A New York City Health and Beauty Blog

Review: Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara

Lancome Hypnose Doll lashes mascara

Mascara is one of those products that I wear almost every day. Even when I’m running out the door I try to put on two coats of mascara and some lip gloss just to brighten my face a little. Mascara really opens the eyes and the right mascara can give you beautiful looking lashes. Hence my obsession with wearing it on a daily basis.

Recently I’ve been playing around with a new mascara, Lancôme Hypnose Doll Lashes mascara. This mascara promises a “Volumized, Extended, Lifted lashes, Wide-Eye Effect”. This formula uses FiberShineTM to sculpt, curl and reach every single lash. The wand is a bit different using a cone shaped applicator to allow for you to get to those hard-to-reach inner eyelashes.

Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes Mascara

The smaller end of the brush worked great for my little corner lashes. If you apply mascara on your bottom lashes this is a great applicator for that as well. I happen to like a bit of mascara on my lower lashes and this wand does the trick without clumping. The formula works well with two coats of mascara my lashes looked voluminous. Overall my lashes weren’t dramatically lengthened but there was enough of a difference to notice. The formula gave my lashes a nice lift with fullness and I appreciate the formula being paraben, sulfate, and artificial fragrance free.

Lancome Hypnose Doll LashesLancome has a cute app on their Facebook page where you can create your own avatar. Here’s mine!

Lancome Hypnose doll lashes avatar

The 1st Doll Lash Look by Lancôme: a volumized, full lash fringe for a wide-eye look. Lancôme’s most flirtatious mascara lifts, thickens and precisely defines even hard-to-reach corners and lower lashes beautifully.  Visit http://www.facebook.com/lancome?sk=app_109522049148774 to create your own Doll avatar.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Lancôme via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Lancôme.

 

Get the Look: Selena Gomez at the VMA’s

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Actress/Singer, Selena Gomez looked flawless at the 2011 MTV VMA’s last night. Makeup artist, Karan Mitchell used Lancome products to give Selena a “classic and clean” look for the evening. Karan wanted Ms. Gomez to have glowy skin, smoldering eyes and rosy metallic lips.

Here’s how you can create this look using Lancôme products:

  1. Apply Eclat Miracle Complexion Illuminator as a base to the makeup with a soft makeup sponge.
  2. For her eyes, use the Color Design color Chic first in the crease to bring depth and begin defining the eye shape. Then add shadows from the Bronze Amour 5 Pan Palette. Start with shade number #2 on the lid, shade #5 on the outside corner of the lid and in the crease for more dimension, shade number #1 on the brow bone as a highlight and shade # 4 as the highlighter on the inside of the eye.
  3. Apply concealer in a very sheer layer with a soft foundation brush. To set the base use Absolue Loose Powder.
  4. For the blush use Subtil in Sheer Amourose with a large blush brush beginning at the back of the cheek bone and blending inward.
  5. For your lashes apply two coats of Hypnose Doll Lashes in Black to achieve feathery volume. Followed by Le Stylo Waterproof Liner in Noir above the lash line and on the inside of the lid.
  6. To set her naturally perfect brow use Modele Sourcils Brow Groomer.
  7. For the lips Selena used Color Design lipstick in Fashion Icon finished with Color Fever Gloss in Hibis-Kiss.

Did you like Selena’s look at the VMA’s?

Mascara Melee: Five Top Formulas, Road Tested

Even at their best, mascaras are a bit difficult to gauge. Very, very rarely do you find one that just “wows” you. If it doesn’t run and it doesn’t clump, it’s basically an awesome mascara, right? Even a really impactful mascara can be difficult to commit to, because you always want to find that really amazing curling, lifting, separating mascara.

Mascara also uniquely has the downside of degrading more quickly than any cosmetic. So sometimes a fantastic mascara will be amazing for ten days, before it turns into a flaky, goopy mess- which is such a shame, because when mascara is great, it can make your whole look feel exceptionally polished.

There are a few biggies in the mascara realm- some better than others and all with slightly different attributes. Let’s break down some of the best mascaras…

MAC Zoom Lash: Zoom Lash holds a special place in my MUA heart, because it was introduced when I was just starting out as a MAC freelancer. It was one of my first coveted “big girl” products, and a lot of my affection for it is based in that memory.

Bear in mind this is a controversial mascara, in as much as a mascara can be controversial. But even though the staying power isn’t the best on the market, it solidly darkens and thickens lashes and holds a curl well.

Lancome Hypnose: Earlier in the week, we discussed Lancome’s Dual Finish Pressed Powder Foundation. In the GWP that came along with it, I received a sample of this formulation. A moderate Definicils fan, I thought Hypnose would be a nice twist on Lancome’s mostly solid mascara line. I was definitely underwhelmed by the flaky formula, which called to mind Halloween costumes from when I was a kid. This formula gets some decent reviews around the web, but there are far better options at the Lancome counter.

Maybelline Full n’ Soft: I love high-end makeup, but mascara has far less of a gulf between fancy and mass-market than color products like lipstick or eyeshadow. If you’re at the supermarket or drugstore and need a mascara option stat, Maybelline’s Full n’ Soft is far better an option than the much lauded Great Lash. It defines and separates lashes without clumping, and has a lengthy makeup bag life. Definitely a diamond in the rough.

