All About Mascara: My Favourites...and The Not So Great Ones

I have been on the hunt for a good mascara lately.  Mascara is something that I rarely spend a lot of money on simply because I replace it so often (usually at the first sign of any flakiness or dryness).  I have tried everything from Maybelline Great Lash to Dior Show Mascara, and I find that the drugstore brands work just as well as any high-end luxury brand.  This is just my opinion on what works for me.  I'm going to share with you all a small selection of mascaras that I have found to have worked for me in the past. I judge this based on whether or not I have repurchased the mascara on more than one occassion. Some of these I have only used once, but judging on how well they are working for me now, I am planning on replacing them once its time to do so.  I know your opinions and preferences may vary from mine, but if you're looking for a new mascara you might want to give one of these a try.

Some of my favourites:

Cover Girl Lash Blast 24-Hour:
This mascara is by far the best drugstore mascara I have ever tried. It volumizes, separates, actually holds the curl of my lash, and it does not flake. The ONLY drawback to this mascara is that it is difficult to remove. The label does not indicate that it is a waterproof mascara, but rest assured it definitely is. I don't recommend waterproof for every day use because it does take a toll on your lashes. If you're in the market for a new waterproof mascara, then this one is worth a try.

Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara

Cover Girl Lash Blast 24-Hour Mascara wand

 Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume:
This product was launched a few years ago and has been one of my all-time favourites - until recently.  It promises to build volume, separate, and multiply the look of your lashes and I have to say it does do all those things.  The only drawback for this mascara is that it flakes.  I cannot tell you how many times I've noticed little flecks of mascara on my cheeks and under my eyes when I've worn this mascara.  Flaking aside, I definitely would still wear this mascara because it does do a great job. 

Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume Mascara

Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume Mascara wand

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes:
There have been many variations of L'Oreal Voluminous mascara over the years and I always seem to get suckered into trying them out. The latest formula by L'Oreal is the Volminous False Fiber Lash mascara. For an everyday mascara for those of you want full lash look, you can't go wrong with this mascara. It thickens, lengthens, and slightly separates the lashes, but it does not hold the curl very well and towards the end of the day I have experienced a little bit of flaking. All in all, it's a good mascara and it's easy to find at most drugstores. 

Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lash Mascara wand

Bourjois Volume Glamour Max:
This product was a recent find for me when I was looking to replace my tube of Lash Blast 24-Hour mascara.  I did some research prior to purchasing this mascara because I was tired of being disappointed in every mascara I tried. After reading some great reviews online, I decided to give this a try. I have to say I have been very happy with this product. It has a nice big brush, but it's not so big that I can't manoeuvre the wand. I usually apply two coats and the end result is a full, volumized look with very little clumping and flaking. This is a great mascara for an evening look, but you can definitely wear it during the day. It's my favourite mascara at the moment.

Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Mascara

Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Mascara wand

MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara:
This is a brand new mascara by MAC Cosmetics. I have tried quite a few MAC mascaras and have been consistently disappointed in the quality of each one that I tried...until now. This mascara is pretty awesome! The brush is quite thin and long and when you apply it to your lashes, it feels like it is almost gripping each lash and lengthening each one. I usually find the consistency of MAC mascaras to be really wet and runny and I end up with more mascara on my eye lids than on my lashes, but this mascara does not seem runny at all. This is perfect for a day look because it's not too heavy but you can still tell you have something on your lashes. This would be a great product to apply over a volumizing mascara (like the Bourjois) to help separate and define the lashes if you need it. This is quickly becoming one of my favourite mascaras as well.

MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara

MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara wand

Now for the not so great mascaras:

Maybelline Great Lash:
I have never understood the hype about this mascara! I tried it once back in high school and I have never wanted to try it again. I applied three coats of this mascara and it did absolutely nothing for my lashes. I know there are people out there that swear by this product so I'm not going to knock it too much, but I will just say that there are definitely better mascaras out there that you can try.
 

Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara:
This mascara started out okay but after a couple of weeks of using it, I had to stop because it really did nothing for my lashes. It did not lengthen, separate, curl, or thicken at all. My lashes looked like one big clump every time I wore this product. The formula reminded me of some MAC mascaras - it was really watery and I ended up getting the product all over my lids. 

