Benefit "They're Real" and other Mascaras

Mascara. A makeup essential... unless you have perfectly long, thick, dark eyelashes in which case you need to stop bragging because that's just mean.

Finding the right mascara is a chore because they're all different, expensive, and if you don't like it once you buy it, tough (unless you try out the new Lush Mascara - they have a 30 day return policy, no matter how much you use up!). And depending on your eyelash needs-- volume, curl, length, thickness, VISIBILITY-- different products will come in handy.

For instance, without mascara I have no eyelashes. Fine blond lashes are as invisible as Sue Storm (where are my Marvel nerds??) and take, like... four coats to even resemble a normal lash. I blame genetics. So I look for volume and some length when shopping around. And that's where Benefit comes in.

Say hello to "They're Real."

Hello.

According to the Benefit "Cosmetic Advisor" at the Macy's counter-- who isn't biased at ALL-- this is the most popular mascara in the entire six-billion-people-populated-and-three-billion-of-them-travel-the-LA-highways-on-a-daily-basis WORLD. Impressive. 

Do my lashes look longer?!

"They're Real" is meant to add length and sure enough, it does. The mascara is thin so it easily coats the lash while the wand is smaller so you don't end up with black splotches all over your face like really uncoordinated people (me). In these photos, I used 3 or 4 or 3.5 coats and think my lashes look great. And no, I didn't use an eyelash curler because I'm scared I don't believe in them.

Rockin' my half-face emo picture.

My cosmetic gripe is that it doesn't really thicken the lashes. Plus this stuff is expensive. The travel size is $10 and the full-size bottle is $23.00. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 winks

As a gal living on a budget, I normally use Maybelline Great Lash:

Mascara Hoarder? Maybe.

From left to right: Brownish Black, Very Black, and BIG Very Black.

Through my extensive experience of wearing makeup, I've used many cheap inexpensive brands. For years I only wore brown mascara because my mom told me it complimented blue eyes (true) and that black is whore makeup. Then I only wore waterproof mascara because I'm really dramatic and cry a lot... and I was too cool to carry an umbrella to class when it rained. But WP is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get off my lashes so I switched to normal and had my tear ducts removed.

Anyway, regular Great Lash definitely adds volume but starts to clump after the second coat. Great Lash BIG starts to clump after the first coat and ends up all over my face because I have clumsy sausage fingers the wand is rather large. But at $4 a bottle I can't complain... not true, I can always complain, but four bucks a bottle is CHEAP!

You can see looks I've done using this mascara here, here, and here.

Rating: 3 out of 5 winks

And finally, the mascara with the longest title - BareMinerals Flawless Definition: Volumizing.

I was fortunate enough to try this when I scored a free sample from Sephora and I still remember how amazing this stuff is. Besides actually living up to its "volumizing" reputation, the mascara softens the eye and uses voodoo magic to prevent any clumping.

This is a great example I found from a beauty blog by a Seattle based makeup artist:

It's $18 a bottle and worth every penny.

Rating: 5 out of 5 winks

In terms of the lasting effects of each product, I haven't noticed much of a difference. They all require a good scrubbing with remover at the end of the day. However, the Great Lash does start getting in my eyes after several hours. 

Couple mascara pointers:

If you do need waterproof mascara and experience clumping problems, use an eyelash primer first then apply.

Fake eyelashes can look amazing-- consult someone else because Lord knows I'd probably glue my eye shut trying to wear them.

This might be common sense but NEVER-- and I mean NEVER or I'll kick your butt-- sleep with mascara on. I used to because I hated washing it off at night when I was tired (whine whine whine) and my eye doctor thought I had glaucoma because he could see little scratches all over my eyeball. True story.

Mascara is tricky and definitely a matter of personal preference, but overall I recommend splurging if possible. My husband made an excellent point as I was about to buy cheap foundation when I ran out of my YSL: Why go to such great lengths to take care of my skin only to throw crappy makeup on top of it? Is he amazing or what?!?! So these days I try to think long term so I can be a sexy old lady rockin' granny panties and bifocals.

What mascara do you use? Are you afraid of eyelash curlers? Do you think mascara is the sign of a "loose woman?"

Lush: Emotional Brilliance

Ever since my introduction to Lush, I've become a complete Lushie and geeked out even more when they released their two-years-in-the-making Emotional Brilliance makeup line the day before my birthday. I mean... could the timing be any better?! (The answer is no.)

Now, I must admit... I've committed a Beauty Blog sin: I didn't take any pictures of the store! I'm still working on my "can I take photos of your merchandise I promise I'm not casing the joint" line, but for this I'm afraid I only have photos of the makeup I bought and me wearing it. You'll just have to make your way over to a store near you.

Anyway, after doing a color reading-- which was completely fun, if not a little strange-- I got spoiled by the amazing salesgirl showing me EVERYTHING and having me try on makeup. Is there anything better? (The answer is still no.)

In store, I sampled their translucent powder (shimmery), bronzer (stayed on nicely), multiple shadows, lipsticks, and mascara.  I almost bought the $19 mascara-- the bottle is short but contains double the amount of regular mascara bottles-- but I had already picked up the travel size "They're Real" mascara by Benefit. In the end I walked away with these:

From left to right: "Happiness" cream eyeshadow, "Fantasy" liquid eyeliner, and "Perspective" lipstick.

Let's go over the gold eyeliner, aka "Fantasy." 

First of all, this was my second time EVER applying liquid eyeliner-- so no making fun of my lines. Okay... you can make fun of me but do it behind my back like civilized people.

As far as "Fantasy" goes, the wand is really fine and stiff so the line remains fairly thin, though I did find that I needed to add more to get the depth of color I wanted. It lasted quite awhile and, in my opinion, is a strong gold.

Usually I'm a chicken boring when it comes to makeup, but I like the gold with the black liner: it's fancy. It compliments blue-gray eyes and stands out on pale skin. Plus my eyes look sexy-- is this the part where my inner goddess does cartwheels?! 

Next up: "Happiness" eyeshadow and "Perspective" lipstick.

"Happiness" is bronze/brown/orange in person, yet it definitely comes out more orange than anything else. The wand is the same kind as the spongy ones found in long, thin tubes of lip gloss (I don't know technical terms, okay?!). 

Here's the thing about the eyeshadow: if you use the wand, it goes on thick and the color is strong. If you use your finger to smear, it removes most of the color and all that's left is shimmer. So you must use the wand which hinders blending. However, the color lasts all day and doesn't clump up in the creases too much.

Now the lipstick, "Perspective," is the BEST. I'm obsessed. I hate lipstick in general because it dries out my lips and never lasts. Not so with this stuff. It's moisturizing-- seriously, they aren't kidding when they say it moisturizes-- without being glossy, yet the color still shimmers. Speaking of the color: AMAZING. It's a soft, rosy pink that goes with every skin tone and would make the perfect accent for natural makeup. If you can't tell, I love it and will cry if Perspective ever gets discontinued. Like... I might protest.

The Emotional Brilliance line is full of deep, BRILLIANT (see what did there?), long lasting colors worth sampling. It even holds up when you make faces. For example:

If nothing else, Get. A. Lipstick.  I'm excited to try their mascara and compare it to Benefit, pick up a black liquid liner, but overall I won't be purchasing any shadows. Down the road, I hope Lush releases liquid foundations, blushes, and more nude eyeshadows. I try to keep my makeup subtle so this line isn't to my particular style. If you are all about colors and experimenting with makeup,  Emotional Brilliance is for you.

Ratings--

Happiness Eyeshadow: 3 out of 5 eyelashes

Fantasy Eyeliner: 4 out of 5 eyelashes

Perspective Lipstick: 5 out of 5 kisses

Emotional Brilliance Line: 3.5 out of 5 smiles

Have you tried the Lush makeup yet? Thoughts? How did you like the gold liner? Do you also make faces in mirrors?!

Neons and Nudes by nails inc.

A few months ago while hunting down my favorite facial products at Sephora, I felt compelled to purchase summery nail polish for the season. Neons and Nudes 6 sample collection by nails inc. screamed at me:

I enjoy the softness of nudes and brilliance of neons so this nails inc. pack just. makes. sense. Or so I thought.

Sigh... writing this review makes me sad. I love these colors and the nails inc. palette in general so the fact that the nail polish is a fail bums me out. First, the polish is sheerer than I expected so I need to add an extra coat. And for those of you who are sticklers about getting the most for your money (so... all of us) that means your dollars aren't going as far since you'll be using it up faster. 

Even with a base coat and three coats of polish and a top coat of the pink, my manicure started chipping the next day. Just to make sure I wasn't crazy, I also tried the yellow and the same thing happened. However, my pedicure lasted a good week so perhaps I'll save these polishes for toes only.

Overall, nails inc. is dead to me. They keep tempting me with new colors and it's cruel.  

Rating: 1 out of 5 fingers (can you guess which one?)