World’s Greatest Drug Store Mascara?

This DS Diva has always been very open and honest about her eternal love for Lancome Definicils mascara.  I’ve been using it for decades and adore how it makes my lashes long and full.  Lo and behold, L’Oreal recently debuted a ‘dupe’ for the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara, which I’ve used but have never been overly impressed with.

Combining sales, coupons, and Walgreens’ Rewards, I purchased L’Oreal Lash Paradise for about $3.  This mascara is like wearing false eyelashes without the hassle of the glue. My lashes were gorgeous, very long, and extremely plush.  Even at the full retail price of a whopping $9, this mascara is a steal!  The only drawback is that, at around 6 weeks the applicator and tube started to clump and get very messy.  I had to clean both before and after each use.  So I’m just wasting product, which I utterly despise.  I hate not getting a full 3 weeks out of mascara.

Will I give up my tried and true Definicils?  Absolutely not!  Will I try another Lash Paradise, especially if it’s on sale?  There is a 90% probability that I will.  Lash Paradise also comes in a waterproof version for those of you who perspire and cry (Darth’s do neither BTW). But I feel those versions are too drying to the lashes, so pass on that I will.

The Dark Side Diva’s verdict on L’Oreal’s Lash Paradise mascara:  Give this one a chance, you will be pleasantly surprised!

May Product of the Month

Cover Girl Vitalist Healthy Elixir Foundation

Retails for:  $10

Available at:  WalMart, Target, Walgreen’s, etc.

I haven’t bought a liquid Cover Girl foundation in decades.  But when I saw their new one advertised and read all the (mostly) positive reviews all over social media, I figured I would give it a try. But now did it work out for me?

PROS     Shade 710 Classic Ivory was the perfect shade for me. The bottle says it’s lightweight, full coverage, oil free with a SPF of 20. Seemed too good to be true for a CG foundation.  However….I absolutely, positively loved this! Perfect for my crazy skin type, which present day can be so oily you can see me shine from the Milky Way, or so dry the Sahara looks comfortable to me.  The coverage is flawless.  It stayed fresh looking all day and did not change color or turn orange on me, as some drug store foundations tend to do. It covered all dark spots and other undesirable things that have no business on my face anymore.  I did use a setting powder afterwards, but that is standard procedure with me.  And it worked well with my Nars Creamy Concealer in Vanilla, so it plays well with others!

CONS    I found it best to apply the product with a beauty sponge, as my foundation brushes left it looking streaky on my skin.  A sponge just gave me more control with the product and gave a full coverage, but not “cake face” look.

Cover Girl Vitalist Healthy Elixir Foundation will most certainly have a place in my rotation of both high end and drug store foundations.  The Force is strong with this one!   It’s a steal for $10 and has truly made me reconsider my opinion of the Cover Girl line.

Guest Review

We have a guest blogger in the galaxy today. Jennifer is a decades-long friend that also has a healthy obsession with all things beauty. Read on to see what she thinks about L’Oreal’s new shampoo and conditioner duo! 

Greetings Dark Side devotees.  The DS Diva and I met many moons ago when we were working together on the Death Star.  Since then we have been the most excellent of friends and fierce allies in the pursuit of the best products in the universe.  My evaluation of L’Oreal’s Extraordinary Clay shampoo and conditioner is as follows. 

The Claim:  Instantly purifies oily roots while hydrating dry lengths for up to 48 hours.  “Beautifully fresh, flowing hair from root to tip.”

My hair is normal to oily, thick and mostly straight.  It has just enough waviness to make it interesting, or irritating, depending on the weather conditions.  It is currently shoulder-length, layered, and in desperate need of a trim.  Products that are too rich, creamy, or oily tend to weigh my hair down and make it fall flat.  Some products can be too drying and I end up with static-cling.  So I like rotating my products and am always on the lookout for those that meet my unique mix of hair needs.  I’ve tried a few clarifying/degreasing shampoos before but they’ve always been too harsh or too drying.

Day 1: off to work!

The Mane Event:  On day 1 I started with the L’Oreal Extraordinary Clay shampoo and followed with the conditioner.  Both have a pleasant, clean smell that is fresh without being overpowering.  Because I wanted a true feel for the products, I did not use any of my normal leave-in or styling products afterward.  I dried and styled as usual.  My hair felt soft, manageable, and looked shiny.  A few hours later I noticed a warming sensation on the back of my scalp.  It wasn’t itchy or irritating, it just felt very warm but it resolved later in the day.  My messy, layered style held throughout the day.

When I got up the next morning I noticed something very strange.  My hair looked even better than it had the day before.  The messy layers were gently smoothed down into a more sleek style.  I could have skipped washing my hair, it looked that good.  But my OCD kicked in and I shampooed and conditioned as usual before my 12-hour shift at work.  I didn’t use any other products and my hair styled ok but the ends were a bit staticky.  My scalp was hot again this day but it resolved within a few hours.

