July Favorites

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Review: Benefit Bad Gal Lash

I feel really sorry for Benefit as I begin writing this review because the last few products I've tried of theirs I've kind of bashed on this blog (I do like the Boi-ing concealer though!). I guess I can forget the possibility of them ever sending me a free product to review, lol! ;X At the end of the day though, I didn't create this blog to only write positive reviews, because I don't think that's helpful for anyone, so Benefit will just have to hate me.

With that said, I guess you can probably predict my sentiments toward Benefit's Bad Gal Lash mascara. I received a sample of this product in a set from ULTA (it came with their primer, Stay Don't Stray, and a cream shadow in RSVP) and I was very excited to try it (as I am with any new product!). First thing I noticed: the wand is HUMONGOUS! I'm not just talking a little full, or a little long, this baby is literally the biggest mascara wand I've ever seen in my life. It's almost bigger than my eye! Look at how the wand compares to Lancome's Definicils -- crazy!

Now, some people might think of this feature as a plus, but for me, it just signaled a big mess in application because, contrary to what you would assume from the thought of a larger wand, the size actually makes it more difficult to maneuver to get those tiny inner and outer lashes (meaning you're much more likely to get mascara all over your face/eye).

I probably could have worked around the insanely large wand if it wasn't for the fact that the product really sucks too. To be fair, the product could suck BECAUSE the wand is so inefficient, and I don't have disposable wands to try as an alternative application, but I'll tell you this much: I have pretty long lashes naturally, they're just blond, so I mostly use mascara to darken them up and add some extra length and volume. I've used MANY mascara brands and usually it's a very lickety-split process -- a couple quick coats, some wiggling with the brush and I'm done. With Bad Gal, I stood in front of the mirror a good three times longer than I've done with ANY other mascara struggling to get the product to do anything. After several strokes, it didn't even look like I had applied mascara! I had to dunk the wand several times and coat my lashes over and over, turning the wand around, spinning it, etc. just to get product on my eye lashes. And even then, there was really very little lengthening/volumizing effect to speak of.

Being totally honest here, this is one of the worst mascaras I have ever used. I would never, ever pay the $19 asking price for a full-size product.

Here's one interesting thing to note: this formula also comes in a "slimline" brush if you get the waterproof or brown version. If money was no object, I would pick up one of those varieties in a heartbeat to test it out and see if it's just the funky brush that makes this product so horrible, or if it's truly their formulation. Unfortunately, I don't get paid to review this stuff for you guys, and I don't want to waste $20, so this conundrum will forever remain a mystery unless one of my faithful readers has tried the smaller brush and has something to share. ;)

To Recap:

Pros:

- Um, the packaging is pretty?

Cons:

- Giant brush makes application awkward and difficult, especially when trying to reach smaller inner and outer lashes

- At $19 for the full-size, it's much more expensive than other mascara brands that do a better job

- The formula didn't lengthen, add volume, or darken lashes until I struggled with it for several minutes

Benefit's Bad Gal Lash mascara can be purchased online at www.benefitcosmetics.com, or at Sephora or ULTA.

Nail of the Day: Rumples Wiggin by OPI Shrek Collection

I love, love, love this color! I've never worn lilac nails before, so I was a little nervous when I first applied this polish, but it turns out that Rumples Wiggin by OPI from the Shrek Collection is a great mix -- totally work appropriate, but a bit funky too!

I applied two coats, plus a base coat and top coat from Essie to achieve the look above. In truth, the first coat did go on kind of streaky, but that cleaned up really easily with the second coat to create a nice, even and opaque finish. 

A new fave for sure! 

FREE 15-piece gift at ULTA this week!

This week at http://www.ulta.com/ with any $17.50 ULTA brand purchase (on qualifying products), you'll receive a FREE 15-piece gift with eyeshadows, lipsticks, makeup brushes, polishes, blush/bronzer, liners and more! The gift is available in two shades -- purple and green -- with different products in each. ULTA.com orders also come with 3 free samples AND you can combine their current $3.50 off $10 coupon with the free gift offer (use coupon code 42185 at checkout). I know from past purchases that their free gifts are quite nice, so I would grab this new one while supplies last!

As an extra treat, they also had the Urban Decay Naked palette in stock this morning -- I grabbed one quickly because I know these are going to go super fast!