A word on packaging, and why it matters

Dear Makeup Companies of the World,

Hi there, how's it going?  Not much new with me, save that I've been doing a lot of experimenting with your products over the last year, and have come to some conclusions about packaging that I feel compelled to share with you.

Packaging matters.  Not only does an attractive compact or case attract a busy shopper's eye in a crowded display, but it affects the way we as consumers use your products.  Case in point, Benefit blush:

Benefit's packaging definitely stands out from the crowd on a store shelf--I don't think I've seen another brand using anything similar--but the way one has to hold the box and brush in order to use the product is less than lovely.  When one uses Sugarbomb, or one of your other multi-colored shades, it requires a not-insignificant amount of physical dexterity to sweep the brush evenly around the face of the pan in order to pick up an even amount of each shade.  It's awkward, and while I like the product enough to keep it in spite of this flaw, it will make me think twice about purchasing another blush from your line.

Moving on to a design that works, let's examine the Naked Palette, and Naked 2

*sigh*  Urban Decay, you rock so hard.  As much as I love Naked 1, Naked 2 has stolen my heart, at least in part due to the really solid packaging upgrade.  From a luxe (but easily dirtied) velvet box closed with hidden magnets to a solidly constructed metal casing that snaps closed tightly but isn't difficult to re-open, you've managed to make an already appealing shadow collection even more desirable.  What's more, you upgraded the mirror to run the full length of the palette, which is incredibly helpful on-the-go or while traveling.

There's no awkwardness about the Naked Palettes, and that's really saying something given how difficult-to-use certain other palettes are.  Say, for example,

the Tarte for True Blood palette.  It's lovely, sexy, and visually stunning.  Everything that compelled me to buy this palette in the first place still screams at me from my vanity every morning, but actually using the shadows is a lot less fun than it should be. 

For one thing, they're all crammed together to the point that cross-contamination happens even when a shadow has barely been touched.  Plus, due to the way the shadows are organized, you're not just contaminating one or two adjoining shades--there are 4+ other shadows touching each pan here!  Doubleplus, the organization of this palette makes it difficult to figure out which shades should pair up together.  Some connections are obvious, but others...not so much.

And then there's the product that is priced high, but whose packaging feels like something out of Rite Aid.  Not to knock drugstore cosmetics at all--there are wonderful drugstore products out there--but in terms of a compact's feel, there's typically a big difference between a Sephora-level product and a drugstore one.  Tarte's Amazonian Clay blushes don't seem to know this, though, because in spite of their steep $25 pricetag and amazing quality, the compact feels $3.99 in my hand.  It's cheap, flimsy plastic that I seriously doubt would do much to protect the pan if it was dropped (please correct me if I'm wrong here--I have no desire to test this theory on one of my own blushes) and is difficult to open to boot.  No $25 compact should require me to sacrifice intact nail polish just to open it up.

And yes, Bobbi Brown, I'm also looking at you here.  Your Party Palettes are ridiculously difficult to open.  I use them plenty, so it's not a matter of breaking in the closure--there's a design flaw here that needs examined.

My point being, packaging matters.  I know you know this, and I know that you probably run zillions of focus groups just to figure out what kind of packaging will appeal most to consumers.  The emphasis on curb appeal to new buyers has to be balanced with usability for those of us who've already purchased the product, though.  Because when push comes to shove, I'm not going to spend another $40+ on a Bobbi Brown shadow palette next season, especially when I don't use the ones I have as often as I might due to packaging issues.

In conclusion, PACKAGING.

Watt's Up, Benefit?

As I've been on a blush kick lately, I decided it was time to mix up my highlighter routine too.  I mentioned a couple of months ago how disappointed I've been with NARS Orgasm illuminator,  and even though I know they get great reviews I just can't get on board with the $$$ illuminating products from Chanel and Dior. 

I noticed Benefit's Watt's Up highlighter while I was browsing for a Benefit blush to try, but at $30 it seemed too pricey, especially for a first foray into a new-to-me brand.  Then came Ulta's 20% off holiday coupon.  I decided to give a tester a try, and was not disappointed.  The color blended beautifully (without the aid of the weird sponge thing on the opposite end of the illuminator stick) and provided a great champagne shimmer that didn't settle into the visible pores and fine lines of my hand while I shopped for the next hour. 

Sold!

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Isn't it pretty?  I've used it here with Sugarbomb...

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and here with Tarte Tipsy.  It compliments both shades very nicely, and has decent staying power.  I'd say I'm getting 6+ hours of wear from a very light application.

Overall I'm not sure Watt's Up is worth the $30 price tag Benefit has given it (and I'm glad I only paid $24 with my coupon) but it's a far sight better than NARS' illuminator at virtually the same price point. 

Benefit Sugarbomb--Is it THE Bomb?

God, Sephora, why do you hate my wallet?  First it's the Friends and Family sale, then the VIB sale, THEN $20 off a $50 purchase.  Really, it's like you think I'm capable of resisting slightly discounted cosmetics.  Which, by the way, I'm not.

Do not even talk to me about the 20% off coupon I received from Ulta yesterday.  

So I obviously had to buy something with my free money, and decided to give one of Benefit's much-lauded blushes a try.  Initially I wanted Dandelion, but after examining swatches on Temptalia's unparalleled swatch gallery, I realized that even on my very fair skin it would be too light.  So I decided to go with Sugarbomb.

Good choice, don't you think?

Sugarbomb is very, very subtle.  I seem to be doing a lot of subtle blushes lately (see Monday's review of Tarte's Exposed shade) and am liking the change-up from my usual NARS Orgasm/Tarte Natural Beauty routine.  I never thought I'd be a multiple blush kind of girl, but it's pleasant to have more options for both workdays and weekends.

In any case, on me Sugarbomb leans quite peach, though a pink-peach.  I'm not a huge fan of having to swirl my brush around the face of the pan to get even color distribution, but I can see why it might be nice to (at some point) be able to modify the color of the blush more or less pink/peach depending on my needs.

I didn't get quite 12 hours of wear time (my usual with Tarte and NARS) but since I don't see any specific wear time promises listed from Benefit I'm still calling this a win.  I definitely saw color 8+ hours after application, which is a full day for most people.  I did pair Sugarbomb with a highlighter on my cheeks (Benefit's Watt's Up, which I'll do a longer review of later this week) as I think the color improves when augmented with some additional pep.

Give Me Some Lip! Review

I am a sucker for sample kits.  I can't tell you how many I've purchased over the years, only to be disappointed with 99% of them.  Initially I was prepared to be disappointed by the Sephora Give Me Some Lip set too, particularly since I could easily see from the promotional photo that it contained one lipstick I knew I'd never use and one gloss from a company I'd sworn off buying glosses from a long time ago. 

So what made me bite the bullet and shell out $25 (actually $20 because I used a Friends and Family code) for this one?  Two words: Tarte Moody.  I freaking love this color, and the prospect of having a purse-sized tube plus getting at least one or two other products I'd keep using was enough to convince me that Give Me Some Lip was worth purchasing.

So how did it stack up?  Surprisingly well.  First, swatches!

Left to right: Tarte LipSurgance in Moody,  Smashbox gloss in Fame, Kat Von D Painted Lipstick in Celebutard, Buxom Lip Polish in Leslie, Benefit Benetint in Rose, and Lancome Juicy Tube in Raspberry Ice.

First, the bad.  I hate, hate, hate the Kat Von D shade.  It's a nude, but not a my-lips-but-better nude.  It's far pastier than my natural lip color (which isn't dark) and wasn't flattering at all.  This was the one shade I knew wouldn't be a hit from the minute I saw the photo online, though, so it wasn't as if I was disappointed when I tried it on and realized it was a no-go. 

I also didn't care for the Smashbox gloss in Fame.  I go back and forth about Smashbox glosses, because while they're really long-lasting, they're so incredibly sticky that I never wear them, even when I do like the color.  Fame didn't do anything for me as a shade, so it went into the reject pile too.

Now when I bought this set I made a deal with myself.  As long as I liked at least half of the box I could keep it.  With two shades down, I needed at least three hits (not including the Tarte stain that I already loved) or I'd have to send it back.  Thankfully, the rest of the colors and formulas proved themselves to be worthy of the "keep" pile.

The Buxom lip polish was, on first glance, a reject.  I tried it on over the Kat Von D (mistake number one) and didn't pay much attention to how much gloss was on the applicator before I put it on my lips (mistake number two).  When I looked in the mirror I actually burst out laughing because it looked like I'd gone back to 1989 and put on some of that candy makeup they used to sell.  Remember that?  It was gloopy and stringy and tended to stick stubbornly to the purse of the lip so you had to use your teeth to get it off.  Ick.  Not a look I would care to sport at 10, much less 30.  So it's no surprise that I was ready to lump Buxom in with Smashbox and Kat Von D.  Then, this morning, I decided to give it another try.  This time I wore it over a shade (to be revealed momentarily) that I really liked, and I made sure not to apply much at all.  Eureka!  What had initially looked like a gloppy mess turned out to be a very lovely champagne-sparkle shade that worked beautifully when lightly applied.  It does have a strong minty effect on my lips, and I could definitely do without the extended tingly sensation it provokes, but overall the color and lifespan of the shade (I'm going on five hours of wear time as I type, and it's even lasted through a meal) make it a keeper.

The real prize of the set, and the color I'm wearing Buxom over today, is the Benefit Rose shade.  Applying this one is really, really unnerving and I'm going to go on record here as saying that I dislike the whole application process.  Benetint is packaged in what really looks like a nail polish jar, and applies with a brush like a watercolor.  If you look at the photo above you'll see that it's a true stain, and dries in seconds once on the skin, but before that (and because the jar is full of this dark red liquid) I get very anxious that I'm going to either drop the jar or spill/drip some of the stain onto my clothing.  This might work better for me as a rollerball, to be honest.  Still, the shade is a beautiful pink/rose that looks really lovely on my lips.  Not only would I be tempted to keep the set for this shade alone, but I'm fairly certain that I'll be purchasing a full-sized version when this sample runs out.

Finally, the last hit of the kit is the Lancome Juicy Tube in Raspberry Ice.  The scent of this shade is almost overpowering (ARTIFICIAL BERRY!) but the color is really beautiful.  In the tube it looks like an electric peach with glitter, but on the lips it mellows out into a soft pink/peach that reminds me of nothing so much as NARS Orgasm blush.  The glitter translates into a subtle shimmer, and the overall effect is quite pleasing.  I was really surprised at how much I liked it, especially since I don't tend to gravitate towards peachy lip colors.

So at $25 for the set, this works out to a little over $4 per tube ($3.33 since I snagged it during F&F), which is definitely a price point I'm happy with.  The Tarte LipSurgence alone retails for $24 for a full-sized tube, and a sample this size would work out to $8 if the price was calculated proportionately.  All of which is to say that both mathematically and aesthetically I think the Give Me Some Lip set is a solid value worth buying if you're in the market for some new lip products.