I’m such a sucker for cute packaging and pretty colors, so it should come as no surprise that I’m totally digging the new Heidi Klum makeup line at Victoria’s Secret. My favorite products so far are the lipstick and the eyeliner, but really the whole line is great. From the website:

Introducing the limited-edition Heidi Collection 2009, Exotic Jewels. Inspired by Heidi’s life-changing trip to the spiritual city of Varanasi, India, it’s her most personal creation yet. The collection interprets her exotic discoveries into a sparkling and rich palette of irresistible shades in packaging as beautiful and precious as Heidi’s favorite jewels.

The eyeliner is a dark, almost black, purple  silver sparkles.  The color shows as an almost black on skin, but not quite. The silver sparkles are subtle, and aren’t too much for daytime wear. If you’re looking for super-sparkle, you won’t find it here, but if you want something more subtle, it’s perfect.

I like the lipstick, because it has a creamy texture and a great neutral brownish pink  sort of color. It’s a darker shade but not crazy dark. It’s a fun color when you want something with a little drama, but not too over the top. I like the texture.

Isn’t the packaging on the Luminous Face Powder Gems so pretty? The product is basically a darker, more colorful version of Guerlain’s Meteorites, and comes in a cardboard container like the Meteorites. I think the jeweltones and gold trim on the box really beat out the Meteorites packaging, though. It’s a nice blush, perfect for adding a bit of color that isn’t too bright. Buy it for the box, keep it for the product!

The mascara is a nice purple color, but isn’t anything particularly special, in my opinion. It gets the job done, but didn’t knock my socks off particularly. Likewise with the lip gloss. It’s nice, but not something I can’t live without.

I haven’t tried the eyeshadow palette, but the colors are very pretty. It also has really pretty packaging, continuing with the gold and jewel theme from the other products.

Overall, I’ve had a lot of fun playing with these products, and I think the packaging is so pretty! The quality is nice and the colors are fun. Try the eyeliner!

I recently have been using Rimmel Glam’Eyes Lash Flirt Mascara, and I’m a little bit on the fence about it. Read on for my thoughts!

I have a pretty short list of demands when it comes to mascara. I want it to be dark, I want it to be flake and smudge-free, I want it to be volumizing, and I want it to give good separation. Rimmel meets these needs, but does have a few drawbacks as well.

The brush is this neato comb/brush thingy, with four rows of the bristles. The formula is very smooth, with no clumps or globs that stick to the brush. The brush does a nice job separating the lashes and coating them evenly with the mascara. It’s nice and dark, and overall I’m pleased with the dramatic (but not over the top) look that results from this mascara.

On the negative side, I get mascara on my eyelids above the lashline if I’m not SUPER careful when applying it, which is annoying. It also does seem to be really susceptible to smudging if my eyes water at all, which isn’t a problem with most mascaras I’ve tried. It means it comes off super-easy when I wash my face, but as my eyes water a lot, this is kind of a bad thing.

The two strikes aren’t enough to put me off finishing up my tube, but I can only give it one thumb up. Your mileage may vary.

I’m in love. Again. I know, it seems like I fall in love with a new mascara every time I try one. But this time I really mean it! (At least until next time…) The dearly beloved in question is L’Oreal’s Extra Volume Collagen mascara.

Extra Volume Collagen is a volumizing mascara (duh!) that promises “extreme volume” and “12x More Impact Instantly.” Now, I’ve mentioned this a time or two before, but tossing numbers out in relation to something like lash volume fails to impress me. 12x more impact? Than what? No mascara? How does one go about measuring that? Ehhhhh? Anyway, I’m definitely all about ACTUAL RESULTS, and that can only be achieved by putting the mascara to the test.

Let’s recap my ideal mascara: volume without clumping, smooth formula with no globs, not too wet or sticky, and I crave lots of lash definition. I want each lash to stand out! Does L’Oreal Extra Volume Collagen pass the test! Yes!

It features a brush that is soft, but designed to grab each of your lashes to coat them evenly and separate them. Supposedly, something called hydra-collagen is responsible for “plumping” your lashes. I personally think it gets the job done because of the super-smooth formula that glides over my lashes, evenly coating them and drawing them out with fabulous separation!

Sadly, there is a tiny fly in my ointment. I’ve noticed with some brushes I’m more likely to end up getting the mascara dabbed on my eyelids just above the lashline – I think it happens with longer-bristled brushes that poke past the lashes to the eyelids. This is one of those brushes. However, having figured this out, I just take a little more care with application to avoid the problem. It’s definitely NOT a deal-breaker for me.

Two thumbs up for L’Oreal Extra Volume Collagen mascara!

I recently had the opportunity to try out L’Oreal’s newest mascara Telecopic Explosion, which will be available in stores in November. It has its pros and cons, but overall I give it two thumbs up!

