Tag: mascara

“Two are better than one”

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I love mascara. And I mean, I LOVEEE mascara. I take after my mother in this sense (as well as many others), and we are both have a thing for big, bold, doll-like lashes. I personally don’t feel complete until after I’ve applied it and if I only had to put one thing on before I left the house, it would be this. As you may have read in some of my other posts, I am always on the search for the newest, latest and greatest if it means I’m going to achieve fake-lash status (without wearing actual fake lashes). Two products I’m going to talk about in this post actually work really well together- even better!

I actually found the first one by asking two of my team members at work the same question – “What mascara are you wearing?”. I kid you not, I only asked the two of them, in the same email. To my surprise, they BOTH answered with the same mascara – Lancome’s Hypnose Drama. It has a nice dense black color with a curved wand to give a subtle curl. One of them suggested I also try out the primer from Lancome to really up the pow-factor (which I did, obviously). When I was out of the primer and mascara, I decided to re-purchase the mascara for sure, but wanted to try out the Loreal version of the primer. Good decision. The Loreal Paris Voluminous Primer I found to work just as well, if not better than the Lancome version for half the price! I don’t use this everyday but if I really want a dramatic effect, I put this on top and bottom first (it comes out white which actually helps as a guide for the black mascara to be applied to) and then apply two coats of the Hypnose Drama. I highly recommend both products if you like your mascara like me – big and bold – and don’t mind adding a second step.

mascaras

The best makeup tool you will ever get for under $5

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October 28, 2014

If you read any of my previous posts you know by now that I love spending time and money on eye makeup, so the fact that my favorite little tool is a mascara aid should come to no one’s surprise. I can’t take credit for finding this but I do want to spread the word about this fantastic little device (that I could only find online). It is a GAME CHANGER for your mascara. If you’re like me (impatient, heavy handed with mascara) you end up getting half of your application on your top lid or a lovely raccoon smudge marks below your bottom lashes. Both are very attractive looks :). The bigger the brush (and you know by now I love me some big brush action) the less control you have over exactly where that mascara is going. This does not stop me from using it but it does create the need for the little mascara guide below. It is small plastic wand that you place right behind the lashes so that when you apply your mascara, it catches all the excess formula leaving your lids and under eyes clean. Genius! Yes, it does look complicated but it completely makes sense. Each end is specified for the top or bottom lashes and holds your lashes in place while you apply your mascara. The best part? Its super cheap! The most expensive I found was five bucks, with the cheapest being about 2. This is really the best thing you will ever purchase for this little money for your eyes – you will definitely thank me later! Click on the image below to purchase and let me know what you think!

Maureen

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Batten down the lashes – another mascara post

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October 14, 2014

When I was mascara shopping with my mother this weekend at Sephora I realized I forgot to write about two breakthrough mascaras that have come across my path and should not be ignored. I can’t believe I forgot to mention these, especially since I use one every day. See below 🙂

Lash Genius by Anastasia Makeup

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat

Anastasia Beverly Hills – Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat

 

Honestly, I don’t remember how I found out about this mascara but it has made daily mascara use easy now. This is a makeup line known for its eye brow products and you can use this product on your brows as well (as long as you don’t have any black mascara on it). This is a great clear, waterproof mascara that I put on after my black mascara has dried. Why do I do this? Because as I have mentioned before I have watery eyes and if I don’t put this on I have raccoon eyes by noon. Waterproof mascaras of the versions I like don’t work for me and they are very hard to remove. I like something that will come off easily with water (plus I don’t want to lose any lashes I already have!) and this does. Also, this allows me to wear whatever mascara I want without having to worry if there is a waterproof version available. Great product and great find!

Available at Sephora.

Also noteworthy is (yet another) Too Faced Better than False Lashes Nylon Extension System

Too Faced - Better Than False Lashes Nylon Lash Extension System

Too Faced – Better Than False Lashes Nylon Lash Extension System

 

So this is a little high maintenance and takes a bit of time, so if that is not for you, I completely understand. What you get though is really long lashes that go up to your eyebrow. To me, that is worth the $35 for the set. You start with the black mascara and then put the white mascara (which isn’t actually mascara, its little white nylon lashes that attach to your lashes and the mascara) and then reapply the black mascara. I’m telling you, the difference is very noticeable and your lashes really do look fake. I did a side by side test and the line’s Better Than Sex was almost as good, plus it was a little more black and glossy. Either way I don’t think you can go wrong here. Proving again, Too Faced has some great mascaras!

Available at Sephora.

Happy Fluttering,

Maureen

The Eyes Have It

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September 18, 2014

Everyone has their favorite feature, either on themselves or other people that they are drawn to. For me, it’s actually two – nails and lashes. I could go on and on about my love of hands, nail beds and shapes of nails but for this post I will focus my attention on my other favorite, which I equally love. If you know me well, you know one of my vices is always trying to find the newest and best mascara out there on the market. When it comes to lashes, I sadly don’t have a budget either. I will spend up to $40 for a tube if I think it’s going to transform my lashes dramatically. I was lucky enough to be blessed with naturally long lashes to begin with, although they are light brown and not very noticeable without mascara. That being said, I like to make them the longest, thickest, most dramatic I can without adding actual false lashes. I am sucker for good advertising (despite being a marketing major in college). I mean a real sucker, people. Pantene has gotten me so many times to re-purchase their products based on their gorgeous ads, even though I know each time its too heavy for my strands. Each time I think “this will be the time I am converted” and each time I am wrong. But I digress. Back to the eyes.

I wanted to share with you some of my all-time favorite mascaras, along with my newest find. If you’re looking for a new tube or formula, chances are I have probably tried it along the way so feel free to ask me what I thought before you purchase.

Newest find: Loreal Paris Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara

undefined - Eyes - L'Oreal Paris

When I saw this ad, I KNEW I had to try this. I love ’60s mod lashes from the models like Twiggy that look doll-ish and wide-eyed. This mascara definitely achieves that, although with a slowly-applied two – three coats. The brush is cone-shaped so that you can get the inner lashes as well as the bottom lashes coated with the samebrush as you would use to coat your main top ones. I really like this mascara, as I have liked most Loreal mascaras. I think for a drugstore brand they are top-knotch. Also a little known fact-they are all the same mascaras as Lancome! Shhh!

Former Love: Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

This is the second mascara I have loved from Too Faced, the first being LashInjection. I used to be crazy about that mascara, which had a huge fat brush and a formula that would elongate your lashes with tubes around them in one step. This was great for me because my eyes tear up a lot as they are a bit sensitive and then around noon I have racoon eyes. Not cool. Anyways, for some reason Too Faced took this off the market for awhile and when they brought it back to my (and many other users) dismay, they changed the formula and it has not been the same. I had read good reviews about their Better Than Sex mascara that debuted last year in a pink tube (my favorite color) and promised big, lush lashes. I really love this formula as well as the brush, which is large as well. I don’t know if its Better than Sex, but it sure is a good mascara and not too pricey for a department/specialty store mascara. If you’re looking for big and bold lashes, give it a try!

Another Drugstore Superstar: Maybelline Volum’ Express The Falsies

Volum' Express® Falsies Flared™ Washable

I am not the only person I know who was a fan of this mascara and since then they have come out with more versions of the original, including my favorite, the Flared version. This is a great, inexpensive mascara that provides good volume, length as well as curl. I don’t know that I have found or used another mascara that provided a curl hold as good as this one. My reason for switching (besides the fact that I have mascara OCD and always have to try the newest product out there) is my raccoon eye problem stated above. I tried using the waterproof version of this but as most people find the waterproof versions of mascaras are not always exactly like the original and are extremely hard to remove. If you don’t have problems like me with teary eyes, I would give this a go.

Former Love Affairs: I approve all the below – you won’t be disappointed!

  • MakeUp Forever Smoky Lash – dark, pigmented lash that provides volume and curl. Great price for a department store mascara and many colors available now. Only sold at Sephora though!
  • Trish McEvoy Lash Curling AND High Volume Mascaras – both provide tubes that go around the lash, like a sock that washes off with warm water.
  • Loreal Paris Double Extend Beauty Tubes Two Step Mascara – one of the first tubular mascaras that came on the market and is still out there! These will truly make your lashes almost touch your eyebrows- my only complaint is that it doesn’t thicken them as well (sorry, I am high maintenance and want everything 🙂 )

What mascara do you love?

Maureen