I received the October issue of Allure magazine in the mail and immediately devoured their annual Best of Beauty issue and bought a few of the products they recommended.


A few brands this year have Kajal liners out so I wanted to give it a try. In case you didn't know a kohl eyeliner is called kajal in South Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa.The magazine recommended the Smashbox liner so I purchased that as well as the Mayelline liner which I thought was similar but at a different price point to compare, the trend being able to ditch your sharpener. Neither was waterproof, in that by the end of the day they wore off. If my eyes were watery while applying it came right off on my finger. As you can see from the picture the Smashbox liner is very thin while the Maybelline one is extra thick and for me the winner would have to be the Maybelline pencil. 

Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner in Violetta $20

Maybelline Master Kajal No Sharpener Needed Waterproof Liner in Midnight Brown $5.99

Oil of Olay Fresh Effects Shine, Shine Go Away! Shine Minimizing Cleanser   $5.39
I had just finished my last cleanser and was urgently trying to decide what to try next and the magazine made it easy for me, I went with their Olay recommendation and used it with my sponge. Olay says it has the “purifying power of a mask ;with the fresh feel of a daily cleanser.” The cleanser, formulated with kaolin clay, created lots of lather and my skin didn't feel much dryness afterwards. I usually buy my cleansers at Sephora so wasn't sure something this cheap could work, but then I found out it's a dupe for  Lancome's Creme Radiance Clarifying Cream-to-Foam Cleanser ($25)  - just compare the ingredients.

Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy in WildCard  $6.39
This wasn't on Allure's list but it was this picture in an ad in the magazine and immediately the color wowed me! The bottle says its a color and base combined and you're supposed to use it with their Revlon Diamond Top Coat. Well I still used my a base coat as I heard from a friend that the color stains. Then I used my regular top coat so you don't need to buy theirs. The polish is a thicker gel like formula, so I only needed one coat of the dark blue color. I loved the way it went on, the application was really fantastic! The drying time was the same as any other polish. I painted it Sunday and got a couple chips on Tuesday, which I patched up then was chip-free through Sunday. On Tuesday of this week I patched up the new chips and put another coat of top coat on. And as of today, Friday, it's still looking good and I'm getting tons of compliments on it. I've never been able to get 2 weeks out of a polish so I'm really impressed by it! It doesn't require the use of a lamp to apply.


Allure Magazine produces a monthly Sample Society Beauty subscription box which includes high end generous sized products for just $15. Each month it comes with a perfume sample which is fun to have a new perfume to wear each month. I received a full size Alterna Caviar RepairX Re-Texturizing Protein Cream which retails for $35. Additionally there was a  full size Restorsea revitalizing eye cream which is made from a natural enzyme released by salmon at birth (extracted from the hatching waste water along with eggshell fragment proteins and amniotic fluid) and targets crows feet and eliminates dark circles, it retails for $85. Also included are Tarte self tanning face towelettes, and LORAC POREfection Mattifying Face Primer. Click on the link below for more info about the box.