P&G pulls Taylor Swift Cover Girl mascara ad

P&G (Cover Girl) has been more honest than L’Oreal (which also owns Maybelline) about enhancing images for its ads: for example, in its LashBlast mascara ads featuring Drew Barrymore, it provides fine print that lash inserts were applied before mascara.

Now comes news that P&G has pulled its ad featuring Taylor Swift for its NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara, after the US Council of Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division requested that P&G substantiate its claims and called into account P&G’s enhancing the image to mislead the consumer about how much the mascara enhances the eyes:

The issue of Photoshopping images has been a hot topic on online fashion and beauty forums.  Are we ready for more realistic advertising?  We claim we are, but as ExtremeTech notes,

 “… humans are incredibly sensitive to visual stimuli — and multiple trillion-dollar industries, including advertising, cosmetics, movies, and TV, all stand to gain by making their products look more appealing. There is a reason that digital manipulation and post production is so prevalent, after all — and indeed, it could even be argued that non-manipulated images now look ugly to our eyes.”

Best drugstore mascaras

We had the best mascaras at all price points, now we have the best drugstore mascaras. It makes sense when mascara needs to be replaced frequently.

These products feel like splurging — minus the high price tag

11 Best Drugstore Mascaras
Are you a mascara fanatic? We are too. However, that doesn’t mean we’ll drop lots of cash on high-end mascaras (well, OK, it does, but we don’t JUST do that). Especially when there are these cheap-but-awesome ones out there. Check them out, and say good-bye to your $20-a-tube days.

Sam Fine recommends L’Oreal Voluminous Mascaraicon as an inexpensive option.

P&G is ceasing to distribute Max Factor in the U.S., but you can find its top-rated Stretch & Separate Waterproof Mascaraicon and Volume Couture Mascaraicon at drugstore.com.

The search for the best mascara goes on

Fortunately, there are several inexpensive options here. The woman who styles my eyebrows says that she thought that I particularly looked nice wearing Givenchy’s Phenomen’eyes mascara, the one with the round spiky brush, which you can find in Sephora stores or at Sephora.com.

TotalBeauty.com
The Best Mascaras. Ever.

From drugstore to high-end, waterproof to washable, we found the best of the best

The Best Mascaras. Ever.

It’s time for the ultimate mascara countdown. These are the best of the best, according to our readers. The list includes everything from a $30 wonder to a $1.50 delight. Whether you’re looking for length, volume, curl (or all of the above), we’ve got a product for you. Drum roll, please …

See mascaras

No. 18: Aveda Mascara Plus Rose, $12

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9

No. 18: Aveda Mascara Plus Rose, $12

Readers love “the light scent of roses,” and call it “a lovely change from the usual chemical smell of other brands …”

No. 17: Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash Mascara, $18

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9

No. 17: Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash Mascara, $18

“You want those thick, feathery, movie star-quality flutters like you see in magazines, well, this stuff delivers!”

No. 16: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes!, $18

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9

No. 16: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes!, $18

“The brush is a mix of very short and long bristles, making application a breeze while lashes are coated and clump-free in [one] easy swoop …”

Want to see what’s no. 1? Click here!

TotalBeauty.com
Get Your Best Lashes and Lips

Readers and Bloggers share their favorite tricks for playing up our flirtiest features

Get Your Best Lashes and Lips

Oh, those eyes! Those lips! Keep all eyes fixed on your gorgeous face with these alluring tips and tricks from TotalBeauty.com’s glam-savvy readers and bloggers.

See tricks

TotalBeauty bloggers provide tips on lips and eyes in conjunction with “sneak peak” reviews of MAX Factor Vivid Impact Lipcolor and MAX Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper Mascara.

The end of mascara, as we know it?

The market is full of mascara innovations; in fact, the November 2008 issue of Allure has an entire article devoted to mascara innovations. I have yet to blog on Exceptionnel de Chanel Intense Volume and Curl Mascara and L’Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara, the first mass-market tube mascara.

Now from Beauty Counter, a blog from Style.com “The Online Home of Vogue” (both Vogue and Allure are Condé Nast publications), comes this article Mascara, Going The Way Of Betamax?
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Ever since news broke last year that Lumigan, a glaucoma treatment that can prevent blindness, can also make your eyelashes grow two millimeters in six weeks, beauty seekers with 20/20 vision have been desperately trying to get their hands on a prescription. For those of you who have taken to faking your eye exams, some good news: Allergan, the pharmaceutical company behind the drug, is making plans to apply for a cosmetic license in the U.S., which could mean an end to mascara as early as next year. (RIP, Great Lash. We’ve had a good run.)
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Amazing. Botox was initially licensed for treating people with muscle spasms and tics. Then its use for cosmetic purposes was discovered. Lumigan might go the same path, from use for medical purposes to use for cosmetic purposes.

Check out this photo of Twiggy used to illustrate the article:


Twiggy

Wow. Talk about a swan’s neck. Twiggy’s look was created by layering four strips of false eyelashes.

Follow-ups on recent articles

Now Lancome has come out with its own vibrating mascara. I received notices through Glam.com, Sephora, and Lancome itself hyping the new mascara. I’ll wait and see if L’Oreal will come out with a similar product for less: Lancome is part of the L’Oreal Group and L’Oreal products are often knockoffs of Lancome products.

This article General Counsel: Fashion Fuels a Friendship from WSJ.com (the companion webiste to the Wall Street Journal) is about dressing appropriately for the workplace, but it confirms what Poppy King said about Hillary Clinton. The article states,

“Yet if looking womanly can seem unprofessional, it’s also possible to not look feminine enough. Massive amounts of time and print space have been devoted to analyzing Hillary Clinton’s power lapels and pantsuits. Now, some voters wonder if a softer message might have been better received.”

Of course, there were other things (Hillary’s lack of connection with prospective voters, Bill’s temper tantrums) that derailed her campaign.

LongerThickerBetter Part III

Has anything tried this mascara?


Estée Lauder’s New TurboLash All Effects Motion Mascara™

It’s Estée Lauder’s New TurboLash All Effects Motion Mascara™. According to Splendora, this mascara has “an auto-powered LashSonic Brush that gently vibrates with micro-pulse bristles.” Any comments?

All sorts of new innovations promise longer or fuller lashes. I’ve already written about SpinLash, which I had rated as a “qualified buy.” As I use this product more and more, I like it better. I still like Maybelline’s The Colossal Volum’ Express mascara for building thickness, but after reading Retainer Girl‘s review, I concede that mascara goop sticks to the wand and it has a strange smell, problems that her fave Lash Blast doesn’t have. After applying The Colossal, I run SpinLash through my lashes. It removes excess gunk and really separates lashes after application.


LashControl Lengthening and conditioning formula in black

Another innovation is LashControl, which features a squeezable “wiper sleeve” (the pink part above) that is supposed to control the amount of mascara deposited on the brush. However, I didn’t find the wiper sleeve useful. LashControl lengthening and conditioning formula is good; however, the volumizing formula (color coded with a purple wiper sleeve) was problematic. It smeared and flaked and despite the wiper sleeve, goop still stuck to the tip of the wand. In fairness to LashControl, however, its representative said that the problems I had shouldn’t have happened, and offered to take back the mascara so that she could see what went wrong.

wet n wild Beauty Benefits

wet n wild Beauty Benefits is a new line from the budget brand, but it’s treated as a separate brand. It is formulated with Lotus Marine Minerals™, botanicals it claims to keep women looking “healthy and young.”

I tried the following three products:


Color CorRx Eye Brightening Concealer

Color CorRx Eye Brightening Concealer in Fair – concealers are the most troublesome kind of makeup products for me. Concealers help cover dark circles and brighten the eye area, but are difficult to blend (although beautyblender has helped) to look natural. This kit features a somewhat greasy cream corrector in light peach, a cream concealer in a deeper peach that’s almost scary, and an off-white pressed highlighter to set the concealer and corrector. Surprisingly (given the shades), the results are as good as what I get with my L’Oreal True Match concealer, but the number of steps that is overkill.

Beyond Amplifying Mascara Waterproof (not shown) – this is an OK mascara. It doesn’t clump, run, or smear (as long it doesn’t contact the Color CorRx Eye Brightening Concealer application), but neither does it build appreciable volume. I’ll stick to Maybelline’s The Colossal Volum’ Express mascara as a volumizing mascara.


Beauty Brilliance Bronzing Powder

Beauty Brilliance Bronzing Powder – In general, I’m satisfied with my blushes and bronzers. I avoid obvious shimmer and sparkle and stick to muted tones. I use a light touch. Beauty Brilliance Bronzing Powder has pink, terracotta, and darker bronzer shades that can be blended together. It has some shimmer, but it’s not obvious.

You may find wet n wild Beauty Benefits through its store finder. The nearest store that carries wet n wild Beauty Benefits is nearly 50 miles from my home in the DC metro area!