Today's EoTD and Estee Lauder mascara review

I had to wake up super early today. I had a mandatory math exercise class this morning, and I knew I was coming home right after that ended. It was really cold, and I was really tired, but I still did my makeup. I did a very simple look, I wasn't even going to use any shadows, but I ended up using two from my NYX Rock'n'roll-trio.

Review of the mascara I used is in the end of this post.

I just applied foundation, eyebrow pencil and Estee Lauder lengthening mascara. 

Then I decided to add some brown from the NYX Rock'n'roll trio to my crease. I used a tapered blending brush for that. Then I used a pencil brush and applied the gray color from the NYX trio to the lash line, and blended the line up the lid, I didn't want anything sharp.

Review:

Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara.

I tend to dislike mascaras during the first few days after opening it. That did not happen with this mascara.

I felt like this lengthened my lashes after a few coats. My boyfriend noticed it too. 

I did not get clumpy lashes when I combed through them after each coat. Even if I did not do that I did not get clumps that easily.

I feel like this does not shed. My eyes don't water very easily, so I don't know how this would work if your eyes water. 

I really like the size and shape of the wand. When I apply mascara on my lower lashes I always hold the wand vertically and use the tip to apply mascara. It works great.

This is rather easy to remove with eyemakeup remover. If I remove my makeup in the shower, the water causes the mascara to fall off in small pieces. It doesn't turn into black liquid like some mascaras.

Overall I think this is a good basic mascara. 

I got mine in a set with an eyecream and a eyemakeup remover. That set cost something like 24 euros or so, I don't know how much this costs on its own. The sticker on the bottom says the color, and that covers the text which says how much product there is. I think it says 0.22 fl oz, but I am not sure.

Maybelline One By One Mascara review

I had a bad first experience with this mascara. I didn't like it one bit. The brush was too big, application was messy etc.

Look at this. (You can click on the pictures to see them in full size.)

The length!!! And volume too!!! 

Yes, one coat is not enough. No way. You need layers and layers and layers. Did I mention layers?

In the picture above, you can see how it keeps the curl. I took these pictures after a day of work. I curled my eyelashes before applying this mascara and the curl stays. From the first pictures you can see that I haven't really managed to curl the outermost lashes, and that's because I never do. My eyelash curler doesn't work really well for those. I need to invest in a smaller curler for those lashes. 

There's no shedding either.

(The eyeliner is Gosh's Funky Violet, and then I covered the purple with black, cause I wasn't feeling purple.)

Have you tried One By One?

Maybelline Haul

I have always loved Maybelline's Volum' Express mascara. It's been perfect. Lately I have been trying out other mascaras. 

And I will continue that. 

Maybelline mascaras cost about 12-14 euros (17-20 USD), which is about the minimum price for a mascara. Yes, it really is.. At work, today we had a sale, a mascara was 10 euros. And since I work there, I got 15% off from the sale price. I paid 8.50€ (12 USD) for each mascara. And I'm gonna try them all. 

I had tried One By One already, I'm using it currently. I bought the two on the left. Falsies Volum' Express in Black Drama, and then the Colossal in Cat Eyes. I don't know what the special names are for...

I might have to buy more tomorrow.. basic Volum Express maybe.

Do you like these? What is your favorite mascara of all time?

Lumene - Excellength

This mascara was definitely the weirdest I have used. Not because of the consistency, but because of the wand. It is tiny. From the tip to the end it is 1.5 cm. It's a round brush and the diameter is (bristle-to-bristle) is about 0.5 cm. It is tiny! I don't think it is a bad thing though! 7 ml (0.24 fl.oz) of product.

On the bottle it says "Excellength Mascara - with Natural Lash-Extenders" and "Smudge-free formula, precise plastic brush. Ultimate length and separation."

This is a lenghtening mascara and I do think it does a little what it promises. I think my lashes are a little longer. I never measured, but really I do think they seem a little longer. This does not create volume. The mascara does not smell. Because the wand is this small, I don't get much of it on my eyelid. And if I do, it's easy to remove even with a lot of eyeshadow and eyeliner on already.

