Styling Products -Got 2 Be - Fat-tastic Mousse
CellarDoor2 12/1/2010 10:12:00 AM
I can honestly say that this is THE worst mousse for fine hair in the history of mousses. The length of my hair varies from long and layered to one-length at the shoulder. The only thing that stays constant is that it is extremely fine, straight, flat and oily - even on the second day after shampooing. The only things I am looking for in a mousse is for it to give me lightweight volume - not to moisturize (there are creams and lotions for that), not to straighten (it's already straight) and not to makes unruly hair smooth (there are conditioners for that). Most mousses I have tried (and I have tried a lot) have all added SOME volume, some just added a whole lot more than others. But THIS one was actually working counter-productively on my hair: Once I applied it after washing my hair, it made my hair SO greasy and oily, as if I rubbed beeswax all over my hair! It almost made me laugh that this product was being marketed for fine hair...It made my hair look like I haven't washed it in a week - right upon application! If I wanted my hair to look like I smothered it in Vaseline - I would use Vaseline! I normally do not return hair products, but this one went back to the store the next day. Don't buy this product. Trust me, your fine, flat poor hair will thank me.
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Lipstick -Lise Watier - Hydra Shine Lip Stain
CellarDoor2 10/6/2010 12:19:00 PM
Chances are that if it is a makeup product and it is sold in drugstores, I have probably tried it. Hoping to jump on the lip-stain bandwagon, I have tried the latest lip stains from CoverGirl, Maybelline and Revlon. Besides the fact that the Revlon one also had a balm on its other end, they all had the exact same characteristics: they felt extremely dried out (even with only the second or third application), all the colours in the range were muted and much darker than the package colour suggested, and they faded off my lips after only one hour or so – in a completely blotchy, uneven way! The blotchy fading was the worst. The colour selection were all muted and dusty: the lighter shades were too light to actually change the colour of anyone’s lips (I’m very pale), and the darker shades were way too dark and kind of beat the purpose of using a lightweight, bright lip stain to begin with. I have almost given up on the felt-tip style lip stains. After a few uses, they have all become so dry that it almost hurt trying applying it to my lips - exactly what would happen if you left a highlighter in the sun for two days without its cap on. Enter Lise Watier Lip Stain. I have noticed the display in the drugstore, and I thought to myself, “It’s gonna be just like the others, but what the heck.” I was so amazed with what turned up on my hand! A shiny, hydrating, watery (in a good way!) burst of amazing, almost neon-like fuchsia colour! So bright, without any effort on my part trying to press the pen into my hand in order to release some colour like I had to do with the others. Literally, just as if it were a new paper highlighter in a bright, concentrated pink colour. My first thought was “Whoa! Perfect for clubbing!”, since it had the same trendy colour as Revlon lipsticks in the bright neon melon shade and the bright pink shade that I like, only I knew this one would actually stay on my lips. So excited! More over, when I was leaving the store, I tried removing the colour off my hand with some alcohol wipes. It wouldn’t come off! How delighting! I’m the type of person who would never buy a luxury/pricier makeup product if I could get the same results with a drugstore brand, but this one just kicks all the others to the moon! I’m not sure how long the product would go without drying once you actually buy it and start using it, but just comparing this tester with all the testers from the other brands mentioned above, I could feel and see the difference.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Falsies
CellarDoor2 9/10/2010 11:33:00 AM
