Tokidoki at Sephora Not Exactly Wowing Us

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We got a tip that the new Tokidoki line arrived in select Sephora locations in the past week, so we decided to visit the Bev Center to see what it's all about. Our expectations were pretty high: Tokidoki is So! Cute! And Sephora really nailed it with two of their recent "celeb" lines: the Tarina Tarantino products are terrific, and we have die-hard makeup junkie friends who swear by the Kat Von D line.

It's at this point we feel like caveats should be issues and compliments should be given, before we launch into how much we disliked the makeup:

The caveat: Maybe we're too old to get it. Maybe it's a teenbopper thing, not that we're old. And you're probably not either. Maybe this stuff was designed to appeal to the generation who grew up with laptops, cellphones, and that weird candy that's a lollipop shaped like a foot that you dip into colored sugar, and then such the sugar off. Some of the applicators are weird: one of the lipglosses had this gummy, thin plastic wand that skeeved us out a bit. There was a lipgloss that's like a magic marker; unfort., none of the samples worked.

The compliment: The packaging is fantastic. The eyeshadows come in this little skull-and-crossbones shaped compacts. The eyeshadow palates were also terrific; little plastic marvels of design. The lipgloss is particularly fun.

The harsh, harsh criticism: The lipgloss was the product that we liked the least. It goes on slimy and has a weird super-sweet/noxious taste. Instant headache. For about ten minutes, our lips felt all gummy. Then weirdly, at right about the 20 minute mark, our lips were parched. It was a fairly traumatic experience. (And this was just a few hours after ordeal downtown, trying to find the Riller & Fount sample sale -- and having some jackhole ride his bike right into us.)

The eyeshadows aren't true to the color: a few shades were much sheerer than we expected them to be (two of the pinks required us practically grinding the applicator into the shadow to see any color at all), and one of the light browns went on almost as dark as carbon.

The collection isn't a total wash: the glitter eyeliner pencils are fun. Just the right about of glitter, goes on true to color, stays put. There are a few fonky colors: greens, teals, blues, purples. The brown was nice. We also like the pink shade; pretty but did not flatter us (unless you think the "wasting away of consumption" look is hot).

The bottom line: not for us. If you're the kind of person who would buy makeup because it comes in a cool container, then this might appeal to you.
· Sephora [Official Site]