Free Beauty Events » Product Reviews

Estee Lauder Pure Color Intense Kajal EyeLiner

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:14:07 +0000

With eyeliner you can transform the shape and the size of your eyes. And when you want a dramatic look, waxy formulas can take some serious effort to show up on your skin. We tried Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Intense Kajal EyeLiner in Blackened Black since it was advertised to give intense color. This product saves time; you don’t have to line your eyes more than once to see great color. It’s a regular pencil that must be sharpened but the liner blends easily and goes on soft. On the downside, you need to be careful when using it on the lower rims of your eyes – you can get specks or smearing. Because the eyeliner is so intense, if you’re not a pro you may want to start out light at first and then press down harder as you get more comfortable. In short, we thought this $20 was great for smoky eyes but wish it flaked less.

To see other posts we’ve made about eyeliner click here

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:15:26 +0000

Since foundation can truly transform the look of your skin, we certainly don’t judge anyone who’s willing to spend a lot on it. We tried Chanel’s latest foundation – Perfection Lumiere. At $55 it’s pricier then many of the foundations we review but we decided to give it a try. It has a very pleasant light fragrance which is a nice touch. Now, does it give you perfect skin like the model in the photo? We found that it does have a perfect mix of a natural finish with full coverage. In other words, you look like you’re not really wearing much makeup but your imperfections are covered. We think it’s most likely the finish to the makeup, which mimics the texture of skin (not too matte, not too dewy). Lumiere Foundation is also available in 20 shades, so more likely than not, they have a shade for you. This is a long-wearing foundation, but if you have oily skin, you may find this not to be so. This foundation doesn’t stop your face from being greasy. So if you have normal to dry skin, we think this is truly an amazing product! Also remember that department store makeup counters are happy to give samples (which is last for a few days to a week) so you can be completely sure before buying. If you have oily skin and want full coverage that lasts all day, we recommend Estee Lauder’s Doublewear foundation. The only thing that stops it from being perfect is that it’s a bit drying, which is a good thing for oily skin.

To see other foundations we’ve reviewed click here.

La Roche-Posay Mela-D Serum

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:39:12 +0000

The primary purpose of La Roche-Posay’s Mela-D Serum Anti-Dark Spot Concentrate is to correct skin discoloration and even skin complexion. However, what we loved to most is how it improves the texture of your skin. Sometimes you don’t realize how clogged your pores are until you use a product like this. The product contains kojic acid and glycolic acid. This is one of the milder products we’ve tried with glycolic acid so it’s a good product for those with sensitive skin. The directions called for applying once a day during morning or evening, but if in the morning apply a sunscreen with a SPF of at least 15. In our experience, you get the most benefit out of using this product at night under your favorite moisturizer. It seems to make your moisturizer more effective. At almost $60 this drugstore product isn’t cheap, but in our opinion the product quality is as good as high end skincare lines such as Natura Bisse. We like to use this 3 times a week to maintain the great effects this serum has on our skin.

Click here to see our product review for La Roche-Posay’s Mela D Dark Spots, which you can use as a daily moisturizer.

*UPDATE You can now enter to win the new Spot the Difference with Mela-D Pigment Control on the LaRoche-Posay USA Facebook page

Got2b Guardian Angel Gloss Finish Blow Out Lotion

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:32:58 +0000

At the salon when you get your hair blown out your hair is lustrous and silky. At home it’s easy to get discouraged when your hair starts to get that dried out straw look every time you blow dry. And then afterwards you have to use a curling iron or flat iron just to get the same look that your hairdresser can wield with a blow-dryer. Although we’ve used many heat protectant products, we found Got2b’s Guardian Angel Gloss Finish Blow Out Lotion to be the only one where you could actually see that there was less damage. You blow dry your hair, without the smell of torched hair in your bathroom! With this product we got admirably close to salon blowout. To use, you just spray on sectioned damp hair first, and then blow dry your hair. We appreciated that it was a spray, because it’s hard to get an even application with lotions. The Blow Out Lotion has a nice scent but it’s not overpowering. Got2b also has another product, Got2b Guardian Angel 425° Heat Protect Flat Iron Balm (we tried this one too and it gives great shine and less frizz) that protects your hair from the flat iron. However, since they are both spray on products you may be able to just get away with using the Blow Out Lotion only when styling.