I normally go for lengthening mascaras, as I don’t care much for volume, but I’ve decided to try this one out. I’m so glad I did! First of all, before buying, I was so impressed with all the photos I have found online of what this mascara does, that I had to try it. Probably no mascara is good enough to provide a false-lash effect, but this is as close as they come, I think! My mother likes volumizing mascaras, and all the ones I have seen her wear did not do the job at all. This one, however, was easy to apply (I applied about three coats, rather than the normal 2), but it was a smooth application, no clumping, and it made my lashes really, extremely thick, and NOT in a sticking-lashes-together-so-it-looks-like-you-have-three-fat-lashes way. It just thickened every lash. And what’s more amazing is that it lengthened so well, and it doesn’t even claim to do that! Definitely a dramatic look, but still natural enough for daytime. I can’t stress it enough. I already bought two backups. If you like a very natural look, this mascara is not for you, but it is my go-to mascara for a night out. The curved brush is also very good. I will still also use lengthening mascaras, hoping to find the perfect one, but if I were after volume, this is the ONLY mascara I would ever use, possibly ever again. You pass this time, Maybelline…
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - XXL PRO Extensions
CellarDoor2 9/10/2010 11:19:00 AM
This mascara is like a Katy Perry in a sea full of Zooey Deschanels – forgettable. I bought 2 of these on a whim when they went on sale for $4.99CAD (usually $12.49CAD). I thought, “Well, no double-ended mascara can be really bad, can it?” I was wrong. Well, it’s not that it is bad, it is just not good, considering the time, the effort you need to apply it and the price. I was expecting at least some decent length, comparable to my fave L’Oreal Telescopic Clean Definition (silver tube) and Maybelline Lash Stiletto. It did not deliver. I always go for lengthening mascaras, although it is not like my lashes are blessed in all other departments. I just normally find volumizing mascaras to look very unnatural. So… Pros: It did not clump, it did not make lashes stick together, and it didn’t run (only a tiny bit when I jumped into a lake, haha). Cons: It did not lengthen at all, I felt. The final look looked like bare lashes, but with colour. Basically, it doesn’t really lengthen, just makes the tips of your lashes (that tend to be lighter and invisible without mascara on) black, so you can see them. It is not “your lashes, only better”, it is more like, “your lashes, only black”. For the double time you need to apply it, the misleading name (“Pro”), and the higher price, it is totally not worth it. I found that The Falsies did a better job at lengthening, and that one doesn’t even claim to lengthen! Not cool, Maybelline…not cool.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Pantene - Fine Hair Solutions Root Lifter Spray Gel
CellarDoor2 9/2/2010 12:28:00 PM
How do I put it...well, if this product were a man, I would probably be inviting him to come up to my place right about now. I have tried so many root-lifting sprays, gels, thickening creams, mousses, you name it. This product is by far one of the best that I have tried, if not THE best. To name a few that I have tried: LaCoupe Root-Lifting Spray (awful for oily and fine hair, like mine, just made it oilier), Marc Anthony Thickening Cream (made my hair thicker, but also deprived it of any movement), Sally Hershberger Root-Lift Spray (gave lots of volume, but also deprived my hair of any movement, literally gave me helmet hair), John Frieda Luxurious Volume Root-Lifting Spray (gave me lots of volume, but made my hair a bit stiff; this would be my second choice overall). Yet, the Pantene spray gel is by far better than all of them. One time, my coworkers did not even notice a change when I was wearing hair extensions that lengthened my hair to twice its actual length; but, when I used the new Pantene spray gel today along with the matching shampoo (no extensions), one of them commented, “Did you get a haircut? Your hair looks different!” You SEE the difference. It gives lots of volume, makes my hair feel light, retains movement (as much as a spray gel product can retain movement) and makes my hair feel fresh (unlike, say, the Sally Hershberger spray, which immediately upon styling made me feel like I hadn’t washed my hair in a week!). I normally don’t care too much about the smell, as long as the product works, but the new smell of the Pantene line is just scrumptious. I was spraying the spray today and went a bit overboard because of how good it smelled – I had to control myself! Since I almost always buy things only when they are on sale, this product, at $3.99CAD, was totally worth it. I would definitely buy it again. It may not be the perfect product, but out of everything I’ve tried, this is as good as they get!
