P&G Beauty Continues To Re-Invent Mass Market Make-Up
Text, Images by Judith Ecochard and courtesy of CoverGirl and Max Factor
One of our most enlightening moments at the recent trade show-The MakeUp Show- was meeting the P&G Beauty reps –and getting the 411 on this innovative child division of the mother ship Proctor and Gamble’s corporate conglomerate.
Skeptics that think affordable beauty products equal less than the best -are probably re-thinking their thoughts…and not just because budgets are being beaten down by gas tank fill-ups of $70 (OUCH).
Deep pocketed research budgets combined with a solid commitment to creativity (via P&G’s Global Design Director-the extraordinary Pat McGrath) are boosting the CoverGirl and Max Factor lines’ presence in professional make-up kits as well as in Generations X, Y and whatever’s carryalls.
And as beauty junkies-we feel compromise is not an option.
COVERGIRL:
We know the celeb ads are eye-catching (the Queen Collection is GENUIS) but we focus on the goods- ON US.
Happily, we are more than jazzed about two hot off the press products set to hit shelves in July 2008.
First we tested the CoverGirl Wetslicks AmazeMint lip gloss in ‘tongue in cheek’ named colors “Slaphappy”(a sparkly peachy pink), “Merry Berry” (a deep rose shade that works with any skin tone), and a glistening blue-ish sheer “Happy Hour” (that made our choppers look whiter).
All went on smoothly (not globby yech) thanks to a "magic wand”… and left our smackers with a cool minty freshness via the added ingredient of P&G’s Crest™ Peppermint Oil.
Feel-wise, we liked the durable gloss factor-shiny without stickiness. And at MSRP: $4.99-we are going to (and can afford)-to check out the minty whitening shades like “Plum Crazy,” “Toasted” and “Un-Wined” without needing a pit-stop at our local AA meeting.
We also (lightly) slapped on the bold CoverGirl Eye Enhancers pressed powder shadows.
A plus-are the palettes-that reminded us of the heavily pigmented goods of more upscale lines…and plus, plus- how easy it was to get a sheer splash of color-courtesy of the silky formulations and a soft sponge applicator.
WE LIKED:
Cleverly packaged in 1 ($3), 3($4) or 4($5) kit shades-these fashion forward shades might scare off older gals---BUT SHOULDN’T. We felt the “Gold Sizzle”, “Indigo Impact” and “Lime Alive” samples from the aptly coined “Blast Collection” subtly enhanced our green eyes.
Our too-cool-for-school nieces layered on the powders from both the tri-“Blazing Blues” kit (darker blue under their blue peepers-lighter baby blue shade above) and the quad “Dynamite Drama” (with the metallic mauve and gold around the eyes and the creamy beige shadow as highlighter).
They both looked great-and owe us.
MAX FACTOR:
This brand has massive Hollywood legendary backstories and built in expectations-IMHO.
From the get-go, we have used the MAX FACTOR “Lipfinity” lipstick combos- because it’s simple to apply (first a quick dry, long-wear color layer-followed by a separate stick moisture top coat)…and we liked the sheer shades without the mortician overtones.
New for the summer (July 2008) is a light reflecting, one stick,two sided “shimmery kiss-proof” formulation that’s a secret recipe of PermaTone™-that really is semi-permanent. The “Lipfinity 3-D” also has a multi-dimensional thing going on –in that like the hair color of our dreams, there are highlight and lowlight layers that impart a rich, lush finish.
Our pic for the popularity colors’ crown…”Dominatrix Red”(to wear with nothing else-it’s intense) “Midori Glam” (a fushia pink shade) and “Opal Luminosity” (sheer shine that’s perfect for a smoldering smokey eye look).
MAX FACTOR GOES MINERAL:
By now, most makeup mavens knows the upsides of mineral ingredients=they’re layer friendly for sheer-medium coverage, have light reflecting pigments that flatter, work on most sensitive skins, won’t clog pores (oil-free)-and does the matchy-matchy with all skin tones.
We sampled the “ColorGenuis Foundation with Minerals” in "Honey #1" (one of 12 shades) that blended into our artificially tanned visage-just fine. We never use the recommended sponge method of application-but a few swipes with our fingers did the job and in fact, did subtly brighten/even out our never get enough sleep skin up.
And as we mentioned before-the scent is okay-a big thing for us. (MSRP $8.99)
The “ColorGenuis Mineral Bronzer” comes in a generous sized round pot in two shades: “Sunset” and “Sun Kissed.”
We used a big powder brush for a St. Tropez worthy coating of faux tan-and even our heavy hand didn’t ruin the light reflecting effects. As above, the oil-free minerals won’t clog pores and are hypoallergenic-a problem that our usually not too sensitive skin gets slammed with - in steamy weather. (MSRP $8.49)
READY RETAIL: Widely available beginning in July 2008.