Mascara Part Two: Prestige Brands

In my previous post, I talked about some mascaras that can be found in drugstores. I will now continue on to prestige-brand mascaras I've tried first-hand.

BareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara.
Good. I like this mascara and I like the fact that it comes in a couple of different colors. (Check out the aqua blue!) It's a clean, long-lasting formula that doesn't have clumping issues. I just wish the bristles of the brush reached shorter lashes.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash and Benefit They're Real!
Great! These are both amazing mascaras, especially when you want unbelievably luscious, dramatic lashes. I haven't experienced any kind of messiness and minimal clumping from these prestigious formulas. The only downside is that it's a struggle to remove the makeup later (though eye makeup remover like Lancome Bi-Facil or Albolene work gently yet efficiently). These are highly recommended mascaras.

Clinique High Impact Mascara and Naturally Glossy Mascara.
Not Good and Good. Upon trying a sample of Clinique's High Impact mascara, I had a bit of eye sensitivity to the formula and the subtlety of the appearance of the formula didn't move me enough to be worth it. But I've enjoyed other products from Clinique, so I did a little research and found the Naturally Glossy mascara was getting decent ratings. It's a nice natural-looking mascara (that isn't shiny), which is highly-pigmented without feeling thick or heavy.

Not Recommended.
Dior Diorshow Blackout Mascara is a deeply black formula, but I found it to be messy and not long-lasting.
Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effect Mascara has a luxurious feel to it, but the formula is again messy, clumping and not long-lasting.
Make Up For Ever was very clumpy and not worth a second application (which is a shame considering their color options!).
I've tried these three mascaras only as smaller samples, so there is a chance I merely received a lesser-quality batch.

Laura Mercier Long Lash Mascara.
Great! This is one of my favorite mascaras. The application is clean, dark yet not fiberous or overly thick, and it's very long-lasting without feeling heavy. I highly recommend this mascara.

Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara.
Okay. This is a lengthening formula that offers dramatic dark pigments. While I enjoy the drama of the pigments and the fiber extensions that this mascara builds, I find the formula to be a little on the messy side, enough to keep me from reaching for it often.

Sephora Full Action Extreme Effect Mascara
Great! This is a low-cost high-quality mascara that comes in a couple of different colors. The bottle has a smoothed-triangular shape to it that makes it comfortable to hold, and it's a clean formula. This is another one of my favorites.

Tarina Tarantino Fleur De Lash Mascara
Great! This is one more of my favorite mascaras. The brush is fantastic, the formula isn't too thick but adds just enough drama, and the packaging is luxe. My sister was actually the one to discover this mascara, and it remains one of my absolute favorites.

Kat Von D Immortal Lash 24 Hr Mascara
Good. This received its own review in my past post here. To sum it up, it's the blackest mascara that I've encountered and, while the brush is a little scary, it reaches even the shortest lashes. I don't recommend this mascara for beginners or those who are uncomfortable with mascara, but for the seasoned and the brave, it's worth that delicious dark payoff that lasts.

That wraps up my two-part mascara reviews.
If you haven't yet read part one, scroll down to read more mascara reviews.
Also, for easier and cleaner application, check out my tips on using a mascara application guide here.

Feel free to post comments and questions, e-mail me requests or suggestions, or say hi!
Until next time!

Mascara Part One: Drugstore Brands

I've tried a few different mascaras, some drugstore-brand and some prestige products, and I want to share some of my first-hand observations.

Let's start with some drugstore brands.

Almay Intense i-Color Volumizing Mascara.
Good. (You may recall from this post.) It's a decent, stay-put mascara that comes in a few subtle colors. It doesn't seem to add length, but it's one of the few drugstore mascaras that comes in colors. Additionally, Almay is a brand specifically catering to those with sensitive skin.

Covergirl LashBlast Volumizing Mascara.
Not recommended. The wand is thick, round and needlessly bulky; I've actually found the packaging a little difficult to grip while twisting it open. The brush is interesting, with a thicker inner wand, shorter plastic spike-like bristles that have a thicker base to them. This results in better separation of lashes, but less reach means less lashes are being coated. Finally, the formula is prone to lumping. Not recommended.