12 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Klorane - Dry shampoo
CellarDoor2 6/4/2010 12:20:00 PM
How do I put this...if I could marry Klorane Dry Shampoo, I would. And I would remarry it, too. I'm referring to the spray can with the green cap, for oily scalps (not the gentle one with the white cap). I have fairly-long, fine, thin and thinning hair (my hair was never on the thick side, but ever since I had started dying it 5 years ago, the hairs on my head started dropping like flies). This thinning of the hair had caused my hair to be really oily, since it would be helpless against any oil in the scalp. It is gross. I wash my hair EVERY SINGLE DAY, because if I don’t wash it for a day, it looks as if I haven’t washed it for a week! People with thicker hair don’t have this problem, and I was almost ready to just accept my having to wash it daily (I mean, there ARE worst things out there than an oily scalp, huh…). I’ve been wanting to try a dry shampoo for years, and the first one I tried was the TRESemme dry shampoo (Active Naturals, or something like that). I bought it on sale for $3CAD. And I got exactly what I paid for. While that one made my hair LOOK clean and thicker, once I touched my hair, it felt like there was tons of build-up, and it definitely did not FEEL clean to the touch. I then tried the Klorane one for greasy hair, and I was so surprised to see what a difference ten dollars make: not only it made my hair LOOK cleaner, lighter, fluffier and bouncy, it actually made it FEEL all those things, too. If someone touched my hair after the TRESemme, there would be no fooling them that I hadn’t washed my hair for a day, but with Klorane, this would be absolutely possible! Not only it actually does what it says, but it also gives my hair RIDICOULUS volume that I have never experienced with any normal styling products! It’s amazing. I got it on sale for $10CAD, normally it is 17. It would totally be worth it even at full price. I have read reviews that the can runs out really quickly, literally a number of uses. So far I have used it sparingly about 4 times or so, we’ll see how long it will last. Sometimes I like how my hair feels with this one even more than after normal shampooing! I also have a few bottles of Batiste that I have bought but haven’t tried yet, hopefully it will be better or just as good, since the Batiste one is cheaper than the Klorane. However, I seriously doubt any other dry shampoo in the same price category and I general can top this one. Love at first spray!
11 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Hot and Spicy
CellarDoor2 6/4/2010 11:56:00 AM
Oh, how I wanted to love this polish. As soon as OPI’s Hong Kong collection came out, I immediately bought two shades: this one and Jade is The New Black. This orangey coral colour looked great in the bottle, but when I came home and decided to try it for the first time, I was surprised to see that the consistency of this newly-bought polish was that of a three-year old polish! I usually never have any problems with applying OPI polishes, especially their crèmes, they are usually smooth and not too runny or thick. This one, however, was nearly impossible to work with. It was streaky, ridiculously thick – almost like warm wax (!), and took forever to dry. My goal was to apply two normal coats, or try and do three thin coats, but with this polish, the only thing you can do is paint endless, thick coats to try and “fix” the previous uneven, thick coat. By the end of my manicure attempt, it looked like I had acrylic nails (my nails are normally thin and brittle) that were about 10 times the thickness of my bare nails (good if you like acrylics, I guess, but I don’t). Anyway, I was trying not to make a rash judgment, so I have decided to add a bit of nail-polish thinner. I have. I applied immediately. It worked for the first 10 seconds, and then the polish became all gooey and thick again in the bottle, right in front of my eyes! I have never seen anything like this before – even Seche Vite responds relatively well to thinners…The colour itself is wonderful – one I had been expecting to look horrendous on my extremely pale skin, but since recently I have tanned enough not to make my eye doctor ask me again if I was feeling OK and that I looked pale (actually happened!), this almost-neon shade brings out my pathetic excuse for a tan even more. Beautiful shade – biggest pain in the ass to apply. I almost gave this one away because I was so frustrated with the application. And the weirdest part is that even with the three coats, I can still see visible nail line! The application is like Essie Fiji’s streakiness with Seche Vite’s unbearable thickness. I would not repurchase, applying this polish has had serious implications for my mental health. Maybe if Essie had a similar shade, I would buy that instead. Maybe Hot & Spicy refers to the shade my face turned after I had tried working with it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Maybelline - Dream Liquid Mousse
CellarDoor2 5/25/2010 12:19:00 PM