I do like the color of the Blueberry Volume Mascara package more. It's so nice and purple. The metallic gray is great too, but the metallic purple is nicer.

Then some swatches. I almost always put 10 layers or so. Not 1 or 2 anyways. And so that's what I did now too. I don't see many clumps at all. No spider lashes. To create more volume, I add another mascara  on top of this before this has dried. But that's not in the picture. All in all a very nice mascara.

I don't have issues with transferring, removing it or anything. The mascara stays put.

Lumene - Blueberry Volume Mascara

Lumene's mascara Blueberry Volume Mascara. 

I love the bottle and the color of it!

The mascara wand is odd for me. I hadn't seen anything like it before. One side is flat like this

and the other side is like this.

I thought the mascara was good. I didn't see any problems with it. Didn't smell funny or anything. Was easy to remove, it's not waterproof.

Didn't really test can it handle any water.

This is after I've applied it several coats. 

I thought about applying only 1-2 first, but really I always put more coats on. More like 10, and that's what I did here too.

I like it. I like the bottle.  :)

Maybelline Pulse Perfection - review

In June I wrote about the Pulse Perfection mascara for the first time. Link to that post.

I received the mascara in May. I had agreed to do a product review for a company, and  as a reward for the review, I got this mascara, a nailpolish and a blemish curer thing that I gave to my friend cause I didn't have use for it.

In the stores this mascara costs anywhere from 12-17 euros. (1 euro = 1.3626 USD , Nov 16 2010)

There's 6,5 ml of product. That's 0,22 fl oz.

In all the makeup pictures in my blog from the middle of May till the end of August I've used this mascara. For example this look has this mascara. 

It's not waterproof. But I did get thrown in the pool twice in England and the mascara stayed. As long as you don't scrub it, it was fine. My eyeliner on the other hand created a mess... :S And if some of that mess was mascara, it really wasn't much. In the end of the day, I had mascara left, but no eyeliner.

The wand is flimsy, it's made of rubber and the bristles are not terribly dense at all, and they're quite short.

I didn't find the vibrating action to be of any use. The results were the same. Eventually I stopped using the vibration thing, cause it wasn't making my lashes any more voluminous. At first the idea of putting a mascara wand that vibrates close to your was a little scary, but it wasn't bad at all.

Would I buy this? For the price and amount of product, no I would not. I didn't think the vibration added anything extra, so I'm going to have to pass this. 

Next lash review will be of a mascara that has the best packaging ever!!! :D

Have you tried the vibrating mascara? 

Maybelline Pulse Perfection aka the vibrating mascara

Not too long ago someone sent me Maybelline's Pulse Perfection aka the vibrating mascara. I did not get it so that I could review it on my blog, the person did not even know I have a makeup blog. It was a gift.

I will do a more in depth review later when I have used it a little more so this post is just my first opinion of it.

I think they only sell this mascara in black. I don't know if this is waterproof or not because the bottle does not say anything about it, which makes me think it is not waterproof. It's easy to remove with makeup removers.

The wand is a little flimsy so I got to be very careful when I'm done with the mascara for that day that I dont bend it too much when closing it.

The wand and bristles are made of rubber, the bristles are not too hard like in Max Factor's FLE, cause those irritated my eyes.

The idea of putting a mascara wand close to your eye and lashes while it vibrates is a little intimidating at first, but it really does not feel too bad actually.

I doesn't shed during the day at all. The color good. There are no clumps and it's easy to build the lashes with it while the mascara is still a little moist. Once it has dried it's impossible and then you get clumps and/or the spider leg lashes.

Have you tried this or heard of it?

About 3 Mascaras... review part 3 - Lumene Natural Code Eye Dramatizer Volumizing Mascara

This is the third part of a three-part mascara review. This review is about the Lumene Natural Code Eye Dramatizer Volumizing mascara. First part of the review series can be found here. Second part can be found here.

I am reviewing three mascaras and the first two pictures of each mascara are taken when I have applied 2-3 coats of mascara. The last two pictures are then when I have applied several coats of that mascara.

