My beauty Bag

Hard Candy Saying Adios?

Rimmel Light Beam After Hours Lip Gloss Review. Sometime over the summer I was sent three tubes of Rimmel Light Beam lip gloss for review. I’ve been so busy using them and trying to pry them out of my daughter’s hands that I sort of … er, forgot to review them. Heh. Sorry about that! It was a weird summer, y’all.

Anyhoodle, you’ve probably seen this stuff in stores by now, and if so you know that the selling point is the packaging. The tube is squat and rectangular with a mirror along one side — big whoop, we’ve all seen that before. The unique part is the cap — there’s a little push-button operated light in it. Yes, a teeny, tiny flashlight. Open the product, depress the button in the top of the cap/handle, and a tiny spotlight shines down the length of the wand and thus onto your lips as you apply the product. Kind of like in this dramatic photo provided to me for purposes of illustration:

So with the light and the mirror, you can apply this stuff in the dark! Cool, huh? The light also works while the cap is on, so you can dazzle everyone around you with your mysteriously glowing tube o’ gloss, like in this picture I took myself in a dark (bath)room:

Yes, I AM easily amused, thanks for asking!

So let’s talk about the product INSIDE the cool tube, huh? Light Beam is a thin, very sheer gloss that’s only a little bit sticky. I received three shades — In The Mix, a sheer pale pink; Spotlight, a shimmery raspberry pink; and After Hours, a sheer brownish-plum — and they all look the same (read: clear and shiny) on my lips except that Spotlight is shimmery and the others aren’t. They all taste fabulous, though. In The Mix is sort of fruity, Spotlight tastes like bubblegum, and After Hours has some nebulous sweetness (maybe a little vanilla?) going on.

The thin texture combined with the yummy flavor means these glosses don’t really have much in the way of lasting power. If you don’t eat them off your lips, they’re going to wear off pretty quickly anyway. And let’s face it — do you really NEED a light and a mirror to apply what is essentially, on lips, a clear gloss? Maybe it’s because I’m old and have been applying lip gloss to my own lips for 30+ years, but I really don’t. Now if this gloss were actually pigmented, and I were the type to spend a lot of time in dark movie theaters and night clubs and … basements? or something? then the swell packaging would be extremely helpful.

Now, as mentioned in the first paragraph of this review, I HAVE been using and enjoying this gloss all summer. No, it doesn’t really show up at all, but it’s yummy and I certainly don’t hate it. However, my local supermarket is charging nearly $10 per tube for this stuff, and I really don’t think I’d pay that much for this product. I guess if you think of it as a combination flashlight/mirror/gloss — sort of the Swiss Army knife of the lip gloss world — then it might be worth $10 to you. Or, as mentioned above, if the gloss were heavily pigmented then I can see the packaging being worth a couple of extra bucks for the convenience factor.

But for a delicious yet very sheer gloss with an admittedly cute gimmick? Eh. I don’t think so.

From: http://lipstickismycrack.blogspot.com/

Anastasia Brow Gel.

With all the lofty marketing claims attached to new products these days, it’s so refreshing to find something that wows you even though you have rather low expectations of it.

I recently came into possession of a tube of Anastasia Brow Gel in Clear, and my first reaction was “ehhhh. Repackaged clear mascara for several times the price. Pass!”

But when getting ready for a wedding last month, I wanted to make sure my brows — sparse as they are — stayed in place all night, so I decided to take the Anastasia gel out for a spin. I really wasn’t expecting anything more than the results I used to get with a tube of Cover Girl clear mascara.

Wrong! Wrong! I love being wrong in situations like these; it makes something mundane seem like a groundbreaking discovery.

The Brow Gel felt like absolutely nothing going on, but my brows did not even budge all night. Like I said, they’re pretty sparse, but they have a tendency to get out of place pretty easily — especially the right one. Three reasons: (1) the long, sideswept bangs that fall on the right side of my face are a brow disturbance hazard, (2) I end up pushing them out of my face pretty frequently, therefore touching the brow and disturbing it further, and (3) that right brow has an old scar running through it, which tends to act like a brow cowlick (browlick?).

So when I say they didn’t move all night, this is pretty impressive. In addition, they were SHINY. As in, healthy-looking. Healthy-looking brows. Who knew such a thing could be possible!

And finally, the formula didn’t flake, dry out or get sticky over the course of the evening. Winner! I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but yes, it really is worth the $21. It’s really not that high a price to pay for peace-of-brow!

From: http://beautyaddict.blogspot.com/

MAC Halloween face charts

Red She Said Mineralize Eye Shadow Trio.

Okay you have got to try this new Mineralize Eye Shadow from the Red She Said collection, it is amazing.  Not only are the mineral colors vibrant and rich but down the center of each shadow is a glitter streak that I just love.  It allows you to create a really WOW glitter look, a very subtle glitter effect or no glitter if you prefer.  I really like the flexibility that this shadow gives you.  I picked up Outspoken which is 2 purple shades and I can’t wait to get Interview and Danger Zone.

Rating: *****
Cost: $17.50

From: http://www.productaddicted.net/

Smashbox Pink Power Kit Makeup For a Cause. Smashbox Pink Power Eye & Lip Kit Smashbox introduces it’s Makeup for a cause.  In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Smashbox is introducing the Pink Power Eye & Lip Kit, a set of two matching pink palettes that deliver serious beauty for a serious cause.

The Pink Power Eye Palette in Celebrate features three universally flattering shades of eye shadow and a mini double-ended brush for flawless application.  The darkest shade is embossed with the breast cancer ribbon to show support for the cause.

The Pink Power Lip Palette in Inspire features three sheer shades of lip color in a mirrored pink compact with a dual-ended brush.  Mix and match shades to come up with your own custom colors.

Bobbi Brown Cabana Collection.

Bobbi Brown has introduced the limited-edition Cabana Collection.  Do you even need to ask if I love it?  This sun-kissed makeup collection is perfect for resort season and features: