Too Faced: Lashgasm Mascara

Happy Monday everyone, hope you're all having a great day! Sorry for the delay in posting, the holidays have been crazy and I haven't been able to write any posts. I will try to post more often!

Today's Mascara Monday review is on Too Faced's Lashgasm Mascara. This mascara contains 0.4 oz of product and retails for $21 at Sephora, Ulta, and Too Faced's website.

Too Faced describes this mascara as, "A voluptuous, fluffing mascara that conditions as it thickens to create dramatically long lashes with intense color." Additionally, "Lashgasm's multiple rows of flexible-but-firm, molded bristles are designed with micro-hooks that grab each and every lash for a clump-free application. The vitamin-rich, creamy formula penetrates for high-color absorbency and exaggerated depth. Meadowfoam seed oil forms a protective barrier to lock in soothing emollients that promote long-term wear without drying or harming lashes. A moisturizing combination of panthenol, vitamins A & E, and jojoba seed oil hydrates and soothes lashes to keep them soft, light, and flexible."

All in all, this is just an okay mascara in my opinion and I probably wouldn't purchase it again. On the positive side, I really liked the wand of this mascara, it has rubber bristles which brush nicely through your lashes. The wand itself is also very flexible and provides a nice slight curl upwards to your lashes without even using a lash curler.

On the negative side, this mascara has a really bad smell to it, that's quite unbearable in my opinion. This is a black mascara, but I found that it wasn't an overly, dark black in color. This mascara didn't seem to really lengthen or volumize my lashes like it claimed to do. Also, while this mascara is not clumpy with one coat, I found that the more of it that you apply it, it gets increasingly clumpier. I think in the first photo above the mascara doesn't look too clumpy, but in the second photo it does look clumpy.

Final Verdict

According to Too Faced, "It IS the size of your lashes that matter!," but unfortunately I didn't think this mascara really held up that claim. This is an okay mascara, I like that it gives your lashes some curl, but unfortunately I didn't like that it didn't add much length or volume to my lashes. Also, the smell of this mascara is horrible and pretty much unbearable in my opinion. I don't think I'd repurchase the mascara, but I do like the overall final look that it provided to my lashes.

Have you tried any of the Too Faced mascaras? What mascara are you loving at the moment? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!
-Meg

Too Faced: Endless Summer 16 Hour Long-Wear Bronzer

Today's review is of Too Faced's Endless Summer 16 Hour Long-Wear Bronzer, which retails for $30 for 0.25 oz of product. This is medium colored bronzer with a subtle shimmer that Too Faced claims will give skin a "lit-from-within bronzed glow that lasts up to 16 hours or more." This bronzer contains no parabens and is cruelty-free. You can purchase this product from Ulta, Sephora, or from Too Faced's website.

To start, let me just say that I generally don't like bronzers with shimmer in them because I feel that it accentuates my pores and imperfections/blemishes which is generally what I'm trying to hide. I decided to give this one a try because the shimmer looked very fine and I liked that it's suppose to last 16 hours - I hate when my bronzer has disappeared after a couple of hours of wear and I have to reapply it. So all in all, I was a little hesitant to try out this bronzer, but boy am I glad I did!

This is a very natural looking bronzer with a semi-matte finish that leaves a luminous glow on the skin. The formula of this bronzer is very creamy and it applies like a dream and it does last all day like Too Faced claims! It's a very buildable bronzer so you can add just a little bit for a subtle glow or a lot for a more dramatic contoured effect. Generally I don't contour with a shimmery bronzer as once again that generally emphasizes the parts of your face that you're trying to conceal (blemishes/imperfections/large pores/etc.), but since the shimmer on this bronzer is so fine, it is a fine bronzer to contour with and I actually really like contouring with it because it adds a subtle glow to my face that makes it look sun-kissed. 

In terms of the color of this bronzer - it's very medium toned with a cool undertone. I tend to have a yellow and cool undertones to my skin so I generally search for bronzers that have these undertones so that they will look natural on my skin. Since this bronzer leans to the cool side rather than the warm, it does not have much orange in it and will not make people with fair skin look orangey. I will say, that if you have a medium to dark skin tone that this bronzer will probably be too light for you. It's ideal for fair, light, and medium skin tones.

Overall, I think this is the perfect bronzer for everyday wear for me - it blends nicely into my skin without looking unnatural and the shimmer is so fine that it truly does give the skin a nice glow without looking like you have glitter spread all over your face. This is a bronzer on the pricier side of things, but I think it is well worth the money and it definitely lasts all day!

