L'Oreal New Releases Late 2015 Swatches & Review

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Toward the end of last year L’Oréal Paris NZ released a gorgeous selection of products designed to make creating the perfect smokey eye a breeze, and if that wasn't enough, they released some fab new brow products too. Read on to see what tickles your fancy...

False Lash Butterfly Wings Intenza Mascara

L'Oreal False Lash Wings Intenza Mascara Review

L'Oreal have a great reputation for their mascaras and it had been ages since I'd tried one so I was pretty excited to take False Lash Butterfly Wings Intenza (RRP $25.99NZD) for a whirl.

Straight off the bat this mascara caught my attention with the unique wand, which is wide and flattened with teeth in distinct rows around the surface of the brush - here's a picture of the brush sans mascara from the press release, which shows the shape better.

Image credit: L'Oreal Paris NZ

The flat side of the wand helps to get under the lashes and lift and curl them as you apply it, while depositing product at the base of the lashes to give them a fuller effect. The side of the wand can be further combed through to separate and define the lashes and is also great for applying to your bottom lashes. Here's a before and after of my lashes with this mascara - I did not curl my lashes or use a lash comb for these pictures.

I have naturally straight and short lashes, so there's not a dramatic effect here but I'm still pleased with the amount of definition and curl False Lash Butterfly Wings Intenza delivers. It's a fiber mascara but I did not experience any fall out or irritation from them as I have with other fiber mascaras - they seem to be more evenly distributed in this mascara, anyway. I don't experience any flaking, smudging or transfer with False Lash Butterfly Wings so it's a great big thumbs up from me!

Brow Artist Genius Kit

Honestly, I didn't think anything could tempt me from my love affair with Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade, but then along came the L'Oreal Brow Artist Genius Kit (RRP $24.99NZD) and rocked my world. While I love the drama and definition of Dipbrow, I do need to use an additional brow gel to tame my often unruly brow hairs and I get frustrated at how quickly the product dries out.

The Brow Artist Genius Kit, however, is a whole new ballgame. It contains a wax and a brow powder in a mirrored compact, complete with a pair of tweezers and an angled brush/spooly combo. To apply you simply dip the angled brush into the wax and run through your brows to create the shape, then do the same with the powder to fill them in. You can run the spooley through to blend the colour and tidy up any stray hairs, although I don't typically find this necessary as the wax has enough hold on its own to lock everything in place. The product will wear until you're ready to take it off, there is no fading or smudging throughout wear.

There are two colour options available: Light to Medium and Medium to Dark. Both work for me although Light to Medium is the better match (I love the added drama of Medium to Dark though!).

Light to Medium

Medium to Dark

Wearing Light To Medium

Smokissime Super Liner

Next up we have the Smokissime Super Liners (RRP $22.99NZD), which are powder eyeliners with a tapered sponge applicator. I think the last time I used a powder liner was in the mid-noughties when Revlon Bedroom Eyes were a thing, and that thing was very messy. But these are an absolute breeze to use; there's no fall out as the powder is compacted inside the cap and the sponge only picks up as much as you need.

You guys probably know by now that prising the liquid eyeliner out of my hands is like pulling the proverbial sword from the stone, so I was a little nervous about trying a smokier look - whether I'd like the finished effect, or whether I'd even be able to apply it evenly! The Smokissime Super Liners virtually do all of the work for you though, with the pointed tip delivering more intense colour close to the lashline and the wider section creating the smokey gradient. My only criticism is that they crease on my admittedly exceptionally oily eyelids, even when I use a primer and eyeshadow first. If you have normal to dry eyelids and don't typically experience creasing, you'll be good as gold.

Swatched on bare skin under daylight bulbs. I have two of the three available shades (the third is Brown Smoke) and both of these have smooth and even colour pay off and are easy to smoke out with the applicator. Taupe Smoke is a cool medium-dark taupe with fine silver shimmer and Black Smoke is a medium-intensity black which can be built up.

Taupe Smoke