The Beauty Alchemist

MAC Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow- Greenluxe & Brownluxe

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Veluxe Pearlfusion palettes from MAC are a feast for the eyes. These new sets feature a new formula, Veluxe Pearlfusion which MAC says brings out the pigment's pure and true color. They can be applied wet or dry.

There are 6 new palettes in all, here I show Greenluxe and Brownluxe, two of my favs. The brown one of course immediately grabbed my attention .

While this is a new formula some shades may be close to older ones as I noticed that the deepest green shade reminds me a lot of Club. Club is an all time fav so nothing wrong with that. With 5 shadows in each palette , one of these could easily make many eye looks and take you through a weekend trip even.

I found not too much difference between wet or dry application but wet did bring out the metallics more as claimed. The swatches are dry.

MAC Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadows are available now for $40.

The Vintage Files - MAC Lacquers

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Organizing from Winter to Summer lipcolors prompted stumbling on some much older favorites tucked away.

Who remembers MAC Lacquers? They date back to around 2004 I think. I loved these and still have two in my archives. They were a thicker gloss, meant to be a liquid lipstick and they had full coverage with shine , some satin, some pearl shimmer. They wore well and the one shade Heat was a bold orange and Sheena is a perfect golden brown bronze .

So hey MAC might you bring these back someday? The liquid lipstick concept isn't so new these days but I'd still love to see them return.

Some current favs that come to mind as similar are Bite Beauty's new Lush Fruit Lip Gloss ( the closest match) and Chanel's Rouge Allure Laque which is one of my favorite lip products ever .

Anyone else out there have these ? What oldies are fond memories for you ? I might still have some in the closet.

Princess Charlene of Monaco in Vogue Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:36:00 +0000

Monaco's Princess Charlene gets a big spot in Vogue with the cover of Vogue Japan's Health & Beauty special section.

Charlene takes some hits for her clothes as she favors monochrome looks and rarely wears any of the jewels to which she no doubt has access. While her style might not be my style ( I'd wear the jewels ), I do think she almost always looks very elegant . Yes a jewelry piece here and there would be an improvement but that's up to her I guess.

The Vogue cover shot is gorgeous and very Charlene. She has those swimmer 's shoulders and she likes to show them off . She's got a cool, nonchalant elegance here and her lip shade while subdued is such a pretty one.

Naturally of the inside shots, the one with the dog is my favorite.

What do you think ? Love it or not ? Monaco makes a nice photo backdrop doesn't it ?

All photos: Vogue Japan

Alterna Caviar CC Cream for Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Do you need a CC Cream for your hair ? You're thinking CC , BB what is going on ? I know, it seems like marketing gone amok when hair starts getting BB & CC Creams. But try and set aside all the marketing and think of this new Caviar CC Cream from Alterna as a deep, leave in conditioner , because that's what it is . And it's a darn good one at that.

Within this one tube there are said to be 10 hair benefits including reducing breakage, adding moisture and shine , heat and UV protection and even some hold for styling. It's an all in one cream for hair like many of the skin BB/CCs we've seen.

It comes in a pump tube and I didn't need a lot , even on my long hair to get great results. Hair was soft but still full of volume and what impressed me most was it made super conditioned the couple spots on my hair that no matter what I seem to use are often still smidge dry . With Caviar CC they were as soft as the rest. I think this might be my new leave -in love.

Ingredients in include panthenol, algae and caviar extracts , sunflower seed oil, honey , chamomile and lemon extract . It can be used on towel dried or dry hair .

Alterna Cavair CC Cream is $ 25 for a 2.5 oz tube exclusively at Sephora

L'Oreal Visible Lift CC Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 02:05:00 +0000

L'Oreal has entered the world of CC Creams with the new Visible Lift CC Cream.

I've mentioned many times how much I love BB Creams and I am just starting to explore CC Creams, just like you might be. I've heard CCs are usually lighter coverage than BB but so far that hasn't proved true, until now.

