Dolce & Gabbana Eyeliner: White & Lilac
Dolce & Gabbana Secret Garden: Lilac Eyeliner
Dolce & Gabbana Lilac Crayon Intense Eyeliner ($29.00 for 0.054 oz.) will see the introduction of two new shades, White and Lilac from Dolce & Gabbana’s Secret Garden Collection, which should hit Saks counters and online soon.
- Lilac is a vibrant blue-violet with a fuchsia-violet undertone. Unfortunately, it is a pain to work with–there is no creaminess, so the color drags and skips when applied. I really wanted to wear it, but I could barely get it to show up, even after working the tip down a bit.
Dolce & Gabbana’s Eyeliners are hit or miss for me; they’re often too hard, so they lack enough creaminess to enable the eyeliner to apply smoothly and evenly. They don’t glide-on, and instead, they can tug on the lash line or skip when applied, which results in an uneven, splotchy look. Lilac just did not work for me at all; what I managed to apply wore okay for about four or five hours, but it was so faint and sheer.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 
- Product: 16/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s such a shame that it doesn’t apply evenly nor have enough creaminess to glide on and deposit pigment intensely. It’s a beautiful color but not worth picking up based on a rougher texture, below average wear, and sheer color.
WHERE TO BUY: Saks
Stila Road to Radiance Palette
$10 Palette: Is It a Steal?
Stila Road to Radiance Palette ($10.00) sounds like a good deal, but in all honesty, I (personally!) would rather put $10 towards one stellar full-size product than a medicore palette. Stila misses in this palette by delivering four inferior eyeshadows–not only in pigmentation but the entire formula is nothing like Stila’s individual (nor their Barbie palette) shadows.
They are sheer and don’t build up particularly well. Stila shadows are incredibly soft–so soft, they can kick up some powder–and almost creamy, despite being pressed powder. These are nothing like that. Because Stila is a much higher quality brand than this palette portrays, I think it’s a poor palette overall–even if the price tag is enticing.
The only product I liked in the palette was Hibiscus Convertible Color. It was creamy, blended out nicely, and wore well. In terms of value, the four eyeshadows come to 0.15 oz. while the Convertible Color is 0.09 oz. (full-size is 0.15 oz.). Since I only liked Hibiscus, I’d much rather buy a full-size Convertible Color in its own packaging, particularly since it’ll stay clean of any loose powder unlike in the palette. The only problem? Hibiscus is limited edition and not available in full-size.
- Hibiscus is a creamy neutral pink blush. It’s very pretty — this is the only item out of the palette that I really like and think lives up to the quality I expect from Stila as a brand. It’s wearable and suitable for both cool and warm skin tones.
- Southern Belle is a sheer medium pink with silvery-white sheen. This was such a pain to get to swatch appropriately.
- Snow Bunny is shimmery silver shade with just a tinge of icy pink. This was one of the more pigmented shades, but I still felt it needed some layering.
- City Chick is a browned burgundy with subtle shimmer. Another shade that applied sheerly and required layering.
- Valley Girl is a sheer grayish-mauve with silver sparkle. Super, super sheer–I couldn’t really get it to build up.
The packaging is cute, and the palette certainly holds plenty of value from a quantity/price issue, particularly when compared to competing brands (which is how I judge value). It’s a shame the products don’t perform anywhere near Stila’s typical products.
If a brand is going to put out a product, it should represent their brand well. It should not be an inferior product, just so they can price it ridiculously low. Stila has already announced the release of four additional palettes in the series (one each month through November), so I greatly hope the others are better than this one.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 15/30
- Value: 10/10
- Ease of Use: 3/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: I’d suggest trying it out in person, if possible, to see if it’s really worth even $10.
AVAILABILITY: Sephora
Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara
Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara (Waterproof) ($7.50) is designed to give you full, curled lashes. It purports to give you “70% curlier” lashes, and lashes look “lusciously curled, plumped and defined.” Rimmel also advertises that you’ll see 7 times your natural volume and the curl will hold for a full twelve hours. I gotta say, Rimmel is making a lot of very big claims about this mascara!
Unfortunately, my experience didn’t really live up to Rimmel’s claims of fuller, well-curled lashes–at least not to the degree that they advertised. I’d say that my lashes are, perhaps, have a slight lift to them, but it’s not much–it’s just more pronounced by the lengthening of the mascara and slight volume it adds. It just neither gives me fuller nor more curled lashes really. I’d still feel like I needed to use an eyelash curler to really get the curl I’m looking for, and the mascara performs pretty average in all other aspects.