Which Too Faced bronzer is your favorite? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Too Faced: Bulletproof Brows

Hi everyone! 

Today's review is of Too Faced's Bulletproof Brows set which includes a brow brush and a pot of 24-hour waterproof cashmere clay brow product. I purchased this product during Ulta's 21 days of beauty where they've been selling best selling products for half price. Because of this sale I was able to purchase this product for $15 when it normally retails for $30 for the brush and 0.07 oz of product. You can purchase this product at Ulta, Sephora, and on Too Faced's website. In terms price, it's definitely one of the more expensive brow products I've tried but since it was half off with free shipping I couldn't resist giving it a try. 

In terms of colors, this product only comes in two shades - universal taupe and universal brunette - which I think can be limiting for a lot of women if you don't fall into one of those two shades. In particular, if you're blonde, I think the taupe shade will be much too dark for you. This shade is a warm-toned brown so if you tend to prefer cool-toned brown eye products then this might not be right for you. While I am a brunette, I generally prefer my brows to be not too dark and I find that often times brunette brow products make my brows look too defined, unnatural, and sometimes are darker in color than the rest of my hair. Generally, I tend to use brow products to fill in my brows and even out the color across my brows (since the outer portion of my brows are much lighter than the inner parts). So for those reasons, I bought this product in universal taupe, with the intention that it would be more of a brow filler product for me.

First and foremost, I love this product! I generally gravitate toward automatic/retractable or regular brow pencils rather than pot type products applied with a brush. It took a little getting used to at first for me to get comfortable using this product and making my brows look structured yet natural, but once I did it was fast and easy. The formula of this product is so creamy and smooth so that when you're applying it just glides on, and once it dries the product's not going anywhere so you don't have to worry about your brows moving throughout the day or smudging!

In terms of packaging, I love that this product comes with a double ended brow brush specifically for this product. I find that both ends are essential for me creating a great natural brow look. Honestly, this is one of the best brow brushes that I've ever used. I also really like that for the pot part of this product there's an extra cap to help keep the product fresh and prevent it from drying out. Since this product is so expensive and I don't want to repurchase it before I have to, this is a great feature. Additionally, the inside of the pot has a mirror which makes on-the-go or traveling with this product very easy. 

The box does give some instructions on how you should brush the product onto your brows - they recommend that you change the angle of the brush as you go. unfortunately my brows are narrower than the width (or about the same width) of the brush so I can't use their technique. Instead I just do small strokes on the angle to mimic the appearance of brow hairs and give the illusion of more filled in brows.

In terms of longevity, I don't think this product would actually last 24 hours, but I do find that it does last an entire workday which is all I really need it to do. In terms of being waterproof, I find that this product comes off very easily with a makeup wipe (which is usually how I remove my makeup) so it's easy to remove at the end of the day. I haven't actually tested this product in the shower or swimming so I'm not sure how it would hold up in that case, but it does last even if you sweat on hot summer days. Additionally, Too Faced claims that this product is smudgeproof which is true and not true at the same time - but it's actually a good thing! When you first apply the product you can definitely smudge it, which is great because it helps to create a more natural look. Once it does set though this product doesn't smudge so you don't have to worry about your eyebrows moving during the day.

Here are some hand swatches of the product applied with the angled end of the provided brush. This is a medium weight swatch - I went over it a couple of times so you could see what it truly looks like. 

Additionally, here are some swatches of the product applied on my brows with the included brush and blended out with the spoolie. The photos below starting out on the far left show my natural brows, then the product in natural light, and on the right the product taken with a flash. Sorry my natural light photo isn't the best. If you're interested in more pictures of this product in natural light (or with a flash) leave me a comment below and I will upload some additional pictures.

All in all, I definitely recommend this brow product (if you match either of the two shades). I think it gives a very natural looking finished brow. It is a bit pricey so I don't know if I'd necessarily repurchase it, but I think it was a bargain to buy it while it was half off at Ulta.

Have you purchased anything during Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty? Are there any brow products out there that you use all the time and/or always go back to because you love it?
Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Too Faced: La Crème Lipsticks

Today's review is of the La Crème Lipsticks by Too Faced. I absolutely love this brand and was so excited to see three of these lipsticks on clearance on their website recently. They normally retail for $22 (for 0.11 oz of product), but I was able to get three of them for $8 each. What a bargain! I'm not sure if you can still get them for $8 on their website, but it's definitely worth checking out. The fourth color I have had in my collection for a while and it's one of my favorites.

