As most Bionic Beauty readers know, I typically avoid outrageously priced makeup; but Christian Dior reached out to me recently and sent a few products for review on Bionic Beauty.

I will say I love their glamorous packaging. Every item is piece of artwork!
So here is my very first foray into Dior makeup – their 5 Couleurs Designer eye shadow palette in Amber Design.

Dior's 5 Couleurs Designer all-in-one eye palette

The palette is a black square compact. Inside there is a double-ended, sponge-tip shadow applicator, and a second applicator with a Taklon eye liner brush on one end and another sponge-tip applicator on the other. The compact has three eye shadow colors (a dark, medium, and a shimmery highlighter), a powder base, and a dark brown cream eyeliner. I’ll admit it’s quite handy to have a complete eye “wardrobe” in one compact! With all those colors and the eyeliner, you can create plenty of looks to carry you through a week-long trip.

Swatches from Dior's 5 Couleurs Designer eye compact

The color payoff isn’t nearly as pigmented as MAC or Milani, but it’s better than average. If you’re into bold and dramatic eye looks, you will probably have to layer these colors to get the look you want; or apply them wet. However, if you prefer a natural makeup look – this palette is spot on! As you can see from my swatches, the colors are visible, but very subdued.

The Dior 5 Couleurs Designer eye shadow palette is a bit spendy with prices ranging from $35-60. For some reason it looks like this palette has been discontinued, but you may find it at your local Nordstrom’s or on eBay.
Have you tried Dior or another luxury makeup brand? What are your thoughts on more expensive makeup items?

FTC Disclosure: This item was sent to me free of charge in return for an honest review. The opinion in this article is based on my personal experience and was not influenced by any source. I was not compensated for this article. Feel free to read my disclosure policy for more information.

Urban Decay launched their “Ink for Eyes” cream eyeliners in the fall of 2009. I finally got my mitts on Zero which is a true pitch black. Five other colors round out the collection: a deep blue (Binge), forest green (Loaded), dark violet (Empire), dark cool-toned brown (Demolition) and a clear sparkly liner (Pyrotechnics).

Bionic reviews Urban Decay's Ink for Eyes cream eyeliner

All of UD’s Ink for Eyes eyeliners come packaged in a long, thin rectangular compact complete with mirror, taklon liner brush and a sponge-tip smudger. The packaging is a bit edgy and certainly different than the typical pots of cream or gel eyeliners that I’m used too. It fits well in my purse makeup case.

The black wasn't very inky for me... but it was super soft & smooth!

The pigmentation wasn’t as true as I had hoped- I had to apply layer after layer to get a dark smokey line. You can see from my photos that it was still slightly sheer on me. However, there was absolutely NO drag, pull or clumping thanks to UD’s new proprietary “Nylon 12″ ingredient. The Nylon 12 is probably similar to the silicone or dimethicone ingredients in other eyeliners that glide on effortlessly. However, I say probably because I’m not a UD chemist, so I can’t give a definite answer.

I also didn’t have any problems with loss of color or smearing through the day.

No clumping, no smudging; but not enough pigment for my taste.

I like the Ink for Eyes cream eyeliner well enough, but I’m not in love. It doesn’t hold a candle to my Black Cherry gel liner from Purely Cosmetics!

You can find the Urban Decay Ink for Eyes liners at Ulta stores for $22 each. Have you tried the new Ink for Eyes liners? Do you have a favorite gel or cream eyeliner?

Here’s a new brand for Bionic Beauty readers- MakeUp Designory, also called MUD. I’ve got two of their eyeshadows to swatch and review for you as a “quick intro” to this makeup brand!

First up… Cajun Spice eye shadow ~

Joycey Couture reviews MUD's eye shadow in Cajun Spice

Cajun Spice is a brilliant copper eye shadow packed with mica (i.e. shimmer). It applied nicely with no dusting or fallout. It didn’t even drop into my lashes! MUD’s packaging is cute. Their single eye shadows are packaged in a sleek circular compact with a clear flip top. The packaging is sort of a cross between Sephora’s single shadows and Milani’s shadows.

This color would work year-round, regardless of trends. It’s perfect for playing up your faux tan in the summer, and warming your face during the doldrums of winter.

Cajun Spice from the side, in natural/soft light.

But I saved the best part for last… Cajun Spice is very pigmented! This shadow formula is the closest I’ve found to Milani’s in terms of ease of application, wear, and color payoff.

