New Look for L’Oreal?

February 20, 2009 01:00 PM | Comments (3) | Posted in beauty, make up, loreal, drugstore brand

Drugstore beauty brand, L’Oreal, may start “introducing lower-priced items” to shoppers. In addition to implementing a hiring freeze and laying out a more innovative and aggressive business agenda, L’Oreal is in the process of separating itself from the mid priced market in order to do well in the coming years. And that could mean cheaper makeup for us. Until we see precisely what “lower-priced” means, though, we’ll hold our breath.

We love many of the makeup retailer’s products, so here’s hoping that L’Oreal’s makeover will translate into more affordable lip stick, eyeliner, etc.

With its ambitious plan for 2009, is L’Oreal losing the battle (it’s been underperforming of late) but winning the war?

L’Oreal Studio Line Shine Seeker Glass Shine Shine Spray

August 11, 2008 11:18 AM | Comments (0) | Posted in product review, loreal, Product Review

What: Robin looks to get her hair out its shine slump with L’Oreal Studio Line Shine Seeker Glass Shine Shine Spray, $3.74.

The Lowdown: First of all, does this product have too many words in its name or what? That being said, I was eager to try anything since my hair is lacking vibrance and yep, shine, in this cold winter air. The label says that “super smooth silicones polish hair with a lightweight polymer.” Hmm, sounds kind of like a car wax to me. The thing that really threw me, though, was the first ingredient is alcohol, which I tend to think dries hair out more than it adds shine, but I test it out none-the-less. After drying my hair, I lightly spritz my locks and they immediately take on a greasy, piecey look. Not the image I was going for. My hair doesn’t actually feel as greasy as it looks, but I still spent the rest of the day with my hair pulled back in a ponytail because the spray made it look dirtier than it did before I washed it.

Yea or Nay?: Nay all the way. Even though this product is inexpensive, it’s still not worth it.

High vs. Low: Eye(shadow)-Candy

May 23, 2008 06:00 PM | Comments (5) | Posted in high vs low, eyeshadow, mac, loreal

MAC eyeshadow has long been a staple of makeup artists, celebs, and real women alike, beloved for its heavily-pigmented formula – which ensures that what you see in the pot is what you get on your lids upon application. A trip to the MAC cosmetics counter brings us back to those kid-in-a-candy-store days: the array of colors, from vibrant jewel tones to shimmery nudes and bronzes, makes it nearly impossible to pick just one. Our one caveat? That $14 price point – after the first two or three purchases, our candy craving turns into a bit of a stomachache (at MACcosmetics.com).

Now there’s a way to get the rich look of MAC’s premium eyeshadows at a much sweeter price. Like their MAC counterparts, the shadows from L’Oreal’s new HiP (that stands for “High Intensity Pigments��?) line are highly concentrated – designed to glide on evenly and last all day. Bonus: each pot contains two different, complimentary shades, such as “Wicked��?, a soft taupe/vibrant lilac combo that looks great layered together or worn separately. For half the price of one MAC shadow, you can get two L’Oreal shades in one (from $7, at Ulta.com.)

A long-lasting, concentrated formulation is the perfect partner for this season’s fresh color palette. Many designers sent models down the runway sporting a sheer wash of bold color over lids, paired with dewy skin and nude lips. To make this runway look work in real life, use a neutral shadow as a base color all over the eyelid up to the crease, and apply a dab of a brighter hue just to the center of lids. Or for a super-glam evening look, use an electric shade of purple, turquoise, or green as a liner: line eyes with your standard black or brown pencil, then dip a dampened eyeliner brush into shadow and trace over your existing line. Finish with two coats of mascara and prepare to mesmerize.

Best Eyeshadow for Under $15: Reader Advice

March 6, 2008 11:00 PM | Comments (5) | Posted in make up, eyeshadow, loreal, cosmetics, Reader's Advice, reader's advice

Primary colors for the face are in, and Robin’s given us the heads-up on the hot eye color of the moment (a pop of purple)—but the perfect lid hue doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t bother to stick around past your first coffee break. We’ve had good luck with L’Oreal’s HIP Cream Shadow Paint, but we’d like some more options—so we’re asking you, our trusted readers, to enlighten us: what eyeshadow gets your vote for best on a budget? Can you get a great, lasting shadow for under $15? Under $10?

L’oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paint in Lofty: Product Review

February 10, 2008 10:29 AM | Comments (0) | Posted in product review, make up, loreal, Product Review, beauty product, eye shadow

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

L’Oreal Vive Pro Style & Body Infusing Conditioning Treatment

January 13, 2008 11:15 AM | Comments (0) | Posted in product review, hair care, hair products, loreal, Product Review

What: On a quest for perfectly soft and conditioned strands, Robin reaches for L’Oreal Vive Pro Style & Body Infusing Conditioning Treatment, $3.74.

The Lowdown: I confess: I’ve fallen into a shampoo and conditioner rut. I’ve been using the same stuff on my hair day in and day out and I should know better. The L’Oreal Vive Pro Style & Body Infusing Conditioning Treatment is a weekly deep conditioning treatment that says it “transforms unmanageable hair into soft, supple hair that holds its style.” It also claims to “deliver ultra-light moisture that conditions without weighing hair down” and “restores silkiness and shine to dull hair.”  After shampooing, I applied a quarter-sized amount to my strands and let it do its magic for three minutes. The color was a bubble gum pink and smelled fruity and floral, and afterward my hair felt soft but not buttery like it has after using some other deep conditioners in the past. Upon styling, my hair was a touch shinier and fairly flyaway-free.  The next day, my hair still looked pretty darn good—so I skipped the shampoo, took a brush through it and went.

Yea or Nay: I say Yea. It’s not as deep-conditioning as a hot oil treatment is, but it definitely has more muscle than a daily conditioner.

Buy It: @ Drugstore.com

Product review: Loreal Enhanced Formula Ineral Hair Fixer, $8.29-$8.75

August 4, 2007 08:38 PM | Comments (0) | Posted in product review, hair care, loreal, Product Review

What: Sabina reviews a product that fixes hair that’s been ruined by chemical treatments, $8.29-$8.75

The Lowdown: You know how the instructions on bleach packets and peroxide bottles tell you they’re not meant for use on chemically processed hair and how the instructions on the boxes of hair relaxer tell you they should never be used on bleached hair?

Well, turns out… they’re not kidding! (as I recently learned the hard way.)  I’m a hair product junkie and this isn’t the first or even the second time I did something drastically stupid to my hair and ended up in tears. This time my hair turned into rusty orange crunchy stuff and a good five inches had to be cut off.

Now, I might have finally had to learn my lesson for good after this disaster and had to resort to a Britney, if this truly miraculous product hadn’t come along and saved the day.

Loreal Enhanced Formula Ineral Hair Fixer is a set of six pills, a bottle of watery liquid strangely referred to as lotion and a developer bottle to mix the pill with the lotion solution. You place it on your hair and after the first use (there are enough pills in the package for six uses) you will begin to notice that the texture and the feel of your hair starts to improve.

Yea or Nay: An absolute yea. 

Buy it: Sally Beauty Supply, $8.29 or Hairproducts.com, on sale for $8.75