MakeupBug.com

The Product: L’Oreal Lash Boosting Serum.

The Claim: “Get visibly fuller, thicker natural lashes with less lash fall out” … “Apply daily under your mascara and at night to bare lashes to transform your natural lashes, and see more lashes in just 4 weeks!”

The Test: To apply the serum twice a day (morning and night) for 4 weeks, taking photos at the end of every week to track progress.

Here are a few photos of what my lashes look like right now without any product at all.  As you can probably see they’re short, pretty straight, and thin – so if this serum works on my lashes I’m willing to bet it will work on anyone’s!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Polish in Pacific Blue – Love this color! I have it on my toes right now. It’s just an amazing blue shade in a cream finish.  I’m really not into shimmer or pearl nail polishes at the moment, so this is one of the creams I have in rotation!

Gotta B’ Urban kabuki brush – Sooo amazingly soft! I use this brush nearly every day to touch up my mineral foundation or to apply a light layer of powder over my liquid foundation.

N.Y.C. Blushable Creme Stick in Big Apple Blush – N.Y.C. really shines with some products and this is one of them.  It’s just a great cream blush in a stick form.  I just dot some on the apples of my cheeks (it’s very pigmented) and blend it back towards my hairline.  It’s a super quick and easy way to get a gorgeous flushed look.

Coastal Scents HD Foundation in ST-02 – I can’t say enough about this foundation: it’s the perfect shade, has awesome coverage, doesn’t break me out, blends seamlessly, lasts all day, and looks good under flash photography.  I still wear mineral foundation most days, but I wear this when I go out, when I know I’ll be photographed, or when I want a perfectly flawless face.

Almay One Coat Nourishing Triple Effect mascara in black – I’m so glad I repurchased this mascara!  It’s my absolute favorite.  Somehow it makes my tiny lashes look long and thick, it’s  awesome.

Cover Girl Outlast Lipstain in 430 Coy Coral – Every year whenever summer’s around the corner, I start wanting that stained lip I-just-ate-a-popsicle look, and this product is perfect for that.  I just put a little on the inner part of my lips and smudge it with my finger before it dries to get a perfect pout.

Okay, I know this review a little behind the times (I just never got around to buying this mascara til now), but here it is anyway!

Promise: “Elastic formula stretches lashes up to 70% visibly longer in just one step,” “exclusive Grip & Extend brush grasps each lash to separate and lengthen from every angle,” “pro-vitamin B5 and silk protein strengthen and condition for hi-gloss black-patent shine.”

Availability: Drugstore product! Readily available.

Packaging: Super sleek and sexy shiny black tube with a red tip.  It looks like a stiletto heel of course!

Formula: Don’t expect any volume from this mascara!! I know Maybelline doesn’t promise volume with this one, but I thought there would be something… anything to boost my tiny lashes, but there wasn’t.  And for me, it didn’t really lengthen very well either. I had to pile on layers of product to get any length at all, and when I did, I got those weird wonky ends (you know the ones – where the tips of your lashes curve at weird angles).  But worst of all, and the reason I’m telling you not to buy this mascara, is the flaking!! Every time I wear Lash Stiletto I know it will only be a few hours before my cheeks are peppered with mascara flakes… Haha I’m not impressed.

Wand: I don’t like the wand either! There are a ton of bristles and they’re very thin, which is great for separating, but not adding volume or length.  The bristles are also very prickly, making the mascara application not so fun.

Price: Around $10 (Canadian).

Because I can’t fault Maybelline for not giving me volume (I’m am going to try Lash Stiletto Voluminous, don’t worry), I can’t take away stars for that. However, I can take them away for not giving me any noticeable length, for giving me wonky lashes, and for the freaking flakes!! 1/5 stars – I wanted to like it, but I don’t… at all.

Ok, so I know everyone (well, not everyone) loves Coastal Scents (www.coastalscents.com).   It’s a great source to purchase all kinds of cosmetic products from palettes to foundation to lip gloss as well as tools like brushes and empty jars.  Some of the products are really good and priced well.  One drawback of the company (and it’s the same drawback everyone who has a problem with the company has) is their costumer service.

Here’s what happened to me:

Back in 2008 I discovered Coastal Scents and absolutely fell in love with the site, I ordered a few palettes, a lot of brushes, and some sample mica pigments.  I recommended the site to everyone who would listen to me!  Then early 2009 I placed another order, this time for 25 empty 10g jars to store pigment samples. When I got the package I noticed it was completely screwed up.  I was missing 15 jar covers and 15 sifters were too small (they belonged with 3g jars)… So I emailed the company and got an email back saying that they would send me the 15 missing covers and the sifters.  I was really impressed with that and waited for my package.  It arrived about a week later and much to my dismay it was screwed up again!! I couldn’t believe it! This time they sent me 15 jars with covers and sifters… so I was left with 10 coverless jars and 15 tiny sifters!!  So I emailed again but this time received no response. I emailed again… and again… for a total of four times and never received a word back.  So I gave up on Coastal Scents.