These three I am reviewing. First one is the Maybelline Volum' Express (in black) that's in the middle of the picture. Second mascara will be Max Factor's False Lash Effect (in black, not waterproof), and the last one is Lumene Natural Code Eye Dramatizer Volumizing Mascara (in blackest black).

The brush for this mascara is large. I had trouble using it at first because I just kept making a mess. It gets easier eventually. There are a lot of bristles, they're long and most importantly they are soft. This mascara does not smell at all like some other mascaras.

From these first two pictures you can see the result after 2-3 coats. The lashes are very separated and appear a little longer, or then it is just wishful thinking. I however, don't see any addition in volume. In the lower picture is looks kind of like I wouldn't have any mascara on. So it seems to give a very natural result, but not a very volumous result.

The color of this mascara is Blackest black. I'm not really seeing that, at least not in the picture directly above this sentence.

In the last two pictures I have applied several, several coats and now I am liking the result. I still don't think it really gives me the volume that I want, but I'd say this is a good daily mascara. And now my lashes look dark too. I curl my lashes before applying mascara and I feel like this holds the curl well. Other mascaras only hold for about half and hour, and then my lashes are very slightly curly, but this seems to hold the curl a little longer. I have issues with curling my lashes or my hair, the curls just wont hold, so I don't have big expectations about a mascara holding the curls.

This is applied by the zic-zag-motion.

There is 8 ml of product.

I don't have the receipt left anymore, but I believe this cost something like 7-9 euros. It was not more than 10 euros for sure.

I could buy this again, unlike the Max Factor one. This one does not smell and the bristles are very soft. The brush is slightly big for me, but nothing that can't be fixed. I'm still going to stick with the Maybelline Volum' Express.

Were these reviews useful for you?

(Dislaimer: Bought all the products myself. Not affiliated with the companies mentioned.)

About 3 Mascaras... review part 2 - Max Factor False Lash Effect

This is the second part of a three-part mascara review. This review is about the Max Factor False Lash Effect. First part of the review series can ban be found here.

I am reviewing three mascaras and the first two pictures of each mascara are taken when I have applied 2-3 coats of mascara. The last two pictures are then when I have applied several coats of that mascara.

These three I am reviewing. First one is the Maybelline Volum' Express (in black) that's in the middle of the picture. Second mascara will be Max Factor's False Lash Effect (in black, not waterproof), and the last one is Lumene Natural Code Eye Dramatizer Volumizing Mascara (in blackest black).

As you can see the Max Factor mascara wand looks different from the Maybelline one. This one is thinner from one end and the bristle length varies and they are quite dense in the end. The bristles are made of rubber. I hear it is very common for a volumizing mascara to have this type of a wand. The bristles are dense and have a lot of product in them so that should create the volume.

The Max Factor False Lash Effect is supposed to double the volume of your lashes and make it seem like you'd be wearing false lashes. The pictures above and below have 2-3 coats of mascara.

I read online somewhere that when you use this mascara the 'traditional' method of doing zic-zac-motion in the base of your lashes and then bringing the wand up towards the tips of your lashes wouldn't give you the results you want. It didn't.

I read about another way of applying this mascara. You kind of roll the mascara wand slowly up and away from you, the way you would use a rolling pin kind of, and then moving the brush up towards the tips of your lashes. 2-3 coats should be enough to give you your wished look. Well did it work? Look at the pictures above and see for yourself. (edit. this is where I read about the other method of applying. Blog is in Finnish only.)

The two pictures below have several coats of mascara, applied on by using both of the methods, the rolling method and the zic-zac method.

If you wear contact lenses you can use this mascara. It is ophthalmologically tested.

There is 13.1 ml of product. It cost 16.70€ ($22.85).

The bristles are really hard. I apply mascara to the very bottom of my lashes and when I do that the bristles do touch the upper (and lower) waterline, and the bristles made the waterline a little red because they were so hard.

This mascara is supposed to be fragrance free. It smells really strong, like paint. I don't like that. It's a very strong smell.

This is not the waterproof version. It can be easily removed with makeup remover. It did not smudge when I walked in rain, so it does stay on your lashes, but I haven't tested it in the swimming pool so can't say anything about how much water it can stand.

