Layla is one of my favourite Italian brands. Most known for their polishes, Layla makes a wide variety of products that stand out from the rest because of their outstanding pigmentation. Most of their products, including nail polishes, glitter eyeliners and matte eyeshadows, only require one coat to provide opaque and bright coverage! The retail prices aren’t inexpensive (although I think the products are reasonably priced considering how well they perform) but you’ll be happy to know that a lot of shops sell them at a cheaper price. But which products should you get? Here are my top picks:

Sparkle Eyeshadows
These are some of my favourite eyeshadows. They are insanely pigmented, available in both colorful and neutral shades, and have a very soft texture that blends like a dream. They are also chock full of shimmers that make your eyes sparkle beautifully. If you have oily lids, you need a primer to make them last all day but everything else, from the texture to the pigmentation, is so good that I don’t really mind that. The price, €12,40, is not that cheap, but if you love shimmery eyeshadows, these are worth every cent.

Ceramic Effect Nail Polishes
These polishes are available in a wide variety of shades, most of which require only one coat to achieve opaque coverage. They apply easily without streaking and last about 4 days on me before they start to chip if I don’t use a top coat. I’m very hard on my nails so that’s quite impressive! But what I love the most about these polishes is that they dry really quickly. And at €7,60 each, they are quite reasonably priced.

Glitter in Eyeliner
If you are a fan of glitter eyeliners, then you have to try these. They are the real deal: they provide opaque coverage in just one coat! The glitters are fine so they make your sparkle and shine without being too obvious, while the brush applicator makes application really easy. They are quite longlasting too but, like all glitter eyeliners, they can be quite messy to remove. The price? €9.60.

Miracle Gloss
These glosses have a lovely texture that’s quite creamy and not sticky at all and provide great color payoff with just one layer. They also have a lovely shiny finish that makes your lips appear slightly plumper. They last about 5 hours if you don’t eat and retail at €15,10

Eye-Art Extreme Eyeshadows
These are the most pigmented matte eyeshadows I have ever come across. Some of the shades are a bit chalky and prone to fallout but the pigmentation is so good and the texture so easy to blend that I can easily forgive them that. In addition, they last long even without a primer and cost €14,41.

Layla products are available at http://shop.laylacosmetics.it/. Have you ever tried any of their products? What are your favourites?

Hello everyone,

there are so many cosmetic brands out there that it is hard to choose what to get. That’s especially true if you want to buy something from a brand you have never tried before. What are the best products that you should try first? To answer that question, I thought I’d start a new series sharing my favourite products from various brands. I hope you’ll find it useful. So, let’s start with one of my favourite drugstore brands, Sleek Makeup.

I-Divine Eyeshadow Palettes
You’re all probably fed up of hearing me rave about these palettes, but I can’t help it. Sleek Makeup I-Divine Eyeshadow Palettes are among the best drugstore eyeshadows I have ever tried. The eyeshadows have a smooth buttery texture and excellent color payoff (although the matte shades are less pigmented than the shimmering ones). I have 11 of these palettes and love them all but, among the permanent ones, my favourites are: Original, which contains a nice mix of shimmering colorful and natural shades; Storm which features natural but by no means boring colors, some of which have a beautiful metallic finish; Acid, which includes 4 bright neon shades (although a couple of them are chalky) and is perfect for those who love really bold shades; and Oh So Special, which has a nice mix of natural brown, beige and peachy pink shades perfect for daily wear. At £6.49, they are a steal!

Blush
Sleek Makeup Blushes are insanely pigmented. Perfect for dark-skinned beauties, pale princesses will have to apply them with a duo-fibre brush and a very light hand if they want to avoid looking like a clown. The texture is soft, the powder finely milled and applies and blends like a dream. And once applied, it lasts all day. My favourite is Rose Gold, a peachy pink shade with gold shimmers that’s a dupe for the expensive Nars Orgasm. It warms up the complexions and gives it a nice, natural glow. Rose Gold performs like a high-end blush but it costs only £4.29!

Pout Polish
If you don’t mind having to apply your lip products with either your fingers or a lip brush, you’ll love these tinted lip balms. They have a not-sticky texture that’s very moisturizing and leaves lips soft and smooth. Unlike most tinted lip balms, the Pout Polishes actually have enough pigment to add a nice touch of color to your lips and lots of shine. The color fades after about 3 hours but the moisturizing effect lasts longer. And it also contains SPF15 to keep your lips protected from the harmful sun rays. My favorite is Pink Cadillac, shown above. The price? Only £4.29!

