Monday, July 7, 2008

Beauty Review: Havin' a Blast with CoverGirl

The new CoverGirl Blast Collection Eye Enhancers ($4 - $6.99 CAD) look fun, flirty and definitely summery. But are the colours as vibrant on as they look in the palettes? Read more to find out…

I started by testing each colour from each palette on my hand and it was a definite no, mostly because the pigments seemed thin and washed out on my skin (as you can see above). But after playing around with different looks, the shades actually turned out to be as bright on as they do in the package, and as a makeup junkie, I approve!

I was most skeptical about the Dazzling Metallics (bronze, black, yellow gold) but this is by far my fave. I applied the yellow gold on my entire lid, added some black into the crease and blended a little of the bronze in the centre, this looked stunning and lasted 8 hours! (sorry, the pic just didn’t turn out and wouldn’t do justice to my smokey goddess eyes, so I didn’t include it!) I had 4 people stop me today asking what brand I was wearing and a few guesses were Make Up Forever and Urban Decay. Pretty impressive, CoverGirl!

The LashBlast Volume Mascara ($9.49 CAD) has a “patented volume-boosting formula and patent-pending brush designed to max-out each and every lash, leaving you with the ultimate big lash look.” Ultimate-big-lash-look is exactly what I got. The brush is plastic, which I think helps to prevent the clumpiness and it does a great job in separating each lash to make them look fuller. My lashes looked thick and curled for several hours, definitely making my eyes pop. The only thing I don’t like about this product is the size of the tube, it’s huge and the size of the handle is a little awkward to hold. Other than that, it's a keeper.

Joy's take on LashBlast: I so wanted to love this mascara but it did nothing for my stick straight, short lashes. I think the formula was too heavy for my lashes and just weighed them down, defeating the purpose of curling my lashes. I agree with the size of the tube. I felt awkward holding it and it slipped out of my hands a few times. I think it's a great mascara for my lucky full-fringed makeup junkies, but if you have thin sparse lashes it might not do anything for you. I might have to try the waterproof version and see if it makes a difference...


The new Boundless Colour ($5.99 CAD) nail polishes are fabulous. I applied one coat to my toes (without a base and top coat) and I’m on week 2 and going strong. I tried Rose Coral, and my toes look like they just got a fresh pedicure. It dried super fast and is ultra shiny so the top coat wasn’t even needed. I can’t wait to try more colours.

The LineExact Liquid Liner ($8.99 CAD) is meant to be smudgeproof, fast-drying and can create fine or bold lines that last all day. It’s definitely fast-drying and smudgeproof and comes in this adorable, compact tube. However, the felt tip seems to rub off the liquid as you apply so it dispenses an uneven line, especially when you apply a little pressure. I went to try this again and noticed that the pen dried up and wasn’t as strong as the first time I used it. I’m also not a huge fan of felt tip liquid liners in general, they are much harder to work with and somehow, I always end up with a streaky looking line. If you’ve tried the LineExact, I’d love to know what you think.

Joy's take on LineExact: This is actually one of my fave liquid liners especially for an Old Hollywood look. It is not as forgiving as a powder shadow or pencil, but if you want a perfect line use a powder shadow or pencil as a guideline then apply it over top. In the beginning I thought the pen dried up too but Paul Venoit revealed that you have to shake it before applying it. I tried it when I got home and it was like new again. If you're a newbie at liquid liners, remember practice makes perfect! ;)

Cover Girl's new formulations and new summer hot colours are definitely contenders to higher end brands. Go fun and flirty with bright pops of colour without breaking the bank! Have you tried any of these products? Love 'it? Hate it?

For more information visit www.covergirl.ca

by Shiv

9 comments:

Rayanne said...

My friend gave me her LashBlast because of the same problem you ran into, Joy. Her lashes weren't long enough for the thick brush, so I'm reaping the benefits! I've seen better, though.

Always In Style said...

That metallic palette sure does look interesting...not sure I can pull off yellow shadow but it might be kinda fun!

Arianne said...

Hey Joy! I just bought the waterproof LashBlast and I like it! My lashes are still holding their curl at the end of the day. It's very hard to take off though. Can you recommend a good makeup remover for waterproof makeup?

Make-up Junkie said...

Hey Rayanne!
Glad you're able to enjoy the LashBlast! hehe I've heard so many people rave about it so it's just my lashes lol.

Make-up Junkie said...

Hey AlwaysInStyle!

The good thing about the shadows are that they are definitely buildable. Try it out - you may be surprised at how good it looks on you ;) And you just can't beat the price!

Make-up Junkie said...

Hey Arianne!
Thanks for the tip! I'm totally going to try the waterproof version! I've been using L'Oreal's Waterproof Eye/Lip Remover and it works really well for me. It doesn't leave my eyes greasy or irritated and the mascara and lip stains come off easily. Let me know if you try it out!

shivani said...

Hey AlwaysInStyle,
I was also worried about the yellow because I have darker lids and generally, yellows and beiges look sort of ashy on me. I was definitely surprised to see how well this blended. It gave the right amount of pop!

yummy411 said...

thanks for the reviews joy! would love to see you in a look ;)

Anonymous said...

Hey Shiv and Joy,

When I first saw these at Shoppers, I was tempted to get it! Are the intensity of the colours the same as the ones from L'Oreal HIP? I think its great that drugstore brands are coming up with 'splashier' colours - it seemed at one point you can only get them at MAC or Sephora.