L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipcolour

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:21:06 +0000

Red lipstick is definitely in! We saw the Beyonce’s ad for L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipcolour in No° 315 and decided to give it a try. On the ad, the color looks like more of a brick red, but in person it’s more of a vibrant coral red. It’s very bright (although it looks subtle in the ad) so this shade is not for the faint of heart! What we liked the most about this lipstick is that it’s pigment rich without drying. If you wear true lipsticks then you know that can be a huge drawback. The Colour Riche formula contains Omega3, Vitamin E, and Argan Oil which are all moisturizing ingredients. This lipstick will kiss off and leave marks on drinking glasses, but since the pigment is so great it fades away beautifully.

To see other L’Oreal products we’ve tried click here.

Veet Ready-to-Use Wax Strips, Face

admin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:53:00 +0000

You’re probably already familiar with Veet for their depilatories, but did you know they also sell wax strips? We tried their Ready-to-Use Wax Strips and found them easy to use. Since the wax is already on the strips you don’t have to worry about heating a tub of wax. The directions suggest warming the wax by rubbing the strips with your hands. However, we found that if you have a curling iron, you can gently rest the strips on there for about two seconds and get a better wax. The finishing strips were pleasant and they also remove the excess wax residue. As always, if you’re using wax on your face be prepared for a little redness. We suggest using it no less than an hour before you go out.

Contest of the Week – Essie Nail Color Polish

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:31:33 +0000

Essie is known for high quality nail polish. This week, we are giving away two bottles – Mademoiselle and Ballet Slippers. To enter to win these great pink shades just comment below with your best nail tip. Here’s ours:
If your nails are brittle then be sure to file them in one direction. Thin or brittle nails don’t do very well with the back and forth motion of filing (which weakens nails further).

One winner will be chosen by 12/28/2011 and notified by email 1/04/2012. U.S. residents only. Odds of winning are 1 out of number of comments on this blog post.

Maybelline Volum’ Express the Colossal Mascara

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:34:52 +0000

At Free Beauty Events we love trying out the latest mascara. This time, we tried Maybelline’s Volum’ Express the Colossal Mascara. This promises to give 9x the volume instantly with one coat. We found one coat to be enough for day, and we were surprised to see that we got a more natural look. With a name like ‘Volum’ Express the Colossal’ you might expect a more false lash look, but this is not a high drama mascara. As promised it went on clump free (which can be an issue with volumizing mascara). In our opinion, this gives the same effect as their Great Lash Mascara. But we liked that the Volum’ Express is collagen enriched – excellent for your lashes. To see other mascaras we’ve reviewed click here.

Tip: Mascara also works great as liquid eyeliner. Buy a slim eyeliner brush such as the e.l.f Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush and insert it in your mascara tube. It’s just $3.00 and you can use it to turn all of your mascaras into double-duty products!

got2b Powder’ful Volumizing Powder

admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:43:11 +0000

In a world where everyone seems to have hair extensions – volume is definitely in. got2b has a product that allows you to have amazing volume, without the fake hair. We tried their Powder’ful Volumizing Powder and really liked it. If you’re just looking to add some texture or slight dimension to your hair, then you can rub some in your palms and distribute through your hair. But if you want a look similar to the girl on the front of the box you should shake the powder on your roots and then style with your fingers. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time making sure the powder blends in, we suggest just putting it everywhere on your roots except for the very top layers. It’s very tempting to use a lot of this product since it’s fun to see how volumized your hair can get. However, be careful with using too much! For example, if you have very fine hair, using too much can achieve the opposite effect and weigh your hair down. What we liked the most about this product is that your hair can have volume without backcombing, volumizing shampoo/conditioner, or hairspray. Since it texturizes your hair, this is also great for doing updos or more complicated styles. For December, we are giving away this product as part of our contest of the month. Check it out at http://www.freebeautyevents.com/contest !

Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:59:34 +0000

ALL hairsprays say that they will not flake, make your hair sticky, or make your hair stiff. However, we’ve found that you usually have to choose between great hold and touchable hair. Fekkai’s Sheer Hold Hairspray actually backs up these claims and allows you to create hairstyles that you can brush afterwards! We really recommend this product for creating waves, which seems to be one of the most popular ways to style hair right now. It works well because it holds just enough to keep curling iron created waves in place, but you still have movement. What’s great about this hairspray is that your hair won’t look too ‘done’. If you’re going for a more rigid hold or for a more elaborate hairstyle, then this hairspray may be a little too lightweight for what you’re looking for. If you’d like to give this product a try, enter our contest of the month! Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray is part of the prize.

Tip: To create waves like the celebs, leave one inch of hair free at the end of your curling iron. For a real natural look, try a clamp free curling iron.