Review submitted by our product reviewer Eleni

I read about a recently launched prescription formulation that is supposed to grow full, long, dark eyelashes with Brooke Shields as the official spokesperson. It’s called Latisse and the FDA has approved it for patients in the U.S., but Health Canada has not ruled on it yet for prescriptions to Canadians. Having lost the outer halves of both brows to normal (aging) hair loss and many lashes to brittleness, I knew I would love to try Latisse someday.

Imagine my delight when I was asked to try out a lash serum that promised to do everything the prescription product does using natural, conditioning, non-irritating ingredients.

Testing Lash Mantra Eyelash Growth Serum:

It was easy enough to use. For this review, I used Lash Mantra each night on clean eyeleashes for 2-1/2 weeks. I’ll continue using it because I know there are more subtle changes on the way and it likely will take a few more weeks to observe a full growth cycle.

I applied Lash Mantra two different ways – with my fingertips, rubbing the serum into my lashes and working my way to the base, and also using the applicator for the same coverage effect. I did this on my eyebrows as well, concentrating on the outer section where hair no longer grew.

Did I see any results?

Surprisingly, YES – I saw subtle results at the 2-week mark. There are a few short little hairs growing where my eyebrows were bare! My brows look darker too. As for my lashes, they look shiny and less brittle. They have grown a tiny bit.

Maybe I should have snapped a close-up “before” photo so that I can really compare. The real test came yesterday when my friend Dianne accused me of wearing mascara and makeup to our water aerobics class. I denied any such charge, but she didn’t believe me and went to pull at my lashes. HA! I thought when no mascara flaked onto her fingers. She looked perplexed. After that, I didn’t feel like telling her that I was testing Lash Mantra … maybe next week.

Would I buy it? YES

Would I replace my current eyelash serum? I haven’t used a product like this before. There was a different formulation that I tried a few times using a sponge tip applicator, but it was completely useless and ineffective. At least with Lash Mantra, I actually saw some results.

Price: $39 USD

OVERALL REVIEW:

>>> You’ll find more details on this lash-enhancing serum here: Lash Mantra!

You can never get tired of new mascaras, especially ones that have an extra gimic up their sleeve.

I’m talking about Maybelline’s latest, the Pulse Perfection Mascara.

This is a vibrating mascara, similar to the Estee Lauder Vibrating mascara, but not nearly as expensive!

I usually like to be fully in control when I apply makeup on myself but I suppose it’s nice to have the product do a bit more work than you every once in awhile.

The Pulse Perfection Mascara is definitely drawing a dramatic look. You can only choose two colours: Blackest Black and Very Black (this is fine by me since I’m all about adding more black accents to my eyes).

It looks simple enough to use. You can watch this video:  Pulse Perfection Mascara video to see how a model uses this product, although it just looks like she applies it like any other mascara.

Basically, there’s a button that you can press that allows the mascara to “vibrate” and then while holding onto the button, coat your eyelashes. Don’t forget to pull off the tab at the top of the tube first (you’ll get better results if you do that)!

For the best results give your lashes two coats or if you want your lashes to get darker, keep adding those coats on. Don’t forget your lower lashes. And voila! You’re done.

There is a special set of instructions that you can read if you aren’t comfortable taking the plunge and testing it out for yourself: Pulse Perfection Mascara application instructions.

You can buy this product online for $14.99 USD or in Canada for about $18.99.

The only people who can leave a comment below to participate are the ladies who have sent me a review of some of the products they’ve won in past contests and those who’ve sent me a testimonial for the Beauty has NO age limit book.

I will have loads of reader reviews published later in July and I’m so excited!

I only have one tube of mascara, but given that I already have three tubes of mascara I’m trying and my other testers are quite busy, I’m opening it up to readers.

>>> If you’ve NOT sent me reviews to products you’ve won in past contests (it’s NOT too late) and want to be considered to become a Beauty Match Tester, you still can send me your review. Here are the instructions: Write beauty reviews!

