Urban Decay Primer Potion

So... I have been itching to go to Sephora for the longest time once I heard Urban Decay had re-packaged their bestselling Primer Potion. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but believe me– it's a big deal.

Urban Decay's Primer Potion is beloved on YouTube. It's hard to watch a video without hearing the product mentioned. Everybody's obsessed with it! Gurus rave and rave about it, insisting it's the best eyeshadow primer on the market! Unfortunately though, all the praise and glory comes to a halt when each girl repetitively whines about the same thing (deep breath): the packaging. 

I don't know what Urban Decay was thinking when they packaged their Primer Potion in a genie-inspired bottle. The packaging had a circular bubble-top and a curvy tube with a little ridge at the bottom. Now, the bottle looks cute, but when you think about using the primer realistically, you immediately realize the problem. If the tube is in a curvy shape, how will the slanted doe-foot applicator reach all the product? Ahhhhhh. Never thought about that, did you Urban Decay? 

Finally, after hearing the constant complaints and whining, Urban Decay finally came to their senses, and decided to package their precious Primer Potion in a regular squeeze-tube. For a dollar extra. Ugh. Sigh. Thanks, Urban Decay.

So after hearing the news, I decided it was finally time to run out and purchase the one, the only, Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Pros-

*I like how Urban Decay's Primer Potion in Original is a light beige-y pink color. It blends flawlessly into my skin, and is quite smooth and creamy. The reason I like the color is because it can work with any skintone and looks colorless against skin.

*Urban Decay also has a nice variety of colors available for the Primer Potion. Although I have only tried Original, I know there is also a pink champagne, a nice yellow-gold, and many more beautiful, flattering shades that create a beautiful undertone to the shadows you place on top.

*This products makes my eyeshadows truly stay forever on my lids! I will never skip a day without using Primer Potion!

*Primer Potion really does make my eyeshadow colors "pop." When applied to the lid, the colors look almost exactly the same as looked at in the pan. I loveee itttt!

Cons-

*Although I was really excited about the packaging, the genie top really disappointed me. Why? Because the stupid thing broke. Well in more detail, the rings where you're supposed to twist the top up and down got kinked together making the top impossible to fully close. If I twist it too tight, the cap makes a popping sound. Errrggghhh..... I hope that made sense.... uggghhh. That irritated me.

*Although the Urban Decay Primer Potion is promised to make your eyeshadows crease-free, I noticed at the end of the day very, very, very slight creasing where my double-eyelid folds over.  This was hugely disappointing considering everyone promised me it wouldn't do that. 

So in the end, I I fell for the hype. I mean, don't get me wrong. Primer Potion is a great product, maybe even my holy-grail eyeshadow primer. I just thought it would be flawless. Maybe I'm being unrealistic, but since I've heard everyone talk about this product, I expected this to be purely amazing. Because of this, I would have to give Urban Decay Primer Potion a 9.5/10. If only it didn't give me that one, annoying line on my shadows, I would have given the Primer Potion 100% satisfaction, ignoring the packaging fail. I mean, what do you want? A single line, or a thousand lines in your shadows? I don't know... ehh. However, all in all, I'd say go for it. It's the best eyeshadow primer I've tried, so I guess it'll be the best you've tried, too.

Lancome Color Fever Gloss in Hotness

I don't know how I do it– whenever I walk into a department store, I always seem to end up in the same place: the cosmetics department. Don't judge me– it's an illness. 

Anyway, one day while I was browsing in Nordstroms, I ended up at (where else?) the Lancome counter. As I wandered through the lipgloss section, swatching and admiring the colors, I came across one lipgloss that I immediately fell in love with. I snatched the lipgloss up, headed toward the register, and bought it, all the while admiring it's peachy-pink shade. On the ride home, I applied the gloss to my lips, really excited about my new find. After about two months of wear, I've finally come to a conclusion on Lancome's Color Fever Gloss in Hotness, and wanted to share my thoughts...

Pros-

*The color: pinky-peach with a cream finish. Ahhh! So lovely. It compliments almost everyone's skintone, and the shade looks great for any occasion. The color looks dupable, but after searching long and hard for a look-alike in my collection, I came to find that Lancome's Color Fever Gloss in Hotness has no competitors. 

