Tried and tested: Mascaras, brow gels and lip treatments
MASCARAS
Choosing organic mascara doesn’t mean compromising on texture or wear-time. The look is classic and naturally enhanced rather than extreme length or volume. The short-bristle brush creates excellent definition. The brand recommends updating the refillable tube every quarter to safeguard against bacteria buildup.
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Clinique’s new volumising mascara has three intensity ‘settings’ so that, like some wand-happy Goldi-lashes, you can play around till you find one that’s just right. A twist of the dial on the barrel tightens or loosens the wiper of brush-head and controls the amount of mascara that is deposited on the bristles. I really like the look of all three settings.
All mascara tubes should come with magnifying mirrors, it seems forehead-smackingly obvious now I’ve used Volume Reveal. A makeup artist once told me to leave mascara application until the moment before you get out of the car as the product looks best swipe-fresh. What better tool for ensuring flawless lashes on the go than a x3 zoom reflection on your mascara’s packaging?
Polymers perform multiple functions in cosmetics but in mascara they’re all about adherence, forming a flexible film around lashes so they hold a nice shape and don’t flake colour onto the unwilling canvas of your cheeks. Armani bonds their textured-gel polymer with wax for a smoother application that makes clump-free volume easy to build.
This gel comes with a teen-tiny cone shaped brush-head that makes brows easy to shape with cotton buds or separate angled brush. Provided your brow-hair is a colour match, the effect is elegant and extremely natural. I much prefer the look of that of a pencilled-in brow. The gel holds hair in place without tell-tale shine.
If super-thick Delevingne brows are what you’re after, Gimme Brow! delivers. The packaging is similar to Laura Mercier’s, with a tiny mascara wand-like tip that helps you fill brows quickly. The formula is available in three shades similar to Mercier’s (blondes and redheads are bang out of luck) but Benefit’s effect is slightly more voluminous.
The ‘fibre’ in the title of this product is confusing. Makeup fibers aren’t fibres (the kind you get in sensible breakfast cereals). They are, however, meant to build up brow hair or lashes, which Autograph does with some success. The brush is a bit awkward but a neat brow is easily achieved with a cotton bud or angled brush.
Don’t be put off by the word ‘mousse,’ this is a gorgeously silky gel-cream that comes in dark blond, brown and dark chocolate shades. Each shade is richly pigmented and sets to a matte, long-wearing finish. The pale pink highlighter is the same in all three pots and defines the arch beneath the brow with a non-glittery glow.
Salon brand Pevonia Botanica’s treatment is pricey even as luxury lip moisturisers go and this seems to be down to its antioxidant content, as these extracts in high concentrations are more costly than fats and waxes. Fruit and vegetable extracts, panthenol and Vitamin E aid repair and collagen development.
Another antioxidant cocktail, this time by Armani Beauty, doubles as autumn’s most luxurious lip primer. This eye and lip treatment is alcohol-free and only very mildly fragranced. Its buttery texture blurs fine lines and temporarily plumps the skin. Lips are left hydrated without feeling greasy. Dab a little on your cupid’s bow for a subtle highlighting effect.
This protective balm is marketed as a multi-purpose moisturiser in the style of Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream or the Kiwi cult hit Lucas’ Papaw Ointment. The brand claims it has only two ingredients — lanolin and Argan oil. It is certainly fragrance-free and a comforting barrier cream. Argan oil has antioxidant properties. Lanolin is a super-thick emollient derived from the sebaceous glands of sheep.
4/5
This beauty editors’ favourite is best used as an overnight or off-day treatment as its lotion-like texture does not work well under makeup. The formula is packed with fatty acid-rich oils and waxes that soothe dry lips. Well-moisturised lips look naturally plumper, and a number of reparative antioxidants support healthy collagen development in the area. The airtight packaging keeps these ingredients stable and potent.
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