I have originally tried the Dream Mousse version (in the pot) and while I loved the look and coverage that it provided, I did not like having to dip into the jar, which made the application messy, and the biggest downfall that was the easy transferability of the foundation to clothes and general lack of any staying power whatsoever. It also made dry patches very visible. I decided to try this liquid version since I needed a light summer foundation and it was on sale for $6.99CAD (normally about $14). I got it in the lightest shade and I was so delightfully surprised by how great this foundation looked and felt. I have very dry skin and no acne at all, so I’m always looking for moisturizing foundations. In the wintertime I use Covergirl’s Advanced Radiance – I love the Olay moisturizing ingredients in it (although it is aimed towards women who are 50+, and I am only 26, but I figure it’s never too early to moisturize your skin in any way you can). However, for summer I wanted something lighter, yet not overdrying. I absolutely love this foundation, it is light, yet hydrating, great lasting power and looks very natural on the skin. I have noticed that most of the negative reviews here saying that the foundation comes off easily come from people with oily or acne-prone skin, which I think is a bit unfair since probably most other similar foundations (liquid, moisturizing, not claiming to be particularly long-lasting) will come off just as easily due to the oil in the skin. I might be wrong, though. In any case, for my dry skin, this foundation was perfect. I will definitely repurchase. Another great alternative to this one is Almay Pure Blends foundation, which is even lighter than this one, and it might be better for acne-prone skin, too.
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Hair Color -L'Oreal - Brass Banisher
CellarDoor2 5/25/2010 11:32:00 AM
I really had high hopes for this product, since it was the first time I had seen a hair toner in a drugstore. After reading the first review here, which said it worked, I was really excited, since I didn’t want to pay money for a toning treatment at the salon. My hair has about 6 inches of growth of my natural light brown hair, and the rest of my hair has dark blonde highlights that have made the overall colour of my hair appear lighter (not just the highlighted parts). In natural light my hair looks OK, not brassy at all. However, in indoor lighting and in photographs with flash my hair appears literally orange, which made me want to use a toner. After leaving it on for the maximum of the allowed 10 minutes (directions call for 5 minutes), I saw absolutely NO reduction whatsoever in the brassiness of my hair. It was not lighter, nor darker, nor less brassy; it stayed exactly the same. The only difference was the shine, however, that shine came from the conditioner, not from the toner itself, and you can get that shine with any $3 conditioner. I guess I am finally coming to terms with the fact that the ONLY way to achieve an ashy, natural hair colour is to actually grow out my hair – no hair colour will ever be able to achieve a REAL ashy tone, even the ones that are labeled “ash” – they all turn out reddish or orange. Therefore, I will not be buying this product again and will not recommend it to anyone. Maybe it works for really light blonde hair, though, but for my dark blonde hair it did absolutely nothing.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Garnier - Fructis XXL Volume Thickening Mousse Extreme
CellarDoor2 5/17/2010 2:34:00 PM
Let me begin by saying I first tried this mousse a couple of years ago, and I loved it, but I hadn't bought it again at that time since there were always new products that I wanted to keep trying. Well, I have come a full circle with this one. About two weeks ago, I needed a new mousse. Looking on MakeupAlley, I read about Tresemme Bodyfying Mousse (the black bottle with the red cap, designed specifically for working with hot tools). It had great reviews, at about 4.3. I bought it, and realized that it did not give my hair body AT ALL, and moreover, it made my thin, fine hair feel very weighed down, as if I applied cream all over my hair and not mousse. I was extremely disappointed and returned it. Next on my list was Sunsilk Root-Spray Mousse (yellow bottle), which also had great reviews at 4.3. Big disappointment - again. It felt even heavier than the Tresemme, it made my hair smooth and soft - which is great in a cream, but not great in a mousse that you need for volumizing!!! It was literally as if I applied a light smoothing cream - it weighed my hair down and gave me zero volume. This one is also going back to the store. The two mousses above would probably be good for people with very thick, dry, curly and frizzy hair, since it would smoothen it and make it more manageable, but I don't understand why people with lots of thick, curly hair would need a volumizing mousse anyway - so either way, these products are a miss. I realized that I was tired of trying new products and returning them, so I decided that I'm gonna buy the Garnier XXL one next. Of course, I always like buying stuff on sale, and this week it was as if it was my calling! They were on sale for $2.99CAD. I bought everything they had in stock - 4 of them. I'm in love. Would buy again and again. It not only gave me thickness, but volume as well. My hair felt more textured, which is great for my fine hair. Just wonderful, espceially for a drugstore brand. Garnier, blowing XXL kisses your way.