Visible Lift CC Cream is a sheer formula with only a tinge of pigment in the light/ medium shade I have . L'Oreal says there are "sheer color capsules" in there and you can see them in the close up photo. It does help to make skin a little more perfected, more in the way a primer might work. The biggest benefit here is the moisture. With shea butter and mineral oil you get a lot of hydration. The feel on skin is light, it's not heavy but will not work for oily skins .

There is SPF of 20 using chemical sunscreens as well as vitamin C and calcium for antioxidants.

One of my favorite things, and I expect many agree, about BB Cream is their multitasking . When you are hurried having one product to do so much is great. Visible Lift CC Cream gets in that multitasking as well, albeit a little differently. It will make a nice canvas for makeup and provides a base, moderate SPF and major moisture in one step. While I do enjoy the coverage of my BBs, if you want something that does many things but with barely there coverage than this CC might be for you.

L'Oreal Visible Lift CC Cream is due in July but available at some stores now.

Retail is $ 12.95 with shades light/medium or medium/deep.

Marc Jacobs Cosmetics- Sneak Peek

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:38:00 +0000

Marc Jacobs's upcoming makeup line has had the industry buzzing for some time. Today we finally got a little look at what's coming.

I'm liking the packaging here , at least on the nail polish and foundation bottles aside from the silver bands. And the colors in the eyeshadow palette look very appealing.

Look for it to hit all free standing Sephora stores in the US & Canada in August .

SUITS and Birchbox Team Up

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:00:00 +0000

SUITS is one of my absolute favorite TV shows. The new season finally starts on July 16th after a long, long hiatus. It's rare for me to get that into a series that I'd even write about it here but this is a good one.

It's not just the acting but the dialogue that makes the show. I love when a show is well written and on Suits the words just crackle between the characters. It also features a take no prisoners female character in Jessica , the head of the firm. She's unapologetically tough and occasionally a little ruthless .

It was a fun email day when one showed up that encompasses beauty and a favorite TV show. Ok it's beauty or grooming for men, but still.

Birchbox and SUITS have teamed up for an exclusive co-branded, fully customized box for men.

There will also be a host of social media events and contests to go along with the season premiere. Birchbox will be incorporating a series of exclusive, behind-the-scenes video interviews from the SUITS cast, live-tweeting events, and more throughout the season.

New subsrcibers to Birchbox by July 20 will get the SUITS box as their first box. The box will ship to existing subscribers on June 25. There is also of course a women's box, but it's not SUITS customized.

Hit the SUITS Birchbox page if you want to get on the email list ahead of time.

And remember SUITS premieres on USA July 16th at 10 PM EST

Apivita Lip Care Balm

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:31:00 +0000

Looking for a lightly tinted balm for Summer days ? Sometimes it's just easier to swipe on something with a hint of color and go . It fits the casual days or outings.

Apivita's is 96 % natural with good for lip ingredients like shea and cocoa butter, olive oil and the flavor of your choice. Mine is blackurrant with blackcurrant seed oil. Others from this Greek company known for natural bodycare products include pomegranate and pink rose. There are 6 Lip Cares in all including some non- tinted versions.

The tint here is just enough I think. Not too light but not deep with plenty of moisture. It feels glossy on but has just a little shine.

Find them all at www.apivita.com

Blackcurrant Lip Care is $ 8

butterLondon Friends & Family

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:20:00 +0000

Looking to stock up on butterLondon nail polishes? Starting tomorrow they are having their friends and family sale with 30 % off. Code is in the image .

www.butterlondon.com

Father's Day Gift Guide 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:10:00 +0000

It's time to think gifts for Dad. They deserve some love, especially if he's like my dad and pretty much takes care of everything including a new motor in my car.

Thanks to having a beauty blogger daughter The Dad has become more interested in fragrance and found more to love than just Polo, his all time favorite . He also loves a good shampoo and is pretty picky.