The first thing you will notice about this mascara is the brush. It has a special ball-shaped brush, very similar to the brush used in Givenchy’s Phenomen’Eyes mascara. The advantage of this brush is that you can get into the corners of your eyes to easily coat those lashes. Also, the smaller size means you have to spend time doing your lashes in sections instead of all at once, like you would with a bigger brush. This could be a good thing or a bad thing – it does take more time.

However, this painstaking attention to detail means your lashes will be amazingly fanned out and defined. There is a learning curve involved. It took me about three tries to really get the hang of using the brush to its best advantage to get the defined look and long length I wanted (without having to crack out the lash comb). Also, since it is rather time-consuming, this probably won’t be an everyday kind of mascara, but rather the go-to product for special occasions and days when I have time to spend doing my makeup.

The formula is good – no flaking or smudging, and it stays put all day. It’s not too thick or thin, but has just the right consistency to coat your lashes without clumps. Having tried this one, I don’t feel a need to drop $28 bucks on the Givenchy original – I think this budget copy probably does everything the Givenchy does, for a lot less dough.

Overall, I approve of this mascara. For a high-drama look, this definitely delivers the goods!

I seem to be reviewing a lot of mascara lately, and so far they’ve all been really good. Either mascara has gotten better since the last time I tried a whole bunch of them, or I’m really lucky.

Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Mascara is billed as a “lash plumper.” It features a “patented fat-inject formula and extreme Double-D brush” to plump every lash. So basically, it’s a volumizing mascara that’s supposed to give you fuller lashes. It comes in both regular and waterproof formulas (I haven’t tried the waterproof) and is currently $11.19 at Drugstore.com.

How does it work? It works pretty good! It has the same plastic brush as other popular mascaras, which does do a nice job of coating lashes without clumping. It doesn’t flake or smudge during the day, and the black is nicely black.

I find it acceptable, although I think I still prefer Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Mascara as my favorite drugstore mascara.

I picked up a few more makeup items on a recent foray into The Body Shop, and I’m really pleased! I went in specifically looking for blue eyeshadow, and left with the eyeshadow as well as some body butters (to get the free gift!). The gift with purchase included a new mascara, so of course I had to try it!

I wanted to check out the eyeshadows, because I’m looking for a pale blue. The one I got isn’t exactly the shade I’m looking for, but was close enough. It’s one of the Eye Shimmers, the Indigo shade. The Eye Shimmers are cool – they all look basically white in the pan, but with a definite colored sheen, and they go on the skin in an iridescent glow of color. Very pretty!

The day I shopped, they were offering this as a gift with purchase in store, with $25 purchase.  The gift includes a medium size clutch, with a travel sized Vitamin E Moisture Cream, a mini High Shine Lip Treatment in Gold, a mini Divide & Multiply Mascara, and a mini Total Energy Exhilarating Body Wash.

The mascara is pretty good. Apparently while I was off being obsessed with Bourjois mascaras, the rest of the cosmetics world was busy developing their own really good formulas. This one is supposed to really separate and lengthen your lashes, and it gets the job done. It’s not my favoritest new favorite of all the mascaras I’ve tried lately, but it’s worth checking out if you’re shopping at TBS and need to add something to get the gift with purchase…

The new Wild Cherry body butter is pretty nice, although the scent doesn’t light my fire like the Raspberry one does.  I got a mini one in this trio gift set, although I really kind of wish it had a Strawberry instead of the Pink Grapefruit – I know, I want everything, don’t I? Also annoying me right now is the fact that I just finished a mini Strawberry butter and I have another one here somewhere… but I can’t find it! Argh! Anyway, The Raspberry still reigns supreme in my heart, closely followed by the Strawberry, and then the Wild Cherry.

It’s a good time to hit the Body Shop, they have 25% off gift sets, so you can get your favorite products at value prices. Score!

Despite the fact that there is a Kohl’s between me and work, I haven’t been in ages. Now I have to go investigate, because of how much I like this Flirt! Mascara called Lash-a-delic. Apparently it is limited edition, so I suggest you snatch this puppy up PRONTO.

It’s a lash defining formula, that comes in three shades – blue, brown, and black. So far I’ve tried the black and the brown – the black is excellent, very rich and deep. The brown is a good brown, perfect for those with darker lashes who want something subtle and good for lighter lashes too. I haven’t tried the blue, but it looks to be a bright shade like Benefit BadGal Blue.

What I like the most about it is how perfectly it separates each lash so you have long, lush, defined lashes. I’m sort of obsessed with this since I have naturally long lashes and don’t really need length. It also wears well, no flaking or smudging during the day. Last of all, no clumping. It’s a very smooth formula.

If the rest of the Flirt! products are this good, I’ll be very tickled!