L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator Mascara in Black Quartz for Brown Eyes - Before and After, Swatches and Photos

February 03, 2011 by Robin Park

Double Extend Mascara Eye Illuminator in Black Quartz for Brown Eyes.

Who doesn't love bling? I love the theory of shimmering lashes, but seriously, with dark lashes, it's usually a better idea in theory than in execution. I had purchased sparkle top coats before, and unfortunately, most of the time they were from pricier brands like Guerlain! What resulted was a barely there hint, next to nothing hint of shimmer. What that translates into is a big ol' waste of money!

With that I was pretty skeptical when I saw L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator mascara. How "illuminating" could this be? And to boot I had another prejudice against the fact that it was a double-ended mascara. Every time I've ever tried a dual ended mascara, it always ended in epic fail. There is pressure for not just 1 brush to work well but for 2! Just too much to lose!

Before - wimpy lashes. Can we bling these babies out?

Directions - apply the mascara for lengthening then the top coat to accent.

Ingredients.

Swatches of Black Quartz, option for Brown Eyes.

The black has a hint of shimmer, and the top coat is a shimmering aubergine.

The black wand.

The short handle made application a little difficult. I would have preferred a longer wand. I liked this a lot on its own.

Even the black has a slight shimmering effect.

Illuminating top coat.

The dome-ended brush makes it easier if you just want to highlight the tips. Use the entire length of the wand for full on shine.

The shimmering top coat applied over the mascara.

So ignore the lower lash smudgies, but here are the results of the shimmering effects. Going over the black mascara with the top coat, before it had fully dried, thins the application and takes away some of the volume-building effects. But I found that waiting until after it dried wasn't optimal for application.

Now this is a sparkling eye! The shimmering top coat actually showed up on my dark lashes. The sparkle did bring light to my eye! However, this mascara with top coat was probably too much for day to day wear. If you work in a conservative office or don't really like dramatic makeup in the day time, you may want to skip the top coat. The tiny amount of shimmer in the basic mascara may be a good option if you just want something slightly more intriguing than the flat black or brown for your day to day. Then kick it up a notch at night with the top coat.

If anyone tries the other colors, let me know what you think of them. Out of any other mascara top coats I've tried, this one is shiniest! The sparkle was noticeable (and not just when I was looking into a magnified mirror). I also liked that it was about $10. Not bad considering you get two products in one.

L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator Mascara is available for $10.49 and available at drugstores nationwide and in four shades to compliment different eye colors.

Lazy Sunday - Some Recent Posts From This Week - New Zodiac - Golden Globes Anyone?

January 16, 2011 by Robin Park

Hi All! Sunday already?! Such a busy week this week. We hit a big milestone on the blog (thank you guys so much), started a YouTube channel and also found out our zodiac changed! We are also busy moving and reorganizing our stash. While moving, we are plan on catching some NFL play-off games (I know! My guilty pleasure.) and seeing the Golden Globes. I'm excited to see the outfits and the looks (at the Golden Globes, obviously, not at the Bears game). Navy was so big at the Emmys. I wonder if there will be pronounced trend at this award show?

So here are some posts from this week that you may have missed. One big highlight for Beautyburg is our new YouTube channel. We only have 1 tutorial so far, but after our move, I plan on trying to add to the channel regularly. Leave a comment if you have a suggestion on what you would like to see. Here is our first video. It's a tutorial/how to on Sally Hansen Salon Effects.

I also swatched some L'Oreal HiP Shadow Duos that I recently scored from the CVS clearance sale here.

HiP Studio Secrets Professional Concentrated Shadow Duo in Cheeky (508).

And we sniffed and swatched some scent nail polishes from Revlon.

Not So Blueberry Scented Nail Enamel.

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone! We'll see you on Twitter when the Golden Globes are on. I'm sure there will be some zomg! moments. :)

Do you have any predictions for the winners? Did your zodiac change too? How has your week been?!

L'Oreal HiP Studio Secrets Shadow Duos - Haul and Swatches

January 12, 2011 by Robin Park

HiP Studio Secrets Professional Bright Shadow Duo in Adventurous (114).

HiP Studio Secret Shadow Duos aren't anything new, but I don't think they get tons of love. Possibly because of the slightly high for drugstore price of about $7.99 per duo. For me, I just never really felt any motivation to try these.

A negative for me, just as a personal preference, is the packaging. I find it bulky and chunky. I never use the applicator stored under the eyeshadow pans, and something about the windows make it difficult to actually get a good sense of the color from the outside. But luckily, the product doesn't disappoint. The overall pigmentation and texture is on par with pricier brands. Some other blogs complained about fall out, but I think it really depends on the shade. The frostier more metallic colors seem to be slightly less binded vs. the bright or concentrated formulas. But all in all, I didn't think it was horrible. In fact, I am glad I got to try some of these. Drugstore makeup doesn't mean that you can't have high impact looks with bright shades. Pigmentation isn't measured by a price tag.

Some of these duos were picked up recently at CVS' beauty sale at 75% discount. So if you wanted to try some fun colors but didn't want to spend a lot cash, look out for some of these shades. Check Nouveau Cheap's site for a complete list of products that are a part of CVS' clearance.

