Review: L'Oreal Color Of Hope

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and L’Oréal Paris.

L’Oréal just launched their annual limited line of makeup called Color of Hope to raise money for ovarian cancer. This is something they’ve done every year for the past twelve years to raise money for ovarian cancer research. And – lucky me! – they sent me the Color of Hope Cosmetics bag to try out.



The L’Oréal Paris Color of Hope Cosmetic bag – the one I’ve been playing with – will be available for purchase beginning in September 2009 for only $29.95. Purchases can be made online via www.lorealcolorofhope.com while supplies last. L’Oréal Paris will donate $5 from each cosmetic bag purchased to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF).

The Color of Hope line offers individual products for eyes, lips, and nails in two shades: mauve (everyone looks good in mauve) and teal (the symbolic color of ovarian cancer). You can buy these at Walgreens, CVS, and the like. For every product purchased, L’Oréal is donating $1 to OCRF. Visit the L’Oréal Color of Hope site for more information.

Ovarian cancer research is near and dear to my heart. When I was in college, one of my best friends from high school had an ovarian cancer scare. After months of invasive tests, she was luckily determined to not have ovarian cancer.

One of my suitemates from that same year in college wasn’t so lucky. Shortly after her son was born almost seven years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She fought it off and went into remission, only to have it come back again. And again.

We had our ten year college reunion two years ago, and the cancer returned the following spring. I saw her when she was happy and healthy and so proud of her son. She was a single mom, and she was gorgeous and proud, and she sparkled.

I heard from her the next spring that her cancer was back, but she was fighting it off again. She was convinced she would. Last fall, she wasn’t feeling so well, but she continued to fight. This spring, she was informed that her cancer had spread to her ovaries. That was the last straw for her ravaged body. She passed away a little more than a month ago, leaving behind a little boy who just wants his mommy back and a mother who is now raising her grandson. And a legion of friends who don’t understand how she could possibly be gone. Who are still struggling to understand how she could beat back the breast cancer but succumbed so quickly to ovarian cancer.

Thank you, L’Oréal for supporting the research that will maybe one day allow a woman like Wendy to raise her child herself. One day.

Before I start crying again myself, let me get to the review. To be honest, knowing that L’Oréal is donating money to ovarian cancer research, I’d probably buy a cosmetics bag in support regardless of the quality of the product.

The good news is that the money you’ll spend on this kit is well worth the price. I love eye shadow quads. They color coordinate so I don’t have to, and they allow me to play for day or night. There were two versions in the bag, neither one of which I would ever have chosen for myself.

Day one I tried the teal set. Wow, it looked good. This is apparently why I don’t go makeup shopping by myself. It promised a long lasting smooth shadow that wouldn’t crease. I scoffed at the idea that it wouldn’t crease. By early afternoon at the latest, I have to duck into a bathroom daily to wipe that line of shadow away. I didn’t with this makeup. In fact, when I went to take off my makeup before bed, I could find only the smallest collection of shadow in my crease. Whoo hoo! The eye makeup lasted through the day. Already, I’m happy.

So what do you think? This was me before I headed out for the day.





The second day, I tried out the mauve set. Again, I would never choose these colors for myself, but they actually looked pretty good. It was different from what I normally wear (ummm, brown and taupe and more beige), and it really picked up the color of my eyes. I like to think it made me look younger, too. Since it was a Friday, that night I touched it up with the darker colors to go a bit more dramatic. It was dramatic and definitely more than what I normally do, but it was really fun! And again, no crease issues.

There were also lip products provided. The lip gloss is one of the long lasting lip glosses. I was skeptical. I tried them when they came out, and my lips were dry and cracked within a day. And the lip gloss flaked off with those products, so I was a bit leery of any long lasting claims.

When I lifted out the wand, it smelled good. When I applied it, it really smelled good. I love lip products that smell good enough to eat! And the six hour promise? It didn’t make it quite six hours, but it was pretty close. I applied it before breakfast, and it didn’t come off as I ate my cereal and drank my smoothie. It didn’t even leave a mark on the straw I was using. After lunch, I could still feel a little of it, but it was mostly gone then, and I reapplied.

The lipstick also smells really good. When I first started applying it, I didn’t think the color was vibrant enough to show up on my lips, and I was a little disappointed. Then I looked in the mirror again, and it showed up. It’s a great color that’s warm and inviting without being too bold. It didn’t last as long as the lip gloss did, and I prefer the lip gloss to the lipstick, but trust me, I’ll use up that tube!

Jealous? You don’t have to be. You can buy your very own Color of Hope cosmetics bag here.

I’m not the only one who’s had a chance to check out the L’Oréal Color of Hope products. Other BlogHer reviewers are also taking it for a test drive. Check out what they have to say here (embedded link) Check out BlogHer's special offer page for more information.





PS If you’ve been touched by ovarian cancer, you aren’t alone. L’Oréal has also partnered with CancerCare to launch the L’Oréal Paris OCRF Hope Line to provide callers with counseling, support, and financial guidance. This free service is available to anyone affected by cancer. Please call 1-877-OV-HOPE-1 for support.