Mascara Monday-- Mary Kay's Ultimate Mascara

Hello Lovelies!!

If you've read my recent posts, you know that I recently re-discovered Mary Kay cosmetics. I've been using them for a few weeks now, and have a lot of thoughts and pictures to share with you!

Since I love mascara so so much, I decided that their Ultimate Mascara was a great place to start. Let's begin!


Mary Kay's Ultimate Mascara in black, $15 from any Independent Consultant or MaryKay.com.

What it Claims:
Turns up the wow with up to fives times the volume. Take your lashes from simple to simply sensational with Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara, the most superthickening, superstar mascara from Mary Kay ever! This exclusive, all-in-one formula delivers the benefits you love most-- long, thick, voluminous-looking lashes that last all day. You get the exact amount of mascara you need for maximum plumping -- without the clumping.




Let's take a look!

Mascara tube~

Wand~

Brush, close-up. 

Two coats~

Mascara applied on left, bare lashes on right~

Ooh la la!

Complete look~

I absolutely love this mascara!! It's great for day and night looks -- it layers well, so simply add another coat for evening. My favorite part is how fluttery my lashes look!! Dramatic without being spidery. 

The wiper on this tube is fantastic-- pretty much perfect. It leaves the perfect amount of product on the brush so that your lashes don't get overloaded and clumpy. Also, the densely packed brush helps to really separate lashes.


The formula is fantastic-- neither too thin nor too thick, doesn't dry too fast-- and doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day.

In a flash~
-Great mascara! Volumizing, some lengthening, with a great formula. Two thumbs up!

Until Next Time--
~Beauty Maven

Mascara Monday-- MAC's Haute and Naughty Lash Mascara

Hey all!

Sorry for the absence-- it was nice to have a break, but I have missed these posts! =)

For today we have MAC's Haute and Naughty mascara, $18 on MAC's website and counters.

What it claims:

A two-in-one mascara that lets you choose if you want lashes to be naturally defined, or instantly combed and loaded for full-on drama. Easy to use dual-wiper system allows the lightweight formula to go on either way. One wiper refines the application for a clean sweep, while the other loads the lashes for greater impact.

Which looks remarkably like this.... hmmmmm.... MAC came first, btw. ;)

Imitation is the highest form of flattery?

It's not exactly new, but I wanted to post a review anyhow!

Essentially what this mascara does it have the wand able to be removed with two different "wipers"-- the diameter of the hole the wand comes out of-- which changes how much product is on the brush. More product generally equals more volume, and less means less volume aka lengthening. Make sense? =) It's the same wand, just pulled through a different wiper depending on where you unscrew the top.
With this mascara, the Pink wand is the lesser product one, and the Purple is more dramatic.


Pictures!

Bare lashes

Bare lashes on left, Pink wand alone on right. 

Pink wand alone

Bare lashes on left, Purple wand layered OVER Pink wand on right

Purple wand alone on left, Purple wand layered OVER Pink wand on right

Overall I REALLY like this mascara! The ONLY complaint I have is that the Purple wand can have a bit too much product on it-- I find myself having to wipe some back into the tube, which I hope doesn't dry it out faster. =/  

The Pink wand is a good natural look-- I prefer the Purple side, but I like a more dramatic lash. It is nice to have the option, and to only have to pack 1 mascara for day AND night! 

I noticed that layering them doesn't really vary from using the Purple alone. In order to be a true lengthening mascara, it would need fibers to build the length onto you lashes~ since both wands use the same formula, it makes sense to not have that type.. you can't exactly pile on a fiber formula and have it look good, haha. 

It's more expensive than the typical MAC mascara ($18 vs. $14) but if you think of it as a 2-in-1 than it's really not that bad. And actually, for a department store brand, $18 is nice, haha! 

What do you think? Have you tried this? Think you will? What about the Rimmel brand one? I'm so curious!

Until Next Time--
~Beauty Maven

Mascara Monday-- L'Oreal Voluminous Naturale

Hello!

Hope you all had a nice weekend! I was actually ready for this Monday, which is one of the weirdest feelings, right?! I think I felt like that only because, for me, Monday = lazy. I'm totally down with that!

And because it means Msacara Monday, and you know how much I like LOVE MASCARA!!

Up for today we have L'Oreal's Voluminous Naturale, $7.49 at drugstores.
(Many thanks to my L'Oreal insider who gave this to me-- I love trying new things!)

