Loose Powder

November’s Thanksgiving Birchbox was about giving. The items were staff favorites and were packed in a gifting envelope rather than tissue paper.

In the box were four items for me and one to give away:

• Lulu Organics Lavender + Clary Sage Hair Powder
• ModelCo Fibre Lashxtend Lengthening Mascara
• Mox Botanicals Pomegranate & Fig Lip Butter
• One Love Organics Aromatic Body Serum
• Extra: John Varvatos Artisan Cologne

I don’t particularly like body oils as despite claims otherwise, I don’t feel they absorb quickly enough into my skin and I feel like there’s a layer of oil on my skin. The One Love body serum is no exception, which makes me pass on this product.

While I try to purchase only naturally derived lip balms, most of them actually end up drying my lips. I’m not sure what moisturizing ingredient causes this, but the Mox Botanicals lip butter dried out my lips after  two days of use. I do like th texture and scent of this lip balm, though, so I’m a bit sad about not being able to use it.

I was very impressed by the ModelCo Lashxtend mascara! With only two coats, it added a nice amount of length to my lashes and darkened them a lot! Sorry I didn’t get a before photo, but here are a couple of photos with the mascara applied.

In the last photo above, you can see the attached mirror on the mascara tube. I found it a little difficult to use when applying the product, but it’s a neat idea.

The Lulu Organics Hair Powder has a nice herbal scent, which I found doesn’t transfer much into the hair. I’ve used it couple of times and didn’t find it to do much in terms of lifting roots or absorbing oil from second day hair, so I probably wouldn’t purchase it.

Birchbox is a monthly subscription service. For $10 a month, you’ll receive a box of four to five deluxe sized samples in the mail.

October’s Birchbox was a special edition curated by goop.com, featuring their must-try items.

I actually missed the opt-in e-mail, so I wasn’t sure if I would be getting this box. When I asked about it via Twitter, I was told that it was possible that I could still get on, so when my October box arrived in the special goop outer sleeve, I was quite excited!

Well… this box wasn’t nearly as exciting as I was expecting, but there were still a couple items I was interested in trying.

• Chantecaille Faux Cils Mascara
• DDF Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer
• EVE LOM Cleanser and Muslin Cloth
• per-fekt Beauty Lip Perfection Gel
• Extra: Lemon Zest Luna Bar

First of all, I always keep a Luna bar in my purse because I get a little difficult to deal with when my blood sugar is low. My friends and I say that I am getting “stabby.” Lemon Zest is one of the few flavors I like, though sometimes it’s a little sweet – I’m currently liking the almond ones a bit more.

My face is currently recovering from a terrible reaction to a foundation I was trying, so I haven’t yet used the DDF Pore Minimzer or the EVE LOM cleanser, though both look good. I also like the little muslin cloth the EVE LOM cleanser comes with as I find those work better for me as an exfoliator than the usual scrubs which was a bit too gritty.

The item that kind of baffles me is the per-fekt Beauty Lip Perfection Gel. It’s in a very strange sample package and I have yet to open it to try it.

I’m not sure this month’s box was really worth it, but I’m continuing my subscription.

Birchbox is a monthly subscription service. For $10 a month, you’ll receive a box of four to five deluxe sized samples in the mail.

I’m fairly new to the Ulta brand as we don’t have a local store and I’ve only been able to shop in one when I visit Liz. On my last trip in April, they were running a promotion where you could get a free 13 piece gift set when you purchased $17.50 worth of Ulta brand items. I thought this was a good opportunity for me to try a selection of their products.

There is a lot of stuff packed into that makeup bag! There are two eyeshadow quads, a blush, a volumizing mascara, two eyeliner pencils, a lipstick, a double-ended lip gloss, mini nail polish, and three travel brushes.

I didn’t take any photos of the eyeliner pencils, but they were very standard – and hard. I’m not sure I would use them to line my eyes.

The eyeshadow squads are a good travel size and there is a small mirror as well as a sponge tipped applicator. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very impressed with the quality of the eyeshadow. They have a chalky texture and aren’t very pigmented. Between the two, the neutral quad is a bit better, but I probably wouldn’t have purchased either one.

The lipstick and lip gloss were better. The lipstick is in the color “211”. The peachy gloss is Princess and the reddish gloss is Mischief. The lipstick has a nice, creamy consistency but doesn’t last very long. The glosses aren’t too sticky and both are very wearable colors. The only thing I dislike is that it’s a double-ended tube. I’ve always found them kind of annoying to carry and use, but that’s a personal preference.

The blush (in Sweet Cheeks) was very unimpressive. It was chalky and even though you see a bit of shimmer in the compact, once it’s on the skin it looks powdery and there is no shimmer. The color was also very light and definitely wouldn’t work for me as a blush.

The nail polish is called Lav-ish. It’s a dusty lavender color with gold shimmer. I haven’t actually tried it yet (mostly because I forgot about it), but I’m excited to try it out.

Finally, this is the Ulta Voluptuous Volume mascara. I’m not sure I would call this voluptuous as it adds very little volume and barely noticeable length. Although other reviews said this mascara was runny, I found it to be very dry.