*** Remember, it’s never too late to send me product reviews!***

>>> You can send all your reviews here: Contact us page (pick the second email)

>>> Since I have less and less time on my hands because of the new nutrition site, I’m forced to look to more readers to help with new product testing. If you’ve sent me a review in the past, just leave me a comment below and I’ll randomly pick someone and I’ll mail the mascara to you at the same time I mail all the prizes for the June 2009 contest.

Good luck!

We love products that beautify and disguise all at the same time.

One thing about getting older that’s not so hot is looking tired even when you feel great. It’s even worse when people comment on how run-down you’re looking. Anything that can hide and improve that scenario all at the same time is absolutely welcome in my arsenal of cosmetic tricks.

Developed by plastic surgeon, Dr. Michelle Copeland, this perfect under eye concealer contains Dr. Copeland’s Rewind Eye Formula, which has an exclusive blend of age-defying ingredients for the eye area and has been successful in reducing the appearance of wrinkles and puffiness around eyes.

Testing Dr. Michelle Copeland Ageless Skin under Eye Concealer with Anti-Wrinkle Complex:

A couple of little dabs with the applicator under the eyes … blend lightly with your ring finger and that’s it. The formulation merges perfectly into the skins and disappears while hiding dark circles at the same time. It also leaves the under eye area supple and not dry or overly lined.

I used the medium shade and thought it might look dark on me, but it actually blended beautifully. When I run out of this one, I think I’ll buy the light shade just to see if it’s a better shade for my skin tone.

One problem with this concealer that I didn’t like is that a lot of the product is lost when it escapes from the container and builds up around the wand and neck. I had to tissue it clean often and I don’t like losing that much product.

Did I see any results?

The only result I was hoping for and got was good coverage for my dark under-eye circles. The skin really does get thinner under the eyes as we age and the underlying blood vessels take on a dark look. It’s good to cover up a bit just so as not to look tired all the time. The beauty of this concealer is that it also contains Dr. Copeland’s Rewind Eye Formula – an anti-wrinkle complex.

The skin under my eyes looked refreshed and soft!

Would I buy it? YES – I liked it a lot.

Would I replace my current under eye concealer? I will use this product which retails for $34 USD on a regular basis, but when I need an industrial strength concealer, I’ll have to go with the amazing Boi-ing by Benefit. I also like a light dusting of my mineral foundation under the eyes using a targeted utility brush to apply it when I’m in a rush and want to do a quick, natural face.

OVERALL REVIEW:

Feature by Assistant Editor Colleen

Mascara’s not the only thing back! Have you seen the new Drew Barrymore ads yet? Drew Barrymore is looking as beautiful as ever with some nice black and long lashes to boot.

Nope, she’s not using the LashBlast anymore. She is back to promote the latest in the CoverGirl LashBlast series: the LashBlast Luxe mascara!!!

This mascara comes with an extra little surprise that the old version never had.

In addition to the voluminous lashes that the LashBlast delivers, the extra Luxe has a bonus tint of metallic sparkle to add to your eyelashes.

Your LashBlast  colour choices are:

1) Platinum – This slivery tint will add to a walk out in the moonlight.

2) Emerald – Let others be envy of this green sparkle.

3) Cabernet – Feeling a little blue? Maybe this metallic blue will change your mind.

4) Royale – For a little mystery add this red tint to your look.

I only wish there was a metallic purple added to this collection. <sigh> Oh well, I’ll have to experiment with the colours they’ve got. Don’t expect to find an overwhelming amount of glitter on your lashes. The metallic shades are subtle.

The LashBlast Luxe is also very easy to find. They’ve ditched the orange tubing for a hot pink one.

Find this new LashBlast on in store this month at $7.99 USD/ $8.99 CAD (we’ve seen it as low as $7.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart on sale).

No seriously, who needs a $75 USD eyeliner in this economy?

I sincerely thought that the first time I heard about Serge Lutens’ “Fard” Kohl eyeliner that the price was $7.50, but surely not $75. I thought there might have been a typo, but no … the eyeliner actually cost a staggering $75!!!

Serge Lutens is well known for his luxury fragrances and he’s now venturing out in the luxury makeup market at a time where most women are recycling what they already have in their makeup case.

