Un-Excepchanel

Hola readers! lately i've been a very busy kitten collecting and testing new products so expect lots of reviews and info-fests in the days to come! today i'm going to be telling you about my experience with Chanel's newest mascara, Exceptionnel de Chanel, $28 (YES, twenty-eight dollars!).

i should first tell you that in this particular case, the marketing got to me 98% and my love of mascara was responsible for the other 2%. i ADORE Chanel-- the clothes, the PURSES! the shoes, the jewelry! the CLOTHES! and the makeup. however, my being a basically champagne-taste on a beer-budget kitten, i don't have the opportunity to own very much Chanel at all. since i'd never owned a Chanel mascara before and heard many good things about them, i decided after seeing the amazing brush that comes with Exceptionnel that i'd jump and go for it once and for all. so after $30 had been liberated from my purse, i blamed it on the lure of the brush, not on my own lack of self control!

so let's get down to this mascara and i'll tell you what it's all about. first off, that wicked brush is a six-sided hybrid of a regular, basic mascara brush and the new silicone-bristled versions popular today. it has short, densely-packed regular bristles (the black ones) that are for amping up lash volume and long, thin silicone bristles (the white ones) that are for separating lashes and encouraging curl. the formula is a thicker, wetter one than i normally like, but that's just personal preference. it comes in four colors (Smoky Noir, Smoky Brun, Smoky Violine and Smoky Marine), and has a special 'rolling' application technique that is recommended. to get a better look at the brush and the how-to on application, go here and check out The Film (for fun), The Design (for a good look at that brush), and The Application Technique (which is self-explanatory).

so my personal experience with the mascara? i'll sum it up in a few words: not worth the money or the time! i hate to spit blaspheme on the name of Chanel but this is just an average volumizing mascara with a very fancy brush (that, btw, doesn't actually DO anything fancy). when i got it home i was so excited to try it out that i immediately washed off the mascara i was wearing and got to work on my application technique. on one eye i applied as i normally do, sweeping straight up, NO WIGGLING, with a light touch, and on the other eye i did the Application de Chanel, which is basically just rolling the wand as you sweep it through so that all sides of the brush come into contact with your lashes. not only did the lashes i did the Chanel application on end up overloaded with product, uncurled (the HORROR!), and clumpy (not in an actual 'clumps of mascara' way but in that other horrible way where several eyelashes fuse together and end up looking spidery and gross), it also was a gigantic pain in the ass to try to do all that rolling and rotating while putting it on. i kept having to pull the brush away from eyes and squint to see what i was hitting my lashes with, long or short? black or white? grrrrr! too much stress for one tube of expensive mascara! i'm going to stick to my beloved Covergirl Volume Exact for days and my Diorshow for nights (a mascara i've had a giant change-of-heart towards lately) and count all my money while laughing maniacally. oops, that's right, Chanel has all of it!

have you tried the new Chanel Exceptionnel mascara? if so, what did you think: heaven for a reasonable price or brush-luring highway robbery? let me know in the comments!

Lash Stash

i just happened to come across this on Sephora's website and wanted to share--swoon! SEVEN mini mascaras for the price of one expensive mascara ($28)?! now that's a collection i can get on board with! there is nothing i enjoy more than buying/testing new mascaras so of course this Lash Stash really gets my blood flowing. only problem is, i've found in several cases (such as Too Faced Lash Injection and Benefit BAD Gal Lash) that the mini versions of some mascaras are NOTHING like their full-sized counterparts. i have no idea how this could be, seeing as how i'm sure the formula is the same (how could it not be?) and the brush is also the same design, but i'm telling you it's the truth. there is no comparison between the mini Lash Injection and the regular one! the mini gives no volume whatsoever and you're left with the most average results you can possibly imagine. i've never tried the full-sized BAD Gal Lash, but the mini didn't give me any volume or length, either, and i know that the original is supposed to give you mega-lashes. any ideas on why the smaller packaging changes the final results of the mascara?

Iconic Show

so readers, today i got the scoop on a new DiorShow mascara, and i'm not sure but i think i might be the first person to be reporting on this! i just saw it today at Nordstrom's and my eyes almost popped out of my head because it looks VERY PROMISING!

