Mac's Zoom Fast Black Lash vs. Cover Girl's Exact Eyelights
Welcome to the latest installment of Beauty Battle, where we pit two similar products — one high-end and one drugstore — against each other to see which one reigns supreme. This week, we’re testing two color-intense mascaras: Mac’s Zoom Fast Black Lash and Cover Girl’s Exact Eyelights in Black Pearl.
Mac Zoom Fast Black Lash
$15, available at department stores
The hype: Mac’s newest mascara is “designed for voluptuous night-sky volume…it’s intense. Fast. And blacker than black,” boasts the website. I asked one of Mac’s online makeup artists what she loved about it, and she said she’s stoked because it provides instant gratification for full, blackest-black lashes.
The application: It’s true that one or two coats is all you need for dramatically darker lashes. However, some clumping at lash tips does occur. The worst part? After a few hours the texture becomes flaky and dark smudges creep down under my eyes—leaving me less rock-star glam and more Rocky Raccoon.
Cover Girl Exact Eyelights
Price: Around $7, available at Target and CVS
The hype: Cover Girl claims your eyes will actually look four times brighter if you use this product. There are four different shades, one for each eye color: Black Pearl (brown eyes), Black Sapphire (blue), Black Gold (hazel), and Black Ruby (green). Allegedly, tiny flecks of light-reflecting metallics in the mascara are tailored to the different eye colors.
The application: I have brown eyes so I bought the Black Pearl. Application is smooth and easy, with little to no clumping. In fact, the brush bristles are very fine and appear to be made out of plastic—the best mascara brush I’ve tried since DiorShow. Color lasts all day and doesn’t flake.
The verdict: While the Zoom Fast leaves much to be desired, the Exact Eyelights is definitely a keeper. It goes on easy and stays put, adding ample volume and length. What’s more, while I wasn’t really convinced my eyes looked luminous, I walked around the office wearing one mascara on each eye, asking my colleagues which one looked brighter: Ten out of ten — even the guys! — chose the eye clad in Exact Eyelights.
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Our resident pedi-addict takes long-lasting polish for a spin.
 A post-pedi pic. Photograph by Anne Vickman. I’m a year-round pedicure girl. I can’t say why, exactly, other than looking at my brightly colored toes is a strange sort of chromatherapy in the dead of winter. But no matter the time of year, a pedi never lasts quite as long as I want it to.
Enter MiniLuxe’s newest treatment: the Shellac pedicure. The manicure version has been around for a year or two, and the polish lasts for at least two weeks without chipping. The pedi involves the same process: after a file, oil treatment, cuticle trim, and exfoliation, toenails get four coats (base coat, two color coats, and a topcoat), each of which is cured under a UV light for 60 to 90 seconds.
The polish selection — created by CND — is limited to 30 shades, which is far fewer than the rainbow of Essie and OPI colors found on the salon’s polish wall. Inspired by Essie’s sparkly Shine of the Times lacquer, I opt for jet black with a coat of holographic glitter on top.
 ...And two weeks later. Photograph by Anne Vickman. While I can’t help but wonder how healthy direct UV exposure is to my feet, being able to put my socks and boots back on as soon as the pedi is through is a major bonus. And two weeks later, it looks just as good as the day I left the salon—which means, presumably, it will last a couple more.
$64, MiniLuxe, 296 Newbury St., Boston, 857-362-7444 , miniluxe.com.
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A little goes a long way.
 When it comes to choosing between lipstick and gloss, I’ll grab the gloss every time. But, it comes with the need to reapply repeatedly. So when I stumbled across Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’ Lip Tar, a super-saturated gloss that claims to be “the most highly-pigmented, longest lasting lip product on the market,” I had to try it.
Though Lip Tar doesn’t exactly sound like something I should be smearing on my mouth, the fact that OCC’s cosmetics are vegan, cruelty-free, and don’t contain any parabens sealed the deal.
Take note: A little goes a really long way. According to the company’s FAQ, the amount you would use with a normal gloss would be enough to paint your entire face. My strategy? Put a tiny amount onto the index finger and blot over the lips — an angled lip brush works well, too. This isn’t a grab-and-go gloss. It requires a mirror and some minor finessing for even color application.
But once it’s on, it’s on. The warm, pale beige shade I used (“Trick”) stayed put for hours, much to my surprise. I found that the finish itself was a bit matte for my tastes — I added some gloss on top to give my pucker a satiny boost. While I don’t think I’ll use Lip Tar every day, I will keep it handy for a night out on the town, since it comes in several fete-worthy shades (think: magenta, orange, and hot pink). It’s not the cheapest product on the market, but the tube’s long life span is worth the price tag.
$22, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, occmakeup.com. Photo via Goodshot
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Trying out rhinestone tweezers and the other loot Santa left behind.