I’m all for a little luxury here and there, but a $75 eyeliner is too expensive … even for my beauty editor blood!

Now to be fair to Serge Lutens, I’ve not tried their product and I have no doubt that it must look good, but it’s an eyeliner AND it’s $75.

For $75, that eyeliner better not fade or smudge during the day and it needs to last for 10 years!

I’ve not decided if I’ll try to get my hands on this eyeliner or not because I feel a bit insulted that a manufacturer would put out a product at this price in the middle of a recession.

What do you think? Leave a comment to let me know if you would pay $75 for an eyeliner!

If you are interested, you can buy the Serge Lutens $75 eyeliner at Barneys of New York or on their web site.

Color On EyeEnvy is a very smart idea and it really only takes about five minutes to apply the little colour pads on both eyelids and before you know it … you’ve got a smokey eye in your favourite shade of colour.

Color On EyeEnvy was designed by a celebrity make-up artist, the ColorOn Professional EyeEnvy Smokey Kit contains peel-off mineral cream eye shadows that are 100% hypo-allergenic, long-wearing, and crease-proof.

Color On EyeEnvy is extremely user friendly and if you follow the well explained instructions, this should give you fool-proof results! Each box contains five pairs of eye shadow appliqués, one jar of GetSet setting powder, one powder application brush and step-by-step instructions with application.

The kit costs $25 USD so it’s about $5 USD per pair of eye shadow appliqués. It’s not inexpensive in the sense that you can only use each colour eye shadow appliqués only once, but if you are doing your own makeup for a special occasion, this is far more cost effective than hiring the services of a professional makeup artist.

Overall, I thought it was a very creative product that was quite easy to use. The only complaint I have is perhaps about the intensity of the colours. If you have a light complexion, then the colours should show very well, but I found that on my skin tone the colours were more subdued than I would normally wear.

Would I buy it? Yes. If they had a more intensive palette of colours because I found it was quite easy to use.

Would I replace my current eyeshadow? No because it would be way too expensive to only use the Color On EyeEnvy. This is ideal for special occasions, but not for everyday use.

OVERALL REVIEW:

Color On EyeEnvy is sold exclusively at Sephora and on Sephora.com.

I’d have to say that if I could only have five makeup products in my makeup bag and nothing more … mascara would have to be at the top of the list! In my opinion, mascara is a MUST because it creates longer and sexier lashes, which frame and open your eyes. I also find that if I’m tired, coating my lashes with mascara will give the illusion of more rested eyes.

When it comes to mascaras, I’m a purist … I like mine very black and non-waterproof.

I’ve been trying a lot of mascaras lately and it’s true that it’s such a personal and subjective choice, but there are a number of mascaras that are very popular and they are best-sellers for a reason.

I have to say that I had been stuck in a mascara rut for a while until Cover Girl launched their “look at me lashes” Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara in the spring. I was fairly skeptical when I tried it because I wondered how incredible can it be? Well, I have to say that Cover Girl didn’t over-promise with this mascara. It’s absolutely incredible and you CANNOT beat the price of only $8.99 CAD/$8.69 USD (you’ll often get it much cheaper if you hit a sale). It’s been a best-seller since it’s been on the market because women who try it cannot live without it!

The Cover Girl Lash Blast got me so excited about mascara again that I spent the summer testing brands that I hadn’t before (you can buy both the Cover Girl Lash Blast at most drugstores, pharmacies and Wal-Mart).

Here are three other mascaras that I really loved and that I would buy again:

* Maybelline New York XXL Extensions Microfiber Mascara: This is my new favourite mascara! I really thought the duo system was just another gimmick from a sleek cosmetic company, but Maybelline is onto something here. You use one side (a white coat) first to tame unruly lashes and then you use the other side (the actual black mascara) to coat your lashes. What I simply LOVE about the brush is how it elongates and separates lashes (it gives the illusion that I’m wearing false eyelashes). Ladies, I highly recommend this one! You can buy the Maybelline XXL Extensions at most drugstores, pharmacies and Wal-Mart. Maybelline XXL Extensions retails for $10.99 CAD/$6 USD. I should also point out that Maybelline XXL Extensions is said to lengthen the look of your lashes up to 85% … and from my own experience that’s NOT a lie!

* Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara: It’s designed to be a competitor to Cover Girl Lash Blast. I’ll be honest, I’ve tried both and I’ve even tried the Maybelline on one eye and the Cover Girl on the other and I absolutely loved both. They are both retailing at $8.99 CAD/$6.99 USD and it’s impossible to beat that combination of price, efficacy (it does what it promises to do) and availability (you can buy both the Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara at most drugstores, pharmacies and Wal-Mart).

You can watch my video review of the Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara below:

* Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils (Luxurious Mascara for a false lash effect): Wow! It’s no wonder so many makeup artists LOVE this YSL mascara. This mascara delivers beautiful, long, full lashes. It’s a bit pricier than a lot of other brands, but it’s a wonderful splurge. The YSL mascara is sold at high end department stores retails and at Sephora for $36 CAD/$27.50 USD.

* Diorshow Backstage Makeup Mascara: Dior Diorshow Mascara is one of Sephora’s client’s favourites because it adds a lot volume and length to your lashes. It was voted favourite mascara in 2007 AND in 2008 among Sephora’s clients and it’s been featured as a favourite in numerous international fashion magazines.  The Dior mascara retails for $31CAD/$24 USD and it’s sold at Sephora and pretty much all department stores.

Here are a few other posts on mascara:

1) My favourite Cover Girl runway looks for fall 2008 (get the Cover Girl Look Book)

2) Norman Sands shares his makeup tips from a recent makeup job with Leighton Meester (star of Gossip Girl)

3) 10 makeup trends for women over 35: Norman Sands discussed NARS fall 2008 makeup trends

4) Before and after photos of Eleni’s injection filler treatment

5) Makeup tips from Jennifer Lopez’s makeup artist

6) New Generation of Mascaras

7) Vibrating Mascaras are the latest “it” products on the market

Here’s a quick video to help you:

I thought the idea of the new clump-free brushes for clump-free lashes was revolutionary, but now we’re talking about vibrating mascaras!

Estée Lauder and Lancôme are the first two cosmetic giants to launch these auto-powered vibrating brushes to give you magnified volume, daring length, curl and mega separation.

What’s so special about these mascaras?

Estée Lauder uses the LashSonic Brush^TM technology to ensure maximum definition and volume for your lashes.

Lancôme already holds supreme queen status when it comes to mascara sales with five of the top ten bestselling department store mascaras falling under their brand. With the launch of Lancôme Oscillation, they might be added a sixth top mascara best seller to their list.

With just a push of a button the new Lancôme Oscillation provides 7000 micro-oscillations per minute of vibration (big technical word).

The vibration will ensure that your lashes are well coated, well defined and extended to the max.

Rumour has it that with these new vibrating mascaras there will be no need for you to curl your lashes and even the straightness and shortest lashes will get the back-stage-super-model-treatment.

Where can you buy these revolutionary vibrating mascaras?

These vibrating mascaras are so exclusive that they are only sold in a few selected stores. Estée Lauder’s vibrating mascara is only sold exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue until January 2009. And the Lancôme Oscillation in a hand full of stores until the official Fall launch date, but you can also get it online at Lancôme-usa.com and Sephora.com

I’ve not gotten my hands on one of these vibrating mascaras yet, but I cannot wait to compare them to the clump-free mascaras like Cover Girl Lash Blast and Maybelline Colossal Mascara that I’ve been using up to now (and I quite like them).

Discover the new generation of clump-free mascaras:

This is a recent video review I did on clump-free brushes. I only shot this a few weeks ago, but given that now we’ll all be soon rushing to buy vibrating mascaras, this almost feels like yesterday’s new!

They are both the same price and you can get both the Maybelline Collosal Mascara and the Cover Girl Lash Blast at pretty much any drugstore and at Walmart.

So which one of the two should you buy?

Watch our video review to find out!