Pout Paints
These pure lip pigments undoubtedly aren’t for everyone, but if you’re looking for a cheaper dupe for the OCC Lip Tars, these are it. The intensely saturated formula provides bright and insanely high color payoff that lasts and lasts. They are available in both wearable and bold shades and you can mix and match them to create your own! For this purpose, two particular shades have been created: Peek-A-Bloo, a crazy blue that’s used to make shades darker, and Cloud 9, an intense white to make them lighter. Although not moisturizing, their texture (unlike that of the OCC Lip Tars) is neither drying not runny. However, they can stain so you must be careful when you apply them (and you definitely need to use a lip brush for that). They retail at £4.99 each.

True Color Lipstick In Rose Petal
I’m not a huge fan of lipstick (I just prefer glosses), but I’m in love with Sleek Makeup True Color Lipstick in Rose Petal and I’ve been wearing it very often ever since I’ve got it. Rose Petal is a stunning antique rose pink with some subtle golden undertones that’s very wearable and goes with any look. It provides opaque color payoff with just one swipe and lasts about 5 hours on me, which is really good. The texture isn’t as moisturizing as that of high-end lipsticks, obviously, but it feels comfortable on my lips and doesn’t dry them out. For the price (£3.99), I can’t really complain!

Sleek Makeup products are available at Sleekmakeup.com and http://www.alicejohavesentials.nl/.

Have you ever tried any Sleek Makeup products? What are your favourites?

Dear Pupa,

ours was love at first sight, at least on my part. I remember, when I was a child, I would stare at your beautiful palettes mesmerized! Oh, how beautiful are your palettes! They have the cutest packaging, in all shapes and sizes: butterflies, flowers, angels, little dolls and even more classical pochettes. I so couldn’t wait to grow older so that I could finally start using them! In high school, I was finally allowed to wear makeup and my parents, knowing how much I loved these gorgeous palettes, would always make me find one carefully wrapped up under the Christmas tree. I was always so excited when I torn open the presents.

Your palettes are the perfect gift for any teenagers. Not only is the packaging adorable and targeted specifically to this age group (older ladies may find them too childish), but they also contain everything you could possibly need to create beautiful looks. No need to spend lots of money to buy eyeliners, eyeshadows, lip products, blushes, mascaras etc.. Your palettes have them all. Some of them, depending on their size (I love that your kits often come in small, medium and big sizes so everyone can easily find one they can afford to buy), even foundations and concealers. And the pigmentation of the shades was so good. A little used to go such a long way, especially with the eyeshadows.

Yes, sadly I have to talk about the pigmentation of your palettes using the past tense. I still receive a palette for Christmas every now and then but in the past few years, I noticed the shades aren’t as pigmented as they used to be. I’m particularly saddened by how sheer the eyeshadows have become. You can barely see the shades on the eyes, even with a primer. *sighs* Of course, it depends on the palettes, some are better and more pigmented than others, but they really aren’t as good as they used to be.

But at least, the quality of the rest of your products hasn’t changed. As much as I used to love your palettes, as I grew older and my makeup obsession exploded, I started trying other products too, instead than just using your kits and I was (still am) very impressed. The packaging of your single products may not be as whimsical but it’s still pretty and you can’t fault their quality. Your baked blushes are among the best I have ever tried, your pencils are creamy and glide on smoothly, the eyeshadows are pigmented, the lippies quite moisturizing and the mascaras deliver long, luscious lashes.

But the selection of shades leaves a lot to be desired. You have recently launched a nail polish range in more than 50 shades, which I absolutely love! Now, it’s time to do the same with the rest of your products. Ok, maybe more than 50 shades of eyeshadows or blushes may be a bit too much, but you need to make these products in more shades. At the moment, most of your products are available in only a handful of shades, all of which are, albeit pretty, also common, boring and very easily dupable. Yes, everyone needs basic shades, and the quality of yours is good, but lately your prices keep increasing and there are just lots of other brands that offer what you offer at more convenient prices. I would love to see you come out with more complex, muted shades, maybe even some duochromes. You could at least add these shades to your beautiful LE collections, I’m sure they would sell out even faster!

And don’t even get me started on your poor selection of foundation and concealer shades. They are usually available only in 3 or 4 shades, so lots of people won’t be able to find a match. Of course, none are pale enough for fair-skinned girls. *grrr* Really, there are so many different shades of skin color, they are all beautiful and they all deserve to find a good match. Just think about all the people that won’t be able to buy your face products because of the limited shade selection. How unfair is that?

In the end, it’s this very limited range of shades that has made me try more and more new brands. Your counter used to be the first one I checked out every time I stepped into a beauty store, now there are times when I won’t pay any attention to it at all. Yes, your products are great and of course you will always be one of my favourite makeup brands, but I also know that I already have every shade you make in my stash already so, unless I want to check out a new LE collection or product you have just released, what’s the point of stopping by your counter?

