Monday, March 28, 2011

PureDistance 1 -- A Full Bottle Giveaway -- week two


One more week to enter the drawing for the full bottle of “PureDistance 1 Perfume!” See last week's post for details. Leave a comment, either here or on last week’s post, to enter.

Not all of us can be Grace Kelly. Actually, none of us can be Grace Kelly. 
Kelly, according to movie legend and lore, was Alfred Hitchcock’s ultimate goddess, as she appeared in “Rear Window” and “To Catch a Thief.” Supposedly he became obsessed with her, and, after she retired from filmmaking to become Princess Grace, he tried to find her again in actress after actress, but never could. 
I chose this photograph of Kelly because she’s, well, soaked, but her makeup (and be assured: she’s wearing it) is perfect. This is no doubt because she had a makeup man, or woman, or both, or crew, waiting poolside to touch her up, another privilege us mere mortals don’t enjoy. And her mascara is...perfect.
I usually don’t write about beauty products, although I do use them, and have never endorsed one before. But today I want to tell you all about the single best makeup product I’ve ever found: Clarins Fix Mascara.
I have slightly deep-set eyes. Because of this, each time I blink my lashes, they brush the skin underneath. As a result, I’ve gone around with mascara smudges under them, forever, until now.
“Fix Mascara” is a transparent gel you apply, with a mascara wand, over any mascara you want. It instantly becomes smudgeproof and waterproof, and stays on until you take it off. To me, this is a revelation. No more panda! No more pulling at the skin under my eyes -- and we all know this is a BIG no-no -- to wipe the smudges off!  No more repairing eye makeup!
I’ve tried many kinds of mascara in my rather long life. Many, many, many. Some have claimed to be waterproof, others smudgeproof, others both, but none ever really were. This stuff works. I haven’t (yet) gone body-surfing in it, you understand, or lived through a Southern July or watched “Sophie’s Choice,” but for general day-to-day, including naps, it works beautifully.
One of the advantages of perfume blogging is getting exposed to reviews of makeup and skin care products, from other perfume sites and from forums. I heard about Mascara Fix after pleading on Perfume Posse: has anybody ever used a mascara that actually stayed on?!  Someone had used this, and she told me about it.
So, I got myself some Mascara Fix, and some eye makeup primer -- another wonderful product, which I read about on The Non-Blonde. I put my eye makeup on once now, and it’s there all day.  It will never make me look like Grace Kelly, but even a trip to Lourdes wouldn’t do that. It does, however, make me look better at 3:00 in the afternoon than I did before. This is about as much as one can ever expect from a cosmetic product, notwithstanding the claims of the gazillion-dollar makeup business. It won’t turn you into Grace, but you won’t need a makeup crew, either.
Clarins Mascara Fix is available from the Clarins website or the usual online shopping sites for around $22.00, and probably at department stores, too.
I’m not affiliated in any way with Clarins. I bought this product.
I’ve been using “Stay Don’t Stray” eye makeup primer from Benefit, which seems to work very well. Not affiliated with them, either.
The photo came from a Grace Kelly fansite. It was also used as the cover of one of the books written about her. I haven't yet found a photo credit, but I bet it was Bud Fraker, who took many of the iconic photos of Kelly.

14 comments:

queen_cupcake said...

Hurray! Mascara Fix sounds like the beauty product I most need to find! Thanks for posting this, I had missed it on The Non-Blonde.

I would really love to win the full bottle of Puredistance I --please enter me in the drawing. Thanks!

tarleisio said...

I'm completely blown away! Synchronicity or just that great minds think alike, but in any case, I was just thinking today that mascara has me...at my wits end. None are waterproof, none are flake- or smudgeproof, and just like you, I end up looking like an orphaned panda at the end of the day, and I hate it. I've tried everything. But not Clarins Mascara Fix. It sounds like the answer to many years of prayers, and for that, I thank you!

I thank you for the Puredistance draw, too, a line I've heard so many amazing things about, and what better way to try than a draw?

Your Clarins tip might well be a lifesaver! I'll let you know - and thank you again!

*jen said...

I am a beauty blogger and have never heard of Mascara Fix. I thank you for the heads up. Love Clarins. :)

Eye makeup primer is HUGE. Life changing. lol

Olfacta said...

Hi ladies -- Usually I don't comment when running a drawing, but want to say: you're welcome! I hope it works for you as well as it does for me!

Vanessa said...

LOL at "It does, however, make me look better at 3:00 in the afternoon than I did before."

I'll settle for that! A product that could make me look better at 8.00am, having just got up, might be too much to ask...

: - )

Ines said...

Thank you for this! Useful make-up advice are so hard to come by these days, I will definitely try this.

JoanElaine said...

I've been reading some of your past posts today and now I want Halston Couture! EBay, here I come.

If Canadians are eligible to enter the PureDistance giveaway, I would love to be entered in the draw.

Thank you!

Barbara/Perfumaniac said...

I've had to stop wearing waterproof mascara because it's so hard to clean off. How about this one?

I love Lancome's Definicils but I've never tried the waterproof...

Olfacta said...

(breaking own rule again) Lancome's waterproof mascara tries hard, but I still get smudges from it.

I use L'Oreal's waterproof eye makeup remover (green, not blue, bottle) and it takes this off just fine.

Anonymous said...

No, never had a mascara that stayed on. THANKS. I'd love to be in the draw. I've heard about that line, but never experienced them.

Cheryl

Anonymous said...

Puredistance is one of the new niche brands that I am eager to try but the price makes it hard especially in this economy so I'm keeping my fingers crossed Thanks for the opportunity Paul H. :)

Sharon C. said...

JoanElaine, Halston Couture is wonderful!

Olfacta, I would love to be entered in the Puredistance drawing, please!

sharyl said...

Olfacta, I already left a comment to be entered in the draw on March 22, but just wanted to say thanks so much for sharing this tip about Clarins Mascara Fix. It sounds like I am just one of many who desperately and to no avail have tried to fix this mascara problem. And as you mentioned, these kinds of helpful makeup tips are just one of the side benefits of the wonderful perfume blog community. Thanks again. Sharyl

Anonymous said...

The photograph of Grace Kelly is by Howell Conant. He took this picture while Grace and her sister were vacationing in Jamaica in 1955. I actually don't think there was a big crew involved in the photoshoot -- it was just Conant and his camera. Which makes how perfect she looks soaking wet all the more impressive and annoying. ;-)

Just discovered your blog and I'm really enjoying it!

MC