Wishful Thinking

By Melanie Parker

When the MAC Bloggers’ Obsession Collection launched this month, I was excited. It is always good when a company embraces the opinions of those who truly love products, colors, and are tuned into what is missing from the market place. We've already seen great things when bloggers partner with nail polish manufacturers like Zoya, Rescue Beauty Lounge, and Barielle.

None of the Lipglass shades grabbed me, but I had high hopes for a couple of the shadows. Jealousy Wakes is a fantastic green that I am going to covet and use sparingly. It’s like the biggest, clearest, sparkliest emerald that could possibly be captured in a pot. Kudos to Christine Mielke of Temptalia for developing a true green shadow that isn’t too gold or too blue. It should work well on all skin types. It is the shadow that will eclipse Parrot for makeup collectors.

But I was even more excited about the possibilities of Hocus Pocus. Billed as a sooty charcoal gray, I had heard some buzz that it had a khaki cast and the sparkle in the early swatches gave me high hopes that Hocus Pocus was going to be Lancome’s Erika F. coming stateside after all of these years.

I am lucky to have a Lancome Erika F. shadow that little Miss Blogdorf brought me back from Paris. I wore it every day for a month straight, which is unheard of for me because I often like to keep it simple with a light vanilla shadow for work. But Erika F. has a smokey, sagey wisdom to it paired with the fun of a antique golden microglitter.

So, my hopes that the new MAC Hocus Pocus would wow me like Erika F. weren’t dashed when I opened the box. I thought it had potential. But when I put it on, and it is darker, grayer, and it loses its sparkle. It was wishful thinking on my part that the greatness of Erika F could be duplicated. I like the Lancome formula better, and the color is really something special. I'm going to have to continue to use it sparingly. Damn it!

That said, Hocus Pocus is probably a more wearable shadow because it doesn’t have as much shimmer and sparkle to it. It’s dark and smokey, and when used wet it makes a great liner. And no offense to Ms. F., but I like the bewitching name better. Thank you to Lianne Farbes of The Makeup Girl for providing us with the most versatile shadow in the MAC Bloggers' Obsession collection.

Disclaimer: These products were purchased by the reviewer online @ http://www.maccosmetics.com/whats_new/6311/index.tmpl
All Photos by Melanie Parker
The photos feature Lancome's Erika F eyeshadow and MAC Hocus Pocus only.
Lancome's Erika F is not available in the United States.  It can be found at Lancome Boutiques across Europe and Asia. Just look at the most used eye shadow in the tester unit.....that will be Erika F!!!!!!!!!!!

My Day Has Finally Come!

Lancome has finally done a post on the joys and mysteries surrounding Erika F eye shadow.

***does a spin and twirl***

Check it out at the Lancome Blog http://www.thelancomeblog.com/

All I want for Christmas is....A Car in the Shade of MAC's Lavender Whip

This a little snippet from the latest Lucky issue. LA interior designer Laurie March custom designed pillows to match an OPI nail polish.

This made me think of what beauty product I would find design inspiration in. My first impulse was a coat or snuggie in the shade of Lancome's Erika F. I love that eye shadow so much.

But I would love to own a VW bug in the shade of MAC's Lavender Whip.

With fancy rims that glittered like dazzleglasses.

What eyeshadow, lippie or nail polish shade would you like to see recreated into pillows, paint or outerwear? Let us know in the comments!

The Power of Erika F from Lancome

"I have worn Erika F every day since July 8. I LOVE it. You were right about the HG status. Damn you for getting me hooked on something so HTF. ;)"

message from my facebook page via Melanie Parker.

Read more at http://blogdorfgoodman.blogspot.com/2008/03/40-days-and-40-nights-of-beauty-cult_7648.html

40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Cult Classics
Day 38, Lancome's Erika F

I feel that I might have said all that can be said on the merits of Lancome's Erika F.
How much more can the readers take of the swooning and gushing over this eyeshadow?
But there is no way I can ignore this shadow in the cult series.
It is a cult classic in every sense of the word.
It is discontinued in the states but available in Europe under the number G40 Erika F-133.
It sells for serious money on Ebay.
It is heartbreakingly lovely and creates the most spectacular smoky eyes you will ever witness.
Erika F is a dirty olive/mushroom shade. One moment Erika F is a mouse brown and then it evaporates into a green tinged smoke.
The effect is unique and quite breathtaking.

The texture is cashmere like. It feels like no other formula.
It glides on like silk and lasts for hours.
Erika F is a must have in any beauty junkie's arsenal.
It is damn perfect.

Tell us what you think of Erika F in the comments.

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman
Disclosure: Beauty Addict gifted me this Lancome gem.

Can you handle more Erika F Gushing?

The first thing I went looking for at the Paris Lancome boutique was not the perfumes or the rumored urn of 2000 et une Rose.
I did not look for a restroom either...even though I had to go.
I did not get sidetracked by the beautiful displays or the dashing Lancome men.

My mind was consumed by one product. The product that has not seen the US shores in quite a while. The product that has been spotted in Germany and various European towns.
The product that has some makeupalley members trading their souls to get their hands on it.
Beauty junkies...you know what I am talking about.

I am gushing over Color Focus 133 Erika F formerly known as Extreme Nicole.
This is Lancome's Parrot.
An eyeshadow that has achieved legendary cult status after being discontinued.
Today it lives on as Ombre Absolue in G40 Erika F-133.
It currently comes in a square package and is available all over Europe.
So far the yanks are out of luck.
But I have high hopes it will make it's way back to our shores.

Cult classics are never fully appreciated the first time around. It is only when they are yanked from our hands do we realize just how much we adore them. 2000 et une Rose by Lancome was largely revered after it was pulled from the shelves. On Ebay, a slightly used bottle fetched hundreds of dollars. A Lancome executive confided to us that a magazine ad of the fragrance recently went for thousands at auction. Due to the high demand and shameless begging, 2000 et une Rose returned as Mille & Une Roses.

So here is Erika F in her natural habitat... and some shameless begging from me.

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman

My friend K gifted me with my very own Erika F eyeshadow from Lancome. It has slowly become a cult classic with beauty junkies scrambling to get their hands on it.

What makes it so worthy of pillaging or plain old begging?

It is a mixture of olive green with gold flashes of fire. This might sound like I am describing MAC Sumptious Olive.
But wait...
Once applied on the eye it gets a mushroom-ish taupe quality. The best smokey eyes I have ever accomplished was with this little eyeshadow. It seems to alternate between smoke and green throughout the course of a day.
It is everything and a bag of chips.

There is a catch to this review.
To locate an Erika F shadow is nearly an impossible quest. It is not available in the states and is a challenge to find in Europe.
Mine hails from Germany.

Readers: If you have spotted Erika F in your neck of the woods let us know in the comments.

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman