Dior is the latest company to get hit by the UK's ban on false advertising or misleading advertising. Also called the watch what you airbrush law. I love the law. The latest ad shows Natalie Portman with no lashes and then she puts on the mascara from Dior and suddenly has huge lashes. Dior admitted they retouched the heck out of the photo because Natalie had some missing and bad lashes. Dior also admitted that the mascara probably does not work as well as shown. But hey, they did get some attention from this.
Then they should also ban the use of false lashes, and makeup in skincare ads. Or just beauty ads in general, because they're all a lie. Makeup in general is a lie, as well as Spanx and bras. LET IT ALL HAAAANNNGGGGGGG.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I like my lies. They play up my good features.
Good point. I think most of us know it's bullshiz. Except maybe teenagers and then i hope they have good moms who google stars without makeup. That way they can see that everyone looks like hell sometimes.
Deletejust look in the fashion magazines when they are so obviously false lashes that they say is mascara , I don't have a problem with this law...
ReplyDeleteAnyone who doesn't understand Photoshop, retouching and exaggerated advertisement is either a child or simply unaware. Who needs a law like that>
ReplyDeleteTruth. In. Advertising. It's a good thing. Especially for younger, more impressionable people. Read "tweens and teenage girls."
ReplyDeleteDior mascara sucks! I got a sample from Sephora a while back and was completely disappointed. It's thin but makes your lashes globby and bleeds like crazy. Don't waste your money ladies. It's the equivalent of overpriced Wet-n-Wild.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone here actually buy makeup or skincare because of the celebs pitching them? They get multimillion dollar contracts and we end up paying a 5x markup.
ReplyDeletethe safest thing I heard was most skin care products aren't effective. and when some magazine beauty editor was asked if she was troubled by recommending ineffective, expensive items, she said no because she thinks women don't mind paying for the hope that they'll look like the models in the ads
Ooh I love DiorShow mascara! The only thing I don't get is why it's scented? Do I really need my eyelashes to smell like roses?
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree! DiorShow rocks! Everyone always asks if I'm wearing false eyelashes when I'm wearing it. Does what it's supposed to do and stays on well. I've occasionally slept in it (bad I know) and still look presentable the morning after! Lol
DeleteJust FYI, I'm currently using and loving the MAC False Lashes Extreme Black mascara. I always stick to their mascaras, because I've reacted to others before (Revlon was one, I think). My eyes swelled shut! I tried the MAC Haute & Naughty before this, and got no lash separation. The False Lashes is awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe ad implies that Natalie Portman is interesting, and that's against the law because it's not true? Perhaps?
ReplyDelete"Layna Day said...
ReplyDeleteAnyone who doesn't understand Photoshop, retouching and exaggerated advertisement is either a child or simply unaware. Who needs a law like that>"
or...we're just fucking sick of it?? As a smart poster (PugMomster) mentioned, teens and tweeners who spend their allowance on a pack of lies and get into the cycle of trying to look like something that doesn't EXIST.
But ya, who needs THAT law?
*Pugstermom ,my bad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words and agreeing with me! :)
DeleteLancôme Definicils. Sample even better than full size.
ReplyDeleteWell gee, thanks for calling me dumb, jax.
ReplyDeleteAnd didn't I say children may not understand ad lies? I was including tween in that.
Who needs THAT law when your GREAT parents are there to tell you the truth?
Thanks for playing the Wailing on Layna game, jax! I've got no parting prizes for you, hope we're still copacetic with each other.
Why didn't they photoshop her teeth too? They look weird.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm also of the mindset that word-of-mouth works better than a hundred ads. But the ads have to work for some people or they'd cease to exist.
ReplyDeleteI like Hypnose Drama but it doesn't take long for it to get clumpy. I might try out the Mac False Lashes - thanks Amber!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! (I do not work at MAC or any kind of beauty industry, so I have no motivation to promote anything other than liking it. I'm in industrial manufacturing. Just in case anyone was skeptical haha.)
ReplyDeleteI can't even see the difference???
ReplyDeleteThanks Roman, I'm glad I'm not the only one.
DeleteI have to say, I'm surprised people are so OK with the egregious shit some of these companies are pulling. Yes, we know they're exaggerated, but do you really not think companies should be held to some kind of standards, however flimsy? I'm asking rhetorically, using the general "you," not aiming at anyone personally, so no need for anyone to get upset.
ReplyDeleteAll mascara ads are photoshopped to death or included false lashes.