HiP Studio Secrets Professional Bright Shadow Duo in Adventurous (114).

Not a huge fan of crazy color? Definitely get this duo. The soft champagne color is just gorgeous all over the lid. I am liking the pink shade for spring.

HiP Studio Secrets Professional Concentrated Shadow Duo in Charisma (518)

This reminds me a of NARS Mesuline from the Holiday 2011 collection. The lighter shade in the HiP is more of a soft rose with golden shimmer, where as the NARS is a silvery lilac, but the dark purple shades are very similar. Dare I say I think the pigmentation in the HiP is better than the NARS duo?!

HiP Studio Secrets Professional Concentrated Shadow Duo in Cheeky (508)

HiP Studio Secrets Professional Concentrated Shadow Duo in Cheeky (508).

This one is super pretty with Adventurous. I would love to make a quad with all these shades! I will wear this for a smoky eye on Valentine's Day.

HiP Studio Secrets Professional Metallic Shadow Duo in Gilded (806).

I love how ka-pow the gold side is. It's almost like lamé. Love it. The darker shade had some fall-out.

HiP Studio Secrets Professional Metallic Shadow Duo in Gunmetal.

This is one of the ones that had slightly more fall-out than the others. Not horrible by any means, but after reading some other reviews, I noticed that was an issue for some. As I had mentioned, I think a lot has to do with the formula. I think the Metallic formula just isn't bound as well as the other formulas, thus creating fall-out. If you can get these on sale, I still think it's a pretty good deal. These colors are so pretty for a emerald smoky eye.

HiP Studio Secrets Professional Bright Shadow Duo in Roaring (234).

The flat beige is perfect for creating a crease or adding depth to the eyelid. With base and primer, the blue side really has a bright impact on the lid. I like this duo with Sassy.

HiP Studio Secrets Professional Concentrated Shadow Duo in Sassy (208).

This is a duo that definitely is less than the sum of its parts. Each shade alone is gorgeous, but worn together, you get a really muddled look. This is one duo where it's best to pair with other shades. I would try either shade with Roaring.

Have you tried HiP duos before? Which are your favorites? Have you been to CVS to see what's on Clearance?

L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge 10HR - Forever Fuchsia (138) - Swatches and Review - Improved Fragrance (or Lack Thereof!)

January 09, 2011 by Robin Park

L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge 10HR in Forever Fuchsia.

Happy Saturday and weekend everyone! I hope everyone's 2011 is seeming brighter every day. One of my resolutions this year was to keep up with more drugstore makeup. Last year, I discovered some really impressive products from Revlon. I don't believe that there is a big quality gap between drugstore and department store as their used to be. The amount of research, marketing, process and technology that goes into a drugstore product launch can completely outweigh many department store products. With large companies like L'Oreal and P&G, and the huge labs that come with them, there is bound to be a lot of science and testing that goes into drugstore products before they reach our shelves.

The L'Oreal lipsticks that I knew before I tried Infalliable Le Rouge 10HR never really got much love from me. I always thought that they were pretty in the tube, but that signature L'Oreal fragrance that they used on their products was literally invasive on my senses. I could smell, taste and almost feel the scent all over me. Needless to say, their old lipsticks did not spend a lot of time on my lips.

With that in mind, I was extremely reluctant to try L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge 10HR, but trying to keep an open mind, I decided to try one. I purchased Forever Fuchsia, a bold bright, blue-based, mid-toned fuchsia pink. My initial impression was a shock. No more fragrance! Dealing with the old fragrance again was a huge hurdle that I was dreading in my mind. You can imagine how revealed and almost excited I was when I opened the tubed and sniffed nothing! Hoorah! When I extended the lipstick, I liked the added touch of the L'Oreal logo on the tube. It's a nice touch that adds a bit of luxury.

The application was not what I expected. The texture on application is traditional lipstick, but the color adheres to your lips and bonds to them. It's not drying, but the finish is more semi-matte vs. completely satin. It feels more like it's sitting on top of your lips and creating a seal of color. This is probably to help add to the wear time of the lipstick. On my road tests, 1 application lasted about 5-6 hours, with eating, drinking, talking, being exposed to elements, etc. I don't think it's really realistic to expect a full 10 hours, as claimed, without reapplying.

Another added plus to this lipstick is that you can see the actual shade without opening the tube. The clear top lets you see inside. No more pre-tested lipsticks (by who knows who... gross!)!

The shade is visible from the tube. No more weird, inaccurate plastic swatches.

The display.

First applied.

After 5 hours, without re-application. This is post-coffee and lunch.

To Review:

L'Oreal Infallible Le Rouge 10HR - Forever Fuchsia (138) is $9.99 at drugstores (prices may vary depending on location).

Pro: No fragrance! Seals nicely with lips without being overly drying. Pigmented. Large variety of shades. Lipstick is visible without opening the tube or breaking the seal.

Con: Doesn't live up to 10 hour claim. Slightly pricier than other drugstore lipsticks.

Overall Beautyburg Rating: B+

Do you like long-wearing lipsticks? How do you feel about scents in your lipsticks? Has scent ever driven you away from a product?