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Hair Color -Garnier - Herbashine
CellarDoor2 4/19/2010 12:05:00 PM
WOW. This product delivers exactly what it promises. My natural colour is light ash brown, and I have been trying to get back to my natural colour for the past two years, when I stopped dying it with dark blonde highlights (which made my whole hair somewhat lighter, not just the streaks). I have light ash brown roots (about 5 inches of them) and the rest of my long hair is a dark blonde. The difference is not very noticeable, but it’s there, so I have just decided to buy some temporary colour and apply it only to the bottom half of my hair, hoping it would match my roots. The problem I had with L’Oreal’s Casting Color Spa was that their Dark Blonde (Palomino) shade did not change my hair colour or shine factor AT ALL (as if I have never applied anything), while their darker shades, such as Chestnut (I think, a medium brown) ended up staying in my hair for good and never washing off after 28 shampoos like it had promised to do. So while many people liked Casting, I was not blown away by it. I decided to try this new semi-permanent colour from Garnier, hoping to boost my shine and match the rest of my hair with my roots. Since people reported lighter colours turning out a lot darker than on the box, I went for the Dark Blonde shade to get a light brown (I also remembered my experience with L’Oreal’s Natural Match in Light Ash Brown, which turned out a very reddish medium brown at first, so I believed that the shades turned out darker). So I got Herbashine for $4.99CAD with a $2 coupon when it was on sale – I couldn’t lose. It turned out beautifully: my hair was shiny, and it turned out a natural light brown that matched my roots exactly. The only thing is, I kinda freaked out all of a sudden and started missing my lighter colour, since I think the ash brown washed my very pale skin out. So I used my John Frieda Colour-Correcting Shampoo (purple tone), because I knew it was somewhat harsh, in hopes of fading the Herbashine a bit back to my lighter shade (you always want what you don’t have at the moment, huh?), and after a few days, it really DID go back kind of to my lighter shade. Meaning? It really DOES wash off, which is a good thing when a hair dye promises to do so!!!!! Can’t comment about gray coverage, cause I don’t have any, but other than that, a great no-commitment shine and colour booster! Wonderful product, already repurchased a box to keep in stock for future emergencies.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Unlisted Brand - Alberto European - Extra Hold Unscented Hairspray
CellarDoor2 4/13/2010 2:49:00 PM
Hands down, my absolute favourite, HG hairspray. I first tried it after my best friend had recommended it to me. I have long hair, fine hair, so I do not need an extremely-strong hairspray that will make my hair look like a helmet. I just use hairspray to prevent flyaways and keep the volume that I put into it with other products in place. This extra-hold hairspray (strength level: 3 out of 4) is absolutely the best I have ever tried. I have tried many other drugstore brands, and they always have left my hair very stiff and very "in one piece". This spray is just amazing, it has a very fine mist that, when you first spray it, feels a bit stiff, but after some time (I'm talking like maybe 5 or 10 minutes) makes hair feel soft to the touch, with natural movement, as if you have never applied hairspray to begin with! In my opinion it is comparable to the L'Oreal Elnett, but at less than a third of the price of L'Oreal ($14.99CAD!!!), it's an absolute steal. Whenever it goes on sale, I buy 3 or 4 of these babies (often on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart for $2.99, sometimes $1.99!). I'm on my last can again, and hoping such a sale is in the near future (not that it's not worth the full price, I'm just a sucker for sales and bargains). Oh, and the unscented version is simply DIVINE! It still feels like it has just a tiny bit of fragrance, so it doesn't smell nasty like many unscented products can, but the scent is so light (compared to the original, overbearing scent), that it is just great. Love, Love, love!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -John Frieda - Sheer Blonde Color Renew Tone-Restoring Shampoo
