Some girls buy shoes when they’re feeling down. I buy lipstick. Last week I decided that a new tube of pretty pink lipstick was exactly what I needed to remind me that spring would eventually come. Usually, I’d head for the L’Oreal display (there doesn’t seem to be a bad apple in THAT bunch), but instead I decided to branch out a bit and hit up the Covergirl aisle. I don’t tend to have much luck with CG, but I was encouraged by Drew Barrymore’s smiling face. After all, she did lead me to LASHBLAST.

Bad roll of the dice. This stuff is awful. First of all, I HATE the gimmicky marker applicator. Second, the color I chose (Power Pink), did not at all resemble the color of the tube it was encased in. Third, it made my lips look like I’d drunk the Kool-Aid (for REAL). Finally, even after exfoliating my lips, I looked like I just skied Jackson Hole without the benefit of a lip balm. Holy wind burn Batman!

In short, save your $7.89, or just go buy some L’Oreal Colour Riche and call it a day.

Cut Costs Cuties!
Gemma

Brand: Cover Girl/Olay
Product: Simply Ageless Foundation SPF 22

The idea of a skin care company launching a cosmetic line isn’t new. In fact, Olay launched it’s own cosmetic line over a decade ago. I thought it was a great idea at the time. Who better to develop beneficial cosmetics than a skin care company. Too bad the line was so badly mismanaged. Lack of publicity led to the failure of what might have been a great line.

The idea of a cosmetic company teaming with a skin care line to produce cosmetics is not new either. It was Cover Girl that teamed with Noxema all those years ago to create their inexplicably popular Clean makeup. Can you tell that I was not a fan? Bad color selection, bad smell, bad all the way around. The product put me off the Cover Girl brand for years. They have only recently redeemed themselves with their phenomenal Lash Blast Mascara.

Cover Girl’s latest joint venture is with my favorite mass market skin care company, Olay. Together they have launched Simply Ageless, a line that is infused with Olay’s popular and effective Regenerist Serum. The companies have scored a marketing coup in hiring Ellen DeGeneres to hawk the product.

I don’t usually put much stock in celebrity endorsements. Let’s face it, most of them are publicity-whores. Jennifer Anniston and her Life Water, Jessica Simpson and her Pizza Hut, blah, blah, blah. But Ellen Degeneres as a Cover Girl? How utterly charming. Maybe its because she’s a lesbian and I LOVE lesbians. Maybe its because she IS actually over forty. Maybe its because she has the kind of every woman everyday beauty we can all aspire too. For whatever the reason, I love the choice of Ellen as a spokesmodel. Olay! Ellen! Sign me up!

As it turns out, Olay is the cheese to Cover Girl’s macaroni. Simply Ageless foundation is a cream based foundation. It can be applied with the provided sponge, or with a foundation brush. I don’t recommend applying with your fingers as it comes in a compact rather than a tube or jar. It has a very sufficient SPF of 22, but does not leave a ghostly cast. It spreads evenly and smoothly, and I was able to get a perfect match in Classic Ivory. There are 14 other shades to choose from.

Cover Girl claims that the makeup “suspends itself over lines and wrinkles”. Well, it certainly does not settle into those lines, I’ll tell you that. It left my face with an airbrushed glow. Yes, I said glow, not shine. To me this was the most impressive aspect of the product. As someone with dry skin, my complexion can tend to look dull. I was amazed to find that Simply Ageless made me look lit from within.

I’d give the product five stars, but I don’t love the fact that I can actually “feel” the makeup when I’m wearing it. It does not feel weightless. Also, $12.99 for .4 ounces is perhaps a bit steep for a drugstore brand. That being said, it really is an outstanding product and one that I hope will enjoy the same kind of longevity as that God-awful Clean makeup.

Cut Costs Cuties!
Gemma

Product: Lash Blast

Line: Cover Girl