Lancôme Grandiose Mascara Review

This review is long overdo, but that means that I have had over a month testing this mascara and finally have my thoughts in order.

 Lancôme Grandiose mascara has a hefty price tag at $32. Is it worth it? Let's find out.

What It Claims

• Swan neck to get to all lashes and make them bigger and fanned out
• Deep black color
• Long-lasting
• Easy removal
• Lasts for four months in tube instead of the usual three

 First of all, the tube is gorgeous. It has been written about so many times by bloggers that I won't bore you, but it is a joy to use every morning and fits very comfortably in my hand.

To me, the wand is a bit shorter than most mascara wands because of the unique Swan Neck curve to it. But I do not think this is a gimmick. It takes a bit of a learning curve to use, but once you find your groove, you really can coat every lash and fan them out.

It has a really gorgeous, rich black color, holds curl fairly well for about 7 hours on me, and creates good length and volume. Is it the best my lashes have looked? No. But almost...

Why this is worth it to me

• Stays all day and does not smudge (have worn in extreme heat and very rainy London 12 hour days)
• Non-irritating and removes easily
• My lashes look special and really good. Not too over the top, but more stand-out than average
• I have not reached for another mascara to 'switch things up'

Therefore, $32 is worth it for me at this time. 32/4 = $8, which is what I normally spend on mascara per month anyway (having three-five drugstore mascaras that I switch between).

If you want to be loyal to one mascara, this is a good bang for your buck and I really do love it on my lashes. I think I will still look for my HG mascara, but for the next three months, this will be my one!

Have you tried it? Thoughts?

Jason Wu for Lancome Pre-Fall 2014 Blush Subtil in Pressed Rose: Review and Swatches

I can't believe it is only June and there is such a thing as 'Pre-Fall', but for me, right now, that only means joy as I have my hands on an amazing item from Jason Wu's second collaboration with Lancôme.

Can we just talk about how I have the most awesome Mom? She picked this up for me at Nordstrom (they were still in the shipping boxes when she spotted them) so they were brand brand new. A purchase of a blush or eye shadow palette gets you a limited edition floral print bag as well, so hop on that!

She picked up the other color (Sheer Macaroon Pink) and mine is Pressed Rose, which is the pinker of the two and retails for $30 for a powder blush and cream highlighter. There is a plastic insert that keeps the blush and cream separate between uses. 

This collection is supposed to be inspired by romanticism and dark glamour, and I can see that in the pretty pinks of the collection, the slightly gothic-victorian flower print adorning the packaging and the deep jewel tones of the eye shadow palette. This is the Blush Subtil formula which is silky smooth and oil free.

Here is an up close shot of the blush. I find that this doesn't swatch well with a finger as you will see in the following pictures, but it is easy to overdo it with a brush because it is so silky and powdery, so be careful. It builds to a pretty luminous finish and lasts about 8 hours on my skin.

The highlighter looks shimmery, but translates into more of a glow on the cheeks. It has a nice slip to it and is easy to apply, but wears well. On my slightly oily skin it sticks around for about 6-7 hours, but I only like to apply a small amount. You can easily build this for a more glowy effect.

The pink is a bit dusty, which I like, and the highlighter runs pinkish as well. They are very easy to blend, but you can still make them very subtle (hence the name, Blush Subtil). I am not one for trying to look like I am wearing blush, so this is perfect for me. 

My momma is really knocking it out of the park lately (thanks Momma!).

Overall, the packaging is simply stunning...the bag as a gift with purchase is to die for, and the colors are wearable and soft. I am definitely picking up the lipstick in Hibiscus when I get back into a Nordstrom (she got the Rose Royce (love that name!!) lipstick and it is gorgeous as well). 

Anyone else loving this new Jason Wu for Lancôme collection? I will be doing a look with this duo soon!

Lancôme Lip Lover in Orange Manége: Swatches and Review

The Lancôme Lip Lover's are fairly new, but I have had mine for a few months, somehow forgot to review it, and realized today that I have been taking it everywhere with me. Regardless of my fascination with it, I still have mixed feelings.

The shade that I purchased at Nordstrom is called Orange Manége ($23). This was during another shopping adventure with my momma (can you tell we are best buds yet?) and she opted for Beige Adage, which was pretty, but a bit too neutral for me. (FYI my friend Meesha over at Strawberry Hearts Chocolate Darts just posted a bunch of swatches, including Beige Adage and Orange Manége, if you want to view them on a different skin tone!!)
I was captivated by the name. I mean, it has orange in it, right? And orange is the perfect summer color---it is everywhere right now and I did not have many oranges in my lip wardrobe. I swatched it in store, and the swatch was rather orange.

I fell in love and snapped it up. On my lips, however, it isn't quite as orange, and is instead a pretty rosy coral. I still love it, but I just wish it had more of a pop to it. Lancôme says these are long lasting, but they only last about 2 hours on my lips. They also claim they are 'Dewy Intense Lip Color'. Dewy--totally. My lips feel great when wearing this, which is probably why it hasn't left my purse, but intense? Look somewhere else if you want a full color gloss or liquid lipstick.

These are completely non-sticky and I love that the brush is long and flexible, with a little tip to make sure application is a breeze. And the packaging? Lancôme classy at its finest. I love the little click mechanism...it makes me feel so chic!

Now, do you wanna see it on? I thought so!

I love how dewy and fresh it makes my lips look, and there is a slight shimmer that you can see on my bottom lip. Is it a showstopper of a color? Not really...but it is great for everyday wear.

#28daysoflippies Instagram Round-up Finale! Wildcard Week!

Thanks everyone who followed and liked my #28daysoflippies challenge on Instagram. Now that February is over, so is the challenge...and I am here to recap the last week of the challenge, which was Wildcard week, showcasing my funnest and most unexpected lippies!

Wildcard week was so fun because I got to really push myself out of my comfort zone!

Wildcard Lippies:

Butter London Lippy in La Moss $18: A gorgeous semi-opaque deep wine.

Lancome La Laque Fever in Electric Pink $27: Vibrant hot pink and purple sparkles in a hot pink base.

Rimmel Stay Glossy in Black Diva $4.99: Buildable semi-opaque black gloss.

L'Oreal Le Gloss in The Muses' Shine $5.99: 24k glitter and shine.

Beautifully Disney lip gloss in Change Your Fate $14.95: Merida inspired--a bold, creamy orange.

Essence XXXL Shine gloss in Rock On $2.49: Darkened plum with lots of sparkle.

NYX Matte Lipstick in Alabama $5.99: Dark brick and perfectly matte. 

Thanks for joining me for this fun challenge. I hope you found some new favorites!