ReplyDeleteIf you like Lancome mascaras, might as well save your money and buy L'Oreal at the drugstore. L'Oreal owns Lancome and uses the same formulas for both lines.
@FS - ah, I beg to differ.
Delete@FS - cut off comment! I think the difference between the two is like Old Navy & The Gap. Not that I give much of a crap. But just bc a company is the same doesn't means it's all quality.
DeleteAgreed! Truth in advertising. Pictures are worth more than a 1000 words, and therefore should be just as accurate.
ReplyDeleteAn impressionable youth do not always have parents that are telling them how it is.
I just would like to state that I hate Natalie Portman.
ReplyDeleteShe's gross.
Why would anyone be upset? I'm high-strung, but not 100% oblivious.
ReplyDeleteI have come to expect that companies will do anything to sell their product--lie, cheat, steal. I simply don't hold them to any standard. If I like a product or want to try one, it's based on my personal preference. I may see an ad and think about buying something, but I will often do a quick web review before the purchase.
Yes, they always add in individual false lashes to "increase the lash count". covergirl has been noting it in their ads for a while
ReplyDeleteAnd I realize that parents may not or can not give their kids guidance on this sort of thing. But it's puzzling how our expectations for parents fluctuate.
ReplyDeleteSays the person with no kids, mind you.
I had a friend who only used expen$ive YSL makeup from Sephora. It did not make her any prettier.
ReplyDeleteI use almost exclusively drugstore makeup except for lipsticks which can be much better quality from the makeup counters/Sephora than Rite-Aid.
Otherwise my face is gonna look the same whether my eyeliner was $8 or $35. As long as you know how to put it on correctly.
Also - Latisse rocks and I use it.
$8? I must be a cheapass mofo. I use the one dollar stuff. Like elf or oh god i miss aziza.Then again it matters how you put it on. I see my fellow ladies keep applying so much of the expensive stuff until it makes them look awful. That is your face chica, be at peace with it.
DeleteThanks for the tip Amber. I wear all MAC except for my mascara (Maybelline, Full and Soft - love it). But will definitely try it.
ReplyDeleteAnd FS is right - L'Oreal is the parent company of Lancome, Vichy, Biotherm, Maybelline and many more.
Oh, and where's Sunny? She loves make up.
ReplyDelete@Layna- My parents had better shit to do than raise a child, not everyone is fortunate enough to have the right guidance in life, there should be more laws such a this. Kids/teens shouldn't have to grow up under pressure thinking they're supposed to look or behave a certain way, it's just not fair to them. I'm not jumping your shit like everyone else today, just adding a different point of view.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't see that much of a difference in the pics !!
ReplyDeleteI have been a Lancôme Definicils girl for fifteen years. The new Definicils Precious Cells is ah-ma-zing .. My go to in a crunch is the pink tube of great lash! My moms used that for thirty plus years and the formula is still banging
@Alicia - I'll give that Precious Cells a try! Thanks for the tip. I've been using Definicils for two decades now and it works the best for me. Some of my girlfriends ask if I'm wearing falsies sometimes :)
DeleteEverything hunter said. I used to drop $$$ on make-up til I was a broke grad student and started buying at the drug store (and coloring my own hair using products from Sally'd)
ReplyDeleteI've never looked back and I don't look any different.
Amber, I will have to check that out.
ReplyDeleteSUNNY....where are you, friend? :)
I'd like to see a mascara commercial that was REAL.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't impressed with MAC mascara. I use alot of their products, but the mascara wasn't great. Maybelline Falsies is okay, but I keep going back to L'Oreal voluminous.
I've used Revitalash for a couple of years and it really works! My lashes are much, much longer and a little fuller. I now have a blue ring around my brown eyes, which I think is pretty cool.
I'm in the UK and I use Boots own brand No7 Exceptional Definition - it's £11 (about $18) so not breaking the bank, lasts for ages, doesn't smudge or run, gives good definition without clumping or clogging. Just better in every way than many more expensive ones I've tried. It also doesn't tear out your lashes when taking it off, very gentle. Looks like you've got great big Bambi lashes naturally. I don't know what I'd do without Boots, I get most everything from there, their skincare is great too.
ReplyDeleteYup, I agree with those that say practicing and experimenting with technique is how you get buildable lashes. also using multiple mascaras at the same time. doesn't matter the cost
ReplyDeleteI was being somewhat cheeky about the parents thing. An idea gone bad.
ReplyDeleteThe only difference between most beauty products is packaging and scent (the latter mainly when it comes to hair products). The rest is marketing.
ReplyDeleteI'm a business school grad, and in our marketing classes, we learned how the companies position the product via ads, distribution (department stores/Sephora/supermarkets) and packaging (you'd be amazed how people will pay $40 over supermarket prices for $2 worth of packaging).
It's a con game, but if you feel "better" because your foundation says YSL on the front instead of Maybelline, hey - it's your money.
I use drugstore everything, generic if possible. The only exception I make is for eye shadow and blush, because the more expensive brands usually have better pigmentation. They last me so long, I don't mind the prices.
@FS, you're wrong. I worked for Lancome and although Loreal does own the company, they do not use the same formulas. I've checked because customers want to know why they should spend more and I need to know the details.
ReplyDeleteI've worked in cosmetics for awhile and I have worked for different lines, so I definitely have mixed feelings when it comes to whether or not the more expensive lines offer a superior product. I think when it comes to some makeup lines, they do offer a better product and sometimes they don't. Ultimately, the clients are the judges and I have seen women spend as much as a thousand dollars for their skincare and makeup in one stop.
Here is something you might be interested by, Estee Lauder is the biggest conglomerate and owns almost any makeup line you can think of, both commercial and exclusive, including brands like MAC, Clinique, Elizabeth Arden, origins and the list goes on and on. It doesn't mean the quality of all these lines is the same or the products.
Whoever dissed the Wet and Wild mascara...
ReplyDeleteI use it (it's one of the few brands I'm not allergic to)AND I like it as much or better than the Lancome Defincils I ued to use (and pay a shit-ton for). It doesn't clump, stays put, makes my lashes look super thick...(it's the stuff in he yellow tube, whichever one that is) and at $2.99, well who wouldn't want just as good or better for a fraction of the price.
As an aside, if you have Ulta in your area, their store brand is made by MAC...they have great lipsticks for something like $5.
PS- I am no longer working with Lancome, but I do think that definicils and Hypnose are the two best mascaras I have tried and believe me, I have tried them all. One of the pros to working for a cosmetics line is you receive thousands of dollars worth of free products, so you get to do a lot of sampling.
ReplyDeleteI made the top picture bigger and I'm just not seeing where the photo shopped picture had made her look to have bigger or longer or fuller lashes. Darker eye makeup? Absolutely. Longer, thicker lashes? No...
ReplyDeleteWhile I believe there are definitely drug store products that are just as good as the department store stuff, for so many products the department store stuff IS highly superior. Laura Mercier and Cover Girl as far as foundations go are NOT the same thing. LM is AMAZING and every department store foundation I've ever tried is absolute crap.
ReplyDeleteAs far as mascara, I've tried every L'oreal, Max Factor, Maybelline shit there is, and nothing compares to MAC OpuLash. It's THE BEST volumizing mascara. I used to swear by DiorShow but a few years ago they changed the formula and now it sucks! It's runny and doesn't volumize the way it used to.
@Danielle: I may have this wrong, but I believe the PS version is the bottom one, where her eyelashes are far more visible.
ReplyDeleteAt least, that's what the Daily Mail says, and have they ever gotten anything wrong?
Re crazy-expensive products: once I was given a jar of Chanel anti-aging cream. I looked it up and saw it retails for $375!! I figured, what the hell, and used it. It was just like a moisturizer. A few months later I bought some Neutrogena for $20 and found it was SO much better. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Lola !
ReplyDeleteWhere is Sunny? She loves these "discussions" !
@Hunter:
ReplyDeleteAgree on the importance of knowing how to apply it. It's more important than the product. There are great videos on YouTube for those interested in learning a bit more (although I will never learn how to apply liquid eyeliner, never! Wah!) Check out Michelle Phan's channel.
I think what Dior needed to do was hire a better photographer. The lighting in the first photo is horrendous.
ReplyDeleteNicka K eye shadows are the GREATEST MAKEUP EVER! I don't work for them I promise. They're extremely pigmented and don't run or crease. You can find them in random beauty marts and they only cost like $1.50 each. They will last you forever. They are comparable to MAC in quality and pigment.
ReplyDeleteAlso, does anyone know of a good foundation that will last all day and not make my face greasy? I have oily skin and have been using Neutrogena skin clearing make up, but after a few hours it seems like it wears off. Any suggestions?
@kpeony, mineral makeup is best for oily skin. otherwise, use a setting powder and keep blotting the oil away every few hrs
Delete@Kpeony: I wish I could find the same thing. And if I put on powder it just makes it worse.
