I’ve been feeling super-pampered recently as I’ve been testing out some very LUXE products!
First up is a trio of products from luxury skincare brand TATCHA. Inspired by Geisha skincare rituals, TATCHA takes classic ingredients and adapts them for modern life. The Soothing Silk body butter and hand cream are infused with indigo extract – which helps promote the skin’s natural healing ability. I’ve been using the body butter every night (on dry skin, as per the instructions). It spreads easily and absorbs immediately, leaving skin supple and glowing with a slight sheen. The product has a light citrusy-sweet scent that is so fresh and invigorating!
I was very excited to try the Aburatorigami blotting papers, as they are the ULTIMATE in blotting papers…they’ve been raved about in Vogue and the Zoe Report! Created from Abaca-leaf paper hammered with gold-leaf, these generously sized sheets absorbed every last bit of oil from my face, leaving my skin glowing and my makeup undisturbed – will definitely be stocking up on these.
Next up in luxury beauty is Lancome’s Grandiose. This is the prettiest packaging I’ve ever seen on a mascara – there’s a beautiful 3-D black rose encased in the lid, while the wand swoops in a “swan-neck” design that’s both elegant and functional.
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| Pictured with 3 coats of Grandiose versus my bare lashes |
The unique swan-neck design made it super easy to get the wand close to the base of my lashes. The comb-like bristles (of varying lengths) ensured even application and prevented any clumping from occuring. The formula is very lengthening, as you can see in the photos above – it even coated my sparse inner lashes and made them more noticeable.
And while we’re on the topic of lashes, my eyes were treated to the whole Benefit They’re Real experience – from mascara to liner and makeup remover.
Let’s focus on the Benefit They’re Real Push-Up Liner since it has redefined the whole
gel liner experience. Rather than using a gel pot and a liner brush, this product uses a pen with a slant-tip rubber applicator to
dispense the product. It took me a couple of tries to get used to this – it’s a different process using a rubber tip applicator versus a soft brush! But once I got the hang of it, I was able to stamp on a perfectly-angled cat’s eye – no guesswork involved, the slant tip creates the perfect wing.
On days when I don’t want a dramatic liner look, I gently press the product along my lash line for thicker-looking lashes. The liner formula is matte, smoky and very long-wearing. This is definitely a great product to keep in my travel makeup bag – as I can get the gel look without fussing with an extra brush.
Have you tried any of these products? What are your favorite mascara and liner products?
DISCLAIMER: These products were sent to me for review but all opinions are 100% my own.
Ooh, I love the packaging on the Tatcha products! So pretty. And I would love to try out those blotting sheets, I have been using the Target version and they work fine, but there's always room for improvement. You do such a great job of photographing your lashes!! It must be your lashes that make all mascaras look good because both of the ones you showed look great. I have been testing out Benefit They're Real myself lately, and I really do like it. Although I don't feel like it does MORE than the mascara I've been using already (Maybelline The Falsies) despite costing a lot more, so I'm not sure I will re-purchase!Gina – On the Daily Express
I love blotting papers in general – the nice thing about these ones is that they are so large and absorbent – I only need one to fix my whole face (even with my Boscia ones, it takes me 2 sheets…and with the drugstore Clean & Clear ones it can take 3 sheets – yes, I'm very oily LOL!). It is hard to show the difference in mascaras with photos – but I can definitely feel a difference LOL…I'm SUCH a huge fan of mascaras and testing them out! With regards to They're Real versus Falsies – they both have drier formulas (leading to thicker, less clumpy lashes) – Falsies is better at giving feathery lashes (my fave look) where the base looks thicker than the tips. Sadly with Falsies, it takes a month after opening for the formula to get 'good' – They're Real works well on me from the first application…but it's also a LOT harder for me to remove – I need to use a separate MU remover.
I've never been able to master the eyeliner flick so this eyeliner looks promising. I know lancome are well known for their mascaras so this looks fab too!
Hi Lorna! Yes, the applicator makes it SO easy to add the flick – just place the tip at the corner of your eyes, and it just stamps the perfect flick in place! I like to thicken the flick by connecting it to the line I've drawn on top of my lashes (sort of in a triangle shape). Lancome does have quite a lot of popular mascaras, including this Grandiose one and Hypnose.
Ha! I was just asking someone about the They're Real gel liner! I'm so intrigued by it and am happy to hear your review!! Now to check it out!! Carylee | morepiecesofme.com
So glad my review was helpful 🙂 It was definitely a fun product to test out – but it did take me 1 or 2 tries to get used to the rubber applicator versus a brush!