I love you Pupa, and I really wanna purchase more of your products, so please, please, do expand your shade selection and come out with more unique and muted colors, at least every once in a while. That’s the only think this brand lacks. Oh, and while we’re on the subject, I have one more demand.. Can you please, please, pretty please release your eyeshadow primer in Italy? Why the hell is it available in the rest of the world and not here? How unjust!

Well, I’ll just stop complaining, rambling now. Hoping that you’ll listen to my suggestions,

Gio

Dear Opi,

we don’t know each other well. Until recently, you weren’t exactly easily available in Italy and so I only found out about your existence when I started reading beauty blogs about 3 or 4 years ago, can’t even remember now. But let me tell you, in this short space of time, you managed to piss me off big time.

You see, I was so happy when you announced you were gonna open an Italian ecommerce shop. And then I saw the prices you’re charging. Which honestly shouldn’t have come as a surprise since your products aren’t really that cheap in the US and totally and completely outrageous in Europe and the rest of the world. Seriously, what reason do you have (apart from greed) to charge €15,00 (about $18.70) for one small bottle of nail polish? And that is without shipping charges! Now, that’s insane!

There is no way to justify that huge price increase. Sure, I expect to pay a bit more since you have to import the products and all (although Illamasqua and Essence are European brands, yet they are cheaper in the US so don’t get me started on that as well), but we’re paying twice as much?! If you expect me to buy your products, then I expect an explanation because, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re not the only brand that makes great polishes. Actually there are lots of other brands that make better polishes than you, yet only charge a fraction of your prices…

But if I really have to pay that much for a polish, then I’d rather get one from Dior or Estee Lauder instead. Sure, they’re highly overpriced as well, but at least when you buy from high-end brands, you’re also paying for the packaging and that feeling of glamour and of getting something special for your money. That justifies the price, at least in part, but you Opi aren’t a high-end brand (you know that, right?) .

I thought I’d be only able to get your products on ebay whenever I could find an honest seller charging reasonable prices, but then you did something that’s really hard for me to forgive. You threatened to sue Temptalia and other bloggers for posting promo pictures of one of your collections on their blogs. It may have happened ages ago, and some may consider it old news, but when a company acts like that it makes me not want to buy their products anymore.

I do understand that the pictures were leaked and it may have ruined your ad campaign, but a) those bloggers didn’t hack into your computer company to stole the pictures, they just found them online and had no idea they couldn’t be published and b) you could have politely explained the situation to the bloggers and ask them to take the info down. I’m sure they would have agreed, given the circumstances.

But any company that just sends DMCA takedown notices to bloggers who are promoting their products for free without even attempting to solve the matter privately is gonna end up in my bad book. I would forgive you if the idiots that took that disgusting decision apologized, but as far as I know, the only one who did apologize to the bloggers (and please correct me if I’m wrong) was the PR person who had nothing to do with it and was informed only after the DMCA notices had been sent. Not nearly good enough for me.

I understand that Coty has taken you over and maybe now things will change and you will start doing business in a better way, treating bloggers that promoted you for free for years with respect and stop charging ridiculously high prices for a small bottle of nail polish, but somehow I doubt it. But until I see any sign of that, you and me are over.

So, I’m sorry Opi, but adios!

Gio

Dear L’Oreal,

you and I go wayyy back. In fact, the first blush and lipstick I ever bought back when I was 14 were from you. I couldn’t afford many brands at the time and so I was spending lots of hours at your counter choosing what to buy and then rushing home to experiment with my new goodies. Of course I wasn’t very skilled and the blush made me look like a clown and the eyeshadows weren’t well blended but we practiced together and achieved good results in the end.

Over the years, I discovered other and better brands but every now and then, whenever one of your products caught my eye, I would get it. I have to admit most of the time they were only average, but the price was cheap and I thought I was getting what I paid for. Fair enough. I didn’t feel cheated or robbed. But now I do.

Your prices, at least here in Italy and most of Europe, have been steadily increasing to the point of becoming ridiculous. Your lipsticks and lipglosses range from 14 to 16 euros ($19.00-22.00), your blushes from 14 to 18 euros ($19.00-25.00) and your mascaras retail at €17 ($23.00)! And these are just a few examples! But seriously?! You’re a drugstore brand and these prices are way too high for drugstore products!

