Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes Review.

 Hello Beautiful Makeup Search readers, I'm Cindy, editor of Prime Beauty, a beauty blog for women over 40 and in their prime! As an over 40 woman myself, I approach aging with an often irreverent sense of humor while on a quest to find the fountain of youth and my 'Holy Grail' products. Prime Beauty is packed with articles on skincare, makeup, product reviews, new product launches, makeup tips and tricks, and giveaways! In addition to looking good on the outside, I hope to encourage, inspire and celebrate women over 40!

When it comes to mascara, Lancôme takes the honors; Définicils is THE best selling luxury mascara in the WORLD. Lancôme puts a lot of time, effort and research into thier mascara formulas, and now their is a new addition to the mascara family--Hypnôse Doll Lashes ($25), designed to give wide- eyed doll-like lashes. I've been a fan of Lancôme mascaras for more years than I would like to admit. The obsession started with Définicils, then progressed to Hypnôse, then the Oscillation mascara, then Precious Cells. Naturally when I heard Lancôme had a new mascara, I HAD to have it!

I've been wearing Hypnôse Doll Lashes for a week straight and I still don't look like Daria Werbowy! Crap.  This new formula is unique in two ways:

• An innovative cone shaped brush to grab every lash--even in the corners
• A formula with nylon powders to sculpt and shape and a combination of hard and soft waxes volumize and curl while shaping polymers lengthen

I'm sure this will become a best seller, but I'm a bit disappointed. I really wanted to like this, I really, really did! I was hoping to get Twiggy lashes--and by that I mean Twiggy from the 60's--not 60 year old Twiggy. I expected über long length, great volume and almost spider-like lashes. I got some length and that's it--I actually get better length with Lancôme Precious Cells.

PROS:

• the formula is nice--not too wet so lashes don't clump together and not too dry so lashes don't clump together  :)
• good definition and separation of lashes

CONS:

• the cone shaped brush is hard to get used to--it is effective at grabbing those tiny lashes in the corners, the problem is it makes it harder to reach the rest of your lashes. You must hold the brush at the precise correct angle to get ALL your lashes and it takes some practice.  
• it has a scent I'm not a fan of. I honestly don't know why a mascara needs to have a scent.

There have been times that Doll Lashes has flaked on me-- but not all the time. I must keep better track because in all fairness, I have been having trouble with my allergies this summer, but I think it is worth mentioning.  

Overall: I guess I'm going to have to face the fact that nothing short of lash extensions is going to give me Twiggy lashes. Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes does a pretty nice job though! It has a nice formula, doesn't clump and gives some length. After using it for a week straight, I'm more adept at using the cone brush and am liking it better every day. The strong fragrance may be a turn off for some as well as the learning curve for the brush. If you are looking for lots of volume, you make want to look elsewhere--Hypnôse Drama is a good choice.

Be sure to check out Prime Beauty - A beauty resource for women 40 & over and in their Prime!

P.S.--If you find me wandering around the hills and valleys looking for my long lost youth, please point me in the direction of the nearest mall!

Be Cool with Clinique's NEW Lid Smoothie Eye Colour.

It has been a hot summer, hasn't it? While I normally don't look for makeup products that cool my skin, I was very intrigued by these new eye colours from Clinique which promised to do just that - cool your lids as you apply them. Meet Clinique's new Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Colour.

You see, the magic happens within the applicator.  It is made of metal that when used to apply the eye colour, you get a very cooling sensation. It is really different feeling as it sort of wakes up the eyes as it is applied.  The skin care-infused formula helps to visibly rejuvenate the delicate eye area too!

The formula is so lightweight and the shades blend effortlessly across the lid leaving a soft, shimmery, powdery finish behind.  Lid Smoothie is great for layering and pairs beautifully with powder shadows too. Who would have thought? I wouldn't have until I knew I needed a base color and tried it myself.

Lid Smoothie Eye Colour comes in 12 energizing (chilling?) colours with shades ranging from nudes and goldens to violets, blues and berries:

• Bit O’Honey
• Cashew Later
• Sassy-fras
• Ginger-ly
• Cute-cumber
• Pinko Biloba
• Seventh Heather
• Born Freesia
• Imprompt-blue
• Currant Affair
• Lick-orice
• Salt and Pepper

Try out the Clinique Lid Smoothie Eye Colours at Clinique counters now. Of course you can shop at clinique.com too, but you will really want to experience this cooling sensation in person for yourself. Each Eye Colour retails for $19.50.

Best Bronzer: BECCA Mineral Bronzing/Highlighter Duo.

I love to bronze - that is a fact.  When going out or for an extra special look, I love to add in a bit of a radiant glow too, and for that I reach for this, BECCA Mineral Bronzing/Highlighter Duo.

In one compact you get both a beautiful matte light bronze to wash cheeks in a beautiful bronze wash, while on the other side there is a highlighter that gives off a soft, radiant glow. Not only do I apply the highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones, I also apply a bit under my brows and a gentle touch of it on my chin and nose to just glow, all over.  It is soft, as in not a hard highlighter that can sometimes accent fine lines.  This one actually softens my look while making my lines look less visible, sort of out-of-focus, if you will.

This bronzer is very luxe in formula and in packaging.  It sells for $43.00 online at beccacosmetics.com, as well as others such as b-glowing.com, glow.com and dermstore.com.