Kanebo Sensai 38°C Mascara- M3 Smoky Green (Limited Edition)

Smoky Green is a new limited edition color in Kanebo Sensai 38°C  Mascara line. This is the Separating & Lengthening formula with the delicate thin brush which I find easier to use than the angled brush of the Volumizing mascara. You can reach the base of the lashes with this brush and it creates a beautiful full fringe. I like it because the result is naturally full and healthy lashes. The mascara's texture is so good and smooth I can even apply it on my lower lashes to define them without looking too obvious or creating a dark shadow under the eyes.

Smoky Green is a black-based olive. On dark lashes it gives a hint of a color and is good when you want to lighten up the look and avoid black, or when you want your lashes to stand out against a shiny black eyeliner (this look is a bit too harsh for me, but it's not half bad). I also like applying this Sensai mascara  as a second coat just on the tips over a black-brown one, but this is probably something only long-lashed ladies should attempt. This color is probably best for blondes, though. It will stand out the most against fair skin and bring out any flecks of green or hazel in your eyes. Mine have more cinnamon and the contrast is interesting, but I think navy works better for me.

One thing to avoid if you have very dark lashes is applying the 38°C  (and most colored mascara) directly over a white base. While it makes the color more obvious, the lashes look dusty and too light. I tried it with two different primers and got the same unflattering results, so keep that in mind. Blondes need not worry about this and using a lash base would probably intensify the mascara's effect on them.

Bottom Line: Excellent for blondes, worth a try for most.

Kanebo Sensai 38°C  Mascara ($25) is sold at Bergfdorf Goodman (Neiman Marcus is online only). You'll probably need to give them a call to reserve one in this color. I received this press preview sample from the PR team.

Photos by me.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics- Pressed Eyeshadow Quad (Vintage)

Eye shadows in mauve-eggplant-pink colors can be a little tricky, because the wrong shade in this range can make the eyelid look bruised. There needs to be just enough red pigment in the base but not much to appear weird, and the right combination of colors varies from face to face.

Vintage is one of seven pressed eye shadow quads offered by Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics. Some of the colors in the quads (Bordeaux and Merlot, in this case) are also available as singles, while others are exclusive to the palettes. Vintage, with its range of soft weather-washed mauves, is my favorite collection of these colors and the most flattering for my skin tone I've come across in a long time.

The pigments are very rich,  so a soft brush and a light hand can achieve a lot of depth. The texture is very smooth, soft and blendable. The colors are matte and have a muted finish which I really like. I've been using the quad over various lid primers with perfect lasting results- the eye shadows stay in place and still look fresh by the end of the day.

The one color in this Youngblood quad that doesn't work for me is Blush, the pink one. It's too pink and too dominant to serve as a highlighter under the brow bone, and has too much red in its base to be worn anywhere else. So I need a single highlighter/base color whenever I'm using the other eye shadows here, which makes it less efficient for me to use on the go but is perfectly fine at home.

Bottom Line: Pretty.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Pressed Eyeshadow Quads ($39) are available from Henri Bendel (in store only) and directly from the company (ybskin.com). A press sample was sent for my consideration. 

All photos by me. Using them without my permission would cause some really bad karma.

Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes

I admit it: I bought the pack of Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes because of the polar bear picture on the packaging. Other than being a vegetarian, I'm not very crunchy and usually get annoyed when companies use questionable "natural" claims to convince me their products are healthier. But Josie Maran had two things going for her with these wipes (other than the bears): They are biodegradable and a portion of every package of sold goes to the Natural Resources Defense Council's Polar Bear SOS initiative (I wish they'd say how big that portion is, though).

The wipes are much softer than others I've tested and used so far, which gets them major points. They remove all the face makeup quite easily and efficiently with no rubbing. Following with a mild toner shows that all makeup has been removed with no residue. Eye makeup was a bit harder- the wipes aren't a match for most mascaras or for the eyeliners I'm using, so an efficient eye makeup remover is still required. It doesn't matter much since I'm always using separate products for eye and face cleansing, so the Josie Maran product is definitely becoming part of my regular rotation.

Bottom line: Do it for the bears.

Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes ($12 for a pack of 30) is available from Sephora, online and in store.

Photo: naturescrusaders.wordpress.com

Lorac Red Carpet Reveal Eye/Cheek Palette

Red Carpet Reveal is another easy-to-love Lorac palette. It holds three eye shadows and one blush, well-coordinated and in elegant wearable neutrals. Glam-wise it's more understated than the Snake Charmer but more shimmery than the Crocodile palette. The lightest color, Debut, is a great evening highlighter, while Pose and Interview can be easily used during the day with a light matte eye shadow under the brow bone.

The blush, Main Attraction is a warm rose. I apply it with a light hand and often layer it with a light mauve, but it's pretty easy to wear on its own when you have a yellow or olive toned complexion. The texture of all colors is great- soft and smooth. The brush that comes in the palette is annoyingly thin and was the cause of the crumbling you see in the swatches. I apply the eye shadows with thick and fluffy good quality brushes and have no fallout issues.

The very sleek packaging and velvet pouch make the Red Carper Reveal palette easy to slip into an evening clutch. It's quite slim and doesn't take up too much space.

Bottom line: Great.

Lorac Red Carper Reveal Eye/Cheek Palette ($35) is available from Sephora and Ulta. I bought mine at sephora.com.

All photos are mine.

Underachievers And Underperformers

There are so many great products on the market and it's hard enough to keep up with them. I usually manage to avoid the really awful ones, but what about the ones that aren't horrible, just don't perform as you would hope?

Here are a bunch I've encountered in recent months. Please comment if they happen to work better for you.

Boots Time to Cleanse- Time Dimensions deep cleansing wipes
I always have makeup removal wipes on hand, even though it's not the most effective method. You know those nights when one step cleansing is all one can manage? That's when cleansing cloths are a life-saver. I usually use the regular ones in the greenish packaging, but my Target isn't known for being well-stocked at all times, so I picked these instead. They clean, sort of, if you insist and rub your face enough. Not exactly what I want to be doing. Following with a toner solves the problem, but that defies the purpose.

Guerlain Success Future Day Care SPF 15 Wrinkle Minimizer
I've gone through several sample tubes before giving up. It's a daytime moisturizer with SPF 15, but it's just doesn't deliver on the moisturizing front. I tested it under various conditions and the result is always the same: needs supplement. While at $140 for 1 oz it's about half the price of the heavy guns, it's still way too much for a non moisturizing day cream (and the pure amber extract? I don't buy it).

Skyn Icelandic Relief Eye Cream with Biospheric Complex
(Have you noticed how all these products are a mouthful?)
An eco-friendly eye cream full of good intentions but does diddly squat on those mornings one needs extra help to perk up. I've been spoiled rotten by Lancome Secret de Vie Eye, so it's hard to compromise. Works great as a lip balm, though.

Arcona White Tea Eye Makeup Remover
I usually love Arcona products. They tend to smell great and feel wonderful on skin. The high concentration of plant extracts doesn't hurt, either. But when it comes to removing eye makeup this product is a dud. It takes a lot of product and too much rubbing to remove my mascara and eye liner, and even then it's never 100% clean. Completely unacceptable.

Image: synergizedsolutions.com. Some rights reserved.