Maybelline Full'N'Soft Mascara.
Great! I love this mascara. It looks and feels far more natural than other brands I've tried, and it's easier to wash off. Additionally, I didn't have any issues with messiness-- and everyone who knows me knows I will put it through an 8-hour day. This is one of the best mascaras out there for a natural look.

Maybelline GreatLash Waterproof Mascara.
Okay. This is a tried-and-true mascara that's been around for a while. (This mascara in color Royal Blue has been my mom's go-to for as long as I can remember. Thus it was the first mascara I ever applied to myself!) It's a good little mascara, but after a few hours, it does start to flake off and get a little messy. The small brush is easy to apply safely (especially for those uncomfortable or new to applying mascara) but the shape does make it a little difficult to comb between lashes for thorough application.

Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara.
Good. This formula is specifically designed to extend the ends of your eyelashes, while defining and separating. It really does add length and definition to eyelashes. I do recommend this mascara if you want your eyelashes to appear longer.

Tune in next time for Mascara Part Two: Prestige Brands!

Physicians Formula: Shimmer Strips Kohl Eyeliner

Kohl eyeliner is a form of pencil eyeliner with a smoother formula, rendering it easyto blend for an awesome smoky eye look.

I recently tried Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Trio, which claims to be a 100% waterproof high-performance eyeliner.

I gave it the official test: primed my eyes, added preliminary pressed powder eyeshadow, and applied the black Physicials Formula kohl eyeliner. I loved the way it smoothly, effortlessly lined my waterline without tugging or feeling dry. Additionally, it had a slight shimmer to it that made my eyes pop. I set it with some setting micropowder to make sure it had the best chance of staying.

It didn't last an hour before marking the crease of my eyelid and dotting beneath my eyes. I touched it up before work, but needless to say, it did not survive an 8-hour work shift.

Physicians Formula is great for dermatologist-approved, sensitive-eye-safe, hypoallergenic, paraben-free, fragrance-free products, and this is a very comfortable dramatic eyeliner-- not sticky or thick or dry. It's just unfortunate that it's a messy product that doesn't last.

NYX: Soft Matte Lip Cream

One huge trend right now is using a pop of color in one's make-up look. I've been on the lookout for a matte lip cream that is highly saturated but comfortable to wear.

Cue NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. It is marketed as being a silky not-gloss-but-not-lipstick moisturizing lip cream. I bought "Monte Carlo", which looked like a deep red.

The application was fine (maybe one small clump of product while the rest was creamy). Within three minutes of being on my lips (undisturbed, no eating or dabbing), the cream looked like an opaque stain that resembled a light magenta rather than a deep vampiric red.

In the past, that bright magenta resulting from a deep red product tends to occur when the product is more of a stain, or a formula meant to react (to some extent) to one's body chemistry. At this point, I figured that reds tend to be difficult when it comes to such a formula. I would give NYX soft matte lip cream another chance; thus I exchanged that "deep red" Monte Carlo for the color Milan, which looked like a peachy buff, hopefully a more natural color.

This time I only painted my bottom lip to show my natural lip color by comparison.

So while the saturated cotton-candy-pink color was quite cute, it certainly didn't look like the natural buff color that was presented to me on the tube.

While the NYX soft matte lip creams are decently moisturizing and so temptingly cheap (about $5 when not on sale), I personally wouldn't trust the colors on the tubes. It is definitely not true to color. (Maybe it's a body chemistry reaction, or maybe these formulas just run a little vibrant-cool-pink.) Also, I should note that the color isn't "kiss-proof"-- it will rub off.

As a side note, NYX also disappointed me before with their NYX Butter Lip Balm in Marshmallow.

The butter lip balm is a little chalky, yet still a bit moisturizing. Once again, the color was just not what I was hoping for.

I won't give up on NYX products, but these NYX lip products have me a little wary about exploring further in their lip department.