CellarDoor2 4/5/2010 2:05:00 PM
My hair is not really blonde per se, it's actually a very, very light ash brown, but I have highlighted it myself before, so the bottom half of it is more like a golden dark blonde (which I hate, the golden part, that is). Since I had realized that the only way to get rid of the orange tint that I get in the sun and in pictures with flash was to just grow my natural colour out, I decided to turn to purple shampoos. I remember using the JF purple mousse a long time ago, which was nothing special, and, not coincidentally, is now discontinued. This shampoo is great; I imagine it would be even greater for those with real blonde shades (i.e. light blonde or medium blonde). I actually found this shampoo at my local dollar store for $2CAD! I bought the last two in the store because I thought, hey, even if it didn’t work, it would only be 2 bucks. I also have the conditioner, which I think is less effective at toning brassiness down than the shampoo. You could probably get away only with the shampoo. The shampoo is a bit drying, but since I have very fine, oily hair, for me it’s actually a bonus. And any conditioner applied to the ends would take care of that problem. After only a couple of uses, I have noticed that my hair is was lot brighter and less brassy-looking. It’s not really magic, it doesn’t make your golden hair look ashy (which would be my dream, lol), but it’s still a whole lot better than nothing at all. Works great. I think this one was discontinued simply because JF are coming up with a new packaging for this product. Pricy at the original price, though, and since it’s the only purple shampoo I have ever used, I’m sure there are better ones out there (I’ve always wanted to try the Light Blue Shade shampoo, which has a much darker purple tone to it than this one, so I would assume it would be more effective for my darker blonde hair). But I’m sure the JF one will be perfect for lighter blondes.
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Polishes -Essie - Au Natural
CellarDoor2 3/22/2010 11:59:00 AM
Dear Au Natural: Where have you been all my life? This is EXACTLY the perfect non-pink sheer nude that I had been looking for for the past 10 months. While I like sheer pinks (such as Essie’s Mademoiselle and OPI’s Kiss on the Chic), I was looking for a sheer, nude beige that would literally “extend” the colour of my skin onto my nails. I wanted to find a colour that would look like the shiny version of my fingers. I started off with Essie Jazz, which I loved, but it was not what I was looking for, after I realized that it was extremely similar to my OPI Tickle My France-y, which was a beige nude but with mauve, or pinkish, undertones. While Jazz is more opaque, the shade was still pretty close to OPI, and in my opinion, it was not different enough to own both. So the search continued. I have tried Essie’s Naked Truth, Pachinko Pale, Sandy Beach, Not Just A Pretty Face (which was clearly a pink shade, but since I have a cool skin tone, I thought it would qualify as a nude for me, which it didn’t in the end). All of these were either too white, too pink, and generally speaking, just too light in order to look like it matched my skin tone exactly. They all had a “she is wearing a light-coloured nail polish” look, rather than the “is she wearing clear nail polish? Is she wearing anything at all?” look that I was looking for. Amid my search and trials, I have actually tried Au Natural on one nail, but for some reason decided that it was not what I was looking for, maybe I was afraid that it would make my nails look “stained” and old. After trying all of these shades and the new Essie 2010 Wedding Collection nudes, I have realized that it was Au Natural or never. So I went and bought a bottle, which, sadly, is being discontinued. Applied it, and voila! Bingo. A great shade that makes my fingers look longer since it blurs the line between the nail and the finger. A light, sheer chocolate-milk shade. It has a very subtle silver shimmer in the bottle that you do not see once you put it on, which is a good thing. It matches my skin tone exactly, and even tough I am very pale and the colour in the bottle looks kind of dark, it is much lighter and not so harsh once you apply it. Would definitely repurchase, if it weren’t being discontinued!