My second MUD eye shadow is Tinsel ~

MUD's Tinsel makes a wonderful all-over highlighter!

Tinsel is a bright, pure silver. It’s not as pigmented as Cajun Spice, but acts as more of a glimmer-loaded highlighter. I’ve been using it on my browbone, inner eye corners, bridge of nose, or just a bit above the cupid’s bow of my lips. Apply it over a matte eye shadow to instantly add shine and shimmer. I can see Tinsel dominating my makeup looks during the winter holidays!

Besides Tinsel and Cajun Spice, MakeUp Designory offers 39 other colors of eye shadows. There’s sure to be one to suit you! MUD’s eyeshadows run $13.50 each and are available on MudShop.com.

Stay Bionic,

Lash enhancers are growing in popularity ever since Latisse launched a few years back. Now women everywhere are looking for the “miracle serum” to make their lashes grow longer and darker.

My second foray into lash enhancers did not go as well as my first. This time, tarte sent me their new MultiplEye Lash Enhancer.

I used the MultiplEye serum along my upper lashline every night for three months – exactly according to directions. I haven’t noticed any difference in my lashes. In fact, they lost all the length and thickness I had developed while using DeaBella’s formula previously. I basically went backwards. I asked around on Twitter and several ladies responded saying they also didn’t get positive results with MultiplEye.

On the plus side, tarte’s lash enhancer does not sting, and I experienced no discoloration or other adverse effects.

Stay tuned for more upcoming lash enhancer reviews – I’m currently testing Jan Marini’s MariniLash, followed by L’Oreal’s new lash boosting serum. Hopefully I’ll have better results to report with these brands!

Tarte’s MultiplEYE Lash Enhancer sells for $65 at beauty.com.

FTC Disclosure: This item was sent to me free of charge in return for an honest review. The opinion in this article is based on my personal experience and was not influenced by any source. I was not compensated for this article. Feel free to read my disclosure policy for more information.

I grabbed some new makeup goodies while perusing the Walmart beauty aisle, among them a cream eye shadow stick by Hard Candy.

The color is officially called Soiree. It’s basically a neutral, copper brown with plenty of mica for shimmer. It glides on easily and didn’t crease too badly throughout the day. If you want deep color pigment, these probably aren’t for you. I think they’re perfect for a low-key quick eye makeup fix though. Plus for only $6 you get a LOT of product in that tube!

Hard Candy makeup is available at your local Walmart store. Have you picked any up yet? I’d love to hear what products are your favorites so I can settle on what to buy next!

I thought it would be fun this week to take a little trip down Memory Lane…
This week’s Bionic Asks… How old were you when you started wearing makeup? And when did you actually become more interested in makeup, skincare and the like?

I’ll kick things off-
I started wearing makeup in my Freshman year of high school. Back then it was mostly a bit of CoverGirl’s Clear Complexion powder (the kind that smelled like, and contained, Noxema ingredients) and CoverGirl’s concealer in a lipgloss-wand-type tube. I was prone to acne, so concealer dotted on top was a must for me. My eyes usually just had CoverGirl mascara on my lashes; and I would occasionally wear some brown Revlon eyeshadow, or Wet n’ Wild’s black eyeliner pencil. I didn’t do much experimenting back then. Can you tell I was a CoverGirl fangirl? My mom was, and still is, a Clinique fan. She would usually give me some of the stuff from her Clinique Bonus Time bags. That was always an exciting time of the year for me, but I still kept things minimal. My mom tried and tried to get me to wear more eye makeup. She succeeded for one of my Proms, but before the night was through, I ended up using Qtips to wipe most of it off; I just didn’t feel like me.

I didn’t really start experimenting with color and different makeup looks until my mid-twenties. I found color! I took classes from local makeup artists and dermatologists whenever possible and started branching out to different brands: L’Oreal, Physician’s Formula, Sonia Kashuk and Milani became my favorite brands. I still struggle with occasional acne- mostly from testing so many different skin care regimens and makeup brands for Bionic Beauty. Thankfully now I have the knowledge to clear up my skin, detox it, know which ingredients I need to avoid, and what my skin actually needs to be healthy.

One thing that hasn’t changed in my makeup routine over the years… my love of nail polish. As far back as I can remember, I always kept my toes painted. I consider them my mini artistic canvases!

And now it is your turn, dear readers. Think back a bit, and share your makeup history!

Bionic Bronnie recently tested out two of Code.ai’s new Brow and Eyelash enhancing serums. Read about her results below!

Code.ai’s Brow Boosting Shaper
In short- it really works! I have had a couple scars in my brow line for years; which has never allows me to properly shape them. The hair just wouldn’t grow back. The Code.ai Brow Boosting serum is amazing! Kudos to the company and ingenious scientists that created this formula.

Here’s how you use it: Apply it to your brows, faithfully, twice a day. Within two weeks I was noticing some changes… by four weeks, I had hair filling in those scars and blank spots! Never in a million years would I have believed a product would fix those empty spots.

I was happy to find out that its paraben-free (which are all-natural preservatives and not the to-be-feared chemicals many people believe they are, but that’s a *whole* ‘nother article!), not tested on animals, non-irritating, hypoallergenic, and has no harmful side effects (unlike Latisse’s hormone based formula). It uses a unique “Myriplex Technology” which contains a lipo-peptide amplifying complex. I read many testimonials written by cancer patients and even turned two of my neighbors, who are cancer patients, into fans.

The Brow Boosting serum stays in place, is clear, and comes with a mascara spooley applicator. I love it and have nothing bad that I can say. This is one of the neatest products that I have discovered and am truly happy to be able to share the results with all of our fellow Bionic Beauties!

Code.ai’s Lash Extend Serum (L-117)
These products are so similar, one review really covers both products- the basic difference? One is for your lashes, the other is for your brows.

The Lash Extend Serum is a bit more difficult to apply. It needs to go right into the hair growth area of the lashline and is applied with a small brush, it takes time and patience. However, if you are used to applying liquid or gel eyeliners, this is pretty much the same technique. It seemed to take about two weeks longer to really notice it working, but one day I used a good mascara and my lashes were so long they touched my eyelids when I opened them fully. Happy EEK! It also darkened and thickened them!

I found that if I poked myself in the eye (oops!) with the soft brush or applied it inside of the lash line, it did slightly burn my eyes, but it didn’t last long and it’s clearly stated that you shouldn’t get it in your eyes! I was also using a smaller tester version, so I imagine the full size one is easier and faster to use. Both are the size of a mascara and very portable.

The Code.ai website (www.codeai.com) is full of information and testimonials. I’ve found both products for sale on a few different websites. The full size containers would probably last a very long time as even the small sample containers lasted me a full month.

There is one more product made by code.ai called Lash Extend Primer L-122 which I hope to have to chance to share the results with you as well.

This is one of the most exciting new product breakthroughs I have seen in the cosmetics industry and I will continue to use them. There are so many lash and brow growth, plumping, and stimulating products on the market right now and I am very happy to find one that works and is safe! I honestly feel overwhelmed when trying to research and choose one that is worth the money and delivers results- so I hope this review helps you sort through all the offerings!

Beauty.com offers the Brow serum for $75 and the Lash Extend Serum for $115.

~Bionic Bronnie

FTC Disclosure: This item was sent to me free of charge in return for an honest review. The opinion in this article is based on my personal experience and was not influenced by any source. I was not compensated for this article. Feel free to read my disclosure policy for more information.

There are a myriad of mineral makeup brands out there, and you all know I have a few favorites. I’m here to introduce you to another brand: Fusion of Color Cosmetics.

Eyes: Straw (matte shadow all across lid and up into the crease); To Cool (shimmery forest green shadow on outer third of eyelid); In Vogue (white shimmer shadow used a brow bone highlight).

Bionic wearing In Vogue, Straw and To Cool shadows by Fusion of Color

I’ve used Straw here as a base for my other colors. It would also make an excellent concealer, primer or matte brow bone accent! And my photographs of To Cool (the green) really don’t do it justice. It’s such a pretty shamrock color!

Fusion of Color’s eyeshadows start at $4.50 for a 1gram jar which will give you months and months of color!

Lips: Twitter Butter Lipstick

Mmm.... Twitter Butter lipstick!

Twitter Butter lipstick was very smooth on my lips and provided a sheer wash of color. Nice to wear and very moisturizing! FoC’s lipsticks run $4.25 each (very affordable!).

