Beauty Product
Cover Girl Trublend Microminerals Bronzer
What: Angela warms up with Cover Girl Trublend Microminerals Bronzer
The Lowdown: Last year at about this time, mineral make-up was making its mark in the beauty aisle, and since then—even though the hype has died down—mineral products have become a regular feature in just about every drugstore make-up line.
Summer, of course, ‘tis the season for bronzer—so we decided to give Cover Girl’s Trublend Microminerals bronzer a test run. The claims aren’t fancy or over-the-top, which we dig, actually; the product only promises a “natural sun-kissed glow for a luminous look.” Minerals in general, of course, are purported to be better for the skin and long-wearing, so we’d expect that as well.
My first impression? Not bad, particularly when I popped off the handy applicator brush (one thing I’ve noticed recently is that the brushes that come with products are improving—this one is full, soft, and really decent quality on the whole). The bronzer itself? A fine powder, which went on evenly and in reasonably soft layers (meaning no big ugly streak on the first stroke). Warm glow? Yes. Luminous? Actually, yeah - this product has a little sparkle to it (but never fear—it’s not enough to make you feel like a Club Kid). Long-wearing? Eh. Not remarkable, but long enough that I didn’t feel cheated.
The only downside? The only color available—Natural Bronze—is a bit on the dark side. I have an olive complexion, so it worked well on my skin, but I’m not sure it will translate well to every skin tone.
The Verdict: Yea. I still like my Physician’s Formula Organic 2-in-1 Bronzer and Blush better, but for a slightly more inexpensive option, this one’s not bad.
Buy It: $10.99 at Drugstore.com
Cover Girl Queen Lasting Lipliner
What: Angela glides on Cover Girl’s Queen Lasting Lipliner
The Lowdown: Not being a big fan of lipstick, my favorite way to add a little color to my pout is to fill in with lipliner, and glide on some clear gloss. The problem? Like any other lipcolor, staying power is tough to come by. This Queen collection lipliner claims to be “lasting.” Does it live up to that promise? We’ll see.
I’ve found that true pencils (the kind you have to sharpen) generally are longer lasting than the twist up kind, and this Lasting Lipliner is of the latter variety, so I had my doubts. It does, however, glide on easily as promised, something the pencil kind doesn’t always do. So “silky smooth” as the packaging claims? Yep. Soft natural color? Yes. Lasting? Well, not bad, but not much different than any other liner I’ve tried. I will say, however, that maybe it wasn’t a fair test: I went to the movies and noshed on a large popcorn—not many lip colors would last through that, no matter how good.
The Verdict: Yea, though not necessarily for the “lasting” component. But it’s inexpensive, non drying, and the color—in this case “Rose”—looked soft and natural.
Buy It: Drugstore.com, $6.29
RoC Complete Lift & Deep Wrinkle Products
What: Angela fights fine lines with RoC Complete Lift Eye Pen, Complete Lift Daily Moisturizer, and Deep Wrinkle Filler.
The Lowdown: On principle, I rarely spend more than $10 on a beauty product of any kind, so looking at the price points on these RoC products made me skeptical. Nineteen bucks for an “eye pen”? Really? My Vaseline moisturizing routine has served me just fine thus far - and it’s only $2 a tub.
The daily moisturizer and eye pen contain “patent-pending PROTIENT® lifting & firming technology – a high-performance tightening agent” (I wasn’t aware that “technology” could be applied to my face, but ok) and the Deep Wrinkle Filler boasts “Retinol Correxion” (and the name makes me feel like I’ll be applying spackle, but I digress). I’m always hopeful for the kinds of results they promise—firmer tighter skin and less visible lines—but having been around the beauty product block a time or two, I had little expectation that these miracles of modern science would have much impact.
So you can imagine my surprise when, after three or four days of regular use, I looked in the mirror and realized my eyes actually looked, well, better. Less puffy. More rested. Dare I say, younger. After two weeks with the eye pen and wrinkle filler, I’m kinda hooked. I’m even to the point of rationalizing the $19 pricetag, particularly on my new best friend, the eye pen—I mean, it’s still under 20 bucks, and it actually works. I hate to think how much I’ve spent over the years on cheaper products that did zilch ...
As for the moisturizer, I’m sure it probably performs its own small miracles on some skin types, but unfortunately it was waaaay too greasy for my generally oily skin—it felt more like a sun screen (it does contain SPF 30, which is a big plus). After three or four days, I had to discontinue my use lest I ruin my otherwise good results with an unsightly breakout.
The Verdict: Two Yeas for the eye pen alone, a Yea for the Wrinkle Filler, and, for me, a Nay on the moisturizer.
Buy It: Drugstore.com, Walgreens, for around $19 each.
mark Flip For It Spring Color Kits: Product Review
What: With a soft spot for makeup kits, Robin wants to see if the mark Flip For It Spring Color Kits, $18, are really worth flipping over.
The Lowdown: I love a well-thought-out makeup kit—considering I lose stuff all the time, the all-in-one function is fantastic for me. This kit, which is offered in three color palettes (and named after great cities like South Beach, Sydney and London) has two eye shadows and a blush on one side, and once you flip it over, two lip glosses and two lip colors on the other side. I tried the Sydney, which has pinks and plum hues. The shadows went on silky and had the perfect amount of shimmer. The lip glosses were super shiny, sweet and not sticky.
Yea or Nay: Yea. This compact is going with me everywhere this spring.
Buy It: @ Avon.com
DKNY Delicious Night Lip Gloss: Product Review
What: Robin treats her lips to DKNY Delicious Night Lip Gloss, $16, part of the new DKNY Delicious Night product range.
The Lowdown: Honestly, I never saw a lip gloss that went with a fragrance line. Shower gel, yes. Body lotion, yes. A candle? For sure. But lip gloss? Eager to see what was inside the box, I found a beautiful dark purplish-currant gloss that went on sheer. I was waiting for a blackberry and vanilla fragrance to accost my olfactory senses, but what I got was a real perfume-y smell AND taste. Yuck! This was hardly something I wanted near my taste buds. Couldn’t wait to wipe it off. Couldn’t wait to rinse my mouth out with mouthwash. Couldn’t wait to toss this gloss in the garbage.
Yea or Nay: Nay. That is, unless you like the taste of perfume.
Buy It: @ Sephora.com, if you must.
Neutrogena Nourishing Eye Duos: Product Review
What: Will Neutrogena Nourishing Eye Duos, $8.49, give Robin (as stated on the packaging) “the most vibrant looking eyes you’ve ever seen”?
The Lowdown: At first glance, the eye shadow duo didn’t look much different than any other shadow on the shelf. No fancy packaging, no crazy colors, just a nice variety of eight different color combinations that look like you could actually wear. The bigger of the two shadows in the case is the base color, which is clinically shown to condition the delicate skin around the eye area with the ingredients of soy, silk, and Vitamins A, C & E. The smaller shadow is the accent color and contains advanced luminizing pearl optics. Sounds so high tech, right? The two are supposed to create a smooth, even lid tone and allow you to go from day to night with however much (or little) of the accent shadow you choose to wear. Yes, the shadow glides on smooth, stays put and is resistant to creasing. Were my eyes the most vibrant they’ve ever been? I hardly think so.
Yea or Nay: I say what-the-yea. They’re nice, budget-friendly shadows that will give your lids a soft hint of glimmer throughout the day.
Buy It: @ Drugstore
L’oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paint in Lofty: Product Review
What: Robin puts L’Oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paint, $11.99, to the test.
The Lowdown: When I first came across L’Oreal’s new HIP Shadow Paints, they immediately reminded me of M.A.C.‘s paints in the little metal tubes, which I’ve always been a fan of, despite their mess factor. What’s so genius about these is that they come with a little paint brush and are housed in a compact container with a mini custom application well that you can disperse the cream shadow in while you perfect your eye palette. Lofty is a neutral beige color with tons of gold shimmer and suitable for any skin tone—the perfect everyday shade. And for anyone who always seems to have trouble applying shadow (okay, maybe, it’s just me), this one is idiot proof. You just apply a bit to the brush and swipe it over your entire eyelid area. I got all day gold shimmer with no creases and no rub off issues.
Yea or Nay: Yay. This is must-have for any makeup maven’s beauty arsenal.
Buy it: @ CVS and Drugstore.com
Rembrandt Whitening Touch Up Pen: Product Review
What: Robin test runs the Rembrandt Whitening Touch Up Pen to fend off stains before they have a chance to set in, $12.99.
The Lowdown: With so many teeth whitening options available, it’s hard to figure out which makes the most sense. Trays, strips, toothpastes, laser treatments . . . what’s a girl—who just wants a white smile to do? And a smile that doesn’t make its onlookers have to put on sunglasses either, if you catch my drift. The Rembrandt Whitening Touch Up Pen isn’t meant for people who look like they’ve been chewing tobacco for twenty years. Instead, it is supposed to be an in-between whitener, kind of like a whitening maintenance wand. Drank some coffee, tea, glass of Bordeaux? Simply break out this pen and rub over your teeth to diminish any staining effects. That’s the theory anyway.
While the pen tip seems a bit hard (I prefer to let the whitening gel ooze out of the pen and then rub it onto my teeth with my finger for maximum coverage), I do feel my teeth have been looking a bit brighter these days. The gel also doesn’t irritate my gums like others have in the past.
Yea or Nay: It’s a yea.
Buy It: @ Walgreens.com
SkinMilk Shaving Milk
What: Robin attempts to shave her legs using SkinMilk Shaving Milk, $4.99.
The Lowdown: In confiding with some close girlfriends, I’ve come to realize I’m not unlike many women who grab a razor in the shower and quickly mow over their legs with nothing more than some warm water and whatever soapy residual is left after sudsing up. I can’t even remember the last time I bought a bottle of shaving cream. But with the super cold weather these days, I’m looking a little reptilian, and I’m itching like crazy. Enter SkinMilk Shaving Milk. Aside from the “milk” part of the name, which sounded soothing and nurturing to me, the bottle says it “forms a protective moisture barrier that allows the razor to glide effortlessly.” It also says it’s for shaving and moisturizing, and since multi-tasking is a survival technique in my household, I was in. When I smoothed it on, it spread nicely and evenly, with a cocoa-buttery, vanilla scent that’s not too overwhelming (it’s even shimmery, though that doesn’t last after its washed off). My shave? Not so eventful, but it was quick, and nick-free. The best part was once I emerged from the shower, I patted myself dry and my legs were soft and already felt moisturized. The vanilla smell stayed for a couple hours, too.
Yea or Nay: Yea, especially if you’re in a time crunch and you need to flip a coin between shaving or slapping on some moisturizer.
Buy It: @ CVS.
New Beauty Product Line: Boots at Target
Boots, the UK based drug store chain, is the ultimate drug store, sort of like CVS, Sephora, Target, and Whole Foods all mixed into one brand. The chain has been around for like forever (over 100 years) in Britain, yet it has taken until this year for the products to make a big push stateside. Of course…there’s only one American store smart enough to partner up with the beloved brand here in the US. That store, of course, is Target.
Boots at Target will hit stores starting this March and I can tell you it will revolutionize your drugstore beauty experience. The brand is taking over a whole aisle and some stores will even have black clad beauty advisors to help you with your choices (cause would you trust someone in a red polo and khakis to give you beauty advice? I think not..). Department store beauty lines like Origins, Clinique, etc should be very afraid because the Boots line of beauty products are not only high quality, but cost about half the price of these lines. I mean, do you REALLY, need to spend $35 on salt scrub that costs about $.50 to make?
But….
I’m not clicking my heels too high for the brand cause for some strange reason NONE of their make-up colors will work for women of color. I’m not only talking about my Black sisters, but my Indian sisters, my Italian sisters, my Latino Sisters, even my Anglo sisters with a nice summer tan, won’t be able to find a make-up color that works for them. I even asked the V.P of American Stuff (I can’t remember his exact title), “where’s the products for the sistas” and he sort of brushed me off with “it’s in development” (retail speak for “Ummm we didn’t think about you people”). I then asked him.. “has he ever been to a Target at 1pm on a Saturday? Pretty much every ethnic group you can imagine is there buying those addictive chocolates.” Ahhh… this is just so frustrating, cause I really like their products.
Cause they are British and they probably do not get BET or Univision, I will give them one year to come up with some colors for us colored girls. Until then here’s the BOOTS products you should try when the line hits Target:
- Mediterranean Olive Wheatgerm and Honey Body Butter ($9.99 for one tub). It’s a thick, rich cream, enriched with wheatgerm oil and honey that knocked the ash right off my skin. Plus it smells like pure heaven. Everyone who has ever tried this body butter falls in love with it.
- Feel the Difference Skin Brightening Beauty Plan (19.99, arrives in stores on 3/11). The Beauty Plan comprises3oz bottles filled with a liquid combination of vitamins, minerals, and other stuff good for your skin. I tried the regimen and I did see a slight difference in my skin color. On the bad side- the solution tasted a bit like the kiddie medicine, Pedolyte. The medicine taste of the solution is a small price to pay for glowing skin
- No7 4 in 1 Quick Thinking Face Wipes ($6.99, arrives ins tores 3/11). I’m lazy, so I love wipes like these that cleanse and moisturize at the same time. Plus it smells is wonderful.
- Feel the Difference Five Day Plan Dietary Supplement ($19.99, arrives in stores 3/11). The purpose of this detox plan is to cleanse your system of all the impurities, dirt, glunk, and other stuff that hinder our internal and external health. Here’s how it works: you empty five tubes of this thick strawberry stuff into a liter of water (which you should be drinking) and shake or stir to mix. You drink this solution every day for a five day period. I wasn’t feelin’ the yucky taste of the strawberry stuff, but at the end of the five day period, I did feel pretty good.
My Favorite Beauty Product: Vaseline
This may sound a bit weird but Vaseline is my favorite beauty product. Yes, it’s thick and can be messy , but this petroleum based products has 1001 beauty uses. As legend goes, this product was found by the chemist Robert Cheesebrough in the late 19th century, who observed local factory workers in Pennsylvania using the rod wax that resulted from the pop rods of the oil wells to protect and heal cuts. Amazing by the products therapeutic benefits, he back to his lab, mixed up so many batches of the key ingredient, petroleum jelly, that he had to use his wife’s vases to hold the product. He added the word “line” to “vase”, and my favorite beauty product was born.
I was first introduced to this beauty wonder by my grandma, Doonie, who used it as facial moisturizer. At 82, you would be hard pressed to find a wrinkle on her face. Throughout the years, I developed my own relationship with Vaseline. I use Vaseline
as a cheaper alternative to paraffin treatments—slathering copious amounts of the jelly on my hands and feet then wrapping them in hot towels for five minutes for a quick moisturizing treatment.
Still not convinced that Vaseline is a miracle beauty products? Here are just some of the many wonders of Vaseline
.
- Great for rough feet. Soak feet in a pan of warm water for 15 minutes. Remove feet and exfoliate with a pumice stone. Slather on a generous amount of Vaseline and throw on a pair of your thickest white socks and head to bed.
- Pageant participants take a small amount of Vaseline and smear it on the gums above their front teeth to help them smile easier.
- Use a little as a last minute shoe polish (too much could ruin your shoes).
- Purchase or use an old contact case and place a small amount of Vaseline and scoop out the leftovers of a lipstick, mix together in the case and you have your own lip-gloss.
- Use as gel to groom and hold eyebrows into place.
- Use in replace of gel to style and hold hair in place.
Advertisement
Featured on TBF
Copyright 2003-2009 TBF Group, LLC.