Hello, darlings!
In today's rough economic times, we are all trying to look for the best buy for our money. We are often not able to splurge on the comforts we were once able to. Makeup is no exception.
In order to compete with their high-end counterparts at Sephora and department store beauty counters, and to appeal to the value-conscious consumer, drugstore beauty brands like Rimmel London and Maybelline New York are rolling out their own lines of primers, liners, setting powders, long wear lipsticks and other items only previously available in more affluent locations.
Do they pass the test? Read on to find out!
Rimmel London Fix & Perfect Pro Primer in Shade 002
Rating: 4 stars (out of a possible 5)
Cost: $7.29 (at Rite Aid)
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This spring, Rimmel London introduced a new line of primers and foundations that promise a smooth, matte finish. The foundation line, called Stay Matte, ties into their face primer line, called Fix & Perfect.
The product promises 5-in-1 results, claiming to smooth, resurface, brighten, mattify, and protect.
The primer itself is of a creamy, white consistency, and has a smell similar to Pond's Cold Cream, which is a light, nearly floral scent. It glides on beautifully and evenly with very little effort.
Freshly applied.
Several hours later.
It's stayed on flawlessly since 11am (it's now 1:30am), and does everything it promises, with one small exception. I noticed no difference in the brightness of my complexion. But it did provide a smooth surface for my foundation, filled in pores, and kept my quite oily face free of shine for the better part of the day.
As for protection, the true test of that will come this summer!
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Rimmel London Exaggerate Full Color Lip Liner in Shade 024: Red Diva
Rating: 3 stars
Cost: $6.49 (at Rite Aid)
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This lipliner is offered as part of the Exaggerate line. One pro I found is that it is a twist up pen, thus, no sharpening involved. The product itself is slanted, dispensed from an also slanted opening.
Red Diva is a rich, warm red shade with good color payoff.
In the picture from the face primer review, I'm wearing it with Revlon's "Love That Red" over the top, but here it is swatched:
When I first tried to apply it, I twisted it up a fair amount - not too high - in order to both line and fill in my lips before lipstick. To my surprise, it kept breaking! I wasn't pressing especially hard, in fact, I'd say I was using a light hand.
I consulted Makeup Alley and similar for reviews, to see if others encountered the breakage issue, and they did. In later uses, I found you have to twist it up only by the littlest bit, and apply gently.
In all seriousness ladies, go low and slow with this one, otherwise you'll end up with a red streaked mess all over your bathroom sink.
Another thing about it I found irksome is the amount of product in the tube. The packaging says it contains 0.25 grams. As stated earlier, I like to line and fill in my lips before applying lipcolor. With that usage, I've gone through the tube in a week and a half.
This liner also has an off-putting chemical smell. It might not bother some, but I found it most unpleasant.
In closing, Rimmel, please, work on strengthening the formula on this product, and perhaps include more of it. And maybe give it some sort of unobtrusive scent, or none at all?
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Rimmel London Exaggerate Undercover Shadow Primer
Rating: 1 star
Cost: $3.99 (at Rite Aid)
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Oh dear, oh my...
This product is also a part of Rimmel's Exaggerate line, and it claims to brighten eyeshadow, maximize wear, and even make it waterproof.
Well, these claims are all washed up.
I didn't mind the doe foot applicator, but what did bother me was the chunky glob of product dispensed on the end of the wand.
In my opinion, the way the product dispenses will have you wasting a decent amount of it over time.
I also didn't mind the white color, and when first applied to the skin has a pearly sheen, which could be pretty if it didn't disappear entirely after working with it to smooth it on.
Product first applied onto skin.
The feel of this primer is very thin and greasy. To be fair, I'm used to the consistency of Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which is a far thicker, flesh toned cream.
To apply, I dabbed it on my eyelid, then used my fingertip to smooth. The silicone base of this primer caused it to slip and slide on my skin, and seemed wet to the touch. I didn't feel too confident about its staying power by this alone.
As I said earlier, the pearly sheen disappears in minutes after application. I also found the finish to look somewhat chalky on my very pale complexion.
The packaging recommends you let the primer dry after application, and I did just that.
Then, the real trouble began.
I have somewhat oily eyelids, and this product already began to crease before putting on any shadow! I had to work quickly to re-smooth.
Eyeshadow applied on top of this actually reduces the color payoff of the shadow, regardless if it's high end, low end, or in between. I had to pack on the color with my brush in order to get it to show up at all. After that, I noticed that some of the primer and shadow had crumbled into little balls on the sides of my eyelids.
