Review: NEW Total Intensity by Prestige Makeup Collection

Press Sample

Back at the beginning of March, I posted about how Prestige Cosmetics recently turned its Total Intensity line of products into its very own brand (available at Rite Aid, Duane Reade and other retailers, as well as on the Prestige Cosmetics website). I received a nice assortment of Total Intensity products for review, and today I'd like to share my thoughts with you!

NEW Total Intensity by Prestige Cosmetics

All of the products in the Total Intensity line come safety-sealed (yay!) as you can see above. For a breakdown of ALL of the Total Intensity products now available, see my original post here.

For full ingredients lists for the all of the products featured below, click here.

Total Intensity True Metals Eyeshadows in Bronze and Copper

(retail: $9.75 each, 0.09 oz, made in the USA)

Since this name of this brand is "Total Intensity" I wanted to swatch all of these products without primer, to see how truly intense they are:

Copper and Bronze, swatched on bare skin (no primer)

As you can see, they're pretty darned intense, even without primer! The texture of these shadows is beautiful--very smooth, easy to pick up with your brush and easy to apply/blend. After swatching Bronze, I thought it might be a dupe for NARS California, so here you go:

Not dupes, but similar. The Total Intensity shade is true to its name (True Metals) and much more metallic than the NARS shadow.

Total Intensity Color Rush Eyeshadows in On the Prowl and Makeup Ur Mind

(retail: $9.75 each, 0.13 oz, made in the USA)

The design on these shadows is so cool--it reminds me of the surface of the moon:

On the Prowl and Makeup Ur Mind swatched on bare skin (no primer)

The pigmentation of these shadows, on bare skin, isn't as intense as the True Metals shadows. On the Prowl  has a softer, easier-to-work-with consistency; I found Makeup Ur Mind to have a slightly drier, harder consistency. Overall, these shadows come alive with the help of primer--I wouldn't suggest wearing them on bare skin, unless you're going for a softer, more sheer look.

Total Intensity Beyond Lashes Dramatic Precision Mascara in Jet Black

(retail: $8.50, 0.36 oz, made in Italy)

This is a jumbo-size pear-shaped brush made with nylon bristles. I'll talk more about this mascara a little later in this post.

Total Intensity Total Wear Eyeshadow Crayons in Sand Frost and Purple Rain
(retail: $9.50 each, 0.18 oz, made in Germany)

Sand Frost and Purple Rain swatched on bare skin (no primer)

These pencils are made in Germany which, if you ask me, is the magical land of awesome eyeliners and jumbo eye pencils (that's where Urban Decay 24/7 Liners and Shadow Pencils, Milani Shadow Eyez and Liquif-Eye Eyeliners, etc. are made). To me, the Total Intensity Eyeshadow Crayons feel very much like the Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencils and Milani Shadow Eyez. They are highly pigmented, tough as nails (seriously, they do not smudge after they set) and you also don't have a ton of play-time to blend them before they set. If you love long-wear jumbo pencils, I have no doubt you'll love these. I'll show you the results of my smudge-test in a moment...

Total Intensity Eyeliner in Bold Brown
(retail: $5.95 each, 0.04 oz, made in Germany)

As far as I know, Prestige was the FIRST drugstore brand to offer a comparable alternative to Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner Pencils. I did a review of these liners here on the blog back in 2009 and I still love them today (and I love that they're just $5.95). They are highly pigmented, they glide onto the skin with absolutely no pressure needed, they work well on the waterline, they set quickly and, once they set, they won't smudge. I do have better luck with these on my upper lash-line though--on my lower lash line they do tend to fade in a few hours after they interact with the my skin's natural oils (in much the same way that Urban Decay 24/7 liners do). 

And here are the results of my smudge-test. After these lines set (I gave them about two minutes), I took my index finger and rubbed all three liners back and forth for about ten seconds. I used a good amount of pressure when rubbing--I wasn't gentle, I assure you:

As you can see, no smudging! The only thing that happens when you rub these is that the glitter tends to migrate a bit. But the shade Purple Rain is so packed with glitter that I'd be surprised if it DIDN'T migrate after rubbing it.

Here's an eye look I created using several of the products above (no primer):

For this look, I used the following products (I did not apply any eyeshadow primer beforehand):

• Total Intensity True Metals Eyeshadow in Copper from lashline to crease.
• Total Intensity Color Rush Eyeshadow in On the Prowl in outer "V".
• Total Intensity Total Wear Eyeshadow Crayon in Sand Frost on inside corner of eye, to highlight.
• Total Intensity Eyeliner in Bold Brown on upper lash line and lower waterline.
• Total Intensity Total Wear Eyeshadow Crayons in Purple Rain on lower lash line.
• Total Intensity Beyond Lashes Dramatic Precision Mascara in Jet Black on upper and lower lashes.

I wanted to mention, now that you've seen this mascara on my lashes, that I really like how it defines, separates and lifts my lashes. I haven't experienced any clumping, flaking or smudging, and that's par for the course for me when it comes to Prestige mascaras. This is a washable formula and it removes easily using just my regular facial cleanser. It's not my favorite Prestige mascara, but that's only because I have had a longtime love affair with Prestige's My Biggest Lashes and My Blackest Lashes mascaras, which deliver more volume to my puny little lashes. 

Last but not least, the Lip Crayons:

Total Intensity Total Wear Lip Crayons in Party Shine and Bare it All
(retail: $8.50 each, 0.09 oz, made in the USA)

Party Shine and Bare it All

Party Shine is the perfect name for this color. It is a serious party-in-a-stick. It reminds me a lot of the old Milani Lip Flash Pencils--it has a very similar, intense look to them, and it's packed with very fine glitter that does not feel gritty on the lips. The staying power is great--I can get upwards of four hours of wear with ths color and it fades evenly (no ring-around-the-lips). Also, this shade does leave a pink stain behind, which lasts for quite a while.

Here it is in lower lighting--you can really see the glitter here:

Bare it All is a nude creme that's very wearable on my NC20 skintone. It does't have much pink to it--it's more of a warm brownish-nude but it reads lighter on my lips versus the swatch on my hand. The formula on this one feels a tiny bit creamier than Party Shine, but the staying power isn't as good. I can get about two hours of wear before I need to reapply, but that's about average when it comes to me and nude lip colors. I also want to add that the Total Color Lip Crayons are fragrance-free and they do not have any type of pronounced flavor to them. 

FINAL VERDICT: I hope this review gives you an idea what you can expect from the new Total Intensity by Prestige brand. I've been enjoying everything I received for review, but the standouts for me are the True Metals Eyeshadows (they are quite comparable to some MAC eyeshadows I own), the Total Wear Eyeshadow Crayons and Lip Crayons and, of course, the Total Intensity Eyeliner. I think that the price-points on these products (with the exception of the Total Intensity Eyeliners which are $5.95) are a bit high for the drugstore, but the good news is that you can always wait for a sale at Rite Aid and/or use your +UP Rewards to bring the prices down. I think this brand is definitely worth exploring and I can't wait to try some other products and shades in the future.

Total Intensity by Prestige cosmetics are available at Rite Aid, Duane Reade and other retailers, as well as on the Prestige Cosmetics website (free shipping on orders of $25 or more).

Are you already a Prestige Cosmetics fan? Have you tried anything from the new Total Intensity by Prestige collection? I'd love to hear from you!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.Blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews. For more information, click here.