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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Drugstore Rave: L'Oreal 24 Hour Infallible Eyeshadow

Love these! Love, love, love these. L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow comes in 18 gorgeous shades, claims up to 24 hours of wear, and has been referred to as a dupe for Georgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense shadows. I know for sure that at least two of these statements is correct. But let's begin with some positive attributes, shall we? 


Packaging:
The packaging is very interesting, much like the texture of these shadows. So you unscrew the lid, and there is a little silver disk that holds the shadow in place. Reason being, the formula is similar to a pressed pigment, if you've ever seen people press their MAC pigments then you know what this looks like. 

Formula & Texture:
It's solid for the most part, yet, will crumble in a heartbeat if you look at in the wrong way. Hence, the need for a piece of plastic to hold the loose particles in. The texture of the shadow is very soft and buttery smooth with excellent pigmentation. 

Application:
The application is interesting because the product sticks on your shadow brush like a cream shadow and yet you have to be careful to tap off because of the fall-out that will ensue if you do not. I find that patting the product on the lid works best and then I may take a blending brush and blend upwards if I'm in the "one shadow" kind of mood. You do have to be careful if you're going to use winshield wiper motions with your brush because you may end up with fall-out. 

Helpful Tip: Apply like you would a loose shadow even though the product appears relatively solid. 

Helpful Tip #2: Work quickly if you want to do any blending, the shadows set fairly quickly.

The million-dollar question, does it last 24 hours? 

I'm afraid I cannot answer that question, nor will I ever be able to answer that question in terms of my own personal experience. But I can say, it lasts a full work day and probably would last beyond that if I didn't take my makeup off at around 7pm every night. But good news, most people don't need their eyeshadow to last 24 hours so I don't think L'Oreal will be losing any customers if for some reason it didn't live up to this claim. "Now wait just a damn minute L'Oreal, this product only lasted 18 hours on me, what a piece of crap!". On the other hand, if you are taking part in one of those 24-hour Dance- A- Thon's, you may hold L'Oreal to it. Personally, I am not going to risk getting some eye disease or wake up with itchy red eyes just to take L'Oreal to task. 

Dupe for Armani Eyes To Kill Intense?: 

Temptalia.com says.... they are similar but she finds that the L'Oreal shadows are more one-dimensional while GA boasts an "interplay of colors". Fun fact: L'Oreal owns both brands so there is possibly some cross-over going on here between the two products. Which is really cool if you ask me.

My two shades:

I purchased both #890 Bronzed Taupe and #892 Amber Rush. These two are must-have shades for those of you with blue-eyes, or those of you that want to bring out the gold flecks in your eyes. Or pretty much just anyone with eyes will look good in these colors. Bronzed Taupe is exactly how it sounds and is more of a cool toned bronze while Amber Rush is a warm toned orangey-champagne-bronze.  If you like Amber Lights by MAC, you will like this shade, maybe even more so. Both shades are similar in finish, they have a metallic look to them, no chunky glitter but the perfect amount of razzle dazzle to look gorgeous when worn on their own. I can't wait to try more shades! There are 18 of them by the way. (See above pic).

Photo taken by me! Amber Rush (left) Bronzed Taupe (right)

Photo taken by me! Amber Rush (Top) Bronzed Taupe (Bottom)






Saturday, September 8, 2012

Milani Color Perfect Lipstick in Barely There, Dupe for MAC Blankety?

I never noticed that Milani released some new lipsticks this past spring because my CVS puts the Milani lipsticks in the most inopportune place in the whole display, way down at the bottom on a side facing away from the main part of the display. But I was perusing VampyVarnish.com and she had a post about the Milani Color Perfect lipstick with lovely swatches. Two nude shades caught my eye, in particular one called Barely There, a medium-toned pinky nude. While at CVS today, I found that shade and snatched it up. It has the oddest scent but I quite like it. If you don't like your lipstick heavily fragranced, then I would just cruise on by this one because this scent packs a punch, and I can't quite describe it. It's the kind of perfumy-floral that doesn't quite belong in a lipstick, but maybe a shampoo or some other hair product. The shade is lovely and very reminicent of MAC Blankety in that it has that browner toned pink going on only Blankety is a bit darker. Barely There is a great nude for those that find most nude shades wash them out and make them look dead. It applies very nicely, its pigmented, and it isn't too slick that it slides off the lips. It is a rather matte finish but I didn't find it to be too drying. All in all, highly recommended. Check your local CVS to pick one up or to check out other colors.


Milani Color Perfect in Barely There (top) MAC Blankety (bottom)
Photo taken by me.
 
Milani Barely There, blended out a little (top), MAC Blankety, blended, (bottom) Photo taken by me.

The Spring 2012 Milani Color Perfect lipsticks, courtesy of www.vampyvarnish.com

Milani Color Perfect swatches, courtesy of www.vampyvarnish.com