Recently I’ve been ordering at my own risk, I wanted to try their HD foundation and purchased a few brushes for a friend. Here’s an overview of some of the things I have from the company and what I think about them:

HD Foundation, EZ Prez, & Sample Micas: I love the foundation, so I recommend that. The EZ Prez lets you press loose shadows or pigments that can’t be pressed with alcohol alone – it’s a very unique product. And the Micas are an amazing value!! You get enough to fill a 10g jar for $1!!! I always add a few of these to my cart before checking out.

Lip Glosses: When I ordered these “Smacks” Coastal Scents were getting rid of the old packaging to bring in big tubes, so the old glosses were only $1.95 each. They are really pretty, but nothing to write home about and I wouldn’t have purchased them had they not been on sale (impulse buy!)

Brushes: For brushes, Coastal Scents is actually a good place to look.  They do not make these brushes themselves, they buy them wholesale from a company called Crown Brush.  You can buy the brushes from the Crown Brush website, but you have to make a minimum purchase of $25. So, it’s better to get them from Coastal Scents.

Jars & Empty Palettes: From my experience stay away!! There are lots of other places to get empty palettes and jars, I now get mine from Ebay.

Palettes & Gel Liners: As for the finished palettes sold on Coastal Scents (i.e. the 88 palettes, the 28 neutral palette, the double stack palettes etc) and the gel liners – get them from Ebay!  Coastal Scents purchases these palettes wholesale from factories in Hong Kong and resells them at a higher price.  My advice is save your money and purchase them from a reputable seller on Ebay, it will save you money to buy directly from the source.  The shipping may take a little longer, but it will cost less.

My point is: please order at your own risk… This company does have good products, however, their customer service is terrible.

Ok seriously, I got this mascara for $2.99.  That’s amazing! What’s really amazing is how great this mascara is…

Promise: “A ‘must have’ everyday beauty essential. Allows for the building of unlimited coats of mascara on the lashes, whilst maintaining perfect lash separation and definition, without clumping or sticking. Get ready for an eye opening experience!”

Availability: Everywhere – drugstore product!

Packaging: Pretty plain. But I think it suits the whole “basic mascara” thing it has going on, so I like it!

Formula: This is a really great defining mascara, and with a few coats you can build a nice amount of volume too.  The formula itself is a little watery, making application quicker than thicker mascaras you really have to work with.  Usually mascaras with a more watery consistency tend to clump after a few coats – but this one doesn’t!

Price: Normally less than $5!!  Craziness!

This is just a really nice product at a great price, I really can’t say it better than Rimmel already has in their claim. For being so great and so cheap, I’m giving Rimmel Extra Super Lash Mascara 5/5 stars!

This is such a cute palette!! I don’t know how practical it is to carry a big brick of 5 lip glosses in your purse, but I don’t care.  Like all Too Faced products, the packaging is adorable – a sleek black case with a quilted design on the cover and a huge mirror perfect for touch-ups.  These glosses smell and taste yummy too, just like candy.

Sadly, I’m pretty sure this product is discontinued, but that means you can get it for less!  At least I did – $12, but I have seen it priced up to $24, so shop around.  On another practical note: I prefer lip glossed with some sort of applicator just so I don’t have to stick my finger in the gloss (or bring a lip brush with me).  Also, the different glosses aren’t separated by anything so I’m guessing one day this lip palette will look like a swirled pink mess.

But, all in all it’s definitely a very cute product that’s worth checking out if you can still find it!

Promise: “Get fuller, longer, curvier lashes in one coat for 100% pure impact. The patented triple action gel formula instantly builds, extends and sculpts your lashes. Triple Impact Brush wraps mascara evenly around every lash in one smooth application. Gently formulated with aloe and vitamin B5 to help keep lashes conditioned. Extra gentle, non irritating formula.”

Availability: Practically everywhere – drugstore brand!

Packaging: Some people don’t appreciate the packaging, but I really like the white tube with and silver letters, I think it’s very fresh and clean looking.

Formula: I love this mascara!!! Love it!! It really does deliver length, volume, and it holds curl.  Also, it doesn’t leave your lashes completely stiff and crispy like some mascaras; they remain soft to the touch.  There is one but though – the formula itself is a little thick,  so it’s pretty time consuming to comb it through your lashes. However, I added a few drops of water to the tube and it worked wonders.

Wand: This wand is really unique, it’s a normal brush type (not plastic like Lash Blast, for example) but with just two sides – one with short bristles and the other with longer comb-like bristles.  I use the short end to really layer on the product, and the longer end to comb out the lashes and add length.

Price: Like most other drugstore mascaras, this one is under $10, and for a product you should only keep for about 3 months, why spend more?

I love this mascara!! 9.5/10 stars!