So I've rounded up some great men's scents as well as grooming items that might just fit the bill for your dad or if you have other men-centric gifting coming up soon like birthdays. If you want to check out last year's guide , click here. It's got several nice scents as well for your gifting ideas.

Ralph Lauren Polo Blue Sport- The newest in the Polo line . Over the years I've noticed that many men love Polo and all it's iterations . Polo Blue Sport is a sporty herbal citrus with mandarin, ginger , sage sandalwood and oakmoss among the notes.
2.5 oz/75 ML EDT $ 61

Calvin Klein Eternity Summer- The 2013 version of this yearly release has a breezy citrus scent , is light and stays close to the skin. Great for hot weather and the guys who want something subtle. Notes include bergamot, mimosa, lavender oil, seagrass , white amber and dritfwood.

100 ML EDT $ 58

Kiehl's Facial Fuel “Heavy Lifting” Firming, Lifting, Anti- Wrinkle Moisturizer for Men - Specifically formulated for the thicker/coraser skin men have , it uses LHA exfoliating actives as well as linseed extract for lifting and firming. Kiehl's has also partnered with Marvel and Captain America for the skincare launch and while supplies last you can grab dad a special edition Kiehls/Capt. America comic book with (any) purchase .

1.7 oz jar $ 40

L'Occitane Verdon Gift Set - For the Francophile dad or one who just loves good products , this set contains a range of the minty fresh Verdon fragrance. Set includes Refreshing Face Splash 1.7 fl.oz , Invigorating Shave Gel 3.5 oz, Energy Moisturizer 0.5 oz , Verdon Eau de Toilette 1.7 fl.oz.
$ 60

Paco Rabanne One Million- Is dad good as gold ? How about a fragrance that looks like a gold bar? One Million is a rich but not overly heavy spicy scent with notes of grapefruit, mandarin, cinnamon bark, blond leather and patchouli.

1.7 oz $ 59

Redken For Men Full Impact Shampoo- I mentioned the Dad is fussy about shampoo right ? Well he adores this new one from Redken. He has thinning hair and this truly gives it a boost as claimed. Hair has more volume and is left very soft and super clean.

The formula uses patented Intra-Cylane® and protein which gives lightweight volume and full looking hair. All good things for a guy like him who works outside all day. Pair this up with some shaving items or styling products for a fun and useful at the same time gift.

10.1 oz bottle $ 12

* Redken products provided as sample for review

Hampton Sun Sunless Tanning Gel

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:13:00 +0000

Self tanning season is in full swing and here's a new to me one from Hampton Sun. Coming to you from Southhampton , NY , Hampton Sun is a luxe brand that channels, where else, The Hamptons.

To get your Hamptons or Anywhere/Everywhere glow on , their Sunless Tanning Gel is an easy to use tanner that with one application gives you light color. You can of course build with each use until you get to your preferred level of tan. Two uses for me gave me a just right look for early Summer.

I had no streaks, no smudges and it dried pretty quick, about 10 minutes. The color developed in about 5 hours. It's a moisturizing gel with walnut oil and aloe vera .

The gel has just a little "self tanner smell" and mainly has a green floral scent that reminds of tiare and jasmine. I assume it's related to the brand's Privet Bloom fragrance but I have yet to sniff that. It 's a light , summer-y and floral scent .

Hampton Sunless Tanning Gel is $ 34 for a 4.4 oz tube.

http://www.hamptonsuncare.com

Pür Minerals CC Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:00:00 +0000

I'm finally getting around to trying CC Creams. I am an avowed BB fan but CC's are a little different from them, but not by much.

Generally I hear that CC Cream's are supposed to have less coverage than BB. With the one I tried from Pur Minerals I think the coverage was quite good and in some cases the same as my BBs, depending on brand. My skin was smooth looking, brightened and evened right off.

Pur Minerals' silicone free CC is very moisturizing with shea butter . Retinol and what germ extract are in there as well as a meadowsweet derivative that's a skin clarifying ingredient.

It also has Clariskin II , which Pur describes as a "unique agent made from wheat germ that targets the look of dicoloration with key antioxidants".

Pur does call the CC matte, but it was slightly dewy on me , and while the formula is said to help better the look of oily skin, I think this will be too much hydration for oilier skins. It's best suited to normal to dry, but those who are just a little oily might be able to use it.

With it's broad spectrum, high SPF of 40 , it's a great choice for max sun protection under makeup or on it's own. The SPF comes from homosalate, octinoxate and titanium dioxide.

The shade shown is medium . Other shades are Light, Tan and Dark so this also covers a wide skintone range which is sometimes missing in the BB Creams.

Pur Minerals is available exclusively at Ulta and is $ 38 or at www.purminerals.com

Meaningful Beauty / Cindy Crawford Creme de Serum

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 20:04:00 +0000

Meaningful Beauty is the skincare line by Cindy Crawford in conjunction with Dr. Sebagh. Generally I don't really do anything with infomercial lines or much with celeb endorsed but I was curious about Meaningful Beauty since for many years I've heard good things about London's Dr. Sebagh , back to when I first saw his own high end skin care line, still available in the UK. I recall him being especially in demand for patients ( many actresses ) dealing with acne and I was asked to give it a look.

Creme de Serum has that always neat looking double helix in the tube. The orange swirl is is the anti-oxidants including the French melon extract that the line is partially built on. The white swirl is peptide enriched and the clear gel is hyaluronic acid for moisture. These three swirls blend together on being pumped out of the bottle.

Creme de Serum is very emollient but sets into skin pretty fast with no residue left, and my skin was left very soft and plumped in the AM. I haven't used it long term enough to judge any long term benefits however.

The one thing that gave me pause was seeing vegetable oil in the ingredients. I am a label reader and it was unusual to see that listed, at least in my experince. Yes it would be highly moisturizing but so is hyaluronic acid or shea butter.

I have to say from my test , I was surprised at how nice the Creme de Serum was, vegetable oil aside, being skeptical to say the least. It was interesting to test it and maybe give any of you who have been curious a little insight.

Creme de Serum is $ 90 or as part of the Meaningful Beauty 5 piece set, the whole set is $ 39.95 for a 30 day supply.

Find out more at www.meaningfulbeauty.com

butterLondon Debuts Makeup

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:06:00 +0000

butterLondon is adding a full line of color cosmetics to it's line of nail polishes and lipgloss. Look for it to hit stores in August.

Sephora Contour Eye Pencil 12HR Wear

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Calling all my fellow eyeliner collectors. If you love lots of color choice and long wear then Sephora's new Contour Eyeliner should be on your radar.

I've had great experiences with Sephora eyeliner in the past. Their Flashy Waterproof ( now being dc'd) has been a go to for years as it wears the longest on me of any pencil type. I also recommend their Jumbo Liner 12HR Wear. I use them a lot in Summer when I need fast makeup that will hold up.

Contour is also waterproof , long wear and comes in a fabulous range of 35 shades.

These have long wear as promised, although I wasn't able get a 12 hour test time in yesterday, but I did get 6 hours in with great wear. On me with my legendary makeup melt that's great and I feel pretty confident that longer test time will get me longer wear.

The second best part of these , after the long wear, is the color choice. I went with many browns and greens. My favorites are the greenish gunmetal Roof Top Party and the teal green Fairytale but they are all nice . There are shimmers, mattes and glitters.

These have very rich pigment, and are soft, with avocado oil and vitamin E , gliding right onto the eyelid with no drag or pull.

Sephora Contour Eye Pencil 12Hr Wear are available now for $ 9 each at Sephora

Alba Botanica Good & Clean Gentle Acne Wash

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:18:00 +0000

Hot weather means more oil and often acne flare ups. If you have acne , it can get worse . I certainly get so much oilier in the T Zone.

