Victoria's Secret VS PRO Lasting FX Eyeshadow Primer

For the longest time, the makeup section at my local Victoria's Secret was empty. The other day, when I went, they had finally added new products!

One thing that caught my eye which they didn't carry before was the new VS PRO makeup line. Supposedly these are all products that are used backstage at the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and now made readily available for the public. I am running out of Urban Decay Primer Potion (and I'm not the biggest fan of it either), so I really wanted to try the new VS PRO Lasting FX Eyeshadow Primer. What made up my mind was the realization that this primer is only $8 for 0.28 oz. EIGHT FREAKIN' DOLLARS! Compare that to Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Prime Time Eyelid Primer, which is $16 for 0.05 oz, or Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which is $17 for 0.35 oz, or everyone's favorite, UDPP, $17 for 0.34 oz. Though the latter have slightly more product, they cost over twice as much. Nothing at Sephora can beat the Victoria's Secret price.

The primer comes in a nice plastic tube with a narrow point. The product itself is a light nude color and has a very creamy, non-greasy consistency. A little goes a LONG way with this product, and it dries to a smooth, matte, nearly invisible finish--unlike Urban Decay Primer Potion, which can feel rubbery and unevenly dispersed on my eyelid. The shade of the primer matches with my skin shade (MAC NC20ish, not sure about the exact shade since I've gotten paler since I last went to MAC) and seems to have a some color correcting properties.

I primarily use eyeshadow primer to prevent my eyeliner and mascara from smudging because my eyelids are pretty oily. Secondly, I use it to keep my eyeshadow from creasing on my folds. To really test it out its eye priming abilities, I lined my upper and lower waterlines with black eyeliner, used non-waterproof mascara on my upper and lower lashline, and applied dark eyeshadow before going out at night. The primer really held up my eyeshadow all night, and I had no smudging underneath my eyes from the mascara. Also, I thought that it helped my eyeshadow look more vibrant than usual, and it did prevent creasing. As for the eyeliner on my lower waterline, it ran a little bit, but I still have to test this primer out some more under multiple situations.

I will report back with my final conclusions on my next post, but I just wanted to share the good news immediately!

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2008

OK, I couldn't keep away from here for too long, but I just had to write this entry. While procrastinating, I was completely blown away by the makeup and fashion at this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. This is definitely my favorite they've done so far.

Some highlights (click to enlarge!):




Channeling Artemis and Athena - soft, whimsical girlie pieces mixed with tough leather straps and Grecian buckles.




Selita Ebanks was on FIRE! Quite possibly the hottest Angel of the night.



Romantic black lace in a steely gray ensemble.



Adorable Miranda Kerr. If Selita was the sex kitten, Miranda was the sweetheart.




The PINK line was very cute, with a lot of sassiness.





LOVE the roses woven into the wood corset and mini hoopskirt, and the sparkly spiderweb wings! Gorgeous. The wings this year were truly works of art--another was composed of tiny fluttering butterflies! Unfortunately, I couldn't find a photo.



Haute couture ruffles mimicking peonies, continuing the flower motif.


If you missed the show, you can still watch it online here.
Definitely check it out! Not sure if you can watch it outside of the US though...

Makeup wise, this year's look was very minimalistic and angelic looking--just what I like. You could definitely wear this look to the office, to school--any daytime function--and look great. My break down is as follows:

1. Nude, shimmery eyes. Light golds, taupe, champagne, and even olives were used all over eyelids and brought dramatically into the tear ducts and under half of the lower lashline for an innocent, doe eyed look. Eyes were tightlined with dark brown liner, slightly winged out at the ends, finished by a couple coats of mascara.
2. Contoured and highlighted cheeks. If any bronzer was applied, it was definitely applied with a light hand under the cheekbones, at the temples, along the bridge of the nose, and around the chin. The emphasis was on highlighting the cheeks--again, champagne and warm frosty colors were exaggerated at the upper halves of the cheeks right up to under the temples. The cheeks were topped off with a peachy pink blush at the apples.
3. Peachy pink lips. To match the cheeks, peach and pink lipcolor was applied. To recreate the look, I'd apply lipstick or lipliner, before topping it off with gloss. You can mix and match the peach and pink however best for your skintone. A peach base with pink gloss would probably work for cool tones, and a pink base with peach gloss would probably work for warm tones.


