So when I stumbled across RapidLash, I immediately purchased it. At $49.99 for 0.1 Fl. Oz. (3 mL), it’s not cheap. But compared to alternatives, like LiLash or Latisse (which is a prescription treatment), I thought it was a pretty good deal. 

It looks like a clear liquid eyeliner, and applies exactly like one. You’re supposed to apply it to your upper lashline every night on a clean face. So I did this, and also applied a bit to my lower lashline because I very much wanted some visible lower lashes. I don’t think the product is recommended for lower lashes, but I found as long as I didn’t get it in my eye, I was fine. I don’t have sensitive eyes, and I found no irritation from using this product. However, I have heard some other reviewers with sensitive eyes say that they did experience some irritation from this product. Another con of this product that I have experienced myself: darkened skin at the lashline. My skin has become darker just where I have applied this product. It’s not a huge difference to me and doesn’t bother me at all, but it does happen.

My results? Well it’s definitely not an overnight miracle. I applied this every night religiously, and was getting a bit disappointed. But after 3 weeks, I finally saw results!! Not only were my lashes longer, but I found more lashes on both my upper and lower lashlines, and they curled naturally! I was extremely impressed that they would curl naturally without the help of a curler. Before this, even after curling my lashes with my Shu Uemura eyelash curler, as soon as I applied mascara my lashes would go back to stick-straight. Now, because of RapidLash, I’m able to use quite a few mascaras and have found really great results from my pile of previously “bad” mascaras. Also, I have found RapidLash to condition and strengthen my lashes. It used to be that some of my lashes would fall out after curling them, but now I rarely find my lashes falling out.

You have to continue using RapidLash to maintain the results, so it can become costly. I’ve found a tube to last around 3 months, and luckily spending $49.99 every 3 months fits into my budget. I’m not sure of any negative side effects due to prolonged use of this product, so I decided to give my lashes a break for a bit. After not using RapidLash for about 1 month, my lashes have gone back to their short, stick-straight state. However, they didn’t go back immediately to this state; for about 2 weeks after using RapidLash I still had nice, long lashes.

I plan to continue using this product, and perhaps I’ll also try LiLash at some point just to compare results. However, LiLash does cost $139.97, which is quite pricey. So if you are looking for beautiful, long lashes, I’d recommend checking out RapidLash.

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• Maybelline Eyeliner & Mascara (5)

(For a complete list of colors, check them out on their website here.)

To test these liners out before purchasing, I swatched a few on the back of my hand and let them set for about 30 seconds. Then I tried rubbing off the product. It would not budge! I was quite impressed. I also really loved the color payoff. With just one swipe I was able to get a rich, saturated color. Not only that, these pencils really do glide on, as their name suggests.

These are my go-to liners when I’m in a hurry in the mornings. I have a good color selection (and there are still many more colors I want), I know these will glide on effortlessly, and I know they will last throughout the day. I do, however, notice one minor problem—while the liner on my top lid stays put throughout the work day, the liner on my bottom lid does smudge a tiny bit by the end of the day. It’s not too noticeable, and I do think that this can be prevented by applying a primer first, like Urban Decay Primer Potion. My lids do get oily throughout the day, which is probably why a little bit of smudging occurs. If I’m not lazy in the morning, I apply UDPP first and don’t notice any smudging at the end of the day.

While I love bold, bright colors and absolutely love the range of colors these pencils come in, I do think they have a good selection unique colors without being too bold or obnoxious. For example, Rockstar (a deep eggplant color) is a great alternative to black. It’s dark enough to be a subtle color, but less harsh than black, and yet it’s still edgy. Keep in mind, I do work in an office, and even though we have casual attire, I’m not willing to go totally crazy with colors at work!

Overall I am extremely satisfied with these liners. I plan to purchase all the colors eventually!

You might also be interested in:

• NARS Sheer Glow Foundation (2)
• MAC Mineralize Satinfinish SPF 15 Foundation (2)
• MAC Mineralize Foundation and MAC 130 Brush (2)
• RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum (4)
• Urban Decay vs. Bourjois Liner (5)

Bobbi Brown’s Gel Eyeliner comes on like… for lack of a better term: grease. It comes on smoothly and most times I only need to slowly apply one layer of it to get the results I want. With other liners, I usually have to go back and forth on my eyelid to make sure I don’t miss any spots and that the thickness is consistent. With this gel eyeliner, I can apply it quickly in the morning without worrying about error.

