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!

Liquid Eyeliner

Most days, I have to stick to a time-sensitive make-up routine that'll get me out of the door. But, hey, I wanna look nice. Some days, I don't have time for priming, layering, contouring, eyeshadow here, eye pencil there, smudging, dabbing, perfecting-- I gots someplace to be.

Cue liquid eyeliner. It's sharp, it can be subtle or dramatic, it's quick and (after a little practice) easy, and it's not necessary to prime or add eyeshadow or anything. (It's great with full make-up looks too, of course, but as far as bare essentials (not the brand), this is a good one to have.) You want those perfect little Audrey Hepburn cat eyes? Grab yourself some liquid eye liner.

You may have noticed there are a lot of choices out there. It's not easy finding a good quality liquid liner.

Maybelline Waterproof Ultra Liner is supposedly a waterproof liquid liner. This product is one I now avoid. The formula crackles, flakes, and even slides off in large chunks.

Mavala Liquid Eyeliner. I will swear by the brand Mavala for their eyelash growth serum, but the eyeliner isn't the best I've ever tried. I own this in navy blue (which truly is a dark navy blue) but I find I don't use it often. It takes a bit long to dry, and then it doesn't last very long. The long brush is good quality, but it's a bit thin and not the easiest to get a non-wiggly line free-hand unless you're a pro.

The Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner is a decent product. This one has a felt tip rather than a brush, so it's much easier to get a more controlled line.

The Almay Liquid Eyeliner is similar to the Revlon Colorstay version, though I found the quality is a little less than Revlon. The liquid is a little thinner and the felt tip is more likely to fray just a little. Nonetheless, it's another decent easy-to-apply liquid liner.

Revlon was my favorite liquid liner until I discovered Sephora Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner. This is my go-to eyeliner. This once again has a felt tip, which makes application easy and precise. The formula is awesome and lasts! There are a range of colors and different finishes (matte, glossy, metallic, glitter) and you can choose waterproof or regular. This is my #1 liquid eyeliner recommendation.

Benefit Magic Ink Liner uses a richly-black long-lasting formula packed in a super-stylish design. I have two problems with this eyeliner: firstly, the brush is once again the long-haired bristles that aren't quite a point, but rather a tiny chisel-shape, which does not make controlling the line easy. The bristles are also a little stiff with a springiness that isn't ideal for a one-way swept application. Secondly, part of the barrel of the pot came loose and attached itself around the base of the top-- a packaging defect that isn't impossible to fix, but just makes the bottle a little less convenient for me.

Although I only own one color, I will mention the Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner has some great colors and another felt-tip brush, though this one is a tad shorter and thicker than others I've used. I have the #9 Pink color (a cool metallic hot pink) and not only does the intense color stay without smudging or flaking, but the sheen of the metallic finish stays, too. It is expensive, though, especially when Sephora also makes a great liquid pink liner for ten bucks cheaper.

Finally, let's talk about felt-tip eyeliner markers. I've tried three or four different brands and I usually can't even bare to keep them. (I hate throwing away make-up, or even returning it.) I talked to a saleslady about her recommendations for good-quality eyeliner markers, and two brands popped up: NYX and Stila. The saleslady actually recommended NYX over Stila because she complained that the Stila eyeliner marker would make her eyes sting. (Judging by her artfully made-up face, eyelash extensions and all, I'm guessing she wasn't the most sensitive make-up user.) This was enough to dissuade me from trying Stila (so far).

That brings us to the NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker. At first, I liked it as a more subtle liner that could be applied thinner than my usual liquid liner. It looked natural, making my eyelashes look fuller, which I liked quite a bit. But, within a week, the ink stopped flowing to the tip, and no matter how I angled it, shook it, or marked up my hand trying to get that ink flowing, it simply did not flow to the tip, making it near impossible to use as a decent liner. Conclusion: Eyeliner markers don't work.