• beauty test drive

Beauty Test Drive: Dior 5-Color Eyeshadow Palette

Lily QMay 11, 2010 //

I’m not an eyeshadow girl. I hate how it tends to get all built up in the crease of your eyes, and before you know it, you look like a hooker doing the walk of shame. Or else you have to put on tons before it looks like anything, and all of a sudden, it’s very obviously too much and you have to give up, stay in, and buy, like, 20 cats. Lucky for me (and you, because I was going to keep going with these scenarios), there is good eyeshadow to be had. Recently, I tried Dior’s five-color palette. The packaging is a little flashy, but this stuff gets the job done. The consistency is nice, it blends easily, and the colors in each set are lovely and complementary. Though pricey, at $58 each, they do come with five colors, so if you’re looking to improve your eyeshadow situation, it might be worth the splurge. [$58, Sephora] Keep reading »

Beauty Test Drive: Gigi Brazilian Bikini Wax

Lily QMay 3, 2010 //

I’ve tried waxing my lady regions before. It didn’t go well. There were burns and blood, and I threw a few things. That was a few months ago, and it prompted me to seek out Irina, a lovely Eastern European woman of epic bikini waxing skill. But apparently time does heal all wounds and traumas, because I decided to forgo the awkward squirming that comes with a relative stranger being so close to my lady parts and give the home waxing another go. Sorry, Irina, but I won’t be coming back to your too-well-lit chamber of horrors. If you’re up for the DIY waxing challenge, I recommend GiGi’s Brazilian bikini wax. Don’t let the odd mint green color put you off. This stuff’s microwaveable, doesn’t require strips, and works really, really well. That said, there are a few things you should be prepared for… Keep reading »

Beauty Test Drive: Fresh Under Eye Concealer and Brightener

Lily QApril 29, 2010 //

I’ve whined about the state of my under eye circles before, and my continued pre-occupation with them means I’m not done experimenting with fixes. This week, it was Fresh’s new Supernova Radiance Brightening Pen. Yes, the name is ridiculous, but the brightening aspect is legit. The company claims the pen acts as a concealer and brightener in one, but if you’re got real heroin chic-esque circles to tackle, I suggest using your favorite concealer along with the brightener. It may be a bit too annoying to bother doubling up on the daily, but special occasions call for super bright eyes and this will help you get there. [$24, Fresh, Sephora] Keep reading »

Beauty Test Drive: Givenchy PhenomenEyes Mascara

Lily QApril 24, 2010 //

If we’re being totally honest, the main reason we wanted to try out Givenchy’s new mascara was the weird-looking brush. Check that thing out! It looks like a miniature mace. But covered in lash-lengthening liquid instead of metal spikes! Fun! Really, though, it’s all kinds of fun. The smaller brush definitely takes a couple applications to get used to, but we didn’t poke ourselves in the eyes with it and the whole application process was far less terrifying than expected. Keep reading »

Beauty Test Drive: Laura Mercier Under Eye “Secret” Concealer

Lily QApril 13, 2010 //

I don’t drink coffee and I barely sleep, meaning that the dark circles under my eyes are the stuff of legend. I’d almost gotten to a point where I considered them accessories and was planning to give up on hiding their intensity. Blessedly, a kind soul at Sephora wouldn’t let it happen. She introduced me to Laura Mercier’s “Secret Concealer,” which has had the unexpected effect of making me look significantly less like a zombie. I am, admittedly, exaggerating the dark eye situation, but not the greatness of this concealer. Apply it with a touch of oil free moisturizer and your finger if you’re in a rush. But if you’ve got a second, pick up a brush like this and use it instead, as there’s a noticeable different in the level of coverage. [$22, Laura Mercier, Sephora] Keep reading »

Beauty Test Drive: Marc Jacobs “Biscotti” Splash Scent

Annika HarrisApril 7, 2010 //

There are so many fragrances to choose from this season. My new favorite everyday scent right now is Marc Jacobs “Biscotti” Splash Scent (sold exclusively at Nordstrom). The fragrance was inspired by the delectable treats found in patisseries, with notes of freesia, orange flower, pistachio blossom, and vanilla that combine into a truly crisp and fresh scent. Seriously, my mouth literally waters with each spritz in the morning. But don’t get me wrong; you won’t smell like a bakery because the vanilla is barely detectable. And since this is a 10-ounce bottle, you can spray as much as you want as often as you want without offending those around you. But you need to act quickly because it’s a limited edition, and you know you can’t have mine if Nordstrom runs out. [$68, Nordstrom] Keep reading »

Beauty Test Drive: REN Revitalising Night Cream

Lily QMarch 31, 2010 //

People consistently fail to appreciate the importance of a good moisturizer. If you’re having skin issues — whether it’s dryness, breakouts or something in between — you can bet that a lack of or improper moisturizing is to blame, at least to some extent. Amongst the biggest cream-related misconceptions is that people who break out shouldn’t use the stuff, or should only use lotion with acne fighters in it. False! Dehydrated skin is actually incredibly prone to breakouts and clogging from dead skin cells. Combat breakouts and dryness at the same time by adding a rich night cream to your regimen a couple times a week. We recently tried out REN’s all natural Frankincense and Boswellia Serrata Revitalising Night Cream. Keep reading »

Beauty Test Drive: Balenciaga Paris Eau De Parfum

Annika HarrisMarch 29, 2010 //

If you’re a lover of lady mags like we are, then you’ve probably noticed advertisements for Balenciaga Paris in almost every April issue. It’s kind of difficult to get the full effect with those paper fragrance testers so I got my hands on an actual bottle of this new scent. My first thought after the first spritz was: “old money.” Keep reading »

Beauty Test Drive: Aveda Firmata Hairspray

Lily QMarch 26, 2010 //

I’ve got the stick-straight sort of hair that refuses to curl, regardless of how much I try to coerce it. I’ve tried curling irons, rollers, all different hair sprays and nothing works. Hell, I used to hair model for a salon that charges something like $300 for styling and even the sassy dude who did my hair there couldn’t get the curls to hang around for more than an hour or two. Boredom will do funny things to a girl though, and I went at it again the other day, grabbing my friend’s hairspray without even looking at it. Much to my surprise, we returned from dinner hours after the curling iron had cooled and my hair was still curly. All through the following day, the volume remained. I have Aveda Firmata spray to thank for the unprecedented staying power. As is Aveda’s way, the spray is all-natural, doesn’t smell like a test tube and isn’t sticky or helmet-like. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go curl my hair. [$13, Aveda] Keep reading »

Beauty Test Drive: Hourglass Ultra-Thin Lip Gloss

Lily QMarch 17, 2010 //

We don’t know about you, but we generally have enough random stuff floating in our purses that distinguishing a lip gloss tube from a hi-liter takes far longer than we’d like. Here to solve the problem is a new uber-skinny, almost card-shaped lip gloss from Hourglass. The colors are intense (we like the shade called “Pulse”), the container easier to dig out of a bag of junk totally necessary items and the consistency smooth, not sticky. So avoid the endless digging you get with regular lip gloss and the awkward boner jokes that come along with carrying a tube in your pocket. Because no, you’re not just happy to see him. [$28, Hourglass, Sephora] Keep reading »

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