New to the scene and 95% natural to boot is the Good & Clean line from Alba Botanica. Because I do love a good cleanser, I took it for a test wash.

Good & Clean uses 2 % salicyclic acid to help wipe out the oilies and clear up blackheads while also having Alba Botanica's Fruit Acid Detox Fusion - 10 alpha hydroxy rich botanical exctracts of grapefruit, apple, orange, lemon, grape and more.

The cleanser does a great job of getting skin clean including removing most makeup but it doesn't leave my skin feeling dry after or tight. So it feels like it doesn't strip skin and that's good. It lathers up lightly ( no sulaftes here) and has a nice citrus scent.

Thumbs up for a natural, vegetarian cleanser that gets the job done.

Within the Good & Clean range there is also a Foam Cleanser, Toxin Release Scrub and Purifying Mini Peel.

Alba Botanica Good & Clean Gentle Acne Wash is $ 9 and available at natural food stores, Whole Foods, Target and Wal Mart and www.albabotanica.com

Maybelline FIT Me! Shine Free Foundation Sticks

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 03:00:00 +0000

Shades 110, 220

It looks like Foundation Sticks are making a comeback and that is such a good thing. It's been so hard to find them for a few years , especially since Max Factor took their amazing Pan Stick overseas. Yes, Tom Ford makes one and it's divine, but it's also $ 78. New to the scene awhile back was one from Flower Beauty and now we have Maybelline's FIT Me ! Shine Free Stick Foundation .

Part of the FIT Me ! line these new gel based, oil free sticks like much of FIT Me ! , are lighter coverage. Not sheer but light to light/medium and coverage is buildable . They have a powder soft finish but aren't dry at all and while matte , it's more of a dewy matte. In fact they feel creamy on and then set. As with most sticks these are easy to blend .

The center of each stick has the Anti Shine Core which contains absorbent powder and silica for shine control . I have pretty oily skin this time of year so I could really test that anti shine . Overall they did a solid job. I had less oil breakthrough on the T- Zone and that area stayed looking good for hours. That's good for me.

One of the best things about a foundation stick is the ease of touch ups and that's where I will find the most use for them. It's so easy to carry these in a bag , or grab and dab on when you're about to run out the door but need a little refresh. The size makes for portability without weight or bulk. Each stick measures just over 3 " long.

FIT Me ! Shine Free Foundation Sticks will be available in July for $ 8.99

There are 12 shades.

Bumble and bumble Surf Foam Shampoo & Surf Crème Rinse Conditioner

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Surf Spray was my 1st Bumble and bumble purchase. I have a feeling it was for many. That was back in 2000 or earlier and now Bumble has finally brought us a matching shampoo/ conditioner. Definitely a "why didn't they think of this sooner" deal.

Surf Foam Shampoo and Surf Creme Rinse Conditioner want to help you have easy , beachy waves for Summer. Works for me as last Summer I discovered that was a go to style for me now that my hair is long. I have a little natural wave and partial air drying is a real boon.

Both products are infused with minerals to enhance body, and sea kelp and have a wonderful light aquatic , clean beach scent .

Surf Foam shampoo is high lather ( it has sulfates ) and gets hair really clean , leaving it with plenty of body. Surf Creme Rinse does a good job of conditioning and I wasn't sure how the Creme Rinse formula would be. Overall I had hair that felt light , was super soft, but also had some volume.

The Cream Rinse should work for slightly oily, normal and slighty dry. Only those with very dry hair might need something more moisturizing.

For the best test, I used Surf Spray on one side of my hair, and my regular mousse on the other. Naturally Bb recommends using all three for the best waves. The Surf Spray side had a tad more texture, bend and lift. This was partially blow drying hair.

Did I feel like I had sea goddess hair? Heck yeah. Was that me projecting onto the products, well maybe a little.

I consistently rate Bumble and bumble shampoos at the top of my list, I love their Let It Shine and I think Surf Foam will be joining it.

