reviews

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Sally Hansen

The wonder of nail polish as purchased the Corn Silk brand and spawned a line cosmetics featuring the most brilliant packaging I have seen in years.

I couldn't resist the silver cone Kohl eyeliner. This powder formula boasts the staying power and silky texture of Kohl. It is Kohl, but I rely on eyeliner for staying power and this stuff just doesn't have it. Also, you are literally applying this powder to your lash line with a plastic stick. It's awkward. I have to pan it.

I also tried the lip, cheek, and eye tint. This is packaged in a compact as clever as it is tiny. The formula is your basic creme, nothing amazing here. I say try it, but you should know that the glow is very sheer, you may want to go a shade darker than usual. Also, there are 4 colors - many stores do not stock them all so you may want to shop around.

I had to play with the mousse makeup. This was an idea that got really big in the 80s when mousse hair products got popular. I believe Sally Hansen calls it airbrush makeup. It provides light texture, sheer to medium coverage. It's fun to play with but I haven't used it as the colors are very strange. No Color is very dark, and the undertones are a little orange for me. I will wait to see if they correct this problem before I actually buy it, but if memory serves it's generally a good - if messy - alternative to liquid.

Finally, the brilliant little zero blackheads pore cleaner. It seems fine. I can't really tell. I want it to work.

The shadow base does nothing at all.

Based on my own review I have to give Sally Hansen only 2 of 5 lips, even if I still stop and go "Ooh!" in the store.

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Avon

I know, I know! For years I have used the "Avon lady!" joke when knocking on someone's door unexpectedly. I have turned up my nose while I put on my airs and shopped at Sephora with all the other make-up artists. Then, it happened. My best friend turned up with all sorts of great stuff I subsequently stole. Almost all of it turned out to be Avon and the more I used it, the more I loved it. The line has totally changed, and rivals the hottest of the name brands at insanely low prices! Representing Avon is just a way to make everyone's lives easier since I can actually organize and present the products I recommend - and I can subsidize my own make-up habit to boot! I am authorized to present Avon's fresh and funky Mark, and the exclusive beComing lines as well! I update these pages every campaign (a.k.a. 2 weeks) so we won't get bored.

I love this stuff. I guarantee you will too! Try it here! I give it 5 out of 5 lips!

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Yes, Mistress/Decadence Cosmetics

This line has the best packaging I have ever seen! And their site is navigable now, a huge improvement from when I first discovered them. Their eye and lip colors are terrific. Unfortunately, their "hot" item, the latex liner, is HORRIBLE! They do not provide any insight into application on the site, and when I called they didn't know any. Even with my know-how it took me days to figure out how to apply it, and it just managed to look lumpy and peel off in spots throughout the day. It also feels like fake eyelashes, which you can get used to. I would prefer to actually wear the fake lashes though, they look better and take the same amount of time to apply. I got a great deal on all five, and threw them all out. These are also department store prices, which we all know I am dead set against. As an aside, I also wish they would decide what their name is, that seems important. Still, I recommend getting a few items just for fun!

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Vampire Cosmetics

What a tragedy! A great concept ("founded...with the intention of creating a dark, sexy line of quality make-up. You won't find any pastel, neutral, grunge or fluorescent colors here") and look/feel for a new line that is completely ruined by ineptitude. The price is right, and the pigment is high on the eye shadows, which you can mix and match yourself to any set of four. Unfortunately I also purchased a "large" bat hair clip - which turned out to be 2 inches long and hardly worth $7. The packaging is very cheap (which I don't care about as long as it's functional, and it is). They do not take any returns for any reason. When I left repeated voice and e-mail messages asking about their foundation they didn't bother to respond. ZERO customer service? NO returns? No dice. Too bad, I wanted to try more colors. Unfortunately for them, I am not stupid enough to buy them under these conditions.

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