I wish I had time to experiment with this look right now, but I have to get back to work!

Victoria's Secret So Sexy Shampoo and Conditioner, Hair Reviver Towelettes Review

A couple months ago, I picked up a bottle of the Victoria's Secret Nourishing Shampoo and Volumnizing Conditioner because I'd heard great things about the hair line. I didn't have a chance to sample them until recently. At first, I was quite doubtful about the effectiveness...didn't think Victoria's Secret hair products would be on par with salon products.

You may have noticed I said Nourishing Shampoo and Volumnizing Conditioner. Yes, I purchased two different types. I didn't want a super clarifying shampoo because my hair is long and thin, so it can get pretty dry, especially at the ends. However, because my hair is thin, it can get dull and flat, so I didn't want it weighed down with too much moisture. I'm no chemist/hair stylist, so I don't know if mixing different types actually reduces the efficacy, but I don't see why it would (especially when the products come from the same line, thus bearing probably the same ingredients, etc.).

Anyway, after the first time I used the Nourishing Shampoo, I noticed that the shampoo wasn't as nourishing (or moisturizing) as I had expected. My hair (which is long and straight, thinner around the face, thicker towards the inside, dry ends and oily roots) will feel smooth and sleek after I've shampooed, depending on the brand (Head & Shoulders for example). So I didn't get that nice, soft, nourished feeling...my hair felt slightly plasticky (like Barbie hair), which I definitely didn't like. However, I continued to shampoo my hair one more time (I usually shampoo twice, the first time to soak up the oil, the second to get out any remaining oil/dirt), rinsed it all out, then added the Volumnizing Conditioner and just left it in while I washed the rest of my body. Though I hadn't noticed any results with the shampoo, I definitely noticed the improved condition of my hair after rinsing out the conditioner.

After blow drying my hair, I was surprised with how great it still smelled. Usually, my hair doesn't hold the scent of my shampoo/conditioner so I tend to spray some perfume into it (which is actually very bad for your hair, because of the alcohol). However, with the Victoria's Secret products, my hair continued to smell nice even into the next day. I would say the scent isn't for everyone--it definitely took some getting used to for me--so make sure you catch a whiff before you buy. If you're big on scent, I'd say go ahead and purchase this product if you have the extra money, since at $10 a pop the products are fairly pricey. However, if you're just looking for something to boost the condition of your hair, I'd say skip the VS So Sexy line. After continuing to use the products for a couple more weeks, they still didn't do much more for my hair than my inexpensive drugstore products.




More recently, when I hit up my local Victoria's Secret, I noticed they were carrying this new product from the So Sexy line called High Shine Hair Revivers. For $12.50, you can purchase a box of 6, individually wrapped towelettes, that claim to remove oil and dirt buildup on-the-go, add shine, fragrance, etc. I picked up a box because I definitely have those days where I don't have time to wash my hair and constantly worry that my hair looks oily, dull, or flat.

I tried this towelette on my hair when it hadn't been washed for, probably two to three days. I waited until it was super oily because I wanted to put the towelette to the ultimate test. The towelette is very smooth and thick, poreless, and large (I was glad to see this, because at about $2.10 for a towelette this product is extremely pricey). Sadly, I probably had my hopes up too high, because the towelette definitely did not live up to my expectations. It did not clarify the oil from my hair. The only difference was some added fragrance, make some strand separation. I think the towelette merely pushed the oil/redistributed it into my hair, since my hair seemed even more dull and shine-less than it had been previously. So...perhaps this is a product only for the people who already wash their hair daily/don't have oily roots, and just want a quick pick-me-up when their hair feels dry on the ends. For me, that wasn't what I was looking for, so it was somewhat of a disappointment.