Guerlain Holiday 2017 thoughts

The other day I was able to take a look at Guerlain's latest holiday offering at House of Fraser. I must say, the sales assistant was very knowledgeable (Jessica) which was most refreshing! We were able to reminisce about past Christmas collections and debate which meteorites were the best ones yet. (a fraught topic which could induce fisticuffs.) Sadly, I came away without the new meteorites. I love the gold opulent house it's in, but the perles themselves are just a touch too glittery for my liking. The lipsticks, whilst wonderful, are red, and as much as I love red lipsticks, they initiate so much cacophony when worn, that I rarely get to use the enormous collection I already have. Terracotta Gold light was similar enough to the erstwhile Sun in the City, which is in fact too gold for me to use.

So, this post will only discuss the Guerlain top coat mascara in Gold Light. "Adorn your lashes, eyebrows and hair with precious hints of gold!" Guerlain advises. Incidentally, Guerlain have the best writers, and best images. This year the inspiration comes from an art-deco 1920s jazz age and evokes Americans in Paris. The colour scheme is black and gold. Take a look:

Gild your eyes with the luxurious GUERLAIN Gold Light Top Coat - Lash, Brow and Hair Mascara, a limited edition mascara that will frame eyes in molten metal.

Inspired by the preciousness of gold, this sumptuous, glimmering top coat will help you to create an endless array of luxurious looks with a bold twist. Its deep golden hue sparkles with intensity, transforming your look in a single stroke.

Apply to the tips of your lashes, or through your brows and hair to create add a festive finish to your everyday look.

I haven't bought this yet, purely because I first wanted to check it didn't smudge or fall out. Although I think it did fade, I loved the dainty fairy lights effect, and it did not flake or fall. It's like a dusting of sparkle over your usual black mascara, and it manages to be gold but not infantile. This is definitely not a 'need', but ironically that's exactly why it's such a must-have. It's imperceptible until you blink or your eyelashes catch the light. It's a snip (for Guerlain) at £20.50, and I've seen it online for £18.45 here (N/A link)

The only thing I am upset by, is the packaging. It contains less product than, say, Maxi Lash (one of my favourite mascaras) at 4.5g, but why does it have to look like a tester? If ever a mascara deserved to be in an ornate gold tube, it's when it's a gold mascara topper, surely!

Nonetheless, I will be getting this as I think it's a beautifully done. And I thought it might be easily mimicked by an Urban Decay gold heavy metal liner I had, but that is a glitter and the Guerlain is more of a liquid gilding. I also had a liquid gold body lotion which I thought I could apply with an eyeliner brush, but this too failed to create a convincing gold flash. So: this is a unique product which I highly recommend. These pictures were taken at the end of a long day, but the effect has remained.

Lancome Cils Booster XL: REVIEW!

How would you feel about a £50 mascara? Well inadvertently I seem to have been trapped into this.

I've always LOVED Lancome Hypnose. I loved Hypnose Drama too but nothing beat Hypnose for every day voluminous, soft, fluttery, dark lashes. However, perhaps due to ageing or perhaps due to wearing it for intense gym workouts (I like to think, the latter) - my mascara had not been holding up. A primer was therefore in order, as sacrificing Lancome Hypnose seemed untenable after so many years of loyal service.

For a while I'd been using L'Oreal Beauty Tubes mascara (red and white packaging) which did the job but didn't seem to maximise the Hypnose potential. After being recommended the Lancome version, and reading amazing reviews, I decided to try it. At £23.50, it's the same price as their mascara. And at a measly 5.2g, it's less than the portion of primer given in the L'Oreal Beauty Tubes mascara.

Part of me wanted to dismiss the Lancome instantly. After all, L'Oreal owns Lancome, so I hoped it was just the "same" product in sleeker packaging. The L'Oreal Beauty Tubes did its job after all. But having fianlly tried it, well, let me just say, my Beauty Tubes mascara is now in the bin.

The Lancome primer makes it look like your lashes have multiplied; a host of secret lashes seem to reveal themselves from some hidden depth. A coat of luscious thick lashes emerge once the mascara is layered on this primer. At first opening Lancome Cils Booster XL, my wand was utterly dry and I wondered if I'd received a defective or dried out product? But I swirled the wand and applied. The formula is white as with L'Oreal Beauty Tubes, however, the texture is far smoother and doesn't have the visible fibre strings that the L'Oreal Beauty Tubes has. It must be noted that L'Oreal Beauty Tubes only claims to be lengthening, and it is, but lashes (unless independently blessed) become long, thin and spindly and even a little gritty up close. The Lancome somehow lengthens and volumises. Perhaps the L'Oreal Beauty Tubes actually lengthens more than the Lancome, now that I think about it, but for me, volume is the most important. Using this primer is like applying my Hypnose 4 times layered. In some ways, this can arguably be said to economise on your mascara usage! The picture below is after only one coat of Lancome Hypnose over the primer.

I do wonder if others have found a magic formula layering two drugstore mascaras to get the same effect for less than half a ton. I never thought I would be prepared for a two step mascara process, let alone devote even more expense than simply using a high end mascara. I am wondering if this Lancome is so magical as to make any (even lacklustre, perhaps even a previously dismissed drugstore) mascara work miracles. I literally look like I've had lash extensions when I wear this Lancome Cils Booster XL with my Lancome Hypnose.

Sadly (and with the caveat that it mustn't dry out/ run out too quickly) this is now an absolute a must-have.

 L'Oreal Beauty Tubes base - notice the somewhat 'gritty' and spindly fibres

 Lancome primer - smooth, and doesn't look like much...

 

...BAM! Where did all those lashes come from?! A lustrous carpet of lashes

Lancome Hypnose over L'oreal Beauty Tubes. Lovely and natural long lashes, but no wow factor and no dramatic thickness. I can't return to this now!

Best Drugstore mascara!!!

My previous concession to the world of drugstore mascaras was MaxFactor Masterpiece. Its thin brush and intricate bristles meant it was perfect for lengthening. Then Barry M brought out their 3 in 1 mascara for about a fiver and it was rather similar to Masterpiece at half the cost... But, I ultimately abandoned both, as I missed the double deal of length and volume which my high end Lancome Hypnose always delivered. Now I am not going to say that this mascara quite matched Lancome Hypnose HG... But it cetainly reminds me of it, and that in itself is quite remarkable!

Introducing, the best drugstore mascara that I have yet tried, L’Oréal Paris Lash Architect 4D mascara (£10.99)



The concept behind 4D is: 1D volumised, 2D legthened, 3D texturised, 4D curved. And, as far -fetched as it seems, I really do think it does work like that!



The mascara wand is fairly thin and set at an angle, making it easy to catch each lash. The fibres actually do a marvellous job of multiplying your lashes, the colour is a satisfying black - and best of all, this did not smudge throughout the day. I think its greatest strength is lengthening and texturising, it was not quite as volumising or curling as my Hypnose. But it was buildable and never made my lashes feel crunchy and brittle like some drugstore mascaras have done, nor did it have any noticeable scent or anything at all that would stop me from buying it in future. In short, I definitely recommend this!