I am wearing five coats of mascara in the above photos. Five coats. On the other hand, after five coats, there was not clumping and it does look quite natural. My lashes didn’t feel sticky and they stayed flexible. This also washed off easily with soap and water. I do like the way this looks, but putting on five coats of mascara takes forever and I can’t see myself spending that much time on it for such unimpressive results.

Overall, I thought the nail polish, lip gloss, and the mascara were the best items in the gift bag. As for the rest of the items, I probably wouldn’t purchase the full sizes.

I had previously reviewed the Curvy Brush and Fat Brush mascaras by Eyeko and wanted to complete the trio by trying out the Skinny Brush mascara.

I love the packaging of these mascaras. The silver tube is great to make sure you get all the product out and, as always, it includes an Eyeko eye shield. I actually haven’t had too much luck with using the eye shields, but I do keep trying.

The Skinny Brush is supposed to lengthen and define lashes. As far as I can tell, the formulas for the mascaras are the same, they just have different brushes, which is fine with me because I think this is a great mascara formula. It applies smoothly without clumps and doesn’t smudge or flake.

Sephora recently started carrying Eyeko mascaras and I was able to pick this up for 20% off with my VIB discount.

Here are some before and after photos (showing two coats of mascara). I didn’t curl my lashes prior to applying the mascara.

Application was a little messier than usual, but I think I’m still trying to get used to the brush. As you can see, two coats gives a lot of length and volume. I didn’t even need to curl my lashes to get a little bit of curl, which is awesome as I can skip a step when applying my makeup. My lashes stay flexible, not stiff or crunchy feeling, which is always a plus.

Three coats gives a bolder, separated look:

Between the three brush types, I think the Fat Brush is still my favorite, but I like the Skinny Brush as well and would probably buy it again.

One thing to note – if you use a heated eyelash curler, do not use it after applying this mascara! The heat will melt the mascara and you ‘ll be left with a mess.

Eyeko mascaras retail for $19 and are available at Sephora, Henri Bendel, and at the Eyeko website.

Part of my fabulous Christmas package from my friend, Annie, included tubes of Tarte‘s MultiplEYE Lash Enhancing Primer and Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara.

I’ve tried the mascara before, but I’ve actually never used any kind of eyelash primer before, so I was excited to try the MultiplEYE.

I love Tarte mascaras (and products) because they’re made without parabens, mineral oil, petroleum, sodium lauryl sulfate, or phthalates. The packaging is always fun, as well! The MultiplEYE primer comes in a square tube and the mascara comes in a leather-like sleeve.

I’ll start with the MultiplEYE Primer.

This white colored primer has very tiny fibers that are meant to add length and volume. I applied a single coat of this to my lashes and let it dry before applying mascara. Lashes stay soft and don’t get crunchy with this primer on. I did feel that the mascara adds a bit more spidery with the primer, but that could just be me. Here are photos of my bare lashes, the MultiplEYE applied, and then also with mascara.

I would definitely say the primer makes a difference in the length and volume of my lashes. Application probably needs some work though, as you can see that the ends are a a little spidery.

Next, here’s a look at the Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara:

This dark black mascara adds quite a bit of length and volume on its own without the primer. It was able to give my lashes a little bit of a curl even though I didn’t use a curler. With two coats, my lashes got a little clumpy, but the lashes did stay soft and there was no flaking or raccoon eyes after 12 hours of wear.

Here are photos of my bare lashes (left), one coat of mascara (center), and two coats (right):

As you can see, one coat adds some volume, but not too much length. Two coats adds length and volume, but starts to look spidery.

I like both products together for a dramatic look. It does take a bit more time because of the extra step the primer adds, but I think it’s worth it. I would definitely buy these both again when I run out. Thanks so much to Annie for gifting them to me!

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara retails for $19 and MultiplEYE Lash Primer retails for $22. Both products are available at Sephora and Ulta.

Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara boasts the ability to add 4mm of length to lashes. I purchased this in the washable formula in blackest black from Rite Aid for $8.49 during a BOGO sale.

The brush is pretty standard. I was rather disappointed in the amount of fibers (or lack of) in this formulation. I’m used to true fiber mascaras like Imju and the small amount of fibers visible on the brush was sad.

Before I gave up on this, though, I gave it a thorough test. I started with two coats of this and Maybelline suggests that you apply additional coats before the previous one has dried. I didn’t see a lot of length, but it did add some volume.

Here are some before and afters:

The Illegal Length mascara stayed soft once dried and didn’t flake after 6 hours of wear. Removal was easy with water and cleanser.

Overall, I found this to be an okay mascara for enhancing natural lashes, but it doesn’t give a dramatic looking. Too many coats made my lashes spidery. I’m not sure I would pay full price for it, but I might buy another if it’s on sale.

Yep, still hunting for mascara I like! Actually, I think I’ve got a few staples right now, but thought I would continue to review the ones I’ve tried to let you guys know what I think about them.

