Review: Estee Lauder Doublewear Mascara

(please note, this is not a full sized product, but rather a sample).

Someone gave me this sample of Doublewear mascara quite awhile ago, but I only just pulled it out to use. After a week or so of testing, I'm ready to write a review.

Doublewear is touted to be a lengthening and no smudge mascara. The full size version of this product retails for 19.50$ USD and comes in black or brown.

How did it do? It started out pretty well, if boring. This is a definite 'natural' mascara--meaning that I'd recommend this to anyone who didn't want anything dramatic. It did lengthen, as you will see in the following pictures, but people who saw an eye makeup look with this mascara said: I think adding mascara would make this look more glamorous! Ouch!

Estee Lauder claims this mascara creates 'extraordinary length' that will last the whole day. It doesn't "wilt" as some mascaras can, but you have to keep your eyes open for a bit longer than I'm used to while waiting for this mascara to dry. It also doesn't create EXTRAordinary length, but just a little bit longer.

This doesn't make my lashes feel stiff, more feathery. Its a very gentle formula, especially when taking it off. It came off almost like a tube mascara! You just need a bit of cleanser and water and rub and most of it should come off. It's not exactly waterproof in that regard, but should hold up to a light drizzle of rain.

The pigment on this mascara is sort of dull. It claims to be glossy and rich in pigment, but falls flat on both accounts. Definitely not the darkest mascara out there! I can never tell the difference between a mascara that claims to be glossy and one that doesn't either, to be honest.

Doublewear's wand is small and skinny, with dense bristles as pictured below. I can't really get to the inner or outer corners of my eyes but that's okay because I don't look for that in a mascara.


Natural eye:
Doublewear'ed eye:

I will continue to use this, but only because I don't really want to waste it. It'll be a nice change from the harsh waterproof [yet dramatic] mascara that I'm currently using, but I certainly won't be dropping 20 bucks on it. Mediocre at its best.

Pics: Preview Spring 2010 Collections

Whoa--quick roundup of sneak peeks of top makeup brands around the web! (mostly from britishbeautyblogger.blogspot.com).

Michael Kors for Estee Lauder (Didn't even know about this! Looks gorgeous.) Source Here. And here's another picture.

Paul & Joe Alice In Wonderland Here. Looks great, though I think I preferred the original Disney collection.

Dior Lacy Beauty Here. Inspired by 1920's lingerie and Christian Dior's love of lace. I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS! The 2nd quad is looking very gorgeous, as is the packaging. Not to mention its looking like a large collection, so there must be something for everyone!

March 18's MAC Viva Glam From Our lips campaign, featuring Lady Gaga (I totally saw that coming) and Cyndi Lauper.

From WWD:
"Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga have been named the latest faces of the MAC AIDS Fund. The newest campaign, dubbed “From Our Lips,” will break on Feb. 25. MAC Viva Glam Gaga Lipstick and Viva Glam Cyndi Lipstick, $14 each, will launch in North America on March 18 and globally throughout the month, with 100 percent of the proceeds being donated to the MAC AIDS Fund. The MAC AIDS Fund has invested more than $150 million to organizations in more than 67 countries since its founding in 1994."

I really liked the Fergie Viva Glam SE even though I never got around to buy it. I hope I can swap for it though, and I'm excited to see what colors (and if they're limited edition!) they're creating next.

Also note that word on the street is that MAC is coming nout with a Disney Villains collection for their big February collection!

Clinique's 2010 Juiced Up Colour Here. Nothing to write home about.

Yves Saint Laurent Spring here. Looks pretty but their palettes always seem to fall short.

Guerlain's absolutely beautiful spring collection here. Cherry blossom, and I love the imprints they always use on the quads. The blush is looking pretty, because I know I can't wear pink on my eyes.

Lancome's Make Up O My Rose spring collection inspired by the 1960's here. This is looking gorgeous too, I LOVE Aaron de Mey. They're spring collection last year was beautiful too but as pinks are so hard for me to pull off, I had to skip.

My picks:

Guerlain, MAC, Dior, Lancome and Estee Lauder (ish). However, Guerlain and MAC have a tendency to fall a bit short, here's to hoping that these collections will be winners. Estee Lauder looks pretty nice too but it's not calling to me personally. I will be following news on these collections very intently!

What are your top picks?

Oh man...And Another One Bites The Dust

As most of you have probably already heard, Estee Lauder is shutting down Prescriptives this January. They'll continue selling Px through their site until stocks are all gone.

"In a long-anticipated move, the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. said Thursday it will shut down wholesale distribution of its 30-year-old Prescriptives brand by Jan. 31. Products will continue to be available through the brand’s Web site for consumers needing replenishment, until supplies run out.

“A core component of the Estée Lauder Companies’ corporate strategy is to evaluate, and where possible, turn around underperforming brands with the goal of improving return on investment. After a thorough analysis of the Prescriptives brand, management concluded that the brand’s long-term business model is no longer viable given the current market environment. We believe that the difficult decision relating to Prescriptives will allow us to redirect our resources to key strategic imperatives where we see the highest growth potential,” said Freda."

I'm saddened that Estee Lauder is shuttering Px down because, though I've never tried them, I thought they had decent quality and a nice concept. I know they never had the biggest following, but its sad to see them go anyways.

Read the original article here.

Haul: What Came in the Mail!

(Sofina Aube gloss top, EL high gloss bottom)

Yay! Free haul. My mother's friend works in DC, shipping cosmetics/fragrance/skincare, so when my mother's company did a mass order she sent along a few freebies.

-EL Double wear mascara sample
-3 makeup bags (EL and Lancome)
-EL lipsticks, one my mom has (Dunno the name sorry!) and 02 Luscious Rose Hydra Lustre
(02)


-07 pearl high gloss, LOVE these!


Swap:
-Sofina Aube Fruitina Gloss eX05



News: Sofina Aube is now DC'ed and replaced with Aube Couture. While personally I didn't get to try many of Aube's things, I did swatch them and they were very nice. Aube Couture looks too 'safe', too blah and boring. Aube will be missed.

Random Lipsticks

Here are a few pictures of a few lipsticks I have...

Lancome rose influence 361, beige sismic 202:




Estee Lauder Peach Fizz 324, Candy 116: