Review: L'Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer

The L’Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer launched (I believe) in Fall/Winter 2011.  It has generated a good amount of buzz, IMO mostly because of the price point and availability.  L’Oreal is a drugstore brand and so while this product isn’t super cheap, it is within most people’s budgets.  In the U.S., it’s available just about anywhere drugstore makeup is sold for right about $10 - cheaper if you can find coupons.

Despite it being called a primer, the offical press release from L’Oreal doesn’t seem to indicate that you should use it at all like a primer.  Their suggested uses:

• use it alone (no foundation)
• mix it with foundation
• use it as a highlighter

So, no priming going on there :(

The product definitely has a pearly sheen, but no glitter.  It’s very emolient and a little bit will go a long way.  

I tried using it as a primer and I found it to be pretty ineffective.  If you’re using it under anything but the absolute sheerest foundation, you’re not going to notice it at all.  It definitely doesn’t do anything to refine the skin surface before applying foundation.

Mixed with foundation, the consistency of the foundation is the determining factor in how much oomph you’re going to get out of it.  I mixed it with 2 foundation, my MAC Select SPF 15 and my Neutrogena Healthy Skin.

The MAC Select SPF 15 has a natural matte finish and I really didn’t notice much difference when I mixed it with the Magic Lumi.

The Neutrogena Healthy Skin is a very emolient foundation with a dewey finish and I got way more payoff when I mixed the Magic Lumi with it.  It wasn’t crazy frosty or anything, but definitely noticeable whereas I didn’t think it was with the MAC Select SPF 15.

As a highlighter itself on top of either foundation, it was okay.  I really don’t think I’d use it in leiu of my other highlighters. Mostly, this product just doesn't deliver for me. I'd be curious to see what it does on deeper skintones or on a more oily complexion. For me, it just doesn't really do a whole lot at all.

Swatches*:

MAC Select SPF 15 Foundation - flash

MAC Select SPF 15 Foundation - sunlight

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation - flash

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation - sunlight

Overall:  5/10

*there is obviously an art to swatch photography.  I applied the product like I would actually use it (as opposed to packing it on for better payoff on camera) and as you can tell, the photos are pretty useless.  You really can't see much difference at all.  UGH.  I'm working on this.  I promise I'll get better.

Review: Inglot shadows

I mentioned the Inglot shadows I picked up in my Vegas haul post.  


Last weekend, I finally managed to swatch everything, pry the pans out of the palettes to get the numbers and crop all my photos so I can do a proper blog post about them.


There is a trick with getting Inglot shadows out of the palettes. You can use the magnets on the corners of the palette cover to pop the pans out. This worked pretty well for me on my 4-pan palette, but not so much on the 5-pan. I suspect it would work better on the larger palettes. I ended up (very carefully!) prying the pans out of the palette using a tiny pair of scissors.


Inglot shadows come in a variety of finishes. Here's an overview I cobbled together from a whole bunch of sources. I actually couldn't find anything direct from Inglot on it, which is a little disappointing.

Inglot Eyeshadow Finishes

• Matte: Exactly what it sounds like. No shimmer or metallic finish (supposedly, more on that below).
• Pearl: Pretty much what most other eyeshadow manufacturers say when they say "pearl". No big chunks of glitter, but a shimmery, frosty finish.
• AMC: "Advanced Make-up Component". Perspiration resistant line - not just shadows. A variety of Inglot products are from the AMC line. Just looking at all the swatches online, they seem to be a mix of sparkly and matte.
• AMC Shine: Part of the AMC perspiration resistant line. No idea what gives them more shine than the regular line.
• DS: "Double Sparkle" Extra glitter, hence the double sparkle. It seems to be that the bases are a mix of matte and pearl, at least the ones I saw.

5-pan palette:

• 453 - White - pearl
• frost finish but no glitter.
• 352 - Pink - matte
• warm pink, not very blue, more peachy
• 328 - light brown - matte
• warm brown
• 360 - medium brown - matte
• warm, but not as warm on the skin as it looks in the pan
• 329 - dark brown - matte
• slightly blackened brown, not quite as creamy as the other mattes, but still awesome. It's a matte, so obviously it should be matte, but I swear, there is the tiniest touch of a red glitter in this shadow. Don't know if all of these are that way or if it's just my pan.

4-pan palette:

• 480 - blue - double sparkle
• true blue, not very dark, white glitter
• 473 - seafoam blue/green - double sparkle
• white glitter, fairly light
• 495 - red - double sparkle
• light, pinky red with gold glitter, worst payoff of the bunch (but still a good shadow)
• 34 - gold - AMC shine
• more brown than orange, gold glitter

I cannot go on enough about how much I adore these shadows. I wear them pretty much daily. They are fantastic! The pigmentation is out of this world.  And it lasts and lasts. Even the non-AMC shadows easily last 12 hours.


I have had zero issue with fallout from their sparkly shadows.


And the cost! OMG, compared to other brands they are incredibly budget friendly. For this quality of eyeshadow I would easily expect to pay twice what Inglot retails for. Not only the quality of the eyeshadows themselves - which is AWESOME - but the palettes. They are heavy duty. And the fact that you can move shadows around as necessary - brilliant!


My one (and really ONLY) complaint about Inglot is purchasing. I find their website frustratingly difficult to navigate - their U.S. online store at least. I can't really speak about their other online stores. When you go to their Freedom System eyeshadow squares, they have an amazing selection of colors and finishes. But as far as I can tell, there is no way to sort on them. You can't just say "I want to see all your matte shades" or "I just want your DS shades". So, yeah, the website and online store is frustrating. But the product, OMG, I have to say it is worth the headache of navigating through their online store.

Inglot eyeshadow quality overall 10/10

Inglot shopping experience 7/10

First Impressions: Tarte One Fine Clay Collection

I've had the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed for months and I love it.  I probably wear it 3 times a week.  But it's been the only Tarte product I've had.

So, when I saw that Ulta had the Tarte One Fine Clay collection, I decided to pick it up.  It arrived today and I decided to post pics and my initial reactions.

Here's the entire collection

It includes:

• Purple quilted makeup bag
• Half-size Blusher in "Peaceful"
• Third-size Bronzer in "Park Avenue Princess"
• 1/5 size "Smooth Operator" illuminating serum
• Full size smolderEYEs waterproof eyeliner in brown
• Full size "gifted" smart mascara in black
• eye pencil sharpener

I don't think it's exclusive to Ulta but it's not available directly on the Tarte site.  It retails for $39.00.

bag:

It's cute.  Purple on the outside, pink on the inside with a gold pull.  I'm not a huge connoisseur of makeup bags, but it is nice.  And it's big enough to be useful.

Blush:

As I said earlier, I've had one of the Tarte blushes (I'm going to quit prefacing every item with "Amazonian Clay" since they're all Amazonian Clay) in "Exposed".  I really like it and was very excited to pick up another Tarte blush.

The blush with this set is "Peaceful".  As far as I can tell, this isn't one of the shades that's readily available.  But it does look like it is often included in sets that Tarte does.  This is a 3.4 g of product whereas a full size blush is 5.6, so it's slightly larger than half-size.  (I'm including a picture of it next to a full size for comparison and is it just me, or is the tiny blush the cutest thing you've ever seen?  Maybe it's just me.)  Also, unlike a full size blush, the half size "Peaceful" does not include a mirror in the compact.

The color is beautiful.  It's a pretty true peach, not too orange, not too pink.  It does have a tiny bit of shimmer, but nothing close to the actual shimmery blushes from this line.

Bronzer:

This is the Tarte Mineral Bronzing Powder in "Park Avenue Princess".  "Park Avenue Princess" is shimmery gold whereas the "Hotel Heiress" in the same line is described as a deep bronze.  I compared "Park Avenue Princess" side by side with my Nars "Laguna" bronzer and it looks really similar to me.  

A full size bronzer is 9g and this sample is 3.2g, so it's just over 1/3 regular size.  The packaging is super cute.

It looks like it has a good bit of shimmer, but I'm wondering if it's going to be like the Nars Laguna where the shimmer is just in the top layer and the rest is matte.

Illuminator:

This is the item I was most curious about.  I have been on the hunt for a good illuminator and I'm hoping that Smooth Operator will pan out.  

A full size Smooth Operator is 1.7oz.  This sample is .3oz, so this is less than 1/5 regular size.

I've only played with it a tiny bit so far, but it looks gorgeous.

Eyeliner:

I am really not a fan at all of kohl type eyeliners, but this stuff is gorgeous.  It is this rich bronze color.  I love it.  I suspect I won't actually use it as a liner, but I'm sure I can find a use for it.  

This is a full size product as far as I can tell.  It's got the liner on one end and a smudger sponge on the other.  There is also a sharpener included in the set.

Mascara:

Like the liner, this is full size as far as I can tell.  I like the applicator brush and I am really curious to test this product out.

So that's it for now.  I will update after I've given these products a good try.  My initial reaction is very good.  I think this set was reasonably priced and I am genuinely interested in everything in the kit.

Eyeliner Updates: Benefit, L'Oreal, Maybelline

It's been a while since my last big eyeliner post and I have updates:

Benefit Magic Ink

.08oz,  $20

This is one of the few eyeliners I've seen in a long time that has an actual bristle brush applicator.  The only other 2 I can think of are the Kat Von D eyeliner and the Vincent Longo eyeliner.  The brush is really thin, which allows for very precise product application.  However, be forewarned that if you're looking for a dramatic eyeliner look, you may be spending a good chunk of time applying product.

I personally prefer bristle brush applicators, but if you're not a fan of them, you might want to skip this product, especially given how fine the brush is.

The formula it incredibly pigmented.  This is easily the blackest black eyeliner I've ever seen.  You don't even have to give it a good shake.  Not the slightest hint of wateriness to be found.

The product goes on smooth.  I haven't noticed any issues with it flaking or cracking.  It seems to stay a bit pliable, which prevents the cracking and flaking but does mean that it smudges pretty easily, even hours after application.  And if your eyes water at all, this stuff will run.

It's not something I'd wear daily, but when you're looking to do a really precise, pigmented eyeliner look, it's great.

Overall:  7/10



L'Oreal Telescopic Waterproof Eyeliner

.07oz, around $8

You can still readily get this eyeliner from most retailers (Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Ulta, etc), but I can't find it on the L'Oreal site right now.  I really hope they're not discontinuing this product.  I feel like they're always cycling out the products that I like.

This product took a while to grow on me.  I learned the hard way that you really need to give it a vigorous shaking before application.  But now, I love it.  It's my go-to liner.

The applicator lays down a good strip of product.  The pigmentation (provided you give it a good shake) is really good, not at all watery.  The waterproof formula is surprisingly waterproof.  I don't go swimming in it or anything, but I often have watery eyes and this stuff has never budged.

This product isn't great if you're trying to do a dramatic winged liner look.  The product will contract as it dries and it's just not good for that type of look.  However, if you're just wanting a regular liner, it's fantastic.  And for a waterproof product, it comes off easily at the end of the day.

Overall:  9/10





L'Oreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Eyeliner

.05oz, ranges $9 - 16

Like the Telescopic waterproof, I'm thinking they may be discontinuing this as well.  It's not longer available on the L'Oreal site either.

I was looking for a daily wear alternative to the Benefit Magic Ink.  This product got a lot of play on YouTube, specifically as being an alternative to the Lancome Art Liner at a much better price point.  There were specifically raves about how intensely pigmented the formula is.

I was very underwhelmed.  The tube I bought is not intensely pigmented.  It's okay.  But it's really watery, even with a good shaking.  I don't care for the applicator brush at all.  It's really long and floppy.  I'd prefer a bristle brush to a floppy felt tip.

Overall:  5/10



Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner

.106oz, around $8.50

Comes in 4 shades: black, brown, charcoal and eggplant.  Supposedly gives you 24 hours wear.

I have only tried the brown formula, but I can easily say that there is no way this is a 24 hour wear product.  On me (and I don't have oily lids), it's not even a 6 hour wear.  You could probably set it with an eyeshadow and get longer wear out of it, but to my way of thinking that sort of defeats the purpose of using a long wear gel eyeliner.  And it works well as a color base, but again, not exactly why I purchased it.

It comes with a brush that doesn't totally suck, though I don't ever use it to apply this product.  The Maybelline gel liner is also much cheaper than the MAC Fluidline, but in this case, you get what you pay for.

Overall:  6/10


Swatches
(sorry for all the flash, camera wasn't cooperating):