Iconic Show is it's name and it's housed in a very sleek, glam silver tube (it looks a lot like the white tube pictured to the right except it's silver) and it has a silicone brush that has bristles on it in rows at an angle...kind of like rows of little silicone bristles spiraling around the wand! i didn't get a chance to try it on my lashes (because by that time i had already piled on about 15 different mascaras!) but just the appearance of it looks very exciting! the silicone bristles are short, small, and placed very close together, which makes me think that it would be EXCELLENT at lengthening, separating, and fanning out your lashes instead of spiderfying them like the original DiorShow. now i know i might get flamed for that prior statement because many, many people adore the regular DiorShow, but i've tried with three different tubes and several formulations (regular, waterproof, Ultimate, Blackout) and none of them have really wow'ed me the way they're supposed to. i have searched far and wide online and can't find one picture of Iconic Show or any information on it, but i did call a Dior employee and they told me that this new mascara is slated for a Fall release and isn't available for purchase now; it's currently being displayed in the stores to create a buzz and so people can lust after it (i'm guessing). strange because i don't remember the Dior SA i talked to today in Nordstrom's telling me i couldn't buy it...but that's what the Dior person said on the phone. so, very exciting news for those of us who don't yet have a DiorShow mascara to call our own!

if anyone has tested out Iconic Show at their local Nordie's, let me know how you like it! and remember, you heard this fresh-off-the-counter news here, first! ;D

Colossal Lashes

the other day as i was strolling through Walgreen's my eyes focused on a giant, neon yellow display of new mascara! as you may guess, my heart started beating double-time and i was shamefully running to the checkout counter moments later, new mascara in hand. what was this mascara you ask? none other than Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express, $7.99! this is obviously Maybelline's version of Cover Girl Lash Blast; after that mascara's wild success they must have been desperate to put out a competitor! i wish Maybelline would have had the guts to go a different way, though-- everything from the chubby, neon tube to the huge brush and the promise of super thick lashes just screams "Lash Blast copycat!" however, in my opinion Colossal Volum' Express easily beats Lash Blast hands down! it is a much better mascara.

we'll start off with the brush: it's fairly big, but not so big that it's impossible to use (i'm talking to YOU, DiorShow!). surprisingly, Colossal Volum' Express did not follow suit with all the newer mascaras and use rubber bristles, it has a regular 'teddy bear' brush with old-school bristles. i bought Glam Black, and i'm not sure how it differs from Classic Black or Soft Black (the other color offerings in this mascara), but it's a very nice, dark and sooty matte black, very pleasing! there is nothing worse to this Kitty than a dull gray mascara that claims to be black. as for the application, after i carefully curled my lashes (a must!) i swept this on without wiggling as usual, and had no problems with clumpage or overloaded lashes. it took me two coats to get the coverage i like, and although sometimes two coats results in thick, spiderly lashes with other mascaras, Colossal Volum' thankfully didn't go that route. the results i got were very long, very dark and just-thick-enough lashes that looked nice and feathery and stayed curled fairly well. all in all, i would give this mascara a 7/10. it's very nice, and i will definitely throw it into my mascara rotation, but it didn't WOW me the way i was hoping it would. i still prefer my drugstore favorite, Cover Girl Volume Exact, over Colossal Volum' Express, but that's not to say that this isn't a very worthwhile mascara. it's definitely worth a try at under $10, and i'd happily recommend it.

above picture of the mascara wand courtesy of peacegiraffe on Make Up Alley.

Oscillation Fascination

ok, so if you haven't already read on a billion other beauty blogs, this is Lancome's new Oscillation Mascara, set to launch in Fall 2008. so what's with all the buzz on this mascara? well, it's because it actually buzzes! yes, this mascara gives no less than 7,000 vibrations per minute to give you 360 degree lash coverage which i guess equals a perfect fringe. what i'd love to know is how adding vibrations to a rubber-bristled mascara brush is going to make my lashes look perfect? wouldn't it just make it harder to get an even application? wouldn't the buzzing cause many mascara mess-ups? i'd love to know what you all think, so...

Almost Perfects

happy weekend readers! today i'm going to start by reviewing Fresh's Supernova Mascara, $25. we all know that i'm a certifiable mascara FIEND, and i'd like to start reviewing each and every mascara that i buy/try so that you can always come to The Pretty Kitty and do a search if you're looking for an opinion on a particular mascara! i like to attempt to try almost every mascara known to man, so keep your eyes peeled for many mascara reviews, and please add your own opinions in the comments section if you've tried the mascara i've posted about, too! now onto the goods...

life is full of things that are almost perfect, but not quite there...the jeans that would be heaven-sent if they were just a half a size bigger, the boots that would be killer if the heel were just a touch higher, the delicious ice cream that you could gorge on if only it were sugar/fat/calorie free...and you use and accept them because their good qualities win out over their bad, right? i call these the Almost Perfects, and there are a lot of makeup products that fit into this category. read on for two prime examples!