Surf Foam Shampoo 8.5 oz $ 24
Surf Creme Rinse Conditioner 8.5 oz $ 25
Surf Spray 4 oz $ 25

Available at Sephora

For travel or trial , there is a cute travel size trio available at Bumble network salons.

Algenist Pore Corrector Anti-Aging Primer

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:59:00 +0000

Something to help make pores disappear? Banish the oilies, oh I'll try that. Algenist's new Pore Corrector Anti -Aging Primer is said to help with all of that and more.

I've had the chance to try some of the Algenist line in the past and have always come away impressed. I love their UV Defense and the Lifting Eye Gel is what I'll be using again partly this summer as it's especially nice for warm weather.

The Pore Corrector does help perfect skin and smooth out those pores. It gives a nice finish as a primer. It does have a lot of slip and I feel it a bit more on my skin than I'd like , but that's me.You may feel different. They say it has a satin finish and would agree with that. It does to help keep the oil at bay longer in the T- Zone. Not all day
, because in the heat there is nothing that I am aware of that does that on me. Please. But it helps.

This is a nice primer to use under matte foundation to keep your face looking fresher all day. It also has the Alguronic Acid proprietary to the brand along with fruit and flower extracts. To fight oil/acne there is salicyclic acid and willow bark extract, to hydrate there is squalene and glycerin.

Algenist Pore Corrector Anti-Aging Primer is $ 42 at Sephora

BITE Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Gloss

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 10:00:00 +0000

LUSH is totally the word for the newest lip gloss from BITE and not just because it's part of the name. They are fully loaded with pigment and have a delish tropical fruit taste /scent.

99 % natural and using real fruits like mango and strawberry as well as fruit oils of apricot, avocado and more, Lush Fruit Lip Gloss is very moisturizing on lips. It has a traditional gloss feel with some stickiness but with far more pigment, more like that of a lipstick. BITE uses ecocert freshwater pearl and silk powders for the pigment and creamy feel as well as their signature ingredient resveratrol. These are also waterproof thanks to a proprietary blend of 100 % natural olive oil and natural waxes.

The moisture lasts long, even after the color has begun to wear off and wear time is good, several hours for me. There is also high lacquer shine here , but no shimmer in the two shades I tried. I believe there is one shimmer shade- Honey.

One coat is definitely all you need, but there is a little drag on lips, so you do need to blend it in. This is a thick gloss. I have Rambutan and Spice. Rambutan is a nude with peach tones and will be a nice complement to a Summer tan. Spice on the other hand is super bold. It's an intense orange red that will put your lips center stage. It's bit more bold than I usually do, but I love it. For me, using a sheer gold over it brings it more to my comfort level.

There are 12 shades in all of Lush Fruit Lip Gloss ranging from light to deep. So something for everyone.

If you love lots of pigment, lip products that smell great and shine, shine, shine, check these out.

$22 at Sephora

If you find you want these as a set, Sephora has a 15th Anniversary Set- 15 Shades of Sephora with 15 Lush Fruit Glosses for $ 48 Each tube is .06 oz vs .13oz for regular size)

Pampadour Tweet Up for Oklahoma Tornado Victims-June 4th

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

You may not yet have heard of Pampadour, so this is a chance to check it out and do good at the same time.

Pampadour is a beauty oriented social media site. Sort of like Pinterest but only for beauty. I only just joined so I am figuring it out as well. Upload looks, pictures, products.

Blogger Paula Wade of Older Girl Beauty and Oklahoma City resident , will be hosting a joint tweet up with @Pampadour tomorrow the 4th of June from 8-10 PM EST.

For every new registration on Pampadour or member log in, who connects with Paula, $3 will be donated to the Oklahoma Red Cross.

Giving to the Oklahoma branch means the money will stay in state and have the most impact for local needs.

Paula is an Oklahoma City native and works in Moore , OK. Her office was only a short distance from the tornado's path. She is doing what she can to help and if you're interested , join in too.