*Lancome's Color Fever Gloss isn't sticky. Or, let me put it this way: if it were a cold, windy day, half of my hair wouldn't be glued to my lips. You can definitely feel the gloss, but it doesn't have that annoying tacky feeling. In fact, I'd say the texture's quite nice.

*I like how Lancome packaged their Color Fever Glosses. The gloss is packaged in a rectangular tube that runs thinner at the bottom. The twistable cap is in a square shape with Lancome's signature flower on top, and below the cap is a thick ribbon of mirrored silver. The lipgloss looks sleek, and despite its bulky top, the gloss is really easy to throw in your purse.

*Instead of the typical doe-foot applicator, Lancome opted for a slanted, triangular wand. Like I said in my Loreal Infallible review, this makes the gloss easier to use because the more pressure you apply to the wand, the heavier the gloss applies to your lips. 

*Lancome's Color Fever Gloss in Hotness smells sooo gooood! Lancome made this gloss have a great rose scent that doesn't smell fake or cheap. And the rose scent doesn't just stay in the tube– the rose scent transfers to your lips and stays there until you rub the gloss off. It makes the products seem very high-end, and luxurious to apply.

Cons-

*You guys know how I am when it comes to prices. I am very picky. As a student with an allowance of $20.00 a month, it's pretty obvious I'm not in the best financial situation. So when a lipgloss costs more than $20.00, I just sit there and grit my teeth. Lancome isn't obnoxiously expensive, but their prices aren't exactly wallet-friendly, either. This lipgloss alone was $26.00, so I don't know about repurchasing.... Ugh, the price kind of ticks me off.

*I've also noticed that after a few hours of wear, this lipgloss settles into the fine lines on my lips. I mean, it's not a huge deal, but it makes me somewhat self-conscious .

All in all, I am really, really, really happy with Lancome's Color Fever Gloss in Hotness. In fact, I think it's my favorite lipgloss in my collection. Overall, I'd give this lipgloss a 10/10. The color is gorgeous and flattering, and the scent is fabulous! Thank you, Lancome, for bringing this lipgloss in my life.

Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara Review

 Bare, curled lashes

 1 coat

2 coats 

Finished look!

I think everyone has heard of Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara. Because it's advertised to be the darkest, blackest mascara on the market, Voluminous is a cult-favorite. I have to admit, I've tried Loreal's Voluminous mascara with the curvy wand, but I didn't really like it because it clumped a lot. :( So honestly when I heard so much about the original, I wasn't too interested. But after hearing the countless amount of recommendations and rave reviews, I was finally persuaded, and bought the original Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara.

Pros-
*Geez. This mascara is BLACK. It's really intense, and quite nice especially for a night out on the town.
*Because Loreal is a drugstore brand, their prices are, in my opinion, quite good. I like how their products don't clean out my wallet.
*Voluminous is, indeed, voluminous. This mascara gives a lot of volume without giving me that unattractive "spider lashes" look. I love it!
*The wand is quite nice. You know when you look at it your lashes are going to be coated really thickly because there is a lot of product on the wand. The bristles are compacted tightly together, and the bristles are also quite stubby, not long and fanned-out like some of my other favorite mascaras. Because there's so much product on the wand, the excess mascara transfers to your lashes and makes them really intense-looking. Loooovvveee itttt!
*With my Neutrogena makeup remover wipes, this mascara is a breeze to take off. I don't have to rub really hard on my eyes. :)

Cons-
*Personally, I think Loreal could have done a better job on the packaging. A smokey gray tube with a yellow top and lettering is kind of boring to me. Needless to say, if this mascara was next to a YSL mascara in my mascara drawer, I would completely overlook this product.
*Although this mascara doesn't give me nasty spider-lashes, if I apply too many coats it will clump at my roots. Some may argue it's "definition," but all I see are gross, black, unappealing balls of clump in my lashes. Mmm. Attractive.
*Also, it flakes.... really bad.




Although I may not like the packaging, the flaking, or the tiny clumps, I'd say Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara is a nice find. Bottom line: would I recommend it? Yes. Would I use this every day? No. I think it's nice if you're gone to wear it for only a couple of hours, but definitely not the whole entire day due to the flaking problem. Overall, I'd give this mascara a solid 8/10. It is by far the blackest mascara I have in my collection, which is why I think I like it so much. I'd say the next time you're in your local CVS, pick up the Loreal Voluminous mascara. Who knows? It might surprise you.