Curiously Carmen

Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara Review

The Lancome Hypnose Star mascara came with my Sephora glitz and glam makeup sampler kit last Christmas. To be honest, I haven’t really used it much until now because I have waaayy too many mascaras and I don’t normally wear mascara.

My lashes seem to have a problem with mascara, because no matter how popular, expensive, or fantastic a mascara is, my lashes just won’t behave! No matter the formula, they will almost always clump up and not lengthen or volumize like it’s supposed to.

On a rare occasion however, my lashes DO cooperate with me and my mascara looks wonderful! If you have any idea how to fix this, PLEASE let me know! I’ve tried switching multiple mascaras, trying different eyelash curlers, heating my eyelash curlers… etc. It’s just too much hassle to put on mascara daily when it fails 70% of the time. Anyways, I’ll let the picture of my lashes before and after speak for itself. Keep reading!
photo 3My love for this mascara came suddenly and unexpectedly. I was getting ready to go out, and mindlessly grabbed the first mascara that was within arms reach. To be honest, I had no idea where I got this mascara from until I searched it on the internet, and found out that it was featured in the Sephora glitz and glam set. Oops 馃檪
photo 4The mascara wand features a cone tip, which I haven’t seen before. This tip made it easier to reach the shorter lashes.
lancomeThis was after two coats, I’ll let the picture speak for itself! I noticed that my eyelashes looked a lot longer, really well separated, and still natural! Amazing. Compared to the Benefit- They’re real! mascara, I would say they both have similar effects in that it makes your lashes look really natural and long.

I’ve tried to search online what ingredients are in this mascara, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere! Lancome seems to have different variations of their Hynose mascara, but this one was not listed on their site or on Sephora. I’ve come to realize that makeup sampler sets are really the way to go. It’s a lower cost way to discover many new products at once! Plus, they usually come in sample sizes so even if you don’t agree with the product, it’s a small size anyways. I also discovered the Too Faced 3 Way Lashlining Tool in this same bag too. Sephora normally sells their sample sets during the holiday season, so I definitely will be keeping my eyes peeled! It’s so exciting because the products in the sets change every year!
lancome 2Pros:

  • Really great at lengthening lashes
  • Does not clump
  • Cone tip makes it easy to reach the shorter lashes on the side
  • Ideal for dramatic makeup looks or a substitute for falsies (Yep, it’s that good)

Cons

  • Pricey compared to drug store products
  • This exact one is not waterproof, however other mascaras in that line may be

I wish I could tell you guys how much this retails for, but since I got it in a sample kit AND I can’t seem to find the same product online anywhere, I can’t 馃檨 The other mascaras in the Hypnose line range from $30-35, so I assume it will be around there. The sample kit was $50, so you’re already getting a great deal. The Too Faced Lash Liner tool was already almost $30 too. See, more reason to purchase sample sets from Sephora! 馃槈

I hope you guys enjoyed this review and thanks so much for reading! What are your favourite mascaras?

-Carmen

Lanc么me – La Base Pro Makeup Primer

Hi readers!

I received this as a sample from Shoppers Drug Mart when I recently purchased something from their beauty department. My thoughts on this primer are mixed because on the two separate occasions I wore it, I got different results.

I don’t think I would purchase this product just because I got different results so I’m not too sure how reliable it would be, nor would I want to spend $40+ on a product I am iffy about.

I’ll start off with the application. 聽The primer came out like a gel, but when you applied it, it became very聽soft聽on聽your face, almost like a powder. I noticed that it felt very slippery and oily, and I had a feeling that my foundation would not last….聽聽Keep reading to find out why.聽
lancomeFirst impression: After applying all my makeup, I noticed that I looked really cakey and streaky. To put it frankly, it did not look nice and I felt like all my pores were magnified. I didn’t really have time to reapply it, so I tried blending it more with my brush, which helped a little.

Overall, my first impression of it was that even though it did have that “satin-soft finish” (or slippery/oily as I call it, hah) it left my face feeling pretty heavy. I never knew it was even possible to have “streaky” foundation until this product came along. (Basically, it means I saw a lot of my stroke marks from my brush).

At the end of the night, my foundation was still on 聽even though my face felt heavy. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures in good lighting and ended up deleting the initial ones. I was really disappointed with my first impression on this primer, and was glad I got this for free.

Second impression: I didn’t want to lose hope on this primer! A few nights after,聽I decided to only apply the primer to聽half聽my face and ask the boyfriend which side looked more pore less & even. I was hoping that he would say the side that I聽didn’t聽put on the primer to conclude, but he actually said that the right side looked smoother!

I noticed that this time, my foundation did not appear as streaky or cakey as the initial time, even though all the products and amount were the same. I noticed that unlike the first night, my skin didn’t feel heavy or gross the whole night- I even forgot I wore it. Here is a picture I took at the end of the night:
lancome faceConclusion:聽After reading reviews, I noticed that users with the same skin type as mine (combination/oily) had the same problems. Therefore, I conclude that this foundation would be better suited for you if you had聽dry skin. It all makes sense now!

My face was probably oilier during my first application since I just took a shower before applying (I don’t know why, but my face becomes oilier after I shower) which is why it looked so cakey and streaky. The second time, I don’t remember putting on any heavy moisturizer or showering before.

That meant that my skin was drier my second time, which was why I had more success with it. But yeah, I don’t think I would buy this primer or use it again – I’ll probably give it away to a friend that has a dry skin type.

-Carmen