Lash lash, baby, lash lash, Current Mascaras!

I've been quite good in the past 12 months about changing mascaras every few months.  I am prone to eye problems so try to be vigilant about stuff like that.
I also randomly sanitise my eye products with ethanol.
But I digress,
Current favourite mascaras!

I've been playing around with a newer one, a stashed one, and a random purchase that was my reward for surviving a particularly tough week at work.
All of them have little rubber bristles - I did not realise that at all until I took photos.  But I have mentioned before that its my favourite brush type.

First up - Essence Plump no Clump (I think it's now discontinued?)
This is a nice natural looking mascara (by my standards).  A light coating that says "hey I have lashes and they are pretty" without being too dramatic.  And sometimes thats what you want from a mascara.  Just a little icing on the cake. The brush is a monster and I think I would use it more if it had a smaller brush.  The product is a really nice consistency and the brush doesn't get too much on it, so only minimal wipeoff needed.

Maybelline Lash Sensational
My new fav!  I was late to bandwagon for this nabbed one during the last Priceline 40% sale.  I have fallen in love.  So much in love that I've already bought a replacement from Chemist Warehouse.  Oh this just works so well.  I think it works better than last years favourite from Essence.  And you know it will be in a sale sooner rather than later so no fear of having to buy it full price.  With my allergy eyes, I don't want to pay heaps for something.  It is a wet formulation, but not a runny wet like Rimmel.  This has a heavier gel like consistency and builds nicely, but you do need to take off a lot of product when you take the brush out.  The little tiny combs on one side a great for getting mascara on the base of the lashes.

Revlon - (The one with the midget brush) Ultimate All-In-One
Ok.  I did not expect the brush to be SO DAMN TINY.  But it works.  I think I'll like it more as the formula dries a bit.  Same performance as the Essence one above, so in terms of saving money, I would repurchase the Essence mascara over this one (if it was still around).  It is a bit fiddly with the midget brush to get the lashes, more time and effort compared to the Lash Sensational.  So I'm a little "meh" on this one. I have much fear of stabbing my eyeball with this midget brush.

What's in your current mascara rotation?

Reddit made me do it. Covergirl ClumpCrusher Mascara

I value reviews from other people and while on the AustralianMakeup reddit forum I kept on seeing positive reviews of ClumpCrusher from Covergir.

Then Woolworths had 50% off Covergirl.  Seriously the AusMakeup forum is damn good at finding and announcing sales.  Good times to be had!  Many dollars to be spent!

Reader.  I bought the mascara.

Now you ask why is that a big deal?
Well I've never really liked Covergirl after some incidents (allergic reactions) with their foundations many years ago and they just seemed to be a "no-go-zone".  This is the ONLY Covergirl product I own.

But this mascara is awesome.  The brush is the rubber bristle type that I favour and this stuff layers really well.  Its not an overly wet formula and dries quickly so that the layers don't clump (der).

I reach for this most often now and it can be a light day time look or a heavier night look depending on the layers.

The photo below shows naked lashes (right) and double coat of the ClumpCrusher (how I normally wear it).  This is a really light-weight mascara and my lashes don't feel heavy or sink down from multiple layers.  Nor do I feel my lashes underneath my eyebrows - if you've never experienced it, it is a seriously weird sensation.

It also helps blend my real lashes and false lashes when I wear them (another phase I'm going through - Daiso lashes.  Yes.  Many many Daiso lashes have been bought).

I was worried that I was allergic to it but realised that it was my sunscreen when it got into my eyes (science experiment - wear mascara on a day when you don't wear sunscreen.  See if eyes get itchy.  Such Science. Many variable. Wow.).  Results in - not allergic to it, which is a bonus.
Would I repurchase?  Yep. But only on sale.  I've yet to find a mascara that I'm willing to spend more than $10 on.  I've yet to find a mascara that beats my all time favourite from Essence.

Brand Review : Boe Cosmetics

Boe Cosmetics has been in my makeup periphery for a while now, it's exclusive to Big W and generally when I plan to make a makeup purchase its from Priceline points, give me allllll the points) or Chemist Warehouse (50% Off twice a year sales);

But you know, one does wander into Big W, and with a makeup sale on, the lure was strong.
Also there was a person at the makeup counter (need to purchase makeup items through that specific counter at my local BigW).