Day 3: Snapchat filtered

By day 3 my wet hair was difficult to comb through.  So I went to my arsenal and grabbed Living Proof Restore Perfecting spray.  I sprayed a few pumps on my hair, combed through, then dried and styled.  After a couple hours my bangs looked limp but it was also 80 degrees and humid in the galaxy that day.  If there is a product that defends your style against the schizophrenic Western PA weather, I haven’t found it yet.

I’ve been using L’Oreal Extraordinary Clay shampoo and conditioner for two full weeks now.  The more I use it the better it works, especially when I layer a leave-in or styling product.  This product makes good on its claim – it purifies my roots without drying out the rest of my mop.  My locks feel soft and stay manageable throughout the day.  Today it passed the ultimate test – I walked for 1 ½ hours this morning, in the rain, with a hat on.  Normally such conditions would obliterate my hair, transforming it into a flat, fuzzy blonde nightmare.  But other than my bangs getting slightly squashed by a hat, the rest of my hair looks pretty good.  I definitely plan on purchasing this dynamic duo again and again!

Day 14: Humid but holding steady

Dark Side Hall of Shame: Drug Store Edition

In my last blog post, I wrote about 5 high-end beauty products that were busts for me.  Now here are my drug store duds.  Again, no particular order:

Hard Candy Just Glow Baked Illuminating Powder Duo:   A long name for garbage.  I could use the entirety of this duo and nothing would show up on my face.  It didn’t matter what type of makeup brush I used.  No illumination, no glow, nothing.  I know I have a very fair skin tone, but I should have seen something.  Absolutely no pigmentation what so ever.  Had I done my due diligence and checked their website, I would have seen a rating of 1.7 out of 5.  Enough said!

Wet n Wild Setting Spray:  Wow, a $4 dupe to the Urban Decay formula!! I might as well have used a toxic bug spray on my face.  Sticky, disgusting smell, uneven application, actually took my breath away. A nope, never again, not in a million years product!

LA Colors Matte Liquid Lipstick:  Sometimes you get what you paid for.  And at only $2, this is definitely the case.  These are horribly dreadful, drying, peeling, cracking and offer uneven coverage.  The darker colors are just putrid looking. However, their high shine lip glosses are beautiful and I recommend picking up every color you see!

Almay Black Liquid Eyeliner:  I have never been impressed with the Almay line.  It’s just never jumped out at me, nothing special or unique about the brand.  I decided to try the liquid eyeliner and immediately regretted it.  Horrible brush, runny color and takes forever to dry.  Blink and you’ll mess up your entire eye look,  trust me.   And if you’re as unlucky as I am, you’ll get a terrible case of conjunctivitis as a bonus.  No coupons needed!

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad:  Chalky, creased on me, color changed throughout the day.  I never ended the day with the same colors that I started with.  I had the quad called “Decadent”, pinky, nude, mauve  shades.  A lot of fallout, hard to blend.  A disappointment of “Decadent” proportions.

Thankfully, I have had many more passes than fails in my lifetime of beauty products.  I will give any and all a chance, but sometimes things just don’t work out.  Have you had any bad luck with products?  Or a major beauty fail?  What products would be on your Hall of Shame?  Comment below, I’d love to hear from you!

Wet n Wild Mega Cushion Highlighter and Contour – Worth the Hype?

Portable cushion compacts are a staple in almost every girl’s well-stocked makeup arsenal. In the last couple years both high-end and drug store brands have either a cushion foundation, BB cream, color corrector or bronzer to choose from.  As I stated in my first post, Wet n Wild has really stepped up their cosmetics game. And since I have heard so many good things about their Mega Cushion line, I knew I had to try a few products. So off to my local Walgreens I went.

First up is the Mega Cushion Highlighter, which retails for $5.99. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as my skin tone would be considered porcelain with pink undertones. This highlighter creates a beautiful, iridescent lavender color on me. Very dewy and pretty and easy to apply with the sponge (included).  However, I feel it’s best applied with a stipple brush. It was less messy and easier to build up the amount of product to get the look I wanted. The Wet n Wild Mega Cushion Highlighter is a steal for the price, as it can be used on cheekbones, brow bones and even your bottom lip.

As impressive as the highlighter was, I wish I could say the same about the Mega Cushion Cafe au Slay contour, which also retails for $5.99. I was so excited to try this as a new way to sculpt my face. However, the color of this contour was so dark and reddish orange on me it looked like I had mud all over my face. The first time I looked at myself in sunlight, I wanted to faint. My skin tone is far too light to use this product. Even with the lightest of touch with the sponge or a contour brush, I looked bruised.  This contour did not want to play nicely with my pink undertones.

Unfortunately for me, I will pass the Cafe au Slay contour on to my beautiful olive-skinned 16 year old niece. But the highlighter is staying in my makeup bag, safely on the Dark Side!