Now my next concern was that the liner would smudge, seeing as how easily it came on. Well, not to worry folks! I’ve been wearing new colored contacts which irritate my eyes and sometimes makes them water, but even after an entire day of battling with my contacts, Bobbi’s gel eyeliner stayed exactly as it was in the morning with absolutely no smudging at all!

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The sale also features facial products, powders, more than a dozen colors of his popular lipstick shades for a mere $13.80, a dozen more eye shadows for $12, and some of his crazy couture eyelashes for $20.

Be excited everyone, I am!

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• Hautelook (4)
• Hautelook’s Vincent Longo meets Mr. Sledgehammer (5)

The Lock and Roll Eyeshadow Duos are dual sided eyeshadows, one side being a cream shadow with a tapered applicator, and the other being a loose roll-on shadow – both with some nice shimmer.

I made some swatches, but it’s a little blurry on the left side and the lighting isn’t great either. Cream shadows are on the inside, and loose shadows are on the outside. The square swatches on the top right were taken from the Sephora website, and as you can see they’re a little off. Gunmetal (on the right of both swatches), while dark grey in the official swatch, has more of a dark bronzey tone. Rosegold is a lot brighter too, and less pink then the official swatch. Against the skin, I’d say it’s sort of the color of a shiny new penny.

Since Tarte boasts that the cream shadows are water and crease proof, I tried using it without applying my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion as I usually would. Two hours later, and my makeup remains creaseless! The cream shadows act as a great base to put the loose shadows over. I was able to create two different looks, as you can see below. The right side is a bit more minimilistic and day-time appropriate; the left is more of a night-time look.

For both looks, I used the Rosegold cream shadow all over my top eyelid and then rolled the loose shadow over it, as well as on the inner corner of my bottom lid. Then, I applied the Gunmetal loose powder to the outer corners of my top and bottom eyelids. I also applied black shadow as my eyeliner, and my MAC Dazzle Lash mascara. The only real difference between the two looks is that I used more eyeliner and mascara on the right, as well as applied the shadow a bit more intensely.

I have to say, the shadow has some amazing staying power! It took a bit of effort to rub the cream shadow off the back of my hand from the swatches. I was a Tarte Cosmetics virgin before today, but I’ll definitely be buying more products from them in the future!

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• MAC Mineralize Satinfinish SPF 15 Foundation (2)

Now, I know most of us peruse the makeup aisle at our local drugstore more often than the MAC store at the mall. I for one can’t afford to spend all my money on big brand names, though I might wish I could. Still, I’ve come across some great products and brand-name alternatives at the CVS around the corner from my house.

My favorite eyeshadow of all time – yes, ALL time, is Loreal’s HiP Eyeshadow Duos. It even beats some of my MAC eyeshadows and my Coastal Scents and Artistik palettes. These eyeshadows are famous for being extremely pigmented and the duos are so well color-coordinated that I often take them with me while traveling so I don’t have to take my entire makeup collection with me. Used in combination with the HiP shadow pigments, you can get some great night time looks out of this line of products. I haven’t really used these eyeshadow duos or pigments for any true day time looks though ( though I have been known to wear night time looks during the day, haha.) The one product that I’ve bought from this line that I can’t live without is the HiP Shadow Pigment in Intrepid. It’s a really hot shimmery bronze with hints of purple and gold, and it goes great with greens, golds, and purples. HiP stands for High Intensity Pigment and if you’re looking for exactly that at an affordable price, then you should definitely give this a try.

I’m also in love with the Essence Of Beauty brushes that CVS carries. For such a cheap price you can’t expect them to level with your MAC brushes, but they are a perfectly adequate alternative if you find yourself on a budget. For the bigger brushes you can expect some shedding at first, but after a few uses you should no longer have that problem. My favorite purchase from this line of brushes is the Eye Travel Kit which was around $10. It comes in a little black pouch and includes four dual sided brushes (so eight uses).  The best brush out of this set, I would have to say, is the Precision Eye Liner Brush, which I like to use more to blend my eyeliner downwards into my lash line and, also if I’m going for a more smudged or smokey look, I’ll use it to blend my liner into my eyeshadow.

That’s all for now, but there’s more to come – Stay tuned for Part II!

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This product has gotten great reviews from people young and old and is recommended if you don’t mind spending a little extra money.

Sheet eye mask that intensively treats signs of aging such as dark circles, dullness and fine lines. Reduces appearance of dark circles and dullness. Gives eye area a “lift” and reduces the appearance of fine lines. Comfortably cools and refreshes, leaving skin feeling moist and smooth.

To Use: Apply pads under eyes after you complete your skincare routine and relax for 15 minutes. Gently lift off to remove. For weekly use.

