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Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara
by zombieflesh
Being a bit of a beauty product addict, I always like to try out new things and vary the brands that I use. One of my most exciting discoveries has been finding online companies that provide beauty boxes. The idea is that you will be sent a box every month, and this will usually contain a selection of various make-up, skin care, ... fragrance products etc for you to try out, so I have been trying a few from different suppliers. I received a sample size tube of this Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara in a previous delivery from Glossy Box. You can find further information at www.glossybox.com. It costs £22.00 for the full size version, with some colour variants available at a slightly cheaper £20.50.
Product description: "Instant full body lash volume - Hypnotize beyond imagination. Lancome reinvents the oversize brush. The Convex Brush with its flattened shape allows full contact with lashes for instant Full Body volume. With the new Texturing Complex it exaggerates lash volume."
This mascara comes in three standard shades: 01 Excessive Black, 011 Black Pearl, 02 Brown. I have this in shade 01 Excessive Black which is exactly what I wanted. I like my lashes to look dark as this helps them to look more prominent, and it also suits my naturally dark hair colour. The mascara has also been released in some colourful variations: 09 Ultra Lavande, 013 Black Blue and 015 Gris Fatale, although I'm not sure why these are a cheaper price, it seems a bit unfair to charge more for the standard colours that most people will want to wear. The full size product contains 6.5mls, and my mini version lasted for around three months of use.
The mascara brush is quite full with a large number of bristles covering the surface. It has a semi-circular shape that allows you to reach in and apply the mascara evenly across the whole of your eyelashes as it reaches right into both corners. This does mean that there is a "right" side and a "wrong" side, so you need to pay attention to the alignment of the brush as you're putting the mascara on. I usually apply by putting the mascara wand in close to the roots of my eye lashes, and then combing it upwards from the base up to the tips. I then repeat the process and give another quick swipe to neaten and separate. For my lower lashes I find that the curve does not quite fit along my lash line properly and so I just use the tip of the brush to reach in and define these smaller lashes.
When I use this mascara I tend to apply two coats to my upper lashes, and one coat to my lower lashes. This gives a really striking look that opens my eyes for a pretty wide-eyed appearance. The mascara itself goes on smoothly and separates lashes, stopping any clumps from forming. Rather than giving an OTT false look this mascara adds body and volume, and the way that it coats my lashes makes it look like I have a really full set of eyelashes. The description for this product is really accurate and it delivers exactly what it promises to. This is the perfect product for a glamorous and elegant look that is dramatic without coming across as fake or tacky. The mascara works well to lengthen my lashes, and it seems to straighten and separate them so that they fan out and look really full. The volume gives a noticeable improvement but does not look exaggerated.
I really like the effect that this Hypnose Drama Mascara has on my lashes. It's a high-end product that justifies the price tag with its excellent performance and I can definitely recommend it.
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Lancôme Juicy Tubes
by scooch12
I get really chapped lips whenever the weather gets chilly and I'd heard so much about Lancôme's famous Juicy Tubes. I was shopping in Selfridges one day, saw them at the counter and decided to buy one to see if it could help my poor lips through winter. My aim wasn't really to use it as a lip gloss, but to see if they could improve how ... they looked. The glossiness to me was just a bonus.
The tubes are available in many colours, the first one I tried being the 'fraise' juicy tube and this one is my favourite, although I have now tried others in the range too. The names are actually given in French, with them being manufactured by Lancôme, but most are quite easy to guess. The 'fraise' one is supposed to be it's English namesake, strawberry, but it reminds me more of raspberries!
The tubes I have had previously are 15ml, the standard size, but I also received a gift set at Christmas with four 7ml tubes in which are the ones I'm using at the moment. I paid £16 for my 15ml, the gift set (from memory when we bought a relative the same one as a gift) costs around £25. They sell them at all premium skincare counters in Boots, John Lewis, Debenhams and Selfridges.
The tube is clear so you can see the lovely coloured lip gloss through it and carries the Lancôme logo, with a screw lid at the bottom so it stands up on that if desired. The tube is slim so always fits in a small pocket in my bag. The tube inside is shaped with a wedged end, so that the gloss can be applied directly onto lips and the wedge shape is designed so that it can be smoothed across the lips easily. I find that I only need a very small squeeze from the tube to cover both bottom and top lip. The wedge end spreads out the lip gloss very evenly across the lips. Because of how little is needed per application, although the initial cost of the lip gloss seems expensive, I've found it lasts a long time so in the long run is quite cost effective.
The lip gloss has a very smooth texture, it isn't very sticky and I don't find it annoying me once applied - a lot of lip glosses are so sticky I just want to take them off as soon as I put them on but this doesn't make me want to. There is a slight stickiness to it but it isn't noticeable when it's applied.
The smell of the lip gloss is noticeable, however it is very subtle and lasts very well. Each one that I've tried has smelled delicious, the nicest in my opinion being the 'fraise' one. I find that although it's classed as a lip gloss, it moisturises my lips fantastically and soothes them when chapped, helping to heal them very quickly.