The hashtag for the tweet up is #Pamp4OK.

www.pampadour.com

Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Maybelline's The Rocket is the gold standard in mascara right now as far as I am concerned. It's incredibly good, I've recommended it to friends who loved it enough to rec to co-workers and other friends and drop their previous favorites.

So while I know that companies need to keep new products coming and to develop ideas, I also knew it would be hard to top . And so the new The Falsies Big Eyes mascara is a nice mascara it's not The Rocket.

With Big Eyes ( an extension on the original Falsies) you get a dual wanded mascara. One small wand for lower lashes at 2 millimeters wide, and a larger one for top. If you are a lower lash gal having a special , tiny wand is handy. No separate mascara needed or making a mess with a larger wand .

I felt like I got more volume than length here , with decent length but not as much as I like. Volume was good and through at least 3 coats to test how buildable it is there was no clumping . You can build as needed coat after coat. More mascaras are coming in a clump free formula, thankfully.

Maybelline says this is quick dry formula, which again helps with those tiny bottom lashes and it does dry fast. No smudging that way and lashes are not too crunchy either.

If you work with the bottom lashes a lot, then this is one to check out.

The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara comes in three regular shades: Blackest Black, Very Black and Brownish Black. Two waterproof shades are : Very Black and Brownish Black.

Sugg. Retail is $ 9.49

Revlon Colorstay Nail Enamel in Sheer Sunburst

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 23:36:00 +0000

Revlon's ready for Summer with a whole line of sun friendly shades created by Gucci Westman and their new nail polish in Sheer Sunburst is a hot orange for pedi/ mani.

It's an orange like a Tequila Sunrise ( does anyone drink those anymore?) . It has a hint of rust to my eye and that mkes it a little different from the bright oranges that are popular right now.

It goes on very sheer as the name implies and needs 3 coats for fullest coverage .

For Summer there are 4 new shades in all: Trade Winds, Seashell, Jungle, and Sheer Sunburst.

Retail is $ 7.99

Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots Nail Polish

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Fri, 31 May 2013 20:37:00 +0000

Maybelline has a lot of new products for Summer coming up. I'll be looking at several next week but first up is the new and adorable Polka Dots nail polish by Color Show.

I don't always go for the nail art polishes, some I love , some I leave. This totally caught my eye after I applied it. I love that you get this very nail art look with basically no work. The polish has little matte black and white dots suspended in it that glide over the nail for a dotty look. The shade shown is Drops of Jade and the background color is a light jade green.

The polish itself is a little sheer and because of the dots you don't want to build too much . Two coats seems to do the job but the base color will still be somewhat sheer . I tried it over a solid shade and it worked well two, so this can be used over your other polishes for an even more custom look.

What's nice too, is while there is some texture on the nail bed, it's slight , not thick or gritty like some big glitters can be.

I think these are super fun . Color Show Polka Dots will be available in July for $ 3.99 each.

There are five shades : Drops of Jade, Dotty, Clearly Spotted, Pretty in Polka, Blue Marks The Spots.

MAC All About Orange Lipsticks in Razzledazzler & Tangerine Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Beauty Alchemist) — Fri, 31 May 2013 08:00:00 +0000

MAC's All About Orange collection could be called All About Me. All these oranges are very me. There are seven lipsticks featured and two of my favs are Razzledazzler and Tangerine Dream.

Razzledazzler , Tangerine Dream

Both of these are lustre formulas and have a great deal of pigment. Razzledazzler is is a peachy orange and not as bold as some of the others but it packs plenty of color. Tangerine Dream is a true orange with yellow undertones. It's a more unusual shade and fun . It's got an '80s vibe going.

All the lippies here are pretty. I have 4 in all and the other two, not swatched but shown in the group image are Flamingo, which has a touch of pink , and Tart and Trendy , a full bright orange. Both of those are lustres as well .

All About Orange will be available on June 6th.