Pacifica

Dream Big (Like, Unicorn Big!) With Pacifica Dream Big Lash Extending 7-in-1 Mascara

March 21st, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 23 Comments

My seven-year-old is pretty adamant that unicorns exist…somewhere. They’re rare, and we don’t have them where we live, but they’re real because, “You don’t know. You just don’t know that they aren’t out there somewhere… People don’t know for sure!”

* Insert insistent head shaking and hand gestures to go along with this exclamation. *

Pacifica Dream Big Lash Extending 7-in-1 Mascara ($14) is as rare as a unicorn.

To begin with, the packaging is to. die. for. It’s got a Disney Fantasia vibe that I love, and as a makeup lover I’m all about the adjustable “magic wand” that allows you to select either volume or length (or both).

But what makes this mascara so exciting for me is that it contains natural plant fibers to take lashes to great heights. In my experience, it’s not easy to find a natural lash product that can make as big of an impact as this one — so when I find a plant- and mineral-based mascara this good, I’m convinced that there must be unicorns out there, somewhere.

Armed with an adjustable brush, Pacifica Dream Big mascara is “flexible.” I’ve been favoring applying the first layer (or two…) with the wand extended for length, and then twisting the cap to shorten the wand and adding a few coats for volume. There are no rules to makeup, though, so if you favor one or the other, there’s no need to change the wand. But I have to tell you that it’s fun!

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The Pacifica Power of Love Palette Is a Curious Thing That Could Make One Woman Weep and Another Woman Sing

May 8th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

pacifica power love palette — The Pacifica Power of Love Eyeshadow Palette ($19.99)

Unless, as a child, your ears were fed a steady diet of cheesy ’80s pop music, you probably won’t think of Huey Lewis and the News when you open the new Pacifica Power of Love Eyeshadow Palette ($19.99).

But since I was THAT KID, that song creeps into my mind when I think about this palette.

“Try to think of other things, Karen,” I tell myself, “like how these mineral eyeshadows are cruelty-free, or how they’re infused with coconut water.”

But nooooo, all I can do is think about Back the Future…

So, Pacifica. Remember when they were just about bath products? Over the past few years they’ve moved further into the makeup space with color products for eyes, faces, lips and cheeks. Their focus is natural makeup — products made with vegan ingredients that are also cruelty free.

New for summer, the Power of Love Eyeshadow Palette is available exclusively at Target stores for $19.99. Inside the cardboard packaging, which is recyclable and printed with soy ink, in case you were wondering, are 10 powder eyeshadows, eight of them shimmers of varying levels of shine, and a couple of mattes. The shades are mostly neutrals, but there are a handful of accent colors as well. Most of the shadows are moderately pigmented, but a few are quite sheer.

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These Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Were Designed for Desert Islands Where You Can Only Bring One Thing to Wear on Your Eyes, Cheeks and Lips

May 31st, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

“Mo’ coco, mo’ coco, mo’ coco!”

Those are either the lyrics to Ice-T’s comeback song/ode to his voluptuous wife (is that woman’s butt for real!?), or what goes through my head when I open the new $12 Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples. 🙂

Pacifica infused this palette’s multitasking bronze, pink and beige shimmers with coconut extract, and if you put a little on the back of your hand and sniff, they even smell like it.

The colors feel kinda wet and creamy in their pans but dry down to a powdery finish as you work them into your skin.

Neato.

Wear ’em on your cheeks, eyes, lips — heck, your entire body — for sheer color and a soft glow.

And if you want more pigment, you can always layer.

Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Swatches — From the left: Bronze, Island Rose and Moonlit

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The Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Palette Spreads Enlightenment One Shadow at a Time

May 29th, 2013 by Karen 27 Comments

Wearing the new $12 Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow on my eyes

“Brighten up, buttercup!”

Sometimes when I think of Tabs taking that long walk across the rainbow bridge one day in the hopefully distant, distant future and my lower lip starts trembling, that’s what I say to myself.

“Brighten up, buttercup!”

It’s also what I said the first time I wore Pacifica’s Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette.

It sucked me in ever before I tried it, with a $12 price tag and promises to brighten my eyes (oh, hellz yeah!).

The fun and summery coral, gold, beige and purple shades come in a mix of satin and iridescent finishes. All of them seem pretty neutral to me, with the exception of the golden child, which warms my NC 42 skin.

What else?

The coverage varies from sheer-to-medium when applied dry, to fully opaque when applied wet
The mineral-based formula is infused with coconut water for a cream-like finish
Made without sulfates, petroleum products, parabens, SLS or phthalates
Vegan and cruelty-free

So, MEGA points for wear time. I’ve worn these shadows both wet and dry, on top of bare, and also atop primed lids, and they just barely crease and fade over the course of an eight-hour day.

That’s good.

Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette 3 — Skinnydip (left) and Coral Sand (right)

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I’m Going Coco-Nutty for Pacifica’s Purify Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes!

May 28th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

These Pacifica Purify Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes? You need to get on these, babe. They popped up at Target a couple months ago. I think they’re pretty new to the beauty scene, but dang! — they’re great.

Each pack comes with 30 biodegradable, moistened cleansing towelettes, perfect for removing makeup, among other things.

I’m lovin’ the groovy blue and yellow packaging, the practical button closure (because it really sucks when your face wipes dry out, right?) and the appetizing coconut scent, which is making me crave a big piece of Hawaiian haupia (coconut pudding).

Mmm… Coconut water.

Oops! Had a little bit of drool there. 🙂

I’ve had some bomb-@ss coconut water in my day. The BEST was on a visit to the Philippines, just me and my mom, when I was 21. We stayed with family in Manila but drove out to the countryside one day to visit other relatives.