Out of personal taste, I tend to like incredibly rich black shades–the darker the better–so Rimmel’s level of blackness in pigmentation just doesn’t do it for me. My lashes do look better when I use it, they just don’t stand out like they do with other mascaras that I have loved. To be honest, I can be a harsh critic when it comes to mascara, because I always judge a mascara on how well it performs relative to the claims the brand makes about what it should do. It’s great if it still turns out to be awesome in some other way, but usually if they fall flat on their claims, then it’s just so-so and nothing stellar. This is definitely the case with Rimmel’s Sexy Curves mascara.
I will say that one thing I did really like about this mascara is the brush separated lashes really well and kept them from clumping despite layering on three coats of mascara. The brush is relatively easy to use, and the packaging is definitely eye-catching in that bright, metallic teal tube. (It does, however, hold finger prints, so big boo from me.)
Bottom Line: I’d say to skip this mascara. It performs fairly average at the end of the day, because it really doesn’t do much but add a smidgen of length (and maybe a little volume). It just looks like I’m wearing mascara, but it doesn’t look like I’m wearing a very good one!
Anyone like this mascara? I could have sworn some readers said this was their favorite!
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 15/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: I’d pass on this mascara–it just doesn’t live up to the lofty claims Rimmel makes about it at all. I normally expect mascara claims to be rather outlandish, but I feel like this one doesn’t even get close.
Availability: Walgreens
See more photos… Continue reading →
Chanel Les Folie Noirs Eyeshadow Quad ($60.00) is from Chanel Noirs Obscurs Collection. ( Be sure to check out reviews on the limited edition nail polishes and lipsticks, too!) It’s a limited edition eyeshadow quad with each shade being embellished with the brand’s signature logo in black.
While I was impressed by the new Rouge Allure lipsticks and Le Vernis shades, the eyeshadow quad was a disappointment. In fact, I had to let my disappointment simmer a bit in case I was too harsh/expected too much. I do not recommend this eyeshadow quad unless you’re a Chanel collector–then you’re not really looking to use it so much as own it as a collector.
If you actually want to use it, the shades are poorly pigmented, go on unevenly, and just overall, look mediocre–even with a sponge applicator. (Swatching with a brush always gives the least amount of pigmentation, whereas swatching with a sponge applicator usually yields the most.) The swatches included in this post are with a sponge applicator, for your reference.
The dark brown shade (top left) goes on extremely sheerly and almost looks chalky on my skin. The color itself is a cool-toned dark brown. Next to it is a dark forest green with a slight bit of shimmer. This one swatched better and had so-so pigmentation (just not quite as intense as I’d like). On the bottom right, there’s a muted, dark navy blue with subtle navy shimmer. This also swatched decently, though not quite as well as the green. The last shade is a slightly warmed-up medium chocolate brown that isn’t as sheer as the other brown in the quad, but it’s still quite faded when swatched.
Ultimately, if you use a sponge applicator (or even use this product wet) and layer on the color–and I do mean layer–you may find this works well for a range of smoky eyes. For me, at the price tag, I expect well-pigmented eyeshadows that feel soft, silky, and require minimal effort to work into my eyeshadow wardrobe.
Chanel, I love you, but this one is a miss for me!
- Product: 16/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 3/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: Skip this — opt for a permanent Chanel eyeshadow quad if you’re in the market for eyeshadow or else sneak a peek at the limited edition Rouge Allure Lipsticks!
Availability: October/November 2009
See more photos and swatches… Continue reading →
Pristine Eyeshadow, Cloudaine Elegant Lip Gloss
Kevyn Aucoin: The Prime Color Creme Eyeshadow
The Prime Color Creme Eye Shadow ($27.00) is an eyeshadow in a twist-up pen form. The eyeshadow itself has a cream consistency. It is true to its claims about creaseless-ness, as I found it didn’t crease after eight hours of wear, but the product itself is not my favorite. It can be difficult to blend the color out and apply from the get-go, and it isn’t the best base I’ve worked with either, because blendability is an issue. The shade I tried was Pristine, which is a soft, golden brown-champagne shade. This is something that can be worn alone on lids if desired, and if that’s the aim, this product meets it well.
- Product: 6/10
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 5/10
- Packaging: 6/10
Recommendation: Compact and travel-friendly, the Prime Color Creme Eyeshadows might be your new travel companion. They’re difficult to use, and they aren’t the easiest to blend, so for those two reasons, I won’t be buying any more shades in the future. I also find the price a bit steep for what you’re getting, which is just one more reason these aren’t up to my standards.
Availability: Sephora