I'd inspected the Boe items before and decided with $3 off it would be a good day to sample.  They have two range - the older range is $2 per item, therefore only the newer range was $3 off.

So I had uploaded this post earlier today and was unhappy with my photos and it had been bugging me all day, so I've retaken the majority of them.  There's a few with the white background fr clarity - such as the ingredients list.   But I'm happier with these new photos, its amazing what a change in time and location can do to a photo.

From the new range - Boe Professional - I bought foundation, concealer and a lipstick
From the old range - matte lip paint, mascara and eyeshadow pencil.

Foundation - only 3 colours and I bought Fair.  Nice shade for "Fair" - I've found that some brands lightest tone is damn pale, but their second lightest tone is what I would call nearly tanned by my skin colour (looking at you Models Prefer and Savvy).  Also a nice feature of the bottle is that it is an airless pump, so the inner bottom pushes the foundation up and minimises waste.  Nice. Clever feature that more brands should incorporate.  Also this foundation has a tiny ingredients list and one of the main ingredients is shea butter which is great for dry, sensitive or eczema prone skin.  I really really like this foundation and have been reaching for it more than my Rimmel!

Seriously - for a liquid, heck even a powder, foundation this is a tiny list.
(I'm tempted to go and get the BB cream - if the colour shades are similar. And the ingredients play nice)

Concealer - again three tones, but the light is VERY light, might go back and try the medium shade.  Drier than the foundation.  Could be good for matte highlighting.

Even thought it has Mica it doesn't actually seem that shiny...

Quick comparison of the two shades - not blended, then blended.  The foundation looks almost too dark, but when blended out it matches my skin tone on my face/neck nicely.

Due to the high level of shea butter in the foundation this is very easy to blend, it looks shiny in the photo on the right above but it settles down as the shea butter sinks into your skin.  You can layer powder products over this foundation and they don't look clumpy - just allow a few minutes for the foundation to settle.

Lipstick - this is from the "Supershine" range (they also have a Matte, Diamond Finish and Colour Last). I chose the nude colour in "Empress". It spoke to me more than the others which were heavy in the reds and pinks which I have plenty of.  This shade I didn't actually have.  Also - "Empress", enough said.  Longevity isn't fabulous however - this requires maintenance throughout the day.

From the original range:

Matte Lip Paint - so tiny! Which is good because other ones are so big I doubt I'll finish them (like the Velourlips).  Fabulous pigmentation, stays on really well through drinking, but not eating.  Awkward to apply - its a plastic tip that you use to push the colour around - I will probably use a lipbrush from now.  It applies sticky but dries and mattes quite quickly.  And lasts and lasts and lasts - I tried micellar water to remove it, then cream cleanser, the oil cleanser.  This pigments is strong - so go for the oil cleanser (or even baby oil, olive oil) to remove it initially.

5 cm long tube!!

Eyeshadow stick - nicely pigmented, also can be sharped so you're not just getting the tip of colour (like on of the NYX eyeshadow pencils and Face of Australia Kohl's).  Very creamy but sets quickly after you apply so you need to work it immediately  It can be sheered out or applied thickly.

 

Mascara - the brush is a bit strange, chunky spiral bristles.  It applies really nicely though for a $2 product. I'm not 100% sold on this.  I've worn it twice and I think it may be irritating my eyes.  However its also peak hayfever season so I dont know.  I'll probably try it a few more times before I make a final judgement.

I've got swatches on my hand below so you can get a better idea of pigmentation and colour.

On the left side top: Eyeshadow stick #225

                    middle: Velvet matte lips (no name or number)

                    bottom: Super shine lipstick in Empress

On the right side : top half is blended out Foundation in Fair (now looks dewy as it has set)

                            : bottom half is blended out Concealer in Fair

Overall the products are nice for daily wear, or for keeping in your handbag as touch-up items.  The foundation is a win - I could possibly repurchase.  The matte lips is fabulous and will last for ages, I will look at the other colours as well because for $2 its a bargain for the quality.  

What Boe Products have you used and been impressed by?  Or have been let down by?

Let me flutter my lashes

I've realised in the past few days how much I love my mascara. How key it is for my look and how I feel with makeup.

