She's A Rainbow

Estee Lauder's Sumptuous Color Bold Volume Lifting Mascara

One thing I liked to do during the holidays is go "balls to the walls" with my eye makeup. I unleash my shimmer demon and experiment with bold color. This year I was able to experiment with different shades of mascara. This is a great way to add just a sprinkle or dash of color to the eye. I was initially afraid that it would look juvenile or too intense for non- runway life. Sumptuous Color coats the lashes with bold color without looking cartoonish. My lashes were still black but with a delightful cast of royal blue to a reddish plum.

Most mascaras in this genre are centered on the pigment punch and neglect doing anything else. They usually weigh down the lashes and are a mess. Sumptuous Color does a great job with separation, lift and length. It coats the lashes with an even does of color. The color cast was evident from the root to the tip. It might not be the best formula for curl or volume. But it did not weigh down my lashes even with multiple coats. It also avoided the pitfalls of the crunch factor. The lashes had a nice gloss to them.

The Emerald shade was the surprise hit of the testing. It was a clover green that was flirtatious, fun and so damn pretty. I did have hard time coordinating it with my eye shadows. It fared better with a nude eye.

Amethyst was a bright blue violet. There was no doubts on how pretty it was going to be. You only have to look at it to appreciate it's charms. I found it too be more fetching with a grey or brown eye palette rather than plum.

Amber was a tortoiseshell shade that appeared very warm and sable-like on my black lashes. It was fairly ho-hum on me. I am guessing that this will look amazing on fair or red lashed citizens.

I have tried many blue mascaras over the course of my life. Most weighed down my lashes with an electric blue hot mess. Sapphire was just a subtle cast of cobalt. I wore it only with brown shadows.

Last but not least...this gem is called Garnet. This is one serious gorgeous shade. It is a reddish wine color. It is flipping fantastic on dark lashes. The claret cast is stunning with every damn eye shadow shade from MAC's Coco Pigment to Bobbi Brown's Rockstar. This is the one to lose your mind over. However, as with almost all red based pigment products, you might experience some eye irritations. I suffered with eye discomfort the next day. It was worth it...because it is damn good.

The colors are deep yet subtle on the lashes. They provide a quick way to be festive and fun for the holidays.

I also tried Bare Escentuals i.d Beautifully Luminous Lashes in Diamond and Black Diamond. I found these difficult. When I first saw these...I lost my mind. They look like MAC dazzleglasses. You expect serious shimmer payoff. For the life of me, I could not get these mascaras to glimmer or show up on my dark lashes. I found that the shimmer fire was only evident when I actually closed my eyes. It looked lovely then. Like sparkling snow. With my eyes open and looking at the world....just a few glitter sparks here and there. The formula was light and it did not weigh down or crunch my lashes. I also had no issues with fly away glitter.

Estee Lauder's Sumptous Color mascara is available at your local Lauder counter. They retail for $19.50 are limited edition.

Bare Escentuals i.d Beautifully Luminous Lashes might be more difficult to locate. Diamond is sold out at various locations online. Black Diamond is from last year. It was wildly popular and flew off the shelves. They retail for $15.

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Estee Lauder and Bare Escentuals