It’s been two weeks since I returned from holiday break and I’m just now unpacking my car and shlepping loads of clean laundry and newly acquired Christmas loot into my teensy apartment. This year, I was gifted an unusually high number of beauty products—some stellar, some … not. Let’s take a look:
Bare Minerals Pretty Amazing Lip Collection: Featuring two lip colors (“Savvy” and “Confidence”) and two lip glosses (“Sass” and “Oomph”), this collection is ideal for transitioning from day to night. The glosses are a bit thinner and shimmery, where the colors have a thicker texture, reminiscent of oil paint. I use the more neutral “Savvy” by day, but for my evening endeavors I perk up with a little “Confidence” followed by a sweep of “Oomph.” Covet factor: 5
Aveda Hand Relief Moisturizer: This citrusy, vitamin-enriched formula has a pungent aroma (think Tang), and frankly is just too greasy for everyday use. A quick douse feels refreshing, but this lotion’s inability to seep in is a major flaw. Clammy hands and a slimy keyboard aren’t providing much “relief” right now. Covet factor: 0
MAC Iced Delights Eye Bag: This prize pack comes with a Graphblack Technakohl eye-liner, a Zoom Fast Black Lash mascara, a slightly mini, slanted shadow brush, and a brilliant eyeshadow duo featuring “Silverwear” (an iridescent silver lilac) and “Blue Spruce” (a smoky teal with copper shimmer specs). This baguette is a stellar deal at $45 — yes, in the name of journalism, I looked up how much my grandmother spent — and makes creating a high-drama, smokey-eye look (in seconds, no less) a breeze. Covet factor: 10
Sephora Rhinestone Tweezers: These dazzling slanted tweezers jazz up my cosmetics cabinet and grab hard-to-reach hairs, while the rhinestones make the grip slip-free. Win-win. Covet factor: 10
Michael O’Rourke’s Leave It In Weightless Tangle Tamer: So the packaging alone is enough to turn heads, but it’s what inside that truly impresses. Loaded with soy, wheat, and oat proteins, Tangle Tamer stays true to its word: After a shower, just a spritz or two leaves hair soft, supple, and smelling like a day spa — all day long. Covet factor: 7
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 Do you really wanna put this guy on your eyelids? Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. While mink eyelash extensions aren’t exactly new (Madonna caused a buzz in 2005 when she sported a pair encrusted with one carat’s worth of diamonds), the trend has left the exclusive clutches of celebrities and trickled into spas all over the country. The lashes, lauded for their natural look and lightweight feel, can cost you upwards of $400. And most salons claim that the fur is a cruelty-free product that’s harvested by “gently brushing” the animals.
So when a local salon recently contacted me about their PETA-friendly mink eyelash extensions, I decided to do a little extra research to find out whether or not the claim was true. I have to admit I was skeptical — and having a hard time imagining anyone “gently brushing” these relatively aggressive animals (related to weasels and badgers) and returning them to a natural habitat. READ MORE
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 Image courtesy of Make Up For Ever I love eyeshadow. I rarely wear it. Why? For all their shimmery, tempting loveliness, the shadows never seem to last (it could be my oily skin, but still). I’ve amassed an impressive collection of pretty colors that, for the most part, sit unused. And, while Blinc’s Phase One primer is a fabulous shadow-extending product in my arsenal, I’m not always motivated to add an extra step to my morning routine.
Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Cream shadows, however, have changed the game. They’re waterproof, fadeproof, and last, as the name implies, damn near forever. I’ve gone from the office to dinner to dancing and still have perfect lids when I get home. The best part? The shadow washes off easily with soap and water — no harsh scrubbing and/or heavy duty makeup remover required.
While Aqua Cream isn’t exactly cheap, the good news is that a little goes a long way. I use Warm Beige (a champagne shimmer) every day as a brow highlighter and I bet the same .21 ounce jar will last until I’m 64, or until I flit to a new favorite shade, whichever comes first.
Some say they love the thrill of the hunt. But I’m of the opposite persuasion — I couldn’t be happier that the search for a long-lasting eyeshadow is officially over.
$22, Sephora, Copley Place, Boston, 617-262-4200, sephora.com
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 Photograph by Anne Vickman Earlier this year, we tried out the hair feather trend, only to be horrified shortly after at the origins of said feathers. But apparently that wasn’t enough to put the trend to rest — a trip to any Urban Outfitters still yields ridiculous plumage accessories, like this (stupid-looking) headress or yet another pair of earrings. Yawn. But, after I spotted a manicure version I figured maybe — just maybe — the craze still has some legs. READ MORE
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 Image courtesy of Besame Cosmetics I don’t use blush. I don’t need it — pass me a glass of wine and I’ll be scarlet-cheeked within the hour. But since Bésame Cosmetics’ new Crimson Rouge cream tint can be used on lips, too, I thought I’d give it a try.
The line’s founder, Argentina native and designer Gabriela Hernandez, is inspired by history, so all the products have a fabulously luxe, old-fashioned look that I love. The Crimson Rouge definitely gets bonus points for its bright, Art Nouveau packaging. READ MORE
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 Photograph by Anne Vickman With the ombre hair trend on its way out, a new option has taken its place: the gradient manicure. I spotted a charcoal-tipped version on Sweet Talk on the Spot and set to work recreating it. All told, it was pretty simple. All you’ll need are two colors of polish (I used Catherine by Rescue Beauty and Maybelline Salon Expert nail polish in Sheer Whisper), a sponge eyeshadow applicator, and some sort of plastic (read: disposable) surface that you can pour the polish onto. READ MORE
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 Look ma, I did it all by myself! Also, Angela Chase, you're my hero. (Photo by Anne Vickman.) Earlier this summer, I came across this article on xojane.com about Streekers and, given my affinity for bright streaks , felt compelled to give it a go.
“Get ready for a Wild Weekend …with no commitment!” says the press release. While I noodle just how wild things have to get to qualify for this sort of gratuitous capitalization, I have to admit I’m excited to try temporary color — not a spray or flaky mascara — that will wash out with shampoo. READ MORE
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