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Physicians Formula - Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Mascara Duo
CellarDoor2 3/16/2010 2:44:00 PM
Dear Shimmer Strips Mascara: Will you marry me? It has been so long since I have been so impressed or satisfied with a makeup product. I, too, like the other two reviewers, have bought it on sale at 40% off at Shoppers Drug Mart. The first time I saw this product was on the company’s website; I have never seen it in stores before. When I went to buy it, I only saw the green and the purple ones for brown eyes. I grabbed both in a frantic haze. When I asked about the Pop Collection Eye Shadows (another winner), I’ve been told that they used to have it but did not carry it anymore. So I freaked out that the whole colourful collection was being discontinued. It took me 3 more Shoppers hunts until I found one that had the other colours; I bought them all in the end. So far, I have only tried the green, which is awesome. The colour can be really noticeable if you want it to be, or very subtle, depending on your application. Since I only shop for makeup products in drugstores, I was really excited to see a REAL coloured mascara since the last time I had one (the last time I had a green mascara from a drugstore, it was by Caboodles, when I was still a teenager). I haven’t even tried the black side yet, since I am already using my all-time favourite L’Oreal Telescopic Clean Definition mascara, so I tried the green one over my usual one. Great definition, no clumping and the brush is really good. The overall look is one that makes people think, “Hmmm, there’s something different about her eyes today…but what is it? Is it…is it a coloured eyeliner? No…”, not one that makes people think you are the long-lost twin sister of Johnny Depp’s The Mad Hatter. It’s noticeable enough to make a difference, but not so that it makes it inappropriate to wear at work. Just perfect! The packaging does look expensive, but it’s a bit cumbersome and would probably be hard to fit in a makeup case. But you’re also getting two colours, so that’s OK. My only beef with this one is that I actually wish the WHOLE mascara was coloured, without the black side, since I did only buy all of these just for the coloured sides (which are smaller than their black counterparts). Black mascaras are everywhere, so I would assume that most people would buy these mascaras only or mostly for the colour, since they can use any other black mascara with it. I would not take any lippes off for this, however, since the product itself is still awesome. The two-colour idea is probably convenient for most people, however. I hope they never discontinue this product; it’s worth the money, even for the full price. I will buy it again and again. EDIT: I have finally tried out the black side of this mascara, and it is just awful. The brush is three times the size of the green mascara’s brush and it just does not give any volume or length, unlike the smaller, much better brush of the coloured side. Huge disappointment. The formula is OK, I guess, I think most mascara formulas are OK and the secret is always in the brush – and this one sucks. I’m assuming it is the same size as CoverGirl’s LashBlast, which prides itself on its gigantic brush that I had never been tempted to try since I understood that the width of the brush does not make any difference really. And now I know I was right. Anyway, the huge brush creates a very, very subtle effect, barely noticeable, which would be good if it didn’t also create spidery lashes in the process. Put in other words, if this mascara did not have the coloured side, I would not use the black side even if I got it for free. Like I said before, I wish they came out with a full-size coloured mascara, since even the sale price of $10CAD is not really worth it for such a small coloured tube. One lippie off overall for this product due to the black side's crappy brush. I will, however, repurchase, only since it is the only bright mascara in drugstores available for now.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No