Product Of The Week is a new category of posts that are short and sweet, recommending a chosen product every week.

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Verdict? Not impressed. I’ve been searching high and low for a mascara to replace my current mascara, Dior DiorShow BLACKOUT, which has been my staple for about a year now. I’m absolutely in love with BLACKOUT, but with a price tag of $24 a tube, and the rate it dries out, I feel like I should been getting intensity, color, and minimal clump-age instead of the spikes I normally spend ages brushing through (but that’s a different review). Hence, my excitement when I saw Bourjois’ advertisement boasting maxi false lashes and intensity all in one sweep. And since Bourjois is usually pretty good about delivering quality products, I decided to ignore my skepticism and give the mascara a chance.

Bourjois’ Coup de Theatre 2 in 1 Mascara isn’t by any means a bad product. It just seems bad when you compare it to the unrealistic market scheme presenting this product. A false maxi lash effect? Not even close. The only mascara I’ve ever seen come close to even giving the intensity of false lashes is DiorShow BLACKOUT (and you already know how I feel about that). This mascara provides subtle intensity, and just the right amount of definition for an everyday pop. It’s not very build-able, didn’t do much to lengthen my lashes, and gave it decent volume. I’d say this mascara is comparable to Lancome’s Hypnose except a little less creamy and build-able.

Click to enlarge.

I can’t say that I love Bourjois’ Coup de Theater nor that I hate it. It just seems a little mediocre, and falls a little flat in comparison to its sister mascaras in the Bourjois line. I can’t say that I’d repurchase this product either, mostly because there’re probably a dozen other mascaras out there able to achieve the same mediocre effect at a cheaper price.

And so the search for my HG DiorShow replacement continues …

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Bourjois Clubbing Liners

For a fair $16 dollars, Bourjois has done a decent job at creating a black eyeliner, but its nothing to really write home about. Its black is comparable to that of Urban Decay’s Perversion, but there’s definitely a noticeable difference in color intensity especially apparent in pictures. Whereas Urban Decay photographs giving you that nice black intensity near the eye, Bourjois comes out looking a little grey, and chalky. And although less noticeable in person, when closely compared you can definitely see the difference.

Bourjois leaves a lot less room for eyeliner maneuverability as well, drying almost immediately after application — which might be good or bad thing depending on your eyeliner needs. I personally like to smoke out my eyeliner from time to time and therefore appreciate the flexibility Urban Decay’s longer dry time provides.

In terms of stay power, streaking, smudging, etc. I’d say that Bourjois has succeeded in providing the perks its product boasts but at a very mediocre level. I have occasionally experienced slight chipping (oddly enough) at the inner and outer corner of my eyes as I tend to wing out my eyeliner.

Urban Decay Liner

I’m not sure if this is a result of the products I was using under my eyeliner, or if I was just giving this product a run for its money, but I found that especially bothersome as I had never experienced that problem with Urban Decay’s liner. I found that by simply applying a good coat of  face and eyeshadow primer, I could create similar stay power to that of Bourjois’ liner without the chipping.

There are also some slight, yet noticeable differences in the way both products apply. Bourjois’ liner is more on the watery side providing slightly less control than Urban Decay’s creamier consistency, but nothing a seasoned hand can’t adjust to. As for the applicators themselves, Urban Decay  provides a a thicker brush which sometimes becomes a little bothersome for detailed work, while Bourjois thin applicator creates a greater margin for error since building is required to achieve your desired line thickness.

So all in all, although I enjoyed the product and ventured out to buy it twice, I think I’ll pay the extra $2 for the Urban Decay since my eyeliner priority tends to lie more towards the pigment side of things.

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Maybelline Ultra Liquid Liner Waterproof Eyeliner

Waterproof liquid liner delivers all-day wear.

No skipping, no smearing.

Precision brush for perfect application.

Lash Stitletto Mascara

The only mascara that does for lashes what stilettos do for legs. The Grip & Extend brush grasps each lash and coats from every angle.   The elastic formula stretches lashes for provactive length.  Elastic formula stretches lashes for provocative length,Pro-Vitamin B-5 formula conditions and smoothes for black-patent shine, and Contact lens safe and Ophthalmologist tested.

So discovering the Ultra Liquid Liner and the Stiletto Mascara was a bonus for me.  In the past I’ve tried Lacome Defincil, and Lacome Hypnose.  I love those mascaras too, but they’re just too pricey for me so I’ve downgraded to a more affordable brand.  I hope you’ll give these products a try and see if it works for you.  Good luck!

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