Guess who is one of the new faces for Rimmel Cosmetics?

Zooey Deschanel.
I just love her and think that a cosmetic contract is long OVERDUE.

What other stars should have beauty contracts? Let us know in the comments. Personally, I am stunned that Blake Lively is not selling shampoo, razors or Victoria Secret anything.

Credit: Youtube
She & Him In The Sun

La Divina: Rimmel's The Max Volume Flash Mascara

I have been testing quite a few new mascaras since discovering MAC's Studio Fix. All are departures from a clean, modern MAC lash. Rimmel's The Max Volume Flash is a larger than life mascara with a hot pink bullet-like container with an ultra thick, intense formula. The best and most crazy comparison I can make is MAC's Studio Fix is the "Katherine Hepburn of mascaras".

It is classic, modern and clean with no fussy tendencies. Rimmel's The Max Volume Flash mascara is pure Maria Callas. It is no wallflower and pure diva. It is bright lights and drama.

The volume is operatic. I can see the sparse lashed gal losing her mind over this mascara. It does not have any crunch factor and truly delivers an improved lash fringe with fullness and shine.

The Max Volume Flash boasts the biggest brush from the Rimmel line. The brush is slightly smaller in volume when compared to Maybelline(EDITED) Colossal mascara bristles. The formula is thick and a shiny black. It contains Collagen and Keratin to fatten and strengthen the lashes. You immediately notice the increased volume and definition in comparison to the results from MAC Studio Fix. It coats each lash generously and quickly with one swipe. This easy application is a great plus.

The drawbacks are the heavy texture. This prevents curl. I had to use my lash curler before and after application. My curl disappeared after a few short hours.

It also has some mess issues. It did not clump on the brush or lash. However, I did have some flaking issues. Nothing too serious. Just some small specks.
The scent is fairly strong. It smells like a mix of play-doh.

Overall, I think it is a solid performing drugstore mascara. It delivers on increased volume. It will not be holy grail material for the short lashed afflicted.

Rimmel's The Max Volume Flash mascara is currently at your local drugstore. It retails for around $7.

Visit http://www.rimmellondon.com/US/home.aspx for more details.

Disclaimer: This mascara was purchased at a local drugstore by Cavewoman and gifted to me.

Formula Perfection That's Easily Found

By Melanie Parker

Several years ago, I relegated myself to only salon brand polishes. I stocked up on Essie, OPI, China Glaze, and Misa. I let my Orly, Sally Hansen, and Finger Paints polishes linger unused in their bottles for years. I don't know why. Before the color obsession, I was quite happy with my Sally Hansen Pure Putty and Calming Cocoa colors. Both were neutral crèmes that looks elegant with my long nails. I'm happy to report that their new salon formulas are actually outlasting the salon brands. You really can get the best finish and wear at the drugstores thanks to Rimmel London and Sally Hansen raising the bar.

After getting burned by several lackluster collections and a whole lot of wasted money on Chanel polishes that take too may coats to achieve bottle color and chip easily, I stopped buying polish for awhile. Now, I've started up again and I'm going back to my roots. Well, back to my nail lacquer roots. I'm still going to cover the gray in my hair.

So, I experimented with two new polish formulas easily found on display at the local Walgreen's. First up is Rimmel London's new Lasting Finish Pro formula. Despite there being a lovely peacock blue shimmer, I opted for a traditional blue-based red crème. I wasn't sure if it would be a jelly finish like Sally Hansen Salon's Cocktail Party or not. Luckily, it is not a duplicate. The Rimmel has a wide flat brush that covers the nail thoroughly. Because I like vampy nails, I did three coats of color. The bottle promises that it will last "Up to 10 Days." I took this picture on day 8. There was no chipping and minimal tip wear. I'm impressed. I can't remember if this was $7 or 8, but it was definitely worth it. I will be buying this formula again.

Next up was Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line. As you can tell from the pictures, the bottle shape is different than the Sally Hansen Salon formula polishes is the rectangular bottles. I like this new cap. It has a rubber ridge that you can rest your bent finger on while painting the opposite hand. It also has a wide, flat brush that cover a pinky nail in one stroke. I really like everything about this polish. I love the two dusty crème hues I chose and that they covered thoroughly and completely in two coats. For less than $8 a bottle, this formula is the best I have ever used. Yes, it's better than OPI, China Glaze, and even Misa. I'm hooked!

Commander in Chic is the color I spotted across the aisle that drew me to the display. It looked a little like the Sephora for OPI Metro Chic, but it's a few shades lighter. OPI's You Don't Know Jacques is another mushroom/gray/beige crème polish that it might get compared to, but Commander in Chic is at least 2 shades lighter on the nail and almost has a lavender base color. The closest color that I could find is the Rimmel London Steel Gray, but that was just a tad darker and more taupe, which is ironic since the name would indicate it was gray. I really debated between the two colors in the store, but I am happy I choose Sally Hansen's Commander in Chic because I really love this formula. It's so thick and glossy, even before I added a coat of Poshe topcoat.

Plum's the Word is another interesting shade from this collection. I am quite satisfied that this will quench my thirst for the new Chanel Particuliere. Muted plum crèmes are strong on the fashion scene right now. I like this formula better than Essie Mink Muffs and the Chanel, but I also think it is a few shades lighter. When Walgreen's has a sale on these, I'm going back for Fairy Teal and a few other bright colors.

Disclaimer: These polishes were purchased at the drugstore by the reviewer.