“Big, bold, look-at-me lashes”

It’s so easy for companies to make these types of claims. If you’ve seen the TV advertisement with Drew Barrymore for Cover Girl’s new LashBlast mascara, then you’ll remember the catchy line.

Here’s the deal, the catchy line is far more than just a cute giggle created by a clever advertising company. Cover Girl’s LashBlast is FANTASTIC!

Since orange is one of my favourite colours, I’m quite partial to the packaging and since I did try the product I can also say that I’m as equally partial to the product itself.

Cover Girl LashBlast is part of the new generation of mascaras as I call them. Mascara goes way back to the 19^th when it was invented by French perfumer and businessman Eugene Rimmel (aka Rimmel of London) and not much has changed other than maybe the introduction of water-proof mascara.

The new twist in the world of mascara is all about the brush!

Gone are the days of traditional brushes that caused your lashes to clump and stick together (remember Tammy Faye Baker Messner who allegedly used to wear mascara on top of fake eyelashes?). Women over 35 want to really make sure their lashes look as natural as possible … even when wearing a few coats of mascara.

The new brushes that are found in mascaras like Cover Girl LashBlast are more like little plastic combs that really make a difference in extending the lashes while fanning them open.

I tried the product on numerous occasions and a friend of mine, Helen, has also been using it for a few months and now she also loves it.

I did read a number of other comments on Cover Girl LashBlast and it seems that some women find that it flakes after 6-8 hours.

I have to say that I didn’t have any negative experiences at all with the product. It was easy to apply, it gave me bigger and longer lashes and it was very easy to remove at the end of the day.

The best part of this whole package is the fact that the Cover Girl LashBlast mascara sells for a mere $7 USD/ $10 CDN.

You can find this new generation of mascara brushes in Guerlain’s Duo Brush mascara, Maybelline Define-a-Lash and Revlon 3D Extreme.

In terms of finding out the one that works best for you … you’ll just have to test drive a few to see.  That said, if I compare these mascaras to the traditional mascaras, the finished look is vastly different. These new brushes offer more natural lashes that are still big and beautiful.

Have you tried the Cover Girl LashBlast mascara and did you like it?

Those mishaps have certainly not stopped some women from being very inventive! Some women have found that by heating the eyelash curler pads, eyelashes get curled and stay curled. Some women have been real daredevils and have gone as far as heating their eyelash curler with a hair dryer or cigarette lighter … OUCH!

Here’s a reality check when it comes to eyelashes … blacks and black Latinas, have naturally curled eyelashes! This is something that I discovered at 16 and started playing with makeup. My best-best friend at the time wondered why I didn’t need to use an eyelash curler and still had curly eyelashes and I kept wondering why in the world she would need to use that tool that looked like a torture tool. I had not realized back then that because all the hair on my body is curly … so are my eyelashes!

Artemis Woman®, a well-known manufacturer of affordable spa quality beauty tools and appliances for home use, has just solved this problem. They are now introducing their innovative gentle heat Double Curl Eyelash Curler!

This heated eyelash curler a simple battery-operated (2-AAA batteries are required) beauty tool that curls lashes safely and keeps them curled all day.

It’s really easy to use

Flip it “on” and then wait about 30 seconds until the lash pads turn from orange to white indicating that the pads are warmed. Ready? Set? DoubleCurl!

Remember that just like a non-heated eyelash curler, you’ll need to use this product BEFORE you apply mascara or else the long-term use of any eyelash curler with mascara will cause the eyelashes to break and fall off.

Double Curl is new and retails for $24.99. Currently, you can only buy it from the manufacturer’s Web site, but it will be available at mass-market retail stores in the U.S. by the end of summer 2008. I’ve not yet heard word of the company’s distribution plans for Canada, but I’ll keep you posted.

If you cannot wait for the product to be available in stores, you can order it here: Double Curl Eyelash Curler

Green eye shadow can be a very youthful colour when you choose lighter shades, but women over 35 might win by choosing deeper shades of green.

This season there are so many variations of green that it’s really a question of taste and it’s also a question of which makeup line you prefer.