if you're looking for a nice, dark black, day-to-night formula, Fresh's Supernova Mascara is almost too good to be true. if you can afford to spend over twenty dollars on a tube of mascara, this is a good way to go. the formula is very sooty matte black and dramatic without being clump-heavy. i find that if applied with a light hand (a must in all mascara application to avoid clumps, spider lashes, and withering curl) this mascara holds a curl fairly well and and keeps lashes defined and feathery without being too thick or spidery. it also lengthens fairly well, and the overall results are beautiful! the formula contains panthenol, protective linden extract, and nourishing meadowfoam oil to condition and strengthen your lashes so they stay as long and thick as possible. the downfall? i find that this mascara tends to flake quite a bit as the day goes on. now, this is something i probably wouldn't mind so much if i didn't take a considerable amount of time to perfectly conceal my dark circles, but since i do, i can't be wiping at my undereye area and disturbing my concealer throughout the day! all mascaras flake a teensy, tiny bit, and i can handle that, but these flakes are a few too many for a mascara that'll cost you $25. because of the flake-age, Supernova gets an 8/10 from me, and is firmly filed under Almost Perfect.

next up is Maybelline's Define-A-Brow Eye Brow Pencil, $6.50 (at Walgreen's website). this slender green pencil caught my eye because it looked a lot like the Prescriptives Groom Stick for Brows, $18.50, that i had been thinking about buying recently, but at a fraction of the price! much like Prescriptives Groom Stick, the Maybelline Define-a-Brow pencil is very, very thin which allows for a more precise application to the brows. the thinner the pencil, the more easily you can apply to just the area you want to fill in, and the more natural the results. the color i chose, Light Blonde, would be perfect for anyone with hair ranging from platinum blonde to light brown to grey to auburn (my current shade). i think the name is a bit misleading because the color of the pencil is definitely not too light, it's the perfect shade of taupe to flatter a variety of brow colors-- not too warm but not too cool either, it seems to be a perfect match! i really like the mechanical aspect of the pencil, because sharpening is a giant pain in the arse and very messy, too. the pencil is easily blended, waterproof, stays on all day, and looks very natural. the downfall? the texture of the pencil is so soft that you have to stop several times while doing each brow to turn the dial and produce more product! not so terrible, but since the pencil is so soft, it will be used up very quickly, probably in less than a month! for $6.50 and only .05 grams, this is actually not such a great deal if you need to buy a new pencil each month. also, the dinky plastic comb on the end of the pencil is virtually useless! it doesn't blend the product into your brows whatsoever, so you have to lug a separate brow brush around in your makeup bag for application. close, but no cigar. the Wet'n'Wild Kohl Brow-Eyeliner Pencil in Taupe 648 that i reviewed here performs just as well for a lot more product at a fraction of the cost, and i would definitely buy it again before i'd repurchase the Define-A-Brow pencil.

are there any products that you consider Almost Perfects? if you find a makeup item that you adore but it has a fault, do you keep using it or continue your search for the perfect one? let me know in the comments!

Cheap Thrills (AKA The Anti-Wiggle Post)

hey all! so in case you're wondering why this isn't a knock-down, drag-out review of everything i loved and hated about SATC: The Movie, i'm just a bit SATC'd out at the moment, i'm going to really get into it in a day or so here so check back. if you're sick to death of the SATC obsessing, then here's some makeup obsessing to fill the void ;D

i might as well have just called this blog "One Woman's Obsessive Compulsive Journey Through a Thousand Tubes of Mascara" because there is quite a bit of time focused on lash-worthy products! i promise i'll branch out, but i'm just eager to share the things i've learned with all of you, my lovely readers, and since i never stop buying mascara, it seems that a good portion of my knowledge lies there... anyways, i know that a lot of readers (myself included) don't always have $25 to spend on a tube of mascara that only lasts a few months, so i want you to know that there are really, really good buys waiting for you at the drugstore! you can look like a real-life Betty Boop with a mascara that costs less than $10, i swear! i have tested tons, and two of my all-time favorites are...

1. Cover Girl Volume Exact Mascara, $5.99. this was the first rubber bristle brush mascara that ever worked for me, and i have really grown to love it! you know how people always describe certain mascaras as giving 'false lash' results? well they are usually talking about an ultra volumizing, super dramatic and most of the time clumpy mascara. if you actually look at a pair of false lashes, they don't look a thing like that! they are very long, wispy, feathery, and defined looking. each lash is perfectly separated and curled. CG Volume Exact mascara will actually give you 'false lash' results! this mascara coats each lash and gets right down to the root, something especially important if, like myself, you have naturally blonde lashes. it never clumps, and your lashes don't get fused together as long as you take your time applying and use a light touch, something invaluable in mascara application. we're always taught through magazines and makeup artists advice that the way to apply mascara is to wedge the brush into your lash base and then wiggle it up and out through our lashes, right? well i used to always apply my mascara this way and could never understand why my lashes clumped, couldn't hold a curl, and just generally looked like crap. let me tell you why: applying mascara that way overloads your lashes with product and does NOT give you your best result. maybe if you have really long, thick lashes to begin with the wiggle method works well for you, but for those of us not blessed with naturally thick lashes, it's not the magic method! if you've been applying your mascara using the wiggle method forever and think i'm crazy, do me a favor and just try this out one time: curl your lashes, grab your mascara wand and *LIGHTLY* brush through your lashes without wiggling at all. just wedge the bristles into your lash base and sweep straight up, being very careful to only gently touch the bristles to your lashes as you sweep. repeat a few times until you're happy with your results. this will put on the perfect amount of mascara on your lashes so that they don't stick together and they stay curled perfectly. anyhow, back to CG Volume Exact-- this mascara holds a curl so well it makes me want to jump up and down! to me, one of the most important qualities a mascara can possess is being able to really lock in the curl i spend 5 minutes pressing into my lashes. this one does not dissapoint. as a matter of fact, for the last week straight i've ignored every other mascara and only used this one, quite a feat for a person who usually uses a different one each day. Volume Exact is cheap, doesn't dry out quickly whatsoever, and works brilliantly. it's very black and doesn't flake or smudge at all, yet easily melts off with soap and water at the end of the day. pretty much perfection by my standards! next up, another mascara that deserves a 10 out of 10...

2. Rimmel Lycra Lash Extender Mascara, $6.49. another mascara that gives you a real 'false lash' look, this slim black tube houses a powerful lash glamorizer! after reading countless gushing reviews on MUA, i decided to pick up this mascara and try it out for myself. at the time i was on a very narrow-minded path with mascaras as i was only interested in super volumizing formulas, so getting a mascara that was specifically marketed for lengthening lashes was a stretch (no pun intended) for me. let's just say i was not the least bit disappointed! this mascara actually has lycra in it to help stretch and lengthen your lashes, and boasts the ability to hold your curl for 14 hours, which it lives up to! the swirling-shaped tube feels very substantial in your hand as you're applying and the thickly bristled brush sweeps the formula through lashes perfectly with no clumps in sight! the only time i've had any smearing or flaking with this mascara is when i fall asleep in it, and even then it's nothing a moistened Q-tip can't handle. the results you get when using this mascara are long, separated, defined, fluttery lashes that stay curled until you decide to wash your face. it is truly a phenomenal drugstore find! i've even gotten my mom attached to this mascara and she is a no-muss, no-fuss kind of gal who would never put up with a mascara that required too much effort!

so if you're finding yourself in desperate need of a new tube of mascara but with insufficient funds for a trip to Sephora, never fear! the Pretty Kitty is here to help you find your way!

what are your favorite cheap thrills? let me know in the comments!

Cover Girl Volume Exact mascara and Rimmel Lycra Lash mascara are both available at drugstores everywhere and their respective websites, which are linked above.

mascara showdown!

today for your viewing pleasures, i will be comparing two of the newest drugstore mascaras! if, like myself, you find it almost impossible to pass up a shiny new tube of mascara while waiting to have your prescription filled, then read on!

up first is Milani's new Power Lash, a mascara that promises to thicken and volumize, giving you high drama, clump-free and virtually unsmudgeable lashes. it has an old-school bristle packed brush which is very big and fluffy(think Diorshow or Too Faced Lash Injection). i find the name and advertising for this mascara to be very misleading because it did not give me 'power lashes' by any means. the consistency of the mascara is on the thinner side, and to get any volume i had to apply two coats, allow dry time, and then apply a third. one or two coats of this mascara gives nicely defined, natural looking daytime lashes but a third coat still doesn't really amp it up enough for evening, either. i have experienced no smudging or clumping, and the mascara is very comfortable to apply, meaning i had no problem building layers while avoiding spider lashes. also a good thing, Power Lash leaves your lashes very soft and smooth to the touch, almost completely bare feeling! it's curl holding ability is average, not amazing hold but enough to keep my lashes visible, which is VERY important to me as i am a super-strength-lash-curler. i would (and will) definitely rock this mascara for my daytime look, but it would not be enough to make an impact. the only shade i saw was Black 101, which is black but not as rich or deep as it could be, and when applied to my bottom lashes, they remained almost totally invisible. this is a huge pet peeve of mine, so shame on you Milani! darken up your formula and you'd have a fabulous natural mascara! i'd give this mascara a 7 out of 10, above average and almost really good but not quite there yet...

up next is L'oreal's Voluminous Naturale, the newest product in the growing line of Voluminous mascaras. this mascara boasts an ability to provide natural looking volume and definition with zero clumping, and even has a built-in 'clean sweep brush system' that wipes each and every bristle perfectly clean for an even, clump-free application. the brush it comes with (seen to the right) is one of the newer, plastic bristle brushes but also has the same kind of flexibility as Maybelline's Define-a-Lash mascara. i was a little skeptical about buying this mascara because i am NOT a fan of the regular Voluminous, which i think is spidery, clumpy, and a lot more trouble than it's worth, but since this one promised to be 'lightweight' i caved. what a pleasant surprise! this mascara is very nice, has a great dark black color, and applied very easily with no clumping at all. this was my first experience with a flexible brush and although i can't say i loved it, it definitely didn't impede the application. no double-dipping of the brush was necessary, and also there was no need to wipe off the tip of the brush where that little mascara build-up can sometimes occur. the 'clean sweep brush system' must be working! i would say that the finished result of this mascara was also a daytime look, but that's fine with me because i don't want crazy volume when it's light out, just clean-looking, dark and defined lashes. curl holding ability was also average, which is the only bad point i can see so far in this mascara, because i like my lashes to stay curled STRAIGHT up all day long (yes, i'm one of THOSE girls!). the plastic bristles on the brush made it very easy to get right to the root of my eyelashes, which is important when you have blonde lashes, so that's something i definitely appreciated. when applied to my lower lashes, they looked long, dark, and not at all spider-like! score! i have also had no flaking or smudging so far. i'd say this mascara clocks in at a 7.5 out of 10 for me. at around $8 a tube, i would definitely give Voluminous Naturale my stamp of approval, and will be using it frequently from now on (although i probably won't repurchase because i like to try something new EVERY time! no brand loyalty for me!) to get a great looking, natural lash look.

so the winner? probably the L'oreal, although mascara is something that's so personal that it's hard to say if you would feel the same way. but actually, both mascaras were above average, so you can't really go too wrong choosing between the two. happy mascara'ing to you!

paint it black

i am a mascara maniac, self proclaimed and self indulging! i've always loved long, thick, sexy lashes but in the last 2 years i've become abnormally obsessed with the quest for lash perfection. i thought i had finally found my Holy Grail with Dior Maximeyes mascara until, alas, it was discontinued and torn from my possession after only owning it twice. since then, there have been many mascara failures, 'meh' moments, and hopefuls, but until this Japanese gem came along i haven't even considered buying anything twice.

Imju Fiberwig mascara is the REAL DEAL when it comes to imitating the look of falsies. the company explains that "Fiberwig is made up of two types of extra thin nylon fibers; a short and a long fiber. The short and long fibers intertwine to form a light and smooth film coating that gently surrounds and seals unto your lashes. As the fibers seal unto your lashes, they seal unto each other. As a result the extended fiber lashes give your natural lashes the appearance of extreme length!" and honey, they aren't kidding.

this mascara delivers length like i've never seen before! you apply from roots to tip (but i HIGHLY advise against wiggling, more on that later) and then continue applying to just your lash tips until they are extended to your liking. my scrawny lashes touch my brows when i am wearing this mascara! not only that, but it is AMAZING at holding a curl! your curl will NOT budge with this mascara! volume-wise, Fiberwig won't give you a ton of thickening, but coming from a girl who once sought out the most volumizing mascara she could find, you won't miss it. it definitely thickens some, and the finished result is purely perfection! and, since it's one of the tube mascaras (similar to Blinc's Kiss Me mascara, the first of the 'tube' variety), it's waterproof and smudge-proof without requiring a heavy duty eye makeup remover. when you're ready to remove, all you do is wet your lashes with some warm water and gently wiggle the tubes off. the Fiberwig lash tubes absorb the water and swell, making them easy to slide right off.

if you're a mascara freak like myself or are just looking for a reliable, non-smudging and lash lengthening mascara, give Fiberwig a try. you can find it at Sephora, Amazon.com, and Japan (for much cheaper i've heard!) if you're lucky enough to visit. the price is a kind of steep $22, but it's so worth it.