Why would I wanna spend €17.00 for a drugstore mascara when, with a couple more euros, I could buy one from Collistar or even Chanel? The mascara would last 6 months anyway and they certainly won’t make my lashes look like I’m wearing falses (no mascara can) but at least they are high-end products with a prestigious image and elegant packaging. When I part with a 20 euro note for a Chanel mascara, I buy more than a mascara. I pay for the product, the classy packaging, the brand and everything it represent.

But you? What do you offer me for just slightly less money? An average mascara packaged in a tacky tube that isn’t even worth half the retail price. Just give me one good reason why I should still buy your makeup cos at the moment, I don’t see even a tiny little one. You may think you’re Chanel or Dior, but you’re not. And you’ll never be. So, why charging so much?

Is it because of your obviously very expensive marketing campaign? Every time I open any mags, there are at least 6 pages with your ads, and each page features a different celeb! I guess celebs endorsement and places on mags don’t come cheap, but honestly, if you spent your money improving your products instead than paying high sums to celebs and mags for ad spots, then they’ll finally be worth the price tag and I may be tempted to try something from you again. But as long as you keep releasing Cover Girl products at Dior prices, I’ll take my money somewhere else.

But thinking you can charge ridiculously high prices isn’t your only flaw. You also discriminate against Asian and African people. I was shocked to discover that in France (although it may apply to other countries, I don’t really know), to sell Garnier shampoo (one of your brands) you have to have white skin and French parents. Of course the case went to trial and you were found guilty, but still, what the hell?!

Your excuse was that white French people were more likely to sell shampoos in France, but I find that ridiculous. When I (and everyone else) go to a shop to buy a shampoo, a foundation or whatever, I couldn’t care less if the SA or hostess has white or black skin, green or brown eyes, red or blonde hair, or if she is tall or short, fat or skinny, young or mature. I don’t care where their parents are born, what religious they profess or what political opinion they have.

No, what it really matters is that they know what they are talking about. And most SAs don’t have a clue. 90% of the time, when I go to a shop I have to deal with a 18 year old girl that has been hired only for a few months so that the employer can exploit her pay her less and isn’t even trained at all. And that, not the color of their skin, is what makes me go out of the shop empty-handed cos if the SA knows less than me then she can’t help me and chances are she’ll only make me waste my hard-earned money.

I can’t really say goodbye as you still make my HG conditioner (although even that is becoming too pricey so I may look for alternatives soon), but I’m very disappointed in you and unless something changes, and you get down your pedestal, I don’t think I’ll ever try any of your cosmetics again. I’ll always remember our first years together fondly but my feelings towards you have changed and things will never be the same again between us. It could have been so different. What a shame.

Gio

Dear Nivea,

you and I go back a long way. When I was a teenager on a very tight budget just starting to wander through the realms of beauty, it was to you that I turned to for all my skincare needs. I was happy to be able to get all the products I needed at such inexpensive prices and, at the time, I thought your products weren’t that bad at all.

How naive I was.

You see, back then, I didn’t know anything about cosmetic ingredients and I believed that none of the substances used in beauty products could possibly harm skin. After all, they’re there to provide benefits, right?

It was only in my early twenties that I started doing my research and found out that some of the ingredients used in products do more harm than good. While they provide some benefits, the cons surpass them and so I don’t want those anywhere near my skin.

And no, I’m not talking about mineral oil, silicones or parabens, all ingredients that can be found in your products anyway. I don’t believe these ingredients are bad for the skin. No, I’m talking about ingredients like Alcohol Denat, Isopropyl Palmitate and Myristyl Myristate. Most of your products contain these ingredients in high concentrations.

What’s so wrong with them? Well Alcohol Denat is an astringent and I used to think it would be good to keep my oily t-zone under control, but little did I know that it is also very drying, irritating, can worsen acne and cause free radical damage, which is one of the main causes of wrinkles.

So, all the while I was applying my moisturizer thinking it would hydrate my skin and keep wrinkles at bay, the sneaky little cream was actually contributing to create them! Needless to say, I stopped using products that list this ingredient at the top of the list straight away.

And what about Isopropyl Palmitate (emollient) and Myristyl Myristate (it slows down water loss)? Well, they are very comedogenic and every time I use a product that contains them in high doses, my skin breaks out horribly! Most of your cleansers and moisturizers are full of them and in fact, when I used them in high school, I would often get pimples and breakouts.

Of course, at the time I didn’t realise it was your fault. I thought it was just hormonal. After all, teenagers have hormones all over the place and it’s normal for them to have pimples, breakouts and even acne. But no, it wasn’t hormones, it was those two nasty pair of ingredients!

When I stopped using products with them, my skin cleared out and stayed in good condition, but if I start using them again, they create havoc on my skin and those sneaky pimples raise their ugly heads again!

