Product Review: Victoria's Secret Makeup

Having discovered that Victoria's Secret is now selling a full makeup line, I, like any other Gal might do, found myself falling victim to a 1-2 punch. Googly-eyeing the makeup, I pictured the flawless faces of Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima and determined that they must use these magical products as well. Yes, I somehow found myself reasoning that though pretty panties and structurally-sound underthings with straps that connect fifty different ways may have been the store's previous forte, VS must also have the winning formulas for makeup as well, as their entire livelihood is built upon beauty. Realizing the new VS makeup line existed was punch one.

You see, as a Gal who loves being made-up, the realization of a new product collection anywhere would make my day. We're talking Ace Hardware with a lipstick line based on paint samples and I'm through the roof. So, as I was reeling from recovery of the initial discovery, punch number two came and took me out. If the display would have had hands, I would have been putty in them. The salesgirl, who I'm sure was only legal by a parentally approved work permit, didn't even need to tell me that I could play with the testers. I had already started, and much to my husband's dismay, a forty-five minute fawning of shadows, blushes, glosses, liners, and lipsticks ensued. By the time I had finished my hands looked like I had completed a very involved art project. And now that the dust from my shadows and powders has settled, I can clearly see which products are yays and which are nays.

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The Luminous Face and Cheek Highlighter (pictured above) was an attractive purchase because I love a nice luminous cheekbone (as I am sure you detected from my post The Highlight of My Day), unfortunately I feel that this product (which I purchased in the shade Desert Rose) doesn't dispense easily and for the price ($14) there are other options that are far more effective. The product works nicely along the nose, but I would rather not spend $14 on a product that I am only using to accentuate my nose, of all things. The packaging feels cheap and the stick formula works against my liquid foundation as it doesn't glide on easily at all. I would not repurchase this product and would urge you to reference the products in The Highlight of My Day for an idea of other highlighters that are worth the money.

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The Mineral Eye Shadow Palette (pictured above in Jungle Heat) seemed to have excellent pigmentation when I swatched it at VS, however, when using brushes I found that the colors didn't hold pigmentation as well as I had expected, wet or dry. The gold lightweight plastic packaging again feels cheap instead of the chic result they must have hoped for. At $15 for four shadows the product isn't a ridiculous expense but I don't deem it to be worth repurchasing, either.

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I purchased two VS Blush Trios, Bliss and Wild. At $14 I found the trios to be priced reasonably for the product. Again, the finger swatch test returned skewed results as this product does not apply as pigmented from a brush.

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VS offers lipsticks in three different finishes: Perfect Lipstick, Sparkling Lipstick and Matte Cream Lipstick. At $12 I found the packaging, again, cheap. Unfathomably so considering that MAC lipsticks are offered in an unbelievable range of shades and packaged in sturdy little capsules for just $2 more. I chose-Femme, a Matte, and Spotlight, which is Sparkling, and I find the textures similar to those of Lorac's lipsticks in that they are very creamy. The formulas are nice as they are not noticeably drying to the lips (think bareEscentuals and Paula Dorf) but overall, I would opt for spending the additional $2 at MAC.

So, suffice it to say that VS' forte remains pretty panties and structurally-sound underthings, and perhaps over time they will have evolved their makeup line to include structurally-sound packaging and pretty useful cheek highlighters. As much as I'd like to love the current VS cosmetic offerings, I just do not at this point.

Sorry so glum, Gorgeous.

Bright new possibilities are on the horizon!

xoxox