Because it arrived when it did, I didn’t have much time to fuss with it. I took a few photos of the product itself, but didn’t bother trying to apply it. I did poke at the silicone tip to get an idea for just how flexible it is – too much flexibility could cause me to make a ridiculous mess on my lids, so I wanted to know what to expect. On Wednesday I played with it, and Thursday I actually used it for the day!

I found that you have to turn-click the product’s base several times before product comes to the tip. It is important to do this slowly, especially for your first use. You don’t want too much product on the silicone, “AccuFlex,” tip, or else you’ll end up making a mess when you apply (unless you wipe if off first, but that’s wasteful – and I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to waste any of a $24 product). So I clicked it up until it was about flush with the silicone AccuFlex tip – it protruded ever-so-slightly, but I think even a millimeter would be too generous an estimate of how far. You may not get as lucky with your and may have to tap or wipe yours even.

Here’s how it looked when I applied:

Benefit they're Real Push-Up Liner - 7AM

Yes, I realize my head is tilted, sorry. You can at least see the left wing well!

I had the best luck with this, which seems to be what Benefit recommends for they’re Real Push-Up Liner – and it is about the same method I use for regular lining:

  1. Twist product up (we’ve covered this).
  2. Press the tip along your lash-line three times, stamping the product at the beginning, middle, and end of your line.
  3. Connect the stamps.
  4. (Optional) Create a wing by placing the shorter side of the AccuFlex tip closest to your lower lashline and angle the longer edge outward as if you are ‘continuing’ or following the (imaginary) line of your lower lashline. Stamp again and pull inward to the outer corner of your eye.
  5. (Optional, required if you do step four so you don’t look foolish), connect the upper, outer part of the wing with the rest of your liner by sweeping the AccuFlex tip over towards it.

Stamping is super easy with they’re Real Push-Up Liner, and just like with gel and a brush, it is way easier to connect a series of three shorter points than it is to completely free-hand it. There’s less room for error, this way; these innovative silicone tip and these instructions really make this aspect of application of this matte gel liner very user friendly.

Here are a photo of the liner, eye nearly closed:

Benefit they're Real Push-Up Liner - 7AM, another angle

 

That’s about where the good things about this product end, unfortunately.

Application is not like butter. I found the formula of the gel to be rather dry and to skip and tug a bit, so I would have to pull it away and twist-click more product up, risking blobs near my lash-line. This might not be an issue if you like a thicker line, but for day-to-day, that isn’t for me. I am not a raccoon, after all. It took some work and going back over it several times to even out sparse areas as a result of the skipping – I figured this was preferable to risking smeared blobs, as I had heard it dries quickly. I found that much was true, and it actually made it a little difficult to even out the line.

Once I was satisfied with how it looked (finished at 7 AM, wings and all, I set about my day. I work in a reasonably low-humidity office and do not rub my eyes throughout the day (thanks glasses!). Around 11:30 AM, however, I noticed a black speck on my glasses.

What?

Part of my left eye’s wing had flaked and literally just fell off. What?! Especially since there’s all this hype about how it’s soooo good, so long lasting, not flaky, amazing, perfect, etc. I was right to be skeptical – I’ve never had eyeliner just decide to spontaneously disconnect itself from my eye. Here’s a picture, because it definitely happened. Oh hey, random gap:

Benefit they're Real Push-Up Liner flaked4.5 hours into wearing Benefit they’re Real Push-Up Liner a noticeable section flaked off

At this point, I was not impressed and frankly, kind of annoyed. I touched it up right away, and went back to this:

Benefit they're Real Push-Up Liner post-flake touch up

Another big thing about this product is that purportedly, its staying power is so dang good that you just have to buy their special cleanser to remove it easily. Your regular makeup remover simply won’t do it quickly and gently, they say! I didn’t definitely didn’t believe this, based on the flaking I experienced. That night, I went to remove my makeup and lo and behold – they’re Real Push-Up Liner came off even easier than my other gel liners with a Ponds wipe. I didn’t need to use three of them, I didn’t need to tug or scrub. Don’t waste your money on the cleanser.

Between the price, the skipping application, random flaking, and lack of longevity-as-promised, Benefit they’re Real Push-Up Liner is just not worth it – not in its current form, anyway. I love the innovative applicator; I think it is really cool to bring engineering into makeup to improve our experiences with products…but the formula of the liner itself is lackluster at best. My Maybelline Gel Liner kicks its arse, and I will continue faithfully using it instead. Hopefully Benefit will improve the formula of the gel that makes up they’re Real Push-Up Liner (research shows that I am not the only person with these complaints) because the applicator (AccuFlex Tip) is pretty neat…which is amusing, because my prediction was that I would love the formula, but find the silicone tip weird. If it cost about $10 less than it does, I might be a little more willing to work with it.

Tan Talk: Million Dollar Tan Review

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Million Dollar Tan Cabana Tan and Cabana Tan Extreme LotionsMillion Dollar Tan Cabana Tan & Cabana Tan Extreme

So I mentioned in last week’s favorites post that I have been using Million Dollar Tan sunless self-tanning products recently. I avoid tanning in the sun and do not tan in a bed any longer – I actually had no intention of getting any color this year, but by April I already didn’t match my fall/winter foundation quite right. My wedding was come up so I figured, “Oh hell, I’ll just self-tan since I already need different foundation anyway.”

I previously wrote about Jergens Natural Glow Self Tanners, but I wanted something that packed a little more punch that I didn’t have to apply every single day. The last couple months leading up to most weddings are pretty hectic (mine was no exception), and ain’t nobody got time for that. I’ve tried sample packets of the towelettes – I had one from Kate Somerville 360, but towelettes aren’t for me. Years ago I had tried a spray-on variety and wasn’t a fan either. I compiled a list of requirements and ventured forth to see what Google could share.

My requirements for a sunless tanner:

1. Please for the love of cats do not be perfumed/scented*
2. Wash off my hands easily, please.
3. Not a towelette.
4. Not a spray.
5. Not super thick or goopy.
6. Fast-drying.

Optional:

No green tint
No color guide
No shimmer/glitter/nonsense

Call me picky. It’s okay – I know I am when it comes to this. To touch on these – I’m not a fan of fragranced lotions to begin with; I definitely do not want a perfumed sunless tanner, as the fragrance will almost surely not be cute once the DHA starts reacting and the, “tanning smell,” starts*. I just plain don’t like the towelettes – they may be a good option for you if you are traveling a lot, but I’d still rather have lotion. Sprays can be messy – that isn’t to say they’re bad, just not for me. 5 & 6 coincide – I don’t want to sit there for a half hour waiting for my self-tanner to dry before I can get dressed or go to bed. As far as the optional stuff – some tanning products have a green tint or dye which helps counteract the orange that sometimes occurs. This isn’t a bad thing, but it coincides with the second optional point – I do not need instant gratifications. I do not want dyes or bronzers in my lotion; I can wait the 4-8 hours for the color to develop. Also, as I am not Ke$ha, please skip the shimmer/glitter. If I want something like that, I’ll get a Soap & Glory Body Butter.

* Now, really quick, let’s talk about that asterisk next to the scent remark. I want a lotion that does not have ADDED FRAGRANCE or perfume because I am very picky about scents. I am not asking for a miracle-lotion that does not produce a, “tanning smell. Let’s chat about the science of the sunless-tanner odor before you lose your mind.

The smell that so many people get mad about and say, “boo,” to tanning lotions over is going to happen to some degree with any lotion that contains DHA..which is most of them. DHA, or dihydroxyacetone, is a compound derived from beets and from sugar cane (not scary), and when applied to the skin it reacts with the amino acid in your skin – this is what produces the color you seek, but a side effect is that this reaction also produces a smell. The strength of the odor will depend on your own body chemistry and the concentration of DHA in the particular product you choose – but it isn’t that the lotion smells that way, it is actually your body producing this smell.

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