Amazing Cosmetics Mascara

I first used the Amazing Cosmetics Mascara several years ago and then when I went back to Bath and Body Works to buy it, the company had stopped carrying it and I pretty much forgot about the product.  However several months ago, I saw this product at the Amazing Cosmetics counter at my local Sephora and I decided to buy a tube of this mascara and I see if I still liked it as much as I remembered.  Everyone who reads this blog knows that I am obsessed with mascara and am always searching for new formulas and ways to make my eye lashes look full and huge.  This year hasn't been a great year for me with mascara, I have liked a few formulas that I tried but I didn't love anything until I tried YSL Faux Cils and fell instantly in love.  So far, nothing else has surpassed my love of that formula this year however I continue to try and collect all kinds of formulas each time that I go to Sephora.

I know that I tried this mascara out in the middle of 2006 in a flagship Bath and Body Works and then bought a tube to take home with me.  I was mascara shopping already at that time and I had heard great reviews of other products in the Amazing line and I was very impressed with how this mascara performed.  I remembered this formula as a volumizing formula however I didn't remember how it compared to some of the my favorites (Benefit They're Real!, Diorshow Iconic, Buxom Lash) so I decided to buy a tube of this while I still had some product left in my Faux Cils tube.  And I am glad that I did that, this mascara helps to plump lashes up but doesn't deliver the Faux Cils-type of huge, almost fake lashes. 

I know that this line is available at Sephora however I do not know of any other places that I can buy it so I will pull all my information from the Sephora website.  "A technologically advanced mascara that builds thick, sexy lashes without flaking or clumping.  AmazingCosmetics Mascara creates thick, voluminous lashes by utilizing specific curling polymers. You will be left with a lush, defined frame for the eyes—minus the flaking or clumping." 

This mascara is a nice formula however it is not the best for major volume.  With two coats, it creates a nice amount of volume, this would be more of a spring/summer day mascara for me.  In fall and winter, I really go all out with mascaras and crave an even larger lash look than usual.  This formula didn't irritate my eyes at all, even with eye makeup remover that I need to use to get it off.  The formula didn't smudge any more than most others that I have tried and removed better than many others, Faux Cils is one of the worst at removal and that is one of the few aspects that I hate about it.  The Amazing Mascara formula would be good for the more humid days of the summer since it doesn't smudge and will survive the humidity.  It defines the lashes well and rarely clumped after application.  I had a few clumping issues but they all occured with the application of the second coat, this is the coat that I try to build up the most volume on so I find that I apply the formula much more thickly on the second coast.

This formula is best for someone who likes slightly more dramatic lashes but doesn't want the huge, fake-looking lashes.  I would be more likely to use it during the day in the humid weather.  This is not the type of mascara that I would use when going out at night, I would reserve the most dramatic mascaras for this time of the night.  I don't know that I would rebuy this mascara since there are so many other options out there and it wasn't a formula that is really unique.  This formula reminds me more of a Clinique formula of mascara, more of a middle end than a high end mascara. 

I would recommend this mascara for someone who likes slightly more natural looking thick lashes, not someone who is looking for a false lash effect.  Other than that that face, this is a nice formula but there is nothing that really sets it apart from the rest of the formulas on the market today.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer

Amazing Cosmetics is not one of the best known makeup lines out there but I think it one that produces some of the highest quality products that I have ever tried.  The concealer from this line is one of the first high-end makeup products that I have ever used (right after I graduated college was when I really began to get into color) and I am convinced that it helped me to come all the way over to the high-end lines.  How did one single product accomplish this?  Two ways!  The first way is that one tube lasts forever, when I used drugstore concealer in college, I went through tubes of it like crazy.  This product?  One small tube of this product lasted me almost a year and a half (without any change in pigmentation or texture).  The other reason is that it worked wonders for my complexion and really let me see how very quality products work in comparision to lower quality ones.

For those of you who don't know all the background on the Amazing Cosmetics line, I will provide a brief introduction to brand (from the Sephora website).  "It all started with a concealer - a multi-purpose, highly pigmented, waterproof concealer that magically erased everything from dark circles to sun damage and looked undetectable on the skin.  Makeup pros in the film and television industry discovered this little wonder and now half of Hollywood, along with scores of women, is hooked.  Amazing Cosmetics has single handedly changed the face of makeup with high-performance products that offer flawless results.  From their cult-favorite concealer to the their skin-smoothing mineral foundation and wearable palette of color, an amazing complexion has never been more achievable."  This concealer is known as the "magic eraser" and it is exactly what it does. 

"A full-coverage concealer ideal for any kind of imperfection.  Amazing Cosmetics' Amazing Concealer is the most amazing concealer available today.  This highly pigmented, super-emollient, waterproof formula blends seamlessly into the skin, creating a flawless complexion that looks and feels natural.  The Amazing Concealer is formulated to erase all skin imperfections: dark circles, broken capillaries, sun damage, redness, and more.  There's nothing on the market today that can compare to Amazing Concealer and its ability to erase all skin imperfections.  Unlike the traditional concealers, the Amazing Concealer is so concentrated, you only need to use tiny pin-dot amounts of product to create the skin you've always wanted but thought that you could never have.  A beauty insider's favorite, the Amazing Concealer is your 'magic eraser'."

This concealer is available in a very wide range of shades for a concealer, a product that we usually see offered in about three to five shades.  I purchased the Fair (Ultra Light) shade and it was a perfect match for my NC15 skin.  This concealer is a fantastic product however it is not as low maintence as using a concealer from a stick.  This product is housed in a small tube, it reminds of a tube of paint.  This must be applied with a concealer brush, it is so concentrated that if you use your fingers, then you will overapply and end up with a caked appearance on the skin.  I squeezed a dot-sized amount out on the back of my hand and then used a flat synthetic concealer brush to apply it to the skin.  I dotted it on undereye circles and then blended it with my ring finger to spread it out.  Spot concealing is even easier than that.  I take the tip of the brush and dab the product right on the blemish or dark area and then lightly pat it into my skin.  This product is very emollinet so I do recommend setting this product with loose powder to ensure that it stays on all day.

After the intial application, this product will last all day with minimal touching up.  The only areas that required any type of touching up were blemishes and the touch-ups were few and far between.  The formula is more emollient that many other formulas so I do not recommend it for oily skin or extensive acne cover-ups.  With the long-wearing factor of this product, a separate makeup remover or toner is needed to ensure that this product fully comes off.  I would also think that you would be fine removing this product with a oil cleanser, but if you are using a light foam or natural cream cleanser, you will need a separate product for full removal. 

This is hands down the best concealer that I have tried so far.  I recommend this to many people who are looking for a great concealer, especially for undereye coverage.  For acne coverage, I do prefer Laura Mercier's Secret Camoflage as it is less emollient and a thicker texture.  This is not a product for you if you prefer a fast stick coverage, you need to spend a bit more time with this product in this morning.  However, once you take the time, you will have coverage that lasts all day and into the night.  It is worth it to me to spend the extra few minutes in the morning and not have to worry about touch-ups throughout the day. 

One thing that both delighted and surprised me, I never knew that this was a whole line of makeup products.  I have always associated this line with just the concealer and I was aware that a limited line of face product existed but I never knew that they went all the way out into color choices.  I will have to investigate these products and see if they live up to the reputation of the "magic eraser" concealer.

photo courtesy of Sephora