Tag Archives: high end

Apr 20 2012

Review: Benefit Badgal Lash Mascara

Name: Benefit Badgal Lash Mascara
Shade: Rich Black (more of a soft than deep black)
Formula: Water-based
Brush: Large, straight, thick bristles, tapers at tip
Cost (travel): $9 USD, $10.50 CAD
Cost (full size): $19 USD, $26 CAD
Packaging: Tube container, brush wand
Amount (both): 8.5g, 0.3oz.
Effectiveness:: High
Availability: Benefit.com, Sephora, Shoppers Drug Mart
Cruelty-free: Yes
Paraben-free: No
Certified Organic: No

If you’ve ever shopped at Sephora you know how deadly the checkout line is on your wallet. They make you line up through little buckets of cute, mini-sized products that you’re so tempted to pick up because either the packaging is really cute or the cost is deceptively a bargain. I’ve fallen for this a couple of times so I attempt to avert my eyes while lining up, but the last time I was there I decided to try out the travel size version of the Benefit Badgal Lash Mascara. I had not read any reviews on it nor did I know anything about the mascara (whether it was for volume or length), but for some reason I decided to pick it up and I’m really glad I did.

This truly is a clump-free mascara. It’s supposed to make your lashes more voluminous, which isn’t the best kind I’ve tried out, but it’s still one of the better ones. I can’t get over how easy the formula is to work with though. It’s light and very buildable, yet I’ve applied four coats of this and it still hasn’t clumped on me. It’s a great everyday mascara if you want long, separated lashes. It also doesn’t flake on me.

The travel-size one, which I got, has a full-sized wand, which is a pretty full-on wand so I sometimes get mascara on my lid. It’s not a big deal though. I just wait until it dries and then wipe it off with a cotton bud. The only downside really is that it only comes in one colour and I find that it is more of a soft black that a deep black, which is what I prefer.

Here is what my eyes look like before and after I applied the mascara. I did curl my lashes before applying the mascara. This mascara holds the curl decently, but my curl definitely drops after applying this mascara. The formula isn’t waterproof though, which tend to be waxed-based and contracts when it dries, so it’s not really appropriate to expect it to hold the curl well when it’s water-based.

PROS CONS
High quality On the pricey side
Separates and lengthens lashes Only available in one colour
Very buildable
Clump-free
Comes in a travel size, which is the same amount of product for half the price
Paraben-free

OVERALL: 4.5 out of 5
RECOMMEND: Yes
PURCHASE: Yes

Apr 14 2012

Review: Cozette Makeup Brushes

I’ve been meaning to do this review for a couple of months now. I ordered a set of 10 Cozzette makeup brushes at the end of last year and received them during Christmas. When I had purchased them the Cozzette site was their older version and they offered a 10 makeup brushe set with a large plastic vessel. I bought this and the S185 Small Eye Contour brush and for $199 USD, which saved me $25.50. These are high end vegan brushes and I took a few months to decide that I wanted this set. It’s definitely pricey but they are professional, durable high quality brushes. I simply love them. Here are the brushes I received. I separated them into face brushes and eye brushes.

Sorry for the crappy picture quality. I was having a hard time getting my camera to focus and out of the 30+ pictures I took these were the best. =/

FACE BRUSHES

From left to right:
1. S125 Oval Powder Brush (Reg. $30 USD)
2. S135 Contour Stylist Brush (Reg. $28 USD)
3. S140 Highlight Stylist Brush (Reg. $28 USD)
4. P350 Cylinder Concealer Brush (Reg. $18 USD)
5. P355 Stylist Lip Brush (Reg. $15 USD)

These brushes are SO SOFT. They feel so much better than the animal hair brushes I owned. They are also incredibly easy to clean. The products wash away with the smallest amount of soap and they dry within 2-4 hours, which is more than half the time it took my natural hair brushes to dry.

I really like using the highlight brushas a blush brush because the surface area isn’t as big as most blush brushes and I can maintain more control over product application with it. I also really like the concealer brush. I’ve never owned anything like it and it is so great at applying my Vasanti under eye corrector. It blends in the product so well but it’s really gentle on my eye skin and never tugs at it. Of the five I don’t really use the face brush, mostly because I almost never apply powder. But for someone who uses mineral powder or pressed powder, this would be a great brush.

EYE BRUSHES

1. D230 Mini Shader Brush (Reg. $14 USD)
2. D300 Stylist Eyeliner (Reg. $10 USD)
3. D200 Pencil Definer Brush (Reg. $14 USD)
4. S175 Eye Contour – Medium (Reg. $16 USD)
5. D225 Depositor Brush (Reg. $16 USD)

These are some of my favourite eye makeup brushes. The Depositor Brush is my favourite eye shadow brush of all time. It’s so versatile and easy to use. I also love the Large Contour Brush and Pencil Brush. I use both of these on almost every makeup look I do. I use the Mini Shader Brush the least. It’s very stiff and dense and I find it hard against my skin so I don’t really use it.

I also got the Small Contour Brush because I was worried that the Medium Contour Brush (that came with the set) would be too large. They ended up being a lot different in size and I find myself using the Medium one a lot more than the Small one. In hindsight I don’t think I should have purchased the Small brush because I think this is made for people with really small eyelids or eye creases, which I found out after using this, that I don’t have. Here they are side by side.

Overall I think these brushes are really good. I do not regret purchasing them at all and I see them as an investment. I will be using them for years and have a clean conscience knowing that no animals were harmed with the production of these brushes. I also find that the weight distribution in the handles is really good and they feel really balanced in my hand when I use them. Plus the handles are curved making them more ergonomic. I would recommend these to anyone who want to invest in high quality brushes that they want to last a long time.

OVERALL: 5 out of 5
RECOMMEND: Yes
REPURCHASE: No (won’t need to because they’ll last forever)

Apr 10 2012

Review: Josie Maran Matchmaker Serum Foundation

Name: Josie Maran Matchmaker Serum Foundation
Shade: Medium Dark
Skin type: All types
Coverage: Medium
Cost: $42 USD, $55 CAD
Packaging: Glass bottle with pump
Amount: 30 mL, 1.0 fl.
Effectiveness:: Medium
Availability: Sephora
Cruelty-free: Yes
Paraben-free: Yes
Sulfate-free: Yes
Certified Organic: Yes

When I decided to start shopping for a new foundation the first one that came to mind was the Josie Maran Matchmaker Serum Foundation. I have fallen in love with my argan oil, which has made my dry, flaky skin so much better. Never before has my skin felt as soft and moisturized as it does now so the thought of having a foundation that had argan oil in it just blew my mind. I had to try it. So I went into this with high expectations and I must say, I’m not disappointed. So far in comparison to the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation and the Tarte Recreate Anti-Wrinkle Foundation this has the best texture and is the most moisturizing.

I also love that this product is so good – certified organic, paraben-free, sulfate-free, cruelty-free and vegan. How can I complain about that? I wish all foundations were this good. It’s a pricey one too ($55 CAD) but I feel like it’s worth supporting a good company. Plus the fact that the foundation starts out white and blends out to match my skin tone is just awesome. I feel like I’m putting on magic cream or something. It’s really cool. The downside is it only comes in three shades so if it doesn’t match your skin tone you wouldn’t really be impressed by the colour matching technology.

Here is what the foundation looks like on me. The first two pictures were taken in natural light and the third was taken in artificial light. I had to adjust the colour balance in the last picture because the lighting was too harsh and I wanted to make it more realistic of what it looks like in person. I did not adjust the picture to make the foundation look better or worse.

Overall I really like this foundation. It isn’t full coverage, which I like because I don’t really like the perfect (artificial) face look. Like the NARS and Tarte foundations, it doesn’t last all day (I’m starting to accept that no foundation will live up to my last all day expectations). The only beef I have with this is the price. First it’s pretty pricey, but I can live with it since it does have so many amazing things going for it. But what I’m really ticked about is the USD and CAD difference. I blame Sephora for this, nor Josie (I kind of have a girl crush on her). Sephora just loves jacking up the price of things in Canada for no good reason other than greed. *shakes fist*

PROS CONS
High quality Understandably Expensive
Geared towards dry skin Only available at Sephora (in Canada)
Moisturizing on the skin Does not last all day
Colour matching technology is cool Comes in only 3 shades
Certified organic Costs $13 MORE in CAD
Cruelty-free
Paraben-free

OVERALL: 4.5 out of 5
RECOMMEND: Yes
PURCHASE: Yes (unless I find something better and cheaper)

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