What you gonna do Katie?
You're a sweet, sweet girl
But it's a cruel, cruel world
a cruel, cruel world

Credit: Youtube, Rimmel and Libertines

40 days and 40 Nights of Beauty Cult Classics
Day 15, Rimmel's Snog

Rimmel's Vinyl Gloss in Snog is frequently described as a "your lips but better" shade. This will give your lips the appearance of being flushed or just bitten. It has "better than average" shine and applies smooth and drama free. There is no gloppy mess or tacky smackers. For a gloss it has decent staying power. The taste and smell is not remarkable...which is a good thing.

The reason why I have chosen it for the Beauty Cult Classics series is that it qualifies 100 percent. It has everything going for it. The quality is high end with a drugstore price. It is universally flattering on many skin tones. It has a slightly naughty name.
What is not to love?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. If you have not tried this gloss...I encourage you to do so.

You will not be sorry.

Disclosure: I purchased this lippie from my local drugstore.
Credits: Melanie Parker, Herb Ritts and Blogdorf Goodman.

Getting Nailed

Rimmel's Underground Play Fast Quick Dry Nail Polish

Dramaqueenie2 reported on all things Rimmel Underground in March. She started many lemmings that remained unfulfilled due to the lack of Underground products in Ohio.

Patti and I searched high and low for this new line.

We grew frustrated.

We gave up.

Last weekend we stumbled across a huge display at our local Target. We stood around bitching how we never did find the collection as we fussed over these polishes. The minute I picked up Killer Queen I knew that we finally found what we were looking for.

Plus I noticed the huge Underground sign and display.

The collection was worth the wait.

I caved on the nail polishes.

#110 Punch is a metallic fushcia
#410 Killer Queen is a merlot color with red shimmer
#430 Hard Edged is a vampy black red with subtle plum shimmer. This polish puts all the vamp shades to shame.
#400 Night Light is a putty gray
#320 Cat Fight is a sheer silver with multi colored shimmer

Read and see DQ2's original review and great photos:

http://blogdorfgoodman.blogspot.com/2007/03/rimmel-underground-is-out-rimmels-new.html

Available at Target and Ulta.
http://www.ulta.com/control/main

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman

I love the gadgetry of Rimmel's Light Beam After Dark Lip Gloss. The cool factor with this gloss is the built in light. It is part night light and part lippie.
I purchased #810 in Strobe Light.
It is a clear gloss with not enough shimmer for my taste. It makes up for the lack of glitter with shine, texture (feels satin-like not tacky or sticky), scent(berries) and taste(bubblegum). One side of the gloss has a handy mirror perfect for quick touch ups. I am not a fan of sponge applicators(prefer brushes) and was disappointed that it took several applications to see a result. I want my sparkle fast and intense!

Still I would encourage caving on this product. It is much too fun to pass up!
It is available at your local Target store.

Disclosure: I purchased this Rimmel lipgloss at my local Target store.

Rimmel Underground Is Out!

Rimmel's new Underground collection is slowly making its way to super stores and drug stores across North America. In the Chicago area, I've only been able to find it at Meijer's, and by the time I got there, most of the polishes and shadows had sold out. Others across the USA and Canada are reporting that their Ultas, Wal-marts, and Walgreen's are carrying the new line.

The first thing that caught my eye in this collection were the deep saturated jewel tones for Spring. An emerald green shimmer polish like Rimmel's Play Fast Camouflage is hard to find in any salon brand, so to find it at the drug store was a delight. And it was the perfect polish for St. Patrick's Day. It covered well in one coat, but I did 2 just to be sure. It stayed put from Wednesday to Sunday with no noticeable tip wear. That is incredible durability for me. It's on par with OPI and China Glaze and outlasts Essie and Chanel by days. And I paid only $3.49 a bottle.

I also bought Cat Fight (a dusty pinkish lilac microglitter), Rave (a deep maroon shimmer), and Killer Queen (a raspberry merlot shimmer). Cat Fight is semi-sheer, which I do not normally care for. So, I loaded on four coats to get it opaque and then topped it with a Poshe rapid dry top coat and it looked great. The microglitter is a lot of bling with a smooth consistency--not chunky and hard to remove like a true glitter polish.

Rimmel Killer Queen is a delightful deep raspberry shimmer. It looks darker in the bottle than it appears on the nail. I used 2 coats for durability, but with this flat brush and excellent formula, you could get away with one coat coverage. There are so many other colors in this collection that I would like to try, from an opalescent taupe (Night Life) to a lilac shimmer (Hit That), there is something for every skin tone in this collection.

Photos and review from DramaQueenie2.

Readers: Have you seen this new collection at your local stores? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: The products were purchased by the reviewer.

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Surreal

Another drugstore find:

This time the recommendation comes from my co-worker/friend Thais.
This lovely is by Rimmel. One of the best reasons to walk in a Walgreens.
It is called Vinyl Gloss in #106 Surreal.
It is a light frosted pink with a subtle punch of shimmer.

I will be on and off the computer today. I have the day off and I plan to use it to organize my perfume bottles/decants/samples and to make sense of my makeup drawers.
Do you have any helpful advice on organizing your stash? I need all the help I can get it.

BTW: Thanks to a very kind and generous reader(waves and sends virtual hugs to Dana K!) I am now a proud owner of Chanel's Black Satin. I am bringing my precious to my nail tech tomorrow. I will see if we can get a good shot of my nails.

Have a great weekend!!!

photo: Blogdorf Goodman
Disclosure: I purchased the Rimmel lip gloss at my local drugstore