Clinique Naturally Glossy: Not one of the more dominant mascaras, Clinique’s Naturally Glossy is often overlooked and certainly underrated. This formula is great for work because it goes on thinly, but separates and darkens lashes really well. It doesn’t flake, stays put, and washes off with a minimum of fuss.

Dior DiorShow: DiorShow is another divisive mascara- one of the higher-end options on the market, and very loved by some. The formula defines and separates, without getting too thick or intense – good for day and night.

Everyone has a standard mascara they come back to time and again- what’s yours?

Rediscovered: Lancôme Dual Finish Powder Foundation

Don’t we all love new and innovative beauty products? A lazy Saturday trip to Sephora can yield an unexpected shopping bag full of new to market goodies, many of which we gleefully dish about on this very blog.

But perhaps as gratifying is the discovery of an older standard that you’d forgotten or previously overlooked in beauty scouting expeditions. There’s something comforting about learning a tried and tested formulation suits all your needs, and a newly-found old standby is far less likely to be discontinued than some upstart potion that rocks hard but never takes off properly.

I’ve often overlooked their solid, established products in favor of trendier brands. And while I was pretty attached to my Bare Escentuals base, we haven’t been getting along all that well lately. I needed a new foundation, but have grown accustomed to the convenience and lack of shine a powder foundation offers.

I scouted Bobbi Brown, MAC, BE, Benefit and Laura Mercier hard before being drawn in by a GWP at the Lancôme counter. I’d honestly forgotten Lancôme’s Dual Finish Powder existed, and was surprised at how even and natural the coverage it provided was. A quick trip to adjacent “outdoor lighting” revealed a shockingly light but flawless blendability that even worked fabulously when used as a concealer.

It bears mentioning that I’m not a teen or twenty-something, and powder foundations aren’t just for super oily skin. Lancôme’s Dual Finish Powder is finely milled and goes on smoothly, even if you don’t have completely perfect skin. Redness, rosacea and even dark circles disappear under the powder, but it seems to be more cohesive and- dare I say?- natural than its mineral counterparts. It does require the odd touchup, especially in warm weather, but that’s pretty par for the foundation course.

Surprisingly, the included sponge is the best tool for applying the foundation, and there’s a lighter puff for touch-ups- portability is another huge plus with this formula. I personally don’t recommend applying it wet as some of the counter artists recommend- it interferes with the integrity of the makeup, increases the chance of spoilage and creates a streaky finish.

Overall, though, this is one product I foresee having a seriously long and happy relationship with. Touchups that allow for full coverage without interfering with blush or setting powder are my new favorite makeup feature.

Have you ever rediscovered an older product and fallen in love? What drew you in?

 

Get the Look: Ethereal Makeup at Nanette Lepore FW 2011

As Fashion Week wrapped, we were left with a ton of amazing, fresh new looks to sort through, analyze and most importantly, glean inspiration from. So many of the looks at the various shows were stunning and bold, but by far, the pre-Raphaelite-esque makeup at Nanette Lepore stole the show[s], in my estimation.

Aside from the dead giveaway of Waterhouse-inspired siren red hair (pictured above), the slightly dewier faces with bold red lips, dainty but defined lashes and moon-silver eyes seem to have stepped straight off of a post-Medieval canvas. Here are four products that will lend the same other-worldly sheen to your look.

1.) Eyeshadow: Depending on your skin tone, you could opt for a gold or silver here- a pale gold seems to work on most skin tones, though. To duplicate this look, a wash of a neutral shimmer across the lid makes a fantastic base when closely matched to your bare skin. Precision isn’t super-important with this look, as there’s a bit of a halo effect inherent to it. Follow with a far paler gold shimmer and a smaller brush around tear ducts to create the fairy-like glow. NARS single shadows in Voyage and Abyssinia would replicate this look admirably- and the sleek black compacts always feel so chic in your makeup bag.

2.) Bed head hair: Fall 2011’s shows were dominated by undone, natural hair. Nanette Lepore’s models featured easy to imitate upbraids, a super old-school answer to bad hair days. A clarifying shampoo like Frederick Fekkai‘s will extend the shelf life of blowouts for easier styling, and a dry shampoo like Klorane‘s will create texture and absorb excess oil to further create sexily disheveled locks.

3.) Assertive red lips: Browned down, more demure red lips were notably absent in favor of cheeky blue or orange based red pouts. Bobbi Brown’s reds seem to be foolproof even in bolder shades, and Bobbi Brown Vintage Red or Bobbi Brown Vixen red are fantastic, vibrant hues to emulate this intense look.

4.) Coquettish lashes: Lashes in this collection took a backseat to lips and silvery eyes. A good curler and two light coats of mascara are pretty much all that’s needed to replicate the style- Vincent Longo’s mini curler enhances lashes in an understated way, and a classic, light mascara like Lancôme’s Definicils will define them without piling on the product.

Which beauty trends for Fall/Winter 2011 do you like best? Do you have a go-to red or shimmery base shadow?