Too Faced Beauty Blogger Darlings Review

I am super excited to bring you a review on Too Faced's Beauty Blogger Darlings. I've been eyeing their Better Than Sex mascara ever since I saw it being in this year's Sephora Favorties Lash Stash (2013).

I was very tempted to get Lash Stash again but hestiated just long enough to come across Too Faced Beauty Blogger Darlings. It's a 4 piece set that includes deluxe sample sized Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer, Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer, Primed & Poreless Face Primer and Better Than Sex Mascara.

These four items are some of the best selling items from Too Faced. Aside from the bronzer, which I will cover here, I will go through the items individually in seperate posts. Links for each below.

Production Description From Official Website

Set includes:

Deluxe Better Than Sex Mascara
"Two coats take my fringe from stubby, shy violet to long, luscious vixen, and what a super cute pink tube! If you’re gonna bat your lashes all day long, this is the mascara you want," says Karen of makeupandbeautyblog.com

Deluxe Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer
"I love the Chocolate Soleil bronzer because it smells SO good and gives my face a natural deep tan," says Jen of mybeautybunny.com

Deluxe Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer
"My holy grail primer for an airbrushed finish," says vlogger Weylie of youtube.com/ilikeweylie

Deluxe Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer
"I love Shadow Insurance because it lasts all day with zero creasing on my oil-prone lids, it prevents shadows from fading and just a dab does the trick," says Kelly of vampyvarnish.com

 

These four Darlings are deluxe-sample sizes, basically miniature versions of their full-sized counterparts. The blue squeeze tube is the Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer and the pink tube is the Primed & Poreless Face Primer.

Their deluxe-sized Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer comes in a black compact with a mirror. I was surprised to find that the product not only smells like chocolate but actually has cocoa powder in it. The cocoa powder is labeled as Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Fruit Powder in the ingredients list. While I am not sure how much chocolate aroma comes from the powder itself, there is fragrance and parfum in the bronzer that gives it an unmistakable chocolate aroma albeit smells like artifical chocolate... The cocoa powder apparently serves more than just a marketing gimmick. Sephora has on their product description:

"A light matte bronzer infused with real cocoa powder and long-wearing pigments.

Too Faced has combined the natural detoxifying effects of real cocoa powder with their signature bronzing pigments to create a lighter version of their bestselling Chocolate Soleil original matte bronzer. The Milk Chocolate shade is perfectly suited for pale to medium skintones for a touch of summer warmth all year-long."

The matte bronzer goes on smoothly and has a satin finish. It's suitable for contouring as it's easily manipulatable. It's a light/medium brown shade most suited for light to medium skin tones. It's very easy to correct with a Q-tip if you make a mistake.

In the photo above, I applied the bronzer on the sides of my nose, jawline and on the hollows of my cheeks. For light contouring, you could also apply it ontop of your loose setting powder but for long-wear, apply the bronzer underneath loose setting powder.

With the set, I was able to try the eye primer and mascara, two items I looked most forward to using and not have to pay full price. Size-wise, it'll take a good 4-6 months before you use up the eye primer and bronzer (daily usage) so that's excellent value. If the Poreless Face Primer was double in size, I would've given it a better value rating but it can't all be this good.....?

Overally, good value. Definitely recommended if you want to try at least two of the four items in it. I get no perks for saying this but if you are buying the set, consider getting it online from Two Faced because you can choose a deluxe sized sample when you check out. :)


Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Primer Reivew

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Review Here! 

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Primer Review


Retails for $20 USD
Where to buy: Too Faced Online or locally. Major cosmetics stores online or locally.

Ingredients:

Net Weight:

Deluxe Chocolate Soleil Net Wt. 4 g / 0.14 Oz.
Deluxe Primed & Poreless Net Wt. 5 g / 0.17 Oz.
Deluxe Better Than Sex Mascara Net Wt. 4.8 g / 0.17 Oz.
Deluxe Shadow Insurance Net Wt. 5 g / 0.17 Oz.

Ingredients:
Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer: Isododecane, Talc, Cyclopentasiloxane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Triethylhexanoin, Polyethylene, Trihydroxystearin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Isopropyl Lanolate, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Propylene Carbonate, Dimethicone, PEG-40 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Mica. (+/-): Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499).


Better Than Sex Mascara: Water/aqua/eau, Synthetic Beeswax, Paraffin, Glyceryl Stearate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Butylene Glycol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Polybutene, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Cera Carnauba/Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/Cire de carnauba, Aminomethyl Propanol, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Polyester-11, PVP, Cellulose, Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Propylene Glycol, Acacia Senegal Gum Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Dextran, Acetyl Hexapeptide-1. May Contain/Peut Contenir/(+/-): Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Black 2 (CI 77266), Ultramarines (CI 77007).


Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer: Talc, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Zinc Stearate, Boron Nitride, Sodium Saccharin, Benzyl Benzoate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum/Fragrance, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Fruit Powder, Benzyl Alcohol, Silica, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Mica. May Contain/Peut Contenir/(+/-): Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742).
*Vegan-Friendly
**Paraben Free


Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer: Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crossploymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Mica, Phenoxyethanol, Silica, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cyclodextrin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Retinol, Diacetyl Boldine, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Polysorbate 80, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hedra Helix (Ivy) Extract, BHT, Cycloheptasiloxane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Bioflavonoids, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Allantoin, Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499).
*Vegan-friendly

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Benefit BADgal Lashes Mascara Review

I got my hands on Benefit's Bad Gal Lashes when I redeemed a Benefit 500 Point Perk gift set, which you can see here. I've wore the mascara a few times but never got around to writing a post so finally, here it is.