ReplyDeleteMascara is totally wasted on me these days. What lashes I have left I can't even see. And I am(was) also a Lancome definicils fan. Always too scared to try another and when people recommend I always forget.
KPeony: check out beautypedia.com. I started using super "natural" mineral powders for my oily/but not acne prone skin only to have terrible reactions to them. Turns out I am allergic to boron nitrate, which is common to most mineral foundations.
ReplyDeleteAfter lots of research, I settled on shisedo matte sheer and am very happy with it. I bought it at norstroms and they will accept returns FOREVER. I also tried Physicans formula CovertoxTen 50 and Healthy Wear foundations. They have limited colors, but I was impressed by their formulas. You can buy hem at the drugstore and then return if you don't like them. Just keep your receipt. Drugstore.com does the same.
@surfer and Curly
ReplyDeleteYou girls know me so well! I could feel the excitement welling as I read through the comments, and as I was grabbing a pen to write down these awesome tips you hussies called me out! I love you!
*disclaimer* Hussies is my term of endearment. Similar to Slag, but slightly less sassy
Thanks, Agent it!
ReplyDeleteWhere is my damn comment to Agent? Conspiracy!! Just kidding. I think I need to check out that MK Ultra thing though. Sometimes I wish I still smoked weed (As in, that sounds like a fun night. Oh, how things have changed!)
ReplyDeletelove this law!
ReplyDeleteone of the most influential books ive read is Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth. Its a very well documented book, which I highly recommend to any women with body image, self-esteem issues. It has a whole chapter dedicated to point out (with references and thorough documentation) how the whole cosmetic industry is a SCAM based on making women feel insecure.
Go figure.
@Barton Fink said...
ReplyDelete"The ad implies that Natalie Portman is interesting, and that's against the law because it's not true? Perhaps?"
Except maybe for hetero guys?
I prefer drug store mascara to the high end ones but that's just me.
ReplyDeleteFor what Dior charges for their mascaras, they *should* grow you a second set of eyelashes.
ReplyDeleteI always end up going back to Maybelline and Cover Girl mascaras.
My makeup pet peeve is when you buy a great eyepencil and the sharpener screws up and you end up with a stubby. I only buy self-sharpening ones now.
I will pay just about anything for the right colour lipstick, nail polish,etc....It bothers me though all the crap colour chemicals I've been putting on my mouth for years.
This probably sounds hokey, but I really like the Burts Bees lipglosses. The colours seem to work for me. Also, I'm in Canada so I have to wear lip protection half the year anyhow.
I'm really lucky to have an older sister who has a lot of disposable income (no kids) and who is a habituee of cosmetic counters. Every now and then she sends me a bunch of her rejects and gifts-with-purchases. As long as they are sealed, the local thrift shops seem to feel comfortable selling them.
I guess I'm alone, but I don't see the big deal about eyelashes. I am not a big makeup wearer at all, though-- just lip gloss (I'd look like a ghost without it) and concealer (for dark under-eye circles), both by Origins.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need no stinking law , just smarter consumers who can read.
ReplyDeleteIf you have oily skin, get a mineral (non-liquid) foundation, primer, maybe a setting spray, and be sure to moisturize if you don't already.
ReplyDeleteMoisturize - Dermatologists have always told me when you get that tightness after you wash your face and don't moisturize, your skin will go into overdrive to replenish the lost oils. This advice was more for people with zits but it's the oil that causes problems. Just use a light moisturizer if you don't already, immediately after washing your face.
Primer - Usually they're silicone-based liquids or gels, but there are others if you're allergic. They make a HUGE difference! They make eyeshadow primers, too, and these are in some ways more important. The shadows show up a lot better, and it keeps the shadow from migrating. I don't have oiliness, but I always use both; makeup just stays on so much better.
Setting spray - Urban Decay a few different ones, one's made for oil control. I've never used them, but I've know people that wake up the next day after a fun night and their makeup is still perfect. I mention UD because many companies don't make setting sprays.
(It ate my post, sorry if I say the same thing twice.)
ReplyDeleteMascara ads annoy me so much! There's one from L'Oreal with Gwen Stefani, where they say their formula looks just like false lashes, and you'll throw them away forever. Except, she's wearing obvious, false lashes. I don't think they even put mascara on the models in their ads, it's just false eyelashes.
It would be the equivalent of a shampoo ad starring a woman with fine, limp hair; then after use, putting her in a wig from the Dolly Parton collection.