I've had conjunctivitis since Thursday last week (oh how glamorous) and had to bin my favourite mascara, which was saddening, but I'm very glad I wear minimal make-up over the holidays so it wasn't palettes of eyeshadows.  So no action shots of the mascaras.

90% of the time I go for a waterproof mascara due to hay-fever/allergies and the watery eyes that accompany it.  As per my makeup, new mascaras get a trial run on the weekends or holidays.

My favourite for quite a while has been Essence BIG Lashes Volume Proof Waterproof Mascara in Black.

I was too sad to take my own photo before I binned it!

<sigh> It did everything I wanted in a mascara.  Volume?  Hell yes!  Big defined lashes?  Ooooh boy!  Waterproof? Indeedy-do!
This made my pale lashes look like false eye-lashes.  I've had co-workers as if I had false lashes on or if I had extensions put in (which but the way, completely disturbs me) or my lashes tinted.  One coat looked great, 2 coats was *fabulous*.
The brush was large and bristley, normally I like a small brush with the rubber bristles, so application was a little messy and I would apply the mascara first before doing the rest of my eye makeup, not a major issue.
The staying power is great, I apply my makeup around 7am and its still on when I remove it around 6pm (I like to remove my makeup as soon as I get home from work), I do have to use an oil cleanser to remove it in the most painless manner.  Micellar water works but its more effort.  Wipes also work, but sometime I have to scrub which causes irritations.
Now I know this is cheap ($5.10 Priceline) but I have not yet repurchased because I'll be moving onto my second favourite.

My second favourite is Essence Lash Princess Volume Mascara.

I bought this after watching a video by MissTango2.
It does a lovely job of lengthening my lashes, not as good a job as the BIG Lashes in terms of thickening.  Two coats of this does the same as one coat of the BIG Lashes  The formula is just right, not to wet as some other brands (looking at you Rimmel) are when you open the tube the first time. It will be interesting to see how long this one lasts, as the BIG Lashes was going well into its 4th month and was just starting to dry out.

The brush is an interesting shape and it does make application really nice and neat. All the lashes get an application easily and the way the bristles are spread out help to separate the lashes for definition.
Lasting power on this is a full workday easily, but this one can be removed more easily.  I think this peach coloured one isn't water proof.  So it will be interesting to see how it goes in Spring with peak allergies!
I think this one normally goes for $6.75.  

A bit of a "Meh" product is the Revlon Lash Potion Volume and Length Mascara.  This came in a Revlon gift pack I bought in the post-Christmas sales.  Normal retail for this is $21.95.  Hmmm no.  This is why I like gift packs for more expensive items, because you cant go up in Priceline and just start trying mascaras on your eyeballs.  Nasty.  Germs.

I would not pay $21.95 for this.  I wont be repurchasing.  Its nice and you know, works, but its nothing compared to the Essence ones I have tried, which are a fraction of the price. (I could get 4 of my BIG lashes for one of these...).  I'm using it because I bought it and I'm not throwing money in the bin.  The formula isn't too wet and it does stay quite well but its nothing memorable.

Next.

This is a FAIL.  An epic let down.

Rimmel Wonder'full Argan Oil Waterproof Mascara - I give up on Rimmel mascaras.  I just have not liked any of them for years.  I have moved on to better and bigger lashes.  Was I lured in by the pretty tube (which is a bitch to photograph so I acquired a picture from elsewhere)?  Maybe.  I dont know.

Brush of goopyness

The brush looked promising - its a rubber bristle brush, a little big, but I can deal.
The formula sucks.  Its very wet and goopy  I tried one coat.  I tried two coats.  I tried three coats. Aint got time for this!  I was let down big time.  Three coats of this was vaguely close to one coat of the Lash Princess.  It coloured my lashes but they weren't voluminous or emphasised in any way.  It was all very ordinary.
The end of the brush collects huge blobs of mascara when it comes out of the tube, and will stab you in the eye as you attempt to maneuver the brush (quite traumatic).
I did wait to see if it would thicken up if it dried out, but after a month it was still the same goopyness as when I opened it.
This retails for $17.95. So I needed to use three times more of a more costly product to get a vaguely similar result to a $6 one coat wonder.
Nope.
Its in my work bag as an emergency mascara.  I wont repurchase.

All of these did not give me any sort of allergic reaction which is my main concern.
What do you look for in a mascara?

Later days,