Happy 2nd Birthday

This is the second year of my blog! Last year I celebrated with a giveaway, but it seems like it'd be pointless to have a giveaway when so many of my followers didn't cross over to La Vie En Beaute from thoughtsofeverythingandanything.

Anyways, happy anniversary bloggie (:

*post is a little late, anniversary was on July 22.

Review: Revlon Self Adhesive False Lashes

I tweeted that this review was long overdue--and it is! Revlon sent me these LAST OCTOBER for review! But I wanted to review them thoroughly, and that meant extensive testing--for a girl who really doesn't have much occasion to wear false eyelashes. HOWEVER..here we are!


Revlon says:

"Revlon Fantasy Lengths Maximum Wear eyelashes are a revolutionary way to go from Plain Jane to Naturally Fantastic instantly. Without messy glue to fumble with-you can have perfect lashes that stay where you want them to- even in water!

To remove: Use oil based eye makeup remover to gently peel off and remove. Wash with water to remove excess glue on eyelid." (Note: I don't think that's necessary for the self adhesive lashes, probably from their regular line of false eyelashes)

Ingredients:

Adhesive: terpene resin, styrene-Isoprene Copolymer, Petroleum oil, Isobutylene-Butene Copolymer, Microcrystalline Wax, Hydrocarbon Resin, Styrene-Ethylene-Butylene-Styrene Copolymer

Lash: polyvinyl chloride, polyester thread, coated polyester flake"

My own false eyelashes experience is literally zero. Before these, I'd never tried them before so please keep that in mind when reading the review!

Revlon sent me 2 styles: Defining (Lashes roughly the same length) and Intensifying (Alternating shorter and longer lengths).

Defining:
Intensifying:

What comes in the box...the plastic thing is for pressing the lashes closer to your eyelid
It also comes with a 2nd line thingy (I don't know how to get technical here) so when the first adhesive starts wearing out, you can peel it off the actual lashes and put on the 2nd. And when the 2nd wears out, you can use it as normal false eyelashes..if they aren't too grimy by then haha)
Anyways, I can wear these for about 3x each self adhesive 'band' before they lose their sticky ness. I really like these! It's really as simple as pushing them in place, no glue (obviously) needed. Revlon really hit the nail on the head with these.

I don't know if they last through water as I didn't exactly go swimming with them on but they didn't wilt through a light rain.

Defining lashes are sold for 5.48$ on Amazon, so at drugstores I'd assume around 6$.

*disclaimer: Revlon representatives sent these to me for consideration only. Please refer to my disclaimer for more information.

Review: Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream 02

(image from sephora)

Aqua creams were the biggest craze this summer, setting off launches of other cream shadows from many brands. Cream shadows in pots were around before, though....so why all the hype for Aqua Cream?

Its the intense colors, budge-proof and waterproof-ness, the ability to be used for eyes cheeks or lips depending on the color all packaged in a little plastic pot for 22USD$. (0.21 oz).

For reference, Shiseido Hydropowders are 25$ for .21 oz and MAC Paint pots are 16.50 for .17 oz.

Something to note: Make up for ever doesn't seem to name these shades, instead calling them 01-22. Sephora seems to be the one who names them [02 Steel]. Names seem to be on the box and not the product itself.

Anyways, MUFE says this about the Aqua Creams:

What it is:
An ultra-pigmented, long-lasting waterproof cream.

What it does:
Aqua Cream combines the highest-quality pigments with mother of pearl particles to give immediate rich color payoff with a luminous finish in just one application. It's long-lasting formulation will not crease or smudge under the most extreme conditions and its creamy and elastic texture allows for easy blending.

Exclusively carried by Sephora.

What else you need to know:
Available in shades ranging from soft neutrals to pure bright tones, you can find the perfect color for any purpose.
Shades #5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 are formulated for the Lips & Cheeks.
Shades #1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, and 22 are formulated for the Eyes & Cheeks.

The Aqua creams are indeed very pigmented and creamy. I chose the shade 02 Steel, because its such a gorgeous taupey color.

You will be tempted to rub your finger in it alot but don't! It's too pigmented and will go on thickly if you do. These dry very quickly and thin layers are better if you want to deepen the intensity. As for fingers vs. brushes on these, I use a brush because they dry too quickly for my finger to blend properly (coming from a girl who ALWAYS uses fingers!)

Do these smudge? Hold up in the hot sweaty Chicago summer? Crease?
No, they don't smudge. They're pretty waterproof as well [Waterproof assuming you don't keep rubbing your eyes]. However...they do crease on me after about 8 hours.
However, at the time in question it had been an extremely hot humid day [in the 90s] and I had been outside for 6 of the 8 hours, sweating.

On a normal day, 6 hours, it's perfectly fine and it lasts until I take it off with cleansing oil.

Layering other eyeshadows over it is no problem and it doesn't crease with the powder over it after a school/work day either.

I know some bloggers have been experimenting with it as eyeliner but this particular shade isn't really dark enough to define effectively. I did try it on my lower lashline but it takes a lot of layering for this shade to show up and it was hard to tell whether I still had it on an hour later. Perhaps with a darker more vibrant shade it'd be more effective.

Aqua Creams were created for use with each other but I don't know if you'd use a bright grassy green or crimson very often. Even though they have those intense colors though they also have a nice selection of neutrals.

All in all, I'd recommend these for anyone looking for a stay put eyeshadow! Click here for the link to Sephora. I think I have my eye on 8 Red, 20 Intense Blue, and 15 Taupe next!
The packaging looks nice and utilitarian but my main gripe with it is that its plastic. I don't have a great experience with plastic pots as I find they usually crack easily; I would have much preferred glass.

Great Blog Find

I've noticed throughout my trawls throughout the blogosphere that there seems to be a serious lack of women of color bloggers. There's just not many of them; and this is extremely inconvenient for those women who religiously follow bloggers who are different toned than they are.

I have especially noticed this for Indian women. But have no fear, Indian Makeup & Beauty Blog is here.

Written by a collection of women in India, they cover a lot of subjects such as makeup, fashion, etc. It's a very detailed site run by Rati and Rima (I do believe) and they have many contributors.

Oh yes, did I mention they have a rather fantabulous giveaway going on right now?

Yup, they are giving away MAC, Chanel, Inglot and Estee Lauder products. Go on and have a click to see!

Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Kristine Michelle, as the winner of the CSN giveaway! I will email you shortly and then give your email address to a CSN representative so you can claim your prize.


Thank you to all who entered!