The best thing about the juicy tubes is the amount of time they last from first application - with most lip glosses, I find they've completely worn off as soon as I take a drink but with this, it lasts a very long time and I find it doesn't need applying continuously. I probably apply it about 4 times in the day, sometimes even less.
The lip gloss makes my lips look subtly shiny - I don't find that it's a really obvious shine, but I think it makes a nice change to wearing lipstick. I don't like piling make up on but it makes me feel as though my lips aren't completely bare and saves me having to apply lipstick for usual everyday things like going to work or staying around the house. There are little specks of what looks like glitter in the gloss and I thought they might look a bit strange on my lips when it was applied, but I've never noticed these when it's on - you can just see them glistening while in the tube.
I was a bit sceptical about paying £16 for a little tube - I didn't look like I was getting much for my hard earned money. But, it's a great product that I feel is taking care of my lips. Mine get used all of the time, especially in winter and my lips are much happier now! I just wish there were more colours in the range to try!
Thanks for reading :o)
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Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose Eau de Parfum
by tigger1992
Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose
I entered a Debenhams beauty club online competition late last year and I won some lancome goodies, one of those goodies was this fragrance. I was very happy that I received this fragrance as I have wanted to buy it as soon as I saw the commercial for it with Emma Watson (who I think composed this ... fragrance actually).
- Bottle
The bottle for this fragrance is really nice as it is fairly simple and pain as is the shape of the bottle. The bottle is made out of glass but the lid is made from plastic, or that is what is feels like. The bottle has a gradient effect which starts at the bottom of the bottle with a strong deep violet colour and the colour gets lighter towards to the top of the bottle. The only text on the bottle is "Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose" and "Lancome Paris". The bottle Also has a fairly large fabric purple rose around the bottom of the lid which is connected to the bottle with a small, black elastic band which makes the bottle look quite unique. This rose addition can be removed which is what I have done with mine, as it just gets in the way when I am trying to spray the perfume. The bottle I have is the 30ml bottle and it is the eau de parfum version. I have two now as I received the first one as part of the prize for the Debenhams competition and I also received another 30ml bottle as part of a christmas present - so I do now have 60ml of this perfume.
- Notes
*Top notes (these are the notes that you smell a few seconds after you have sprayed the fragrance): Jasmine, Peony, Fresh Blackcurrent and Intense Pink Pepper.
*Middle/Heart notes (these are the notes that compose the main body of the fragrance after the top notes have dissipated): Intense Rose Absolute and Bold Raspberry.
*Base notes (these are the components of the fragrance that evaporate slowly and with the middle/heart notes form the main body of the fragrance): Cedar, Vanilla and Musk.
- My opinion of the scent
The scent of this fragrance is really nice, I received this fragrance as a prize before I had chance to smell it in a store and this is a fragrance that I definitely would have bought after smelling it, as it is just the kind of fragrance that I like - although it is more fruity/berry than my other perfumes. My initial thoughts on this fragrance was that it is very spring/summery and also that is was very feminine. Although the addition of the musks and rose make this fragrance feminine and girly but sophisticated as well. The initial scent of this fragrance is really nice, like berries (artificial berries though) and also really quite strong which I like - I hate weak/subtle perfumes. Once the fragrance has time to dry and settle on my skin, it beings to smell a bit more musky but in a good way - a warm, evening musky scent that works well with the fruity/floral notes previously. The main scents I can detect from this fragrance are that of blackcurrent and rose, mainly blackcurrent, with some musky notes too. I would rate the scent overall at 5/5.
- Longevity
The initial scent of this product as I sprayed it on my skin/clothing was really strong so I thought that it would last for a while on my skin, which is what I like, as I don't want to carry around the perfume bottle with me (or a travalo as I don't want to use up the perfume really quickly). The longevity of this fragrance on me is not very long which is really disappointing as it is amazing so far but the fragrance only stays quite strong on my skin/clothing for about three hours. After three hours or so the scent begins to fade and become indetectable fairly quickly, I would say that on me this fragrance lasts for a maximum of five hours - six hours if I spray two/three sprays of perfume. Overall, I love the scent, but the longevity is really quite poor in my opinion as I want a scent to stay for most of the day. Therefore I only really wear this fragrance if I have a short day at university or a shopping day. I would rate the longevity overall at 2/5 unfortunately.
- Price and availability
I did not pay for either of the bottles of this fragrance that I have but this fragrance can be bought as a 30ml bottle from debenhams for £31.50, Boots.co.uk for £34, House of Fraser for £35, Selfridges for £35, John Lewis for £30.50 and the perfume shop for £34.50. This perfume is available in 30ml and 50ml bottles (and I think 75ml bottles too).
Conclusions
Positives
*Scent is gorgeous, feminine, summery and sophisticated
*Bottle design is nice and simple - yet it still looks nice on my dressing table
*Great brand, fairly widely available, not as expensive as some other perfumes
Negatives
*Longevity is not fantastic - it last for a maximum of five to six hours (with the slightest hint of the fragrance after that)
Thank you for reading my review
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