Manicure of the Week

Actually, this is my second manicure of the week. On Saturday I applied Paul & Joe 04 Provence and was so bored of the shimmery pink-beige-nude that today when I picked up L'Oreal Mango-Get-Em on the way home from the gym I couldn't wait to repolish! I love a bright color on short nails in the warm weather and this shade is summer in a bottle! It's a bright mango melon with no shimmer. The formula is stick and streaky and it has quite possibly one of the worst, most unweildy brushes I've ever used, but it dried fast and I love the shade. It's available for $4.99 on drugstore.com, and that's the same price I just paid at CVS.

Has Anything Disappointed You Lately?

As much as I love reading about favorites, I think it's also helpful to hear about disappointments so one knows to steer clear! I've had a few lately:

• Ellis Faas Milky Eyes- really for the packaging more than the product. Wednesday morning I had the migraine to end all migraines. Like one of those "call your mother to tell her you love her just in case migraines." Luckily and coincidentally I had an appointment with my migraine specialist for that morning but I had to get myself up and dressed so that I could go there and then to work. I thought that Milky Eyes 203 would make for a quick, polished eye so I took it out (I store it applicator down) and turn the dial. Nothing. And again. Nothing. I must have done this 7 times and nothing came out so I put it down, walked away for 5 minutes and came back and turned it. Nothing. I thought I'd turn it one last time and lo and behold, enough for 5 uses came pouring out. I have no patience for this kind of thing when I'm spending $36 a product. The Milky Lips has the same issue but not nearly as bad. As pretty as the blush and some of the other products look, I'm done with this line.
• MAC Technokohl in Photograuvre- I love this color. It's a dark brown with a lot of black, or a soft browned black. Either way, it's not too harsh but gives a very defined line. Unfortunately the product drags and skips along my lash line. It's just not soft enough. Maybe I am just spoiled by my Laura Mercier Kohls and UD 24/7 liners.
• Aromatherapy Personals- this line of aromatherapeutic roll ons has a variety for seemingly every need from anxiety to crave control. Unfortunately the scents don't last more than a few seconds on the skin, rendering them useless. For a similar de-stress elixir, Origins Peace of Mind works wonderfully.
• Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner- hello, dry, straw-like hair!
• L'Oreal- I've written before about how badly the Healthy Hair Creme Gloss Color destroyed my hair. I sent an email to L'Oreal customer service about it and never received a response, yet I keep receiving email surveys from them asking me to rate the helpfulness of their reply. And these emails are sent from an unattended mailbox so I can't reply to them, letting them know that their advice was beyond useless since they simply ignored me. Frustrating!

Has anything disappointed you lately?

Plummy Beige Lipstick

Too plummy to be a true neutral, too neutral to be a true plum hue, not as cool as mauve and yet not quite warm...I love plummy beige lipsticks! The shades are complex and interesting yet still flattering and wearable for everyday. Here are some of my favorite plummy beige lipsticks:
From left to right: MAC Sharp Beige, MAC Midimauve, Paul and Joe 17, Lancome Beauty's Eve, L'Oreal Aishwarya Beige, Benefit Make Nice, Laura Mercier Brown Sugar Stickgloss, Tarte Champagne Brunch

Up Close:


Swatches:
From left to right: MAC Sharp Beige, MAC Midimauve, Paul and Joe 17, Lancome Beauty's Eve, L'Oreal Aishwarya Beige, Benefit Make Nice, Laura Mercier Brown Sugar Stickgloss, Tarte Champagne Brunch

My Haul From The Makeup Show-L'Oreal Gift Bag

L'Oreal had a both at the Makeup Show allowing their HiP line of products to be played with, but had nothing for sale. Instead, attendees left with extremely generous gift bags of full size products.

Magic Perfecting Base is a thick, creamy, silicone-based primer designed to smooth lines and hide pores. It blends on easily (I tried it under my undereye concealer) and has that velvety feeling typical of silicone primers. It is fragrance and paraben-free.
I was admittedly shocked by the pigment levels in the HiP Metallic Shadow Duos in Platinum and Gilded. They are very pigmented, very metallic and very cool! I'd have to blend these down quite a bit to wear to the office but they would be very fun for a night out. The lighter shades create a foiled look without needing to be used wet and the darker shades would be nice as a liner. I rarely buy drugstore makeup and had never tried HiP before but these are definitely impressive. If they had duos in more natural/me shades I would pick one up, despite finding the packaging overly and unnecessarily bulky.
HiP Color Presso glosses in Spunky and Chic were also included. The packaging on these is a little odd and takes some getting used to, since the two shades are in 2 separate chambers. You can squeeze just one tube for that color individually, or press both to release both colors which can be mixed on your lips. Both Presso and Chic blend to sheerish berries--the first cooler and the second with some warmth. They have a sweet smell and aren't too sticky on the lips. I don't have many berry shades and Chic looked very nice on! The tubes are cool looking but large and a little awkward to store or fit into a makeup bag.

These was also a Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black and the 24 Hour Lash Boosting Power System which contains a Double Extend Mascara and Lash Boosting Serum. I used Voluminous way back when and liked it but had never tried the Double Extend or the Serum.
I kind of just tossed these aside when I received them since I use only natural mascaras. With blond lashes I need to really work my mascara into the roots of my lashes and inevitably get mascara right on the underside of my lid. The idea of a multitude of chemicals being absorbed through a membrane line that really concerned me so I jumped on the "natural" mascara bandwagon early on, using Korres primarily but also Tarte. I had been happy with the look of both.
Last night I decided that it couldn't hurt just to try the Double Extend just once. I applied the white primer and then 2 coats of the mascara and had a total OMG moment. My lashes looked AMAZING. Unbelievably long and full, verging on fake, which is an amazing feat for my short, puny, blonde lashes. I've never been this impressed with a mascara. Now I'm torn--do I use the mascara chock full of parabens and other chemicals but makes my lashes unbelievable, or the less potentially harmful one that gives me merely nice ones? Hmmmm...

Here is the ingredient list for the set:

Early Shampoo and Conditioner Rave

A few weeks ago I used the evil, awful L'Oreal Creme Gloss hair color, a semi-permanent formula that is supposed to wash out in 28 shampoos and leave your hair in even healthier condition post-coloring. Not only has the color not washed out at all, but since I used it my hair has been extremely dry and unbelievably static-filled. Nothing I do (and I've tried everything) eliminates the static. I use a serum during the day to reduce the effect, but as soon as I run a brush through my hair (and I bought all new brushes), I look like I stuck my finger in a light socket. I emailed L'Oreal but never heard back. The damage to my hair is so severe that this, coupled with the utter lack of customer service, means that this will be my last foray into the land of L'Oreal.

I purchased Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner thinking that a shampoo and conditioner switch might cure me. I'd been using Neil George previously and liked it, but figured a change sure couldn't hurt. The Organix smells very nice but the shampoo left my hair feeling hay-like and while the conditioner did ameliorate this somewhat, my hair just felt dry, tangled, and eventually started breaking off! Next!

I then bought Phytojoba Shampoo and Bumble and Bumble Creme de Coco Conditioner (I usually prefer matching sets but made an exception in this case) and I can't believe the difference in my hair after just one shampoo. I obviously can't say that the breakage issue is resolved but the look and feel of my hair is much better--it's softer, shinier and smoother than before (albeit still filled with static. I could not hate the L'Oreal color any more than do). I'm hoping that with time the duo will have an even greater effect on my poor hair! These are not inexpensive at $24 and $22 each, but if they can improve my hairs condition they will be worth the cost.