The color pigmentation of this line of product is amazing! I love that whatever the color is in the tube is the color you'll be getting on your lips. All of the colors are very opaque as well.

The four colors I have are:
     - Cinnamon Kiss (Spiced Brown)
     - Loganberry (Berry Pink)
     - In the Buff (Warm Beige)
     - Spice Spice Baby (Pinky Brown)

Shades from left to right: In the Buff, Spice Spicy Baby, Cinnamon Kiss, Loganberry (Taken in Natural Light)

Shades from left to right: In the Buff, Spice Spicy Baby, Cinnamon Kiss, Loganberry (Taken with a Flash)

In terms of packaging, these lipsticks are absolutely gorgeous! They come packaged in an adorable box and the product itself is housed in a stunning gold tube. It looks so classic and elegant! The size of the product is great - it's easy to slip into a clutch or purse for reapplication on-the-go. The tube feels solid and has a bit of weight to it (which I like because that's usually a very high end detail), and it has a secure closure so even if you carry it in your purse it won't open accidentally. I like that the lipstick tube is slanted so application is very easy and since the tube is skinnier than most lipsticks, application is very precise which is important with the darker colors that have some staining power. I don't find that I need to apply a lipliner with this product but you definitely could if you prefer a more precise application.

The product is very creamy and buttery, which I consider to be a positive. Unfortunately though, this means that it doesn't last through eating and drinking. But if you don't eat or drink with this product on, it does last a long time (3+ hours) without reapplication. In addition, the darker colors do provide a bit of a staining power on the lips. All in all, I find that this product is not overly heavy and does not have any kind of stickiness to it. I absolutely love how moisturizing these lipsticks are - it's almost like wearing chapstick on your lips! Additionally, for those of you who are sensitive to smells, this product does not have any noticeable scents.

Shades from left to right: In the Buff, Spice Spicy Baby, Cinnamon Kiss, Loganberry (Taken in Natural Light)

Shades from left to right: In the Buff, Spice Spicy Baby, Cinnamon Kiss, Loganberry (Taken with a Flash)

Below are some additional photos and lip swatches of the product in all four shades.

In the Buff
(Left photo in natural light, right photo taken with a flash)

 

In Natural Light

Taken with a Flash

Spice Spice Baby

(Taken with a flash)

In Natural Light

Taken with a Flash

Cinnamon Kiss

(Left photo in natural light, right photo taken with a flash)

In Natural Light

Taken with a Flash

Loganberry

(Both photos are taken with a flash)

In Natural Light

Taken with a Flash

Have you tried this lipstick yet? What are you favorite shades? 

I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Too Faced: Sun Bunny Bronzer

Today's review is of Too Faced's Sun Bunny Bronzer. I first tried this bronzer in a sample size freebie when I purchased some items from Too Faced's website. The full size 0.33 oz product retails for $30 on Too Faced's website, and can also be purchased at Ulta and Sephora. I absolutely adore this bronzer! Granted, I am a bronzer fiend and truly love trying any and all new ones, but this is a great bronzer for so many skin tones and ages.

The bronzer itself is made up of two different shades - a lighter and a darker bronzing color. If you're very fair skinned you could stick to just the lighter shade rather than mixing, and vice versa if you have a darker skin tone. Both sides do feature shimmer - but it's very subtle and finely grained so it tends to give the skin a very healthy, bronzed beach glow. I absolutely adore it in the summer!

I tend to apply this bronzer with a kabuki brush, usually the one I have from ELF - which I LOVE, and at only $5, it's such a steal! I have multiple - one for my purse makeup bag, one for my home makeup and an extra because you just never know when you might need it. It's a tightly packed brush that applies just the right amount of product onto the skin to give  it a healthy glow, but to not appear orange or look caked on. This bronzer tends to have a more pink undertone to it, which leaves the skin looking sun-kissed and naturally bronzed. Also, I think even older people who might tend to avoid shimmery products will like this, as you can't see the shimmer when it's on the skin, but rather it just gives a sort of youthful looking glow that can't be beat. You can definitely use this bronzer year round, it's not just for the summer - just make sure you apply it with a lighter hand in the winter.

I have swatched the bronzer below, first with each color separately (light on the left and dark on the right) and then with both colors swirled together. The left column is in natural light and the right column is with a flash.


               
If you haven't picked up on it yet, I highly recommend this bronzer and think it's universally flattering! Go and pick it up right away, don't delay!

Have you guys tried this bronzer or any of the other Too Faced bronzers? I would love to hear if you've liked them!

Thanks for reading!