Some of the most popular shades of green for the season seem to be the following:

* Giorgio Armani’s ‘Maestro’, which is a light bright green

* Clarins’ ‘Jungle Green’, which is a more intensive green, but not as deep as Urban Decay’s

* Eye Cakes Olive Eyes Collection is an assortment of glimmery and shimmery golds, greens and bronzes with a bright yellow to make you top of the pops. These colours look pretty incredible on anyone, but they are an absolute must if you have green eyes.

* Shu Uemura ‘Pristine’, which is a green that contains a lot of yellow

* Estee Lauder’s ‘Sea Grass’, which is another sea foam shade

* Shiseido’s ‘Clover Dew’, which is sea foam green

* Urban Decay’s loose pigments in ‘Graffiti’, which is an almost hunter green shadow

* Eye Cakes Green Eyes Collection has three distinct colours: emerald green for definition, softer green and taupe for lid and crease, and paler highlighters to accentuate your eyes.

* Cover Girl - you’ll find a soft green and a green-apple-like shade in their Tropical Fusion #205 collection and you’ll also want to check the new palette redesigned by über British makeup artist Pat McGrath by the name of Firecracker #100.

* MAC Cosmetics‘ ‘Gulf Stream’ (from the Cool Heat collection), which is another sea foam green

* MAC Cosmetics’ ‘Warm Chill’ (from the Cool Heat collection) which is a soft green

Another trick is to use a neutral colour like a bronze to tone down a green eye shadow that is too bright or too light … this works very well for women over 35.

Guerlain’s new two-brush mascara (Le 2 de Guerlain Mascara) has been quite popular in Europe and it’s finally here!

Mascara can be such a frustrating thing to apply. I’ve always said that it’s all in the brush when it comes to the perfect mascara application and Guerlain seems to obviously agree with my findings (I wish) and that’s why they’ve created this duo-brush mascara!

Have you ever watched a professional makeup artist apply mascara on one of their celebrity clients? It almost seems like they are coating each lash individually and it can take several minutes to get that perfect frame for your eyes.

But us busy career girls really can’t spend that much time in front of the mirror in the morning to cover each strand of eyelash with mascara!

Guerlain’s new two-brush mascara is designed so no lash is forgotten: the first brush lengthens, curves and separates while the second miniature brush is designed for the inner and outer corners (it’s actually slightly tilted to reach and grab the smaller eyelashes, cover them up and actually curls them easily without smudges or mistakes).

It’s true that a product should be about the product itself and not the packaging, but it’s impossible not to be wowed by the packaging of the new Guerlain mascara … especially when you find out that it was designed by an actually architect!

Another tidbit about mascara, as you age, you REALLY want to make sure that you are applying mascara so that it enhances your eyes. You do NOT want to hide your eyes behind a wall of clumpy mascara because that will only make you seem older and it will also make you look dated.

After trying Guerlain’s new two-brush mascara, I’ve got to say that my lashes were beautiful and very elongated. Since I have naturally curly lashes, I didn’t have to use the small brush, but the big brush gave me wow-lashes.

The price tag is three times that of any mascara you will find at the drugstores or pharmacies, but it’s worth the price for those who have short-thin lashes and have desperately tried to find the ultimate volumizer. My favourite feature is that you end up with longer and thicker looking lashes without a trace of clumps!

Guerlain’s new two-brush mascara offers you two brushes to ensure that you get perfectly defined lashes so you never have to de-clump any lashes that are stuck together anymore. And you never have to worry about dried up mascara falling on your face during the day.

One thing I should mention is that when it comes to removing the mascara … things get a bit tricky and messy. The formula really coats your lashes and you might need three tries before completely removing the mascara. You’ll definitely want to be careful about removing the mascara completely to avoid build-up. I was told by a Guerlain aesthetician that it would be best to use the Guerlain eye makeup remover, as it provides better results … not sure if I would want to do that since I already own a full bottle of eye makeup remover at home. It could only be my lashes and it might be different for you. You might want to test drive the product to be on the safe side.

You’ll find the Guerlain new two-brush mascara at pretty much any department store and Guerlain Spas in the U.S. and Canada and you’ll also find it online at Sephora.com.