And the harmful ingredients aren’t the only problem with the formulas of your products. Most of your sunscreens, doesn’t matter what the labels say, don’t offer sufficient UVA protection and leave skin exposed to sun damage.

In addition, all your products have very basic and simple formulas. The main ingredients in your famous Nivea creme for example, are mineral oil, vaseline, glycerin and wax. No antioxidants, no peptides, no retinoids or ingredients effective to treat breakouts or provide anti-aging benefits.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with being basic if the product works, but from such an old and established skincare brand I expected more. I expect you to keep up with current research and include new ingredients which have been proven to be beneficial in scientific studies in your products.

I expect you to constantly improve your formulas instead of being stuck with those that were already old 10 years ago. And if that means that your prices will be slightly raised so be it. I’d gladly pay a couple (or four or five) more bucks for better formulated products. Well, actually I’m already doing that since I’ve abandoned your products for those of other brands, which may be more expensive but provide greater benefits than yours.

Of course, not all your products are bad, or average. If one cares to look, they will find some real gems among your range (but then what brand doesn’t have at least a couple of amazing products?). I’d still use your lip balms (I adore them) and maybe some body lotions but that’s it.

So, Nivea, bye bye. We used to be best friends in high school, but like it often happens in life, people move on. And just like old school friends, even if we lose touch with each other, every now and then we’ll meet up again and have a great time together.

Arrivederci, my old friend,

Gio

Hello everyone and welcome to a new feature here at Beautiful With Brains. Every now and then, I’ll write a letter to a brand expressing my opinion about it. Sometimes, they’ll be rants, sometimes they’ll be raves, sometimes neutral, but always honest. I hope you like this new feature and please let me know what you think of these brands in the comments. I’d love to hear your opinions. So, let’s get started. First up, is MAC Cosmetics:

Dear MAC,

it saddens me to write this letter, but I’m afraid I can no longer hide that lately my feelings for you have changed: we’re OVER. It wasn’t a decision I took lightly, but your behaviour over the past months has left me no choice.

I still remember the way we met. It was online. There aren’t any MAC counters here and I discovered you while surfing the net. The wide selection of colors, the not-too-high prices and the good quality of your products made me fall in love with you.

Every time I was in another town and I had the chance to visit one of your stores, my heart was full of joy and excitement. I would spend hours at the counter playing with everything on display and never went home empty-ended.

Everyone kept saying how you were the best in the business and for a while, I believed the hype. Then, you changed. You kept wanting more of more (of my money) but only kept giving less and less (of your products, both in quality and sizes).

The recent decrease of the size of pigments is the last straw for me. I don’t care if you still give me enough product to last me a lifetime or how good those pigments are, making people pay the same for less is NOT cool, nor right. And that’s not the only time you downsized a product and I’m sure it won’t be the last either.

And do we want to talk about the endless amount of collections you keep throwing at us faster than I can say “I do”? You released more than 30 collection in 2009! 30! And how many were actually interesting? Mmmm…. NONE! They were all full of repromotes and boring and dupable colors that aren’t even as pigmented as they used to be.

The few times when the promo pix got me all excited and eager to see the collection, the swatches would soon disappoint me. Everything seems to have become so sheer lately. I can’t even remember the last time I saw a pigmented lipgloss from you, they all look the same clear crap when swatched these days.

And yet, the prices keep going up. I understand that prices can’t always stay the same, esp in this economy. Sometimes they go up, rarely they go down, but you keep increasing the prices by 50p every year for no reason at all. I’d understand if you were in trouble, if that was due to the recession, but let’s face it: even if the economy was blooming, the prices would still increase.

The price increase wouldn’t be so bad if the quality of the products kept increasing too. I don’t mind paying a bit more for better products, but they are slowly becoming worse overtime. You have become so greedy and all you want is to make the most money as you possibly can with as little effort as possible, without caring for your customers at all.

And so, overtime, I stopped caring for you too. We’ve had some good times in the past. I loved you and bought your products and, in return, you made me look pretty without making me go (too) broke. We had fun together, but the past is the past and it’s now time to move on.

That doesn’t mean that I’ll never buy your products again. I’d still get some of your brushes every now and then (after all, their quality is still super) and if you decide to release some unique, colorful and pigmented shades, I’ll give in and get them. But you’re no longer one of my first choices when it comes to buying makeup.

There are lots of brands out there that release much better products than you at a much cheaper price. And most of the time, their colors are permanent so I don’t have to rush out to buy their collections as soon as they get out or miss them, like I’m forced to do with you.

Thanks for all the good memories, but now it’s time for me to move on.

Gio

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