This one is Maybelline‘s Full ‘N Soft mascara, which is a favorite of many people. I got the washable version in very black as I rarely buy waterproof formulas. Not sure why, though, since that would probably help me with the raccoon eye problem.

You can see that there are no frills with this mascara. It comes in a navy blue tube and the brush is a standard shape with slightly longer bristles. I actually found the brush to work pretty well for me, although I’m discovering that shorter bristles work a little bit better for my lashes.

The formula was pretty smooth and has a good consistency – not too runny or dry. Maybelline claims that the mascara will give you soft, thick lashes and the Vitamin E in the formula will help nourish lashes.

Here are some photos without and with the mascara. Please ignore the eyeliner – I was trying out new methods to keep it from running down my face!

As you can see, the results are not dramatic, but I think it gives a nice boost to my lashes without clumping or giving  spidery look. There’s a little bit of lengthening and enough volume to bring out my natural lashes.

After about 8 hours, there was no flaking and lashes stayed soft. Removal was easy with eye makeup remover or soap and water. This one is a keeper and will stay in my makeup rotation.

Full ‘N Soft Mascara is available where Maybelline products are sold. It retails for $7.99 but you can usually find a deal at your local drugstore – check your weekly ads!

Previously, I reviewed the Eyeko Curvy Brush Mascara and I wasn’t super-impressed with the results. Well, I decided to give Eyeko another try and picked up a Fat Brush Mascara from Henri Bendel while I was in Manhattan in December.

The Fat Brush boats smudge free volume, so I had to give it a try on my short, fine eyelashes. Here’s a look at the packaging and the brush:

You can see the fibers on the brush in the last picture, which help in giving the lashes length and volume. I found the formula to be a good consistency – not too wet or goopy. also included is an Eyeko shield, which I still haven’t figured out how to use.

Here are some before and after photos:

As you can see from the photos, Fat Brush doesn’t add a ton of volume with the two coats I applied. It does add some length, though, and I can get a little more volume if I apply additional coats quickly before it dries. Lashes  don’t get crunchy once dry, so that was a plus.

There was no flaking during the day and the mascara looked as good at the end of the day as they did after application. Removal was easy with some warm water and light rubbing like you do with any fiber/tubing mascara.

I do like the Fat Brush mascara better than the Curly Brush mostly because of, well, the brush. I think the formulas are pretty similar. An Eyeko representative suggested that I might like the Skinny Brush mascara, so I might try that next.

Eyeko mascara is available online, at Asos, Harvey Nichols, and Henri Bendel.

Hey, guys! I’m still on the hunt for a mascara that I really like and next on my list is Maybelline’s Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara. I purchased this product in the non-waterproof blackest black.

The first thing you’ll notice is the teardrop shaped brush, which took some getting used to. I didn’t think it made application easier, but it did an okay job separating lashes and not sticking them together.

The formula is a bit wet, but wasn’t messy to apply. Actually, the wetness of the mascara meant that blinking got some product on my lower lashes which was convenient!

Here are some before and after photos:

While I wouldn’t say this mascara dramatically increases length or volume, this Lots of Lashes does add a nice bit of length and a little volume. It’s a good look for daytime or when I was something a bit more than my natural eyelashes.

Wear time on this was good. After 9 hours, there was no flaking nor did it leave black circles under my eyes. Once dry, my lashes did feel a bit crunchy. Removal was easy with my Philosophy Release Me makeup remover, but soap and water works just as well!

Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes mascara is available where Maybelline products are sold. I paid $4.50 for this tube at Target.

Yeah, I’m still on the hunt for a mascara I like that adds length and volume to my lashes! If that wasn’t enough, I’m also looking for something with fewer chemicals so when I saw this NatureLuxe Mascara, I had to give it a try!

CoverGirl describes this as a mousse mascara and says they have exchanged traditional synthetic polymers for natural beeswax to give your lashes volume. This mascara is also meant to be removed easily with soap and water.

Like some mascaras, this one is packaged with the product in a capped tube and the brush next to it so you can see what the brush looks like. I’m a fan of these fine bristled plastic-y brushes as they seem to work best with my lashes.

I applied this mascara to lashes that I curled with my heated eyelash curler. It was pretty easy to apply but was a little messy – the formula was wet, but not runny. It does add volume, but some of it is just from sticking the lashes together. I don’t think I got any noticeable length and the result is a little… chunky. At the end of the day, I had some flaking which wasn’t terrible, but was annoying.

Here are some before and after photos:

The heaviness of the formula (probably from the beeswax) weighs down the curl a little bit, but doesn’t totally flatten my eyelashes to their usual straight down position.

It’s an okay mascara, but I don’t love it. I’ve used it a few more times since originally trying it with similar results, though the third time the formula had dried a little and was a little less goopy to work with but still wasn’t anything that impressed me.

Please keep in mind that mascaras work differently on different people. What doesn’t work for me might work great for you!

NatureLuxe Mascara is available wherever you find CoverGirl products. Price will vary, but I paid $7.99 for this at Target.