L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara Review

To begin with, I was SUPER excited to try out this mascara. After seeing the commercials and hearing all the things they promise I was really hoping for great results.

The first time I used it, I didn't really like it at all. It was really clumpy, it took a long time to cover the white from step one and it didn't really come out as black as I would have liked it to; it still seemed kind of gray when it was wet. It didn't really make my lashes any longer and looked like a clumpier version of the mascara I had been using (Maybelline Define-a-Lash) and it makes my eyelashes feel hard, like really fake that I don't like at all. Also, taking it off was a pain. You have to take off your makeup, then take off your mascara, and then wash your face. Plus it was really messy coming off; little bits of the tubes ended up all over my face, in my eyes and all over my sink. The good things I did like about it the first time was that it really did last all day long, it didn't flake off, and it doesn't smudge at all. But that was about all I liked about it the first time.

After using it a few more times, I started to get the hang of it a little better. First of all, it still does look gray when you put the black side over the white, but as it dries it gets blacker, so don't get discouraged if it's still a little bit gray when you're putting it on. Another thing I noticed is that the more white you put on the longer it makes your lashes look, it really builds up on the ends. The white is definitely the key to length. I also figured out a way that works for me to take them off better. I run a cotton ball under HOT water, then squeeze some of the water out of the cotton ball so it cools off and doesn't drip down my face, I then hold the cotton ball on my eye for five to ten seconds, and finally, pinch my eyelashes between my forefinger and the cotton ball and gently pull away. They come off pretty well and don't make as much of a mess as just rubbing downward with the wet cotton ball. This is what it looks like coming off:
It's kind of gross and the first few times I was really scared that I was actually pulling my eyelashes out. Thankfully, it's just the tubes and all of my lashes are still intact.

Here's a side by side comparison of how they look against my lashes with nothing on. Beauty Tubes on the left, naked lashes on the right:This is without even curling them and there is a definite difference in length. All in all, I really like this mascara. I like the lengthening ability and the way my lashes look with it on but I really don't like the way it makes my lashes feel hard and crunchy and I don't like the extra step in taking them off so I probably wouldn't use it every day, but for special occasions or whenever I need a little more oomph without wearing falsies, I will be glad that this mascara is in my arsenal.

Love long lashes,
Jamie

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CVS Mini Haul

So I stopped by CVS today and had to pick up a few things from the beauty section to review for you guys. I only got a few things because I was kind of in a hurry so anywho, here it goes…

The first thing I picked up was the L’Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara. This is something I’ve wanted to try for a super long time but for one reason or another I just haven’t gotten around to it so I’m pretty excited about trying that out. I got it in the shade blackest black and it was $10.99. For those of you who don’t know about this product, it’s a two step system that acts like eyelash extensions. The first step is a nourishing basecoat, kind of like eyelash moisturizer, it protects, nourishes and strengthens the lashes before you put on the “Ultra Lengthening Tube Top Coat.” The second step is the mascara part. The package says, “As the mascara sets, it envelopes your lashes in small tubes that act like lash-lengthening extensions.” It’s supposed to make your lashes look 80% longer without smudging, smearing, running or flaking. It’s also supposed to be clump-free (no spider-eyes) and long wearing. I haven’t gotten a chance to try it yet but I’m definitely looking forward to it.

The other things I wanted to check out at CVS were some makeup brushes. I’ve heard good things about the brushes from CVS’s beauty brand Essence of Beauty so I wanted to pick some up (specifically eye brushes) to give them a try. So one of the brushes that I picked up is called… well… it says on the package Dual Use Eye shadow Brush but it says on the brush Smokey-Wide, so it’s the Smokey-Wide Dual Use Eye shadow Brush, but we’ll just call him Smokey. So Smokey is a two-sided brush: one side is a pencil-shaped brush similar to the MAC 219 but with shorter bristles, it’s pretty densely packed and comes to a nice point, good for the crease or doing a smudgey-smokey look on the lash line; the other side is a big, fluffy, paddle-shaped brush, it’s really soft and it seems like it would be good for putting on a highlight or one color all over the eyelid but I have to say that this side of the brush smells absolutely horrible. I know it’s natural hair and everything but seriously it’s gross, even after deep cleaning it still smells. Even though the smell of the brush won’t affect its ability to do its job, I just have this thing where I feel like the smell is going to transfer from the brush to my eye shadow or to my face so I don’t want to use it. The pencil side doesn’t smell so I’ll still use that part, but if I can’t get the smell out of the paddle side, I’ll probably never use it. Oh, and that brush was $6.99.

The last thing I got was their brow/lid kit. It was also $6.99 but it has a bunch of stuff in it. It came with 3 different shaped brow stencils, which I’ll never use; a 2-sided brow pencil, black on one side, dark brown on the other; a little compact with 2 colors of brow powder, a taupe-ish color and a darker brown, it also came with a sponge applicator in it, which is kind of ridiculous to use on brows, but I guess you could use them on your eyes; it came with 2 brushes, an angled brow brush that’s fairly stiff, which is good for brows, and a two-sided eye brush, an angled shading brush on one side and a small smudger brush on the other side; and lastly, it came with an eye shadow trio, with really pretty neutral tones in it, a medium grey-brown and a deeper grey-brown and a really good highlighter that also works pretty well on the tops of the cheekbones to give that nice glow.

I haven’t gotten to really play with any of this stuff yet but when I do, I’ll be back to do some reviews on those things. Oh! I almost forgot. I also got the Essence of Beauty Brush Cleaner. It comes in a spray bottle and is just meant for like spot cleaning, but we’ll see how that works out too. So be on the lookout for reviews of these things and also I ordered a couple things from mark. and from e.l.f. so be on the lookout for reviews on those things too!

Love,
Jamie