Blush: Uptown Girl
A slightly shimmery berry that looks exceptionally dark in the jar, but is wearable by even light colored women. Use a bit, and add more until you reach your desired shade. Blushes are available in 13 colors and run $7 each, for 2 grams.

My little Fusion of Color Cosmetics' sample jars

Face: All Over Face mineral makeup in Radiant Georgia. Fusion’s full size mineral makeup foundations run $15 a jar and come in a gigantic variety of shades.

Face highlight: In Vogue eyeshadow (swept down bridge of nose, dabbed in corners of eyes, and on angel’s bow of upper lip).

All face makeup by Fusion of Color!!

I really enjoyed testing out this brand- the foundation wore very well even in the humidity and while working outdoors. And the variety and depth of eye shadow shades is just incredible. I highly recommend checking this brand out. Unsure of what colors you’d like to try? Check out their samples section!

FTC Disclosure: This item was sent to me free of charge in return for an honest review. The opinion in this article is based on my personal experience and was not influenced by any source. I was not compensated for this article. Feel free to read my disclosure policy for more information.

Lots and lots of free samples today! So I won’t ramble on, since I know you really want to get down to the goodies…

New freebies from Aveeno Nourish+ hair care! Aveeno ran samples a few months back but they were long gone. Now there’s a fresh set!

Pureology has two new styling products in their “Super Smooth” hair care line. While I’m not a Pureology fan myself, I know many people are… so enjoy the samples! You can choose from either the new Relaxing Serum or the Smoothing Cream.

For those of y’all with your “monthly visitor” still around… grab some Playtex Gentle Glide tampons freebies and…

U by Kotex is a new website that’s just been launched to help “trendify” the brand (that’s my wording and opinion, not theirs). In any case, they are giving out free Kotex samples of a regular pad, liner, and two tampons.

Yippee! I love when Dove has samples. They are such a generous company with sampling and I think it really goes a long way in creating loyal fans. Anyhow, this time around- grab yourself a freebie of Dove’s Daily Treatment Hair Conditioner.

Get a free sample of TooFaced Lash Injection PinPoint mascara. Print this coupon (click the image below for a full size to print!) and bring it into your local Sephora store located inside JCPenney stores, and supplies are limited.

Grab your own free sample of TooFaced mascara! (Click the image for a full sized coupon to print.)

As always, free samples go quickly so don’t delay if you’d like to request any of those mentioned above. If you aren’t interested in one, pass it by so a fellow Bionic Beauty will have a chance. It’s all about karma!

Enjoy!

This week’s Bionic Asks… Have you tried any of the various “eye lash enhancing” products that have invaded the beauty world?

When Latisse received FDA approval as a prescription-only topical eyelash enhancement drug, the beauty world got rocked. Personally, Latisse scares the heck outta me. The side effects can include yellowing of the whites of your eyes (most common in people with gray, green, blue or hazel eyes) which can be permanent; or the darkening skin on your lash line where you apply the Latisse (usually reversible if you stop using the product).

Latisse estimated that people would spend of $500 million on their products last year. This year’s estimate is around $1.2 billion, which makes it bigger than Botox. I certainly am not going to judge anyone who tries it- I’d actually love to hear your experiences! But I just can’t afford the annual cost of $1400 to make my lashes longer (maybe when I win the Lotto…).

With all that said, I have been trying some of the non-prescription lash enhancers. So far I’ve had the best results with DeaBella. It took about 3 months to see results, but then my lashes took off. They were bumping my glasses! I backed down to using it once every 2-3 days to save the product as long as possible. Bionic’s contributing editor, Joycey Couture is also reporting good results with DeaBella.

In the middle of 2009, Tarte sent me their new MultiplEYE lash enhancer for review… I’ve been using it for three months now and all the progress I made with my lashes using the DeaBella is gone. They are back to “normal” and certainly aren’t growing, darkening, or anything else. Maybe I’ll see some change soon, or maybe not…

The Bionic Mom has just started testing RevitaLash, so hopefully we’ll have her results in a few months. And Bionic Bronnie is checking out Code.ai’s version with a review to come soon. I’m going to give tarte’s version another month, then I’m moving on to either Marini Lash or the new drugstore lash enhancer- L’Oreal Lash Boosting Serum. L’Oreal’s version is particularly exciting since it’s affordable (it’s around $13 a tube) and readily available to all of us!

So what are your thoughts on the explosion of lash enhancers in the cosmetics world?