Production Description From Benefit's Site

Why we love it!

Sexy, dramatic, pure unadulterated black mascara for full, voluminous lashes. Famously big brush coats lashes with our thick black formula. It's as BAD as you want to be! .

Who else loves it!

2011 Temptalia The Readers' Choice Award, best mascara
2010 Elle Top 5 Awards, best mascara

How to apply

Wiggle the wand at the base of lashes then sweep upward from root to tip. Layer for added drama.

Beauty tip

Apply they're real! mascara to the tips of lashes for a glossy finish.


I've heard good things about this mascara so I had high hopes for it but like, Benefit They're Real mascara, it didn't quite work out. How so? Results below.

BADgal Lash is a lash volumizing mascara and while I did get some decent volume out of it, the whole experience was undermined by lashes clumping.

 

It doesn't look too bad from the side and the formula lengthens a bit. BADgal did fare considerably better than They're Real. I can't quite figure out why Benefit's best selling mascaras are so mediocore for me. Maybe it's a combination of the formula and brush applicator.

The applicator wand has a large coned shaped brush. The bristles are bunched together and distributed symmetrically on the wand. I was pretty excited to try the mascara cause the brush head looks uncomplicated unlike Lancome's Hypnose Drama Mascara in "Excessive Black". Too bad, it didn't work out though.

I will give it that the product is easy to wash off with some warm water and didn't notice product migrating to my lower lid. You could probably even clean off most of it without using eye makeup remover - something I can't say so certainly about the other mascaras I've tried.The shape of the brush also really reminded me of Clinque's High Impact Mascara. Their results on me are somewhat similar with the difference of High Impact giving more definition and less clumping.

Overall, I can't personally recommend the mascara but I have heard good things about it as well. I say give it a whirl at the store and see how well the formula works for you before buying.


Retails for $19USD
Where to buy: Benefit's online or local retail store and most major cosmetics stores. 

Check here for more mascara reviews!

Ingredients

Water (Aqua), Beeswax (Cera Alba), Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Polybutene, C18-36 Acid Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Panthenol, Silica, Ceteth-10 Phosphate, Dicetyl Phosphate, Peg-100 Stearate, Pvp, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Methylparaben, Chlorphenesin, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Sericin, Gossypium (Cotton) Seed Oil, Cetraria Islandica Extract, Sorbic Acid, Bht, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate. May Contain +/- : Iron Oxides (Ci 77491- Ci77492- Ci 77499), Mica, Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Carmine (Ci 75470), Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77289), Chromium Oxide Greens (Ci 77288). N° 02521/N.

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False Eyelash Talk 2 - How long do they last? How do I care for them?

There is just too much information to cover for one post so I divided the talks up.

Check here for False Eyelash Talk 1 where I covered more false lash basics, how much they cost, and some factors to consider when choosing a suitable pair of  lashes for yourself.

How Long Do False Eyelashes Last?

A well cared for qualify pair of lashes can last up to two dozen wears (perhaps more). Lashes from anywhere between $3-10 dollars can last from one time use to half a dozen wears. How you clean and care for them will play a big part in the longevity of your lashes.

How to Clean Them.

The primary reason you need to clean your lashes is so you can wear them again and in order to that, you'll have to make room for more glue. To get rid of the old glue from your last wear, the simplest way is to soak the lashes in lukewarm water for 15 minutes and peel the glue off . You should then have a fairly clean surface for your next wear. Dry them off and store away for use next time.

I've also used a light mixture of diluted alcohol used to dissolve glue. The solution is very effective and leaves  the lashes spotless but this will only work if your lashes are high quality ones (i.e. Shu Uemura, MAC lashes, etc.) because it will dissolve the cheaper ones. Plus unfortunately, I don't know remember what the concentration of the mixture is.

The quality of the glue as well as how you apply them on your lashes will determine how difficult or easy it is to remove the glue. Good glue is very easy to remove as you only need to peel them from the spine of the lashes. It is as easy to peel the glue off as it is to make a mess and get glue onto the lash fibers. It is much harder to get glue off the fibers than it is off the spine.

To get a strip of glue cleanly on the spin takes patience and practice. The other thing that will take even more patience and a lot more pratice is when applying the lashes onto your lids. More often than not when you start out, you will smudge glue on the lids. Don't be discouraged if you don't at first succeed. Even after hundreds of applications, I still smudge glue into my real lashes especially when I'm in a hurry.

The white strip on the lashe spine is glue.

Try to only apply glue on the spine of the lashes sparingly. You don't need a lot.

What Eyelash Adhesive (glue) Do You Recommend?

My favorite tried-and-true eyelash adhesive contains latex so if you're allergic to latex, there are latex-free eyelash adhesive available. I haven't tried any of those but a quick search online will reveal a few brands you can try.

My two eyelash adhesives that I recommend are Shu Uemura's Eyelash Adhesive and DUO's Eyelash Adhesive. Both products work very consistently and will get your through a 12 hour day easily. I've covered Shu Uemura's product extensively here.

 

Can I Use Mascara on My False Eyelashes?

I don't recommend it because it's putting more product on your lashes that either needs to be cleaned off or should you leave it on, makes the pair kind of dirty! Either way, it shortens the lifespan of them.

So then, why would anyone want to put mascara on them? I've seen some girls use it and because mascara plumps your natural lashes it does give your eyes more volume. It also helps blend in your real lashes with the false ones.

I can't recommend putting mascara on $20-30+ lashes but you could probably put mascara on your lashes before applying the false ones if you really wanted to.

I hope you found this helpful. Individual lash reviews and tips on how to put lashes on to follow!

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