Afterward, I went about the business of part of my day. I checked on my makeup in about an hour and a half to two hours, and my shadow was completely creased. The dregs of my Too Faced Shadow Insurance, or a thin layer of Kat Von D concealer hold eyeshadow on longer by comparison.
In short, if you have oily eyelids or do not like the consistency of silicone based primers, stay far away from this one. Perhaps those without oily eyelids have better luck.
I have since purchased a different product - Revlon's PhotoReady Eye Primer and Brightener. Hopefully that will yield a better result.
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Maybelline New York Super Stay 24 Color in Shade 025: Keep Up The Flame
Rating: 1 star
Cost: $9.99 (at CVS)
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As I have mentioned, my wedding is coming up in November. Over the past few weeks, I have been trying to find a reasonably priced, long wearing red lipstick for the occasion. I saw this lipstick mentioned on Tumblr and decided to give it a try.
However, it gets the kiss off!
This lipstick boasts up to 24-hour wear, and removal with an oil-based makeup remover, and both of these claims fell flat.
I was initially not impressed by their selection of reds. Keep Up The Flame is the only one without any sort of glitter-like shimmer or sheen to it.
My style stays true to mid-century vintage, and while there was sheen in lip color then, it was not at all glittery.
I found out later that there was a shade of this product called Everlasting Ruby, which would have been more my speed, but it has been unfortunately discontinued.
The tube has two ends: one for the liquid color (left), and the other, a clear balm which seals that color once dried (right).
The applicator for the lipstick is a doe foot, and again, it dispenses a massive glob of product right on the end. I actually wiped some off of the wand a bit in order to prevent clown mouth.
In further research, reviewers advised to let the color portion of the product dry for a couple minutes before applying the clear balm on the other end. I applied the lipstick on my lips, including the corners. As it dried, it started to feel very gummy and sticky, especially in the corners. I didn't much care for that, but thought the clear balm might help. It did, but by a minuscule amount.
After the balm was applied, I noticed that some of the lipstick came away with it, like so:
Let it be said that the color payoff is very pigmented and rich, that is, if you don't eat anything.
I decided to give this lipcolor a true test - eating a hot dog with just a bit of mustard. Post meal, there was no sign of it marking my chin as some lipsticks tend to do, but what remained was quite awful.
The corners had bled and feathered onto my skin, and most of the product had worn off the center of my lips completely, leaving a silly looking red line at the perimeter of my lips. Where the product remained was chunky, or had pilled off into little balls. Yuck!
This is another where you don't get much bang for your buck as far as amount of product for price is concerned. For $10, this is the amount of lipstick in the tube:
So, back to the drawing board! I may eventually splurge and get Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet (which is currently out of stock and has been for a couple of months) or find a decently priced lip stain that is comparable, as the Velvetines are rather expensive, priced at $20, minus shipping.
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This next product is a break from the drugstore hit parade, and is technically high end, but I've found a way to keep it affordable!
Estée Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara in Shade 01: Black
Rating: 5 stars
Cost: $7.97 (minus shipping) for a pack of three travel sized tubes, Amazon.com
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This mascara is cream of the crop! I love mascaras that give rich pigment and do what they promise, and Estee Lauder delivers on both!
I received this mascara a while ago in travel size as part of a set with a full sized shimmer lipstick at Christmastime, when the perfume counters give all kinds of little goodies of that sort along with the fragrances.
It has a standard multi-fibered wand (not one of those poky ball applicators as seen in recent years).
The color is a rich black that dries quickly and doesn't smear. It provides gorgeous definition of the lashes with minimal to no clumping, and does volumize.
(Please excuse my eyebrows, teehee!)
In researching on Google, I wasn't able to find any trace of it on any American websites, other than Amazon for the price and size listed above. This is where your most cost effective means end. Amazon also sells a full size tube for $18-$21 (minus shipping), Estee Lauder's UK website sells it for £20.50 for 6 milliliters and £34.17 for 10 milliliters. (That's $34.50 for 6 milliliters, and $57.51 for 10 milliliters, respectively.) Nordstrom also carries it full size for $24. In keeping with a budget, I fully recommend getting the travel sizes. To me, the longevity and payoff is the same.
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I truly hope this helped some of you cost-minded lovelies out there! It's tough to find a product for a low price that works well, and makeup is definitely in the "you get what you pay for" category!
Next post, I shall continue the popular "A Lady's Charm" series! The third installment will cover mid-century dating and general etiquette, versus that of today!
Until next time,
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