What it claims: 
The new lightweight volumizing formula glides onto each lash smoothly and evenly to enhance fullness, without any clumps. The patented volumizing definition brush perfectly builds and defines lashes, for a clump-free, defined lash look. 


I decided to compare this one with Voluminous Original~ review here.

Naturale on top, Original on bottom. 

Naturale on top, Original on bottom.

Close-up of Naturale's Brush~  a molded bristle brush. 

Bare lashes

Bare lashes

Naturale on left, Original on right

Naturale on left, Original on right

Hahaha omg I didn't know I had some lingering hairs in between my brows-- oh geez! The things pictures show.. Just more evidence that you should take a picture of yourself BEFORE an event so you can see if anything is showing up odd....

That's a shame...

Anyhow! The review:

To be honest, I didn't find a noticeable difference in the two formulas. The Naturale is maybe a tad thinner? But you have to really pay attention to notice, haha. The main difference is the brush-- the molded brush gives more definition than the original, or course, but that's really the only major difference between the two.

As far as the overall effect-- to me, the Original gives a slightly more volumized look, whereas the Naturale lends toward a lengthening look (on account of it being so well defined).

The Original can clump at times-- almost randomly, haha!-- so it is nice to have the Naturale on hand to get rid of any potential clumps. I think the Naturale is a great "beginner" mascara-- it gives a dramatic enough look to tell that you're wearing mascara without the worries of clumping.


In a flash!~
Not bad, but the Original gives a more volumized look. Great for mascara newbies, though!


What mascara are you using now? Do you ever use two for a combined look? Do you prefer the molded brushes? Leave me some thoughts! =)

**BTW I wanted to put a note in here addressed to my regular readers. It really means a lot to me to get texts/tweets(@BeautyMaven8)/Facebook messages about things you've seen on here! I just want you to know that your kindness is so incredibly appreciated. =) It gives me even more reason to always have my desk in shambles, haha!

The things I do for you... ;)  And yes, that is a "Draw Dinosaurs!" book/kit.

Until Next Time--
~Beauty Maven


**Edit**

I decided I should share a dinosaur drawing with you. Behold, the Dapper 'Raptor!

I've been reading too much hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com, haha!

Mascara Monday- L'Oreal's Voluminous

Hello all!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend~ my week is starting off with a bit of a cold, bleh, so please accept my apologies for posts being up later than normal. I will try as best as I can to be coherent, haha!

Up for today's Mascara Monday!: L'Oreal Voluminous, original with curved brush, $7.49 at Walgreens, but I often see it for $5 at Target and Wal-Mart.

What it claims: 

• Uniquely formulated to resist clumping, soften lashes and build lashes to 5x their natural thickness. 
• Maximizing formula quickly thickens and builds lashes in a single application for a full and dramatic lash look.
• Patented volume maximizing brush thickens lashes evenly and smoothly leaving them soft with virtually no flakes, smudges or clumps.

Let's take a look!

Shown with the "Voluminous Naturale"-- review for that to come.  ;)

Naturale on top, Original on bottm. The brush is fluffy without being TOO big.

Close-up of brush~

Bare lashes.

Bare lashes, angle.

With Voluminous.

With Voluminous.

At an angle--- look how pretty!!!!

So, basically -- I LOVE THIS MASCARA. When someone asks me what my favorite mascara is, hands down I always say Voluminous. (Honestly, I don't know why I keep playing with different mascaras... oh wait, because it's fun!) 

Seriously, though-- for the price, it is of amazing quality, and it really stays put with no smudging, flaking, and applies in multiple coats without clumping. It also adds a fair amount of length, too. I am VERY demanding of my mascara-- I want it to be able to do flips and feed my cat-- and this one definitely performs 100%.

Be sure to apply coats before drying, as with most mascaras, to lessen the likelihood of clumps. The brush isn't too technical, but if you hate it upon first application, just give it a few more shots. Also-- and this is interesting-- it seems to volumize better a few days after opening. I suppose the introduction of oxygen thickens it a bit. 

In a flash~

Great mascara. If you own one mascara, this should be it. 

Have you tried this one before? It's definitely been around a while! Let me know your thoughts on it!! =)

Until next time--

~Beauty Maven

Mascara Monday- L'Oreal's Double Extend Eye Illuminator Mascara

Bonjour!!

Hope you had a great weekend! Yesterday I went to Target and had a bit of a beauty haul.. do doo.. and helped a gal pick out hair color, haha! She was in the aisle and turned to me and said, "How do you know which one to choose?" So I started in... and by the end she had her color, AND I gave her a $3 coupon I had clipped that morning. The kicker was that I was in a baggy shirt and baseball cap (pink!) and she still took me seriously, haha!! Seriously though- I LIVE for when that happens! I love talking to people and helping. Mmm warm fuzzies. =)

**Also! Ulta is having their 21 Days of Beauty, which started Sunday. What is it? Each day they feature certain brands and have demonstrations and you can sign-up for applications and such. Also, there's a special discount on 1 product each day. I'll keep you updated at the beginning of each post, as follows:**

Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty, Day 2: Stila, Philosophy. Deal: Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliners, buy one get one free. 


Anywho! Up for today is L'Oreal's Double Extend Eye Illuminator Mascara in Black Crystal, $10.99 at Walgreens.

What it claims:
A new two-step lengthening mascara professionally developed to illuminate your eyes.
   Step 1: Lengthen and Intensify. Adds volume and length to lashes while intensifying eyes.
   Step 2: The illuminating top coat infused with light-reflecting pearls highlight your eye color with 
   exclusive sphere tip brush.
Clump free, flake and smudge resistant. 


Let's take a look!

Sphere illuminator on left, base mascara on right. 

Mascara brush. (I love this brush!!)

Illuminator brush. More on this later. ;)

Without mascara. 

Without mascara.

Without mascara.

Just the mascara, no illuminator.

Just the mascara, no illuminator.

Just the mascara, no illuminator. (My wonky lashes on the right are me, not the mascara.)

Check out that definition!! 

Mascara with Illuminator on top. 

Bling Bling!

In the whole, I really like this mascara! I've worn it for a few days, and it is very easy to apply (notice the definition and no clumps!) and it stays fairly well. I did experience some flaking, and also I had to reapply before going out one night, but that still was a good 9 hours of wear. 

As far as the "illuminating" which I basically think is "glitter," haha-- I haven't quite made up my mind about this. I think a nice, glossy mascara is probably about as glitzy as mascara should get. It tends to come off more as eyeshadow that fell into your lashes than an intentional sparkle. It is kind of fun to add a little pizazz every so often, though. ;)

The brush for Step 1 is AMAZING. I really have to give L'Oreal credit for this-- all of their Double Extend mascaras are really decent formulas with great brushes. The brush for Step 2 is not so great on it's own, (see the review for Telescopic Explosion here), but as far as a brush to put another product on top of mascara? It works quite well. Something with the bristles and how they don't really match with the "normal" brush just.. works. Interesting! It also adds just a smidge more length~

It did a good job of lengthening, though not as much as I'd hoped from a lengthening mascara. However, the definition and lack of clumps made up for this! So many mascaras just don't do well at that. The volume was lacking, but it's not marketed for that so I can't hate on it. 

What do you think? Do you use mascaras that are catered to your eye color? Or just plain ol' brown or black? 

Until next time--

~Beauty Maven

Mascara Monday-- Fresh Cosmetics Supernova and Firebird Mascaras

Hello world!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend-- did anyone try out the bright lips from Friday??

For your mascara review today I have TWO mascaras from Fresh, Supernova and Firebird:
I got these in a little sample duo from Sephora for $10.

Supernova and Firebird

Supernova Mascara, $25 at Sephora.
What it claims: An ultra-conditioning mascara that creates dramatic, diva-worthy lashes in one swipe. The formula is enriched with nourishing meadow foam seed oil to condition lashes and add shine, protective linden extract to strengthen, and fortifying panthenol to prevent breakage. The rich formula thickens, lengthens, and defines lashes in just one super-glossy, jet black coat. 

Bare Lashes

Supernova on left, bare on right. 

Supernova on left, bare on right.

Firebird Mascara-- unfortunately not offered at Sephora anymore. =(
It is supposed to create a "Feathery effect to the lashes."

Supernova on left, Firebird on right

Firebird

Supernova on left, Firebird+Supernova on right

I decided to try layering Supernova OVER Firebird to see what the effect would be~

Supernova alone on left, Firebird + Supernova on right

I really like these mascaras!!
Supernova a really glossy, lengthening and volumizing mascara without any clumps. It's not super dramatic, but it's perfect for day wear and layers well for evening.
Firebird is amazing with length-- I'm kind of sad it's not available because this duo looked fantastic! Flurry, full and long lashes... what everyone wants, right?

To get a similar effect, layer a volumizing mascara OVER a lenthening--- a great budget lengthening mascara is Cover Girl's LashBlast Length (yellow tube).

What mascara are you using now?? Any that you're lusting for?

Until next time--
~Beauty Maven