Hype Theatre: Yves saint Laurent Touche Eclat

image from sephora.com

Initial thoughts:
The tube that I got from Sephora appears to maybe be used.  The brush is was mostly clean, but some of the product was squirted out.  I cleaned the brush off, and it took 7 more clicks for more product to come out, instead of the 30 that the product claims to take the first time it is used.  I am weary that I used the product that came out of the brush afterwards without doing a full clean of the brush, but since most of the brush head was pristine, and the product did take 7 more clicks, I am currently chalking this mystery up to elevation changes or the product banging around in the box.

The product itself is creamy, thicker than I imagined it would be, but still more liquid in texture.  I would say it feels a lot like a liquid foundation.  "One click" (read above) was enough for both of my undereyes, my nose bridge, and a little on my cupid's bow and my chin.  While on first glance it appeared to do nothing, stepping away from the mirror and looking again a little later showed that it did in fact help my undereyes a little.  The rest was of course not noticeable, but a good highlighter should not be.  I used the brush to apply, and my fingers to blend.

Try numbers two and three:
Still taking about 7 clicks per time to use.  Starting to think that I have a defective container, but other than that it is perfectly use able.  Kinda nice in a weird way, since I know that banging around in my bag is not going to cause it to just come out on its own.

Still getting the hang of the product, but not in a negative way.  The consistency of this is way better than any dupe that I have used.  It really does not creep into lines, instead seeming to just absorb into the skin that it is pressed into.  This makes me sad in a way, since that means that all that money I spent on drugstore dupes was useless, and would have been better served being put into this.

Try number 4:
So I still think this doesn't do a whole lot, but am still really liking the product as a whole.  This is indeed great for travel, and does well in "oh crap, I look like death right now, and have a minute to get ready" times.

Overall:
Product: 4/5 - As a highlighter it doesn't do too much, but the consistency and ease of use make up for that.  It looks natural on the skin as long as you don't use too much, no creeping around, and doesn't break me out.
Packaging: 3/5 - I both like and dislike the click pen.  It is great for travel, and for quick applications, but cleaning the brush is hard, and not being able to tell the amount that is left in the container is really not fun.
Price: 3/5 - I think this product is too expensive for what it is.  On sale it is not as bad, but the amount that you get does not warrant the price in my opinion.
Overall rating: 3.5 - If you can get this on sale, you might want to give it a try.  Just remember, this is a highlighter, not a concealer.  I wish the pen came with more product, and that there was a way to tell how much was left in a pen.

Hype Theatre: Lancome Juicy Tubes Smoothie

image from sephora.com

Good evening (or morning, whatever).  Welcome to Hype Theatre, where we examine the most hyped about products, and see whether they are worth the hype surrounding them, are just average, or are downright crap.

Today we will be examining Lancome Juicy Tubes Smoothie, the lipgloss that many women claim is their HG, the best of the best, and worth its weight in gold.

I originally received these as samples and gifts with purchase (and gifted gifts with purchase.  Thanks mom!).  While I did not receive full tubes of this product, I do have enough to make at least 3 full sized tubes, so this product has been thoroughly tested.  This product currently sells for $18 for .5oz (14.6g).

The color that I am mainly reviewing today is Coral Rush, what I would call a more coral watermelon flesh color, with subtle gold sparkle.  This particular shade shows as a light pink with a slight orange pull on my lips, very nice, and goes well with warmer weather, though it should work well in fall/winter.

The gloss squeezes out of the tube with no problem, and is not runny (think Bonnie Bell here).  Juicy Tubes gloss is more thick, and while more difficult to apply than many, is not impossible.  The color is sheer, but does show up, so a thick layer to see the color is not necessary.

The overall texture is not as sticky as, say, MAC Lipglass, but it is by no means non-sticky, like many claims want you to believe.  This is definitely in the category of "tie your hair back if it is windy, and you are wearing this gloss."  Like I stated, it is not as sticky as a lipglass, so there is less need to worry when, say, drinking tea, but there is transfer.  My lips do not stick together unattractively, and there is none of that tell-tale gloss threads when talking (you know what I'm talking about, they look kinda like spider-silk).  The stickier texture allows this gloss to stay on for a longer amount of time than it otherwise would, but it doesn't appear to have very long staying power, fading at about the 2-3 hour mark, depending on how much talking, eating, and drinking actually took place.

While there is no creeping into fine lines for me, there is a little migration that happens towards the outside of my lips.  Also, this gloss does not fade gracefully, getting stickier and more blotchy as time passes, until eventually it needs to be removed.  I cannot layer new gloss on top of old, and removal required something stronger than a paper tissue, and perhaps more elbow grease than I an comfortable exposing my lips to multiple times in a single day.

Overall, this is not worth the hype, and I would claim this is an average product.  The price is pretty reasonable compared to others in the same market (like MAC Lipglass at $14 for .17oz, Shiseido The Makeup Lip Gloss at $21 for .15oz), but compared to others in a tube (like philosophy at $10 for .5oz, Sephora Super Shimmer Lip Gloss $10 for .5 oz, Urban Decay XXX Shine Lip Gloss $16 for .4oz), it is a little high for what you are actually getting.  Those are just mid-high end glosses, as well; drugstore makeup, which I would consider to be of similar quality, is much cheaper.

Hype Theatre deems this:
Product: Not worth the hype, just average.
Price: Complete crap.