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara wand

As you can see I always go for a volumizing, thickening type of mascara. I have tried mascaras solely for lengthening or curling, but I always end up missing the voluminous look. Is it too much to ask for a mascara that lengthens, separates, curls, volumizes, and doesn't flake? :) I know my expectations are a bit high so I'll always be on the lookout for the next best thing to make my lashes look outta this world amazing.  If I find it, I'll be sure to let all of you know, but in the meantime, these mascaras are definitely worth checking out! 

x
Annemarie

Review: MAC Lips & Tips/Fashion Sets Collection - Photos & Swatches

Today I wanted to share with you all a couple of new MAC products that I recently purchased.  I was doing my usual visits to my favourite beauty blogs and forums a few weeks ago and I read about one of MAC's many new collections for Summer 2012: Fashion Sets/Lips and Tips.  It consists of lipstick, lipglasses, and nail polish.  What's so special about this collection is that they have taken 16 lipstick shades (13 permanent and 3 limited edition) and created lipglasses and nail polishes to match.  All lipglasses and nailpolishes, plus 3 lipstick shades are limited edition.  Each 'set' contains a lipstick, lipglass, and nailpolish in the same shade, however each product can be purchased separately.  Temptalia has a listing of all the shades available in this collection.  You can find it here.  If you'd like to take a look at other upcoming MAC Collections, you can find them here at specktra.net. 
Since I am a PRO Member, I was able to purchase mine online yesterday.  Not all shades will be available at the counters, so if you have your eye on a particular shade, I suggest ordering online at www.maccosmetics.com. 
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a peachy/pink/coral lipgloss fanatic, so of course I had to pick up every peachy/pink/coral lipglass shade they had, plus a peach lipstick.  Peachstock is described as a light peachy nude. Myth is a light neutral nude that is great for layering.  Angel is a light, warm pink that is perfect for those who have a hard time pulling off cooler pinks.  Razzledazzler is a limited edition shade and it's a light cream peach.  Ravishing is a mid-tone neutral peach and it's probably one of my favourite MAC lipsticks in the permanent collection.  I love mixing Ravishing with paler colours like Myth and Peachstock to get that perfect, subtle peachy-nude without looking like a corpse.  Impassioned is a very bold choice for me, but I couldn't pass it up.  It's described as a bright warm pink.  Finally, Razzledazzler lipstick is a lustre formula so it's going to be on the sheer side.  Again, it's described as a light cream peach. 

Okay enough rambling from me, read on to take a look at the shades.  I am a MAC NC30 for reference. 

Photo taken with flash.

Photo taken in natural light.

Photo taken with flash.  I already had Angel and Ravishing in my collection so I wanted to include them for reference. 

This collection will be available for purchase on May 3, 2012.  If you're interested in picking up some of these shades I wouldn't wait too long! 

UPDATE: This collection is now available for purchase online at www.maccosmetics.com.  Use the code SETS for FREE express shipping!

x
Annemarie

Review: Dior 5-Couleurs Croisette Edition Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 654 Aurora, Photos & Swatches

For my very first product review, I thought I'd share something a little special with all of you.  I had been browsing temptalia.com (for those of you who don't know, it's a beauty blog that I frequent on a regular basis) and I happened to come across Dior's Croisette Collection for Summer 2012.  The collection was inspired by the shimmering shades of the French Riviera and the warmth of the French Countryside. (You can check out Temptalia's write up on the collection here.)  It features a combination of both cool and warm shades that are sure to please a wide variety of skin tones.  The product that held my attention the longest by far was the Dior 5-Couleurs Croisette Edition Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 654 Aurora.  What a gorgeous eyeshadow palette!  Now, it's not like I don't already own shimmery, golden-hued eye shadows, but something about the warm inviting glow in these tones reminded me of suntans and sand and made me want to take the first flight out to St. Tropez. 

Dior 5-Couleurs Croisette Edition Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 654 Aurora

The shades are starting from the bottom left and going clockwise, a sheer shimmery beige, a rich marigold, a bronze-taupe, a golden copper hue, and lastly, a pretty, soft pink perfect for highlighting the lid or inner corners.  The texture of the shadow is almost buttery - not quite as smooth as MAC's Extra Dimension eye shadows, but along the same line.  Four out of the five shades had great pigmentation.  The only shade I would say is lacking in that department, and I'm sure you can tell based on the swatch, is the sheer shimmery beige shade.  For me that's not a deal breaker because I would most likely use this shade for highlighting my brow bone where I wouldn't want a shade with too much pigmentation anyway.
Here are some swatches on my arm in both natural light and with a flash.  I am a MAC NC30 for reference. 

From L-R beige, soft pink, marigold, copper, bronze.
Photo was taken with flash. 

From L-R beige, soft pink, marigold, copper, bronze.
Photo taken without flash in natural light. 

I purchased my palette at my local Shoppers Drug Mart.  I believe you can purchase at department stores and sephora.com as well.  This is a limited edition product so if you find yourself wishing you were wasting the day away in St. Tropez, I would pick one of these gorgeous eyeshadow palettes sooner than later.   

x

Annemarie