I had heard a lot of good things about this mascara so I was expecting great results. I am not that pleased. It gives me basically the same results as the Maybelline mascara I reviewed earlier, the only difference is that this one smells really bad and the bristles are really hard. I'm going to stick with the Maybelline mascara and just use this up and not buy this one again.

I hear this Max Factor False Lash Effect is the sister mascara for the CoverGirl Lash Blast. The tubes look the same and the wands and bristles, just different colors. I mean that CoverGirl LB is sold in the US but Max Factor FLE in Europe? Max Factor and CoverGirl are both owned by Procter & Gamble so go figure.

Do you have a completely different opinion of this mascara than I do? Let's hear it.

(Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post I bought myself. Not affiliated with the companies. All opinions are my own true opinions.)

About 3 Mascaras... review part 1 - Maybelline Volum' Express

This is the first part of a three-part mascara review.

These I am reviewing. First one is the Maybelline Volum' Express (in black, not waterproof) that's in the middle of the picture. Second mascara will be Max Factor's False Lash Effect (in black, not waterproof), and the last one is Lumene Natural Code Eye Dramatizer Volumizing Mascara (in blackest black, not waterproof).

Here are pictures of the mascara wands.

As you can see, the Maybelline one is the thinnest and I'd say the Max Factor is the biggest. Also Lumene and Max Factor are shaped the same whereas Maybelline is different from those two.

My lashes look like this without any mascara.

Maybelline Volum' Express mascara is hypoallergenic and safe for contact lense wearers. It is Ophthalmologically tested. This mascara can also be found in waterproof formula, but I don't use waterproof mascaras so I can't say anything about those.

The package claims that with this mascara you can achieve three times more volume. It also claims to not get clumpy.

In this picture (above and below) I have only used 2-3 coats of mascara. I like to think that there is more volume and length, but I am not entirely sure. I have very fair skin and my hair is quite light, so my eye lashes are somewhat dark where they start, but the ends are very clear. I don't exactly know how long my lashes are, but I like to think this mascara also lengthens my lashes.

The following 2 pictures are of my lashes when I have applied several coats of mascara.

I'd like to point out that when I took these pictures I had not brushed my lashes at all. The lashes are separated, look longer and appear a little volumized.

There are a few clumps, but those can be gotten rid of by brushing the lashes.

I do like the color, it really is black.

I like the wand and the bristles. The wand isn't flimsy. I don't know how many of these I have used, but I do remember that at first the brush was a little difficult to use, because it is reasonably big, but the other mascaras I am reviewing have even bigger brushes. I have learned to use this mascara without making a mess.

I haven't had a problem with removing the mascara. It comes off easily with makeup remover, doesn't even have to be specifically eye makeup remover. I have slept with this mascara still on, and I don't look like a panda the next morning. But don't do what I do, do what I tell you to! Remove your makeup before going to bed! Also I have experienced this in extreme weather, as in when it has rained (and snowed) horizontally straight in my face, this hasn't moved at all. It stayed on my lashes. I think I have even swam once or twice while wearing this and haven't had a problem. But just because I can still swim and wear this does not mean that you can. Everyones lashes are different, so don't take my word on that swimming part.

There is no perfume in this one, but it does smell a little. Like a typical mascara smell. I am not as sensitive to scents as some might be. I really don't mind it. It's very mild... It kind of smells clean.

It dries on your lashes fast enough. The mascara formula is not runny or too thick.

The quantity is 10ml. It is quite a lot for 'normal' mascaras. A very big plus.

I have seen this price vary a lot! 8-13€ normally (so $10.99-$17,86). Depends where you buy it. Now I kinda wish I'd live in the US, because that is a ridiculous amount to pay for a drug store mascara, but even the cheap mascaras are around 6€ (so $8.20 or so). Basically this is the only reason I'd like to live in another country. But everything is way more expensive here, and I'm used to it, so for me paying 10€ for a mascara does not seem very abnormal.

This mascara has been my go-to product for years now. I am going to buy this again like I have done so many times before. I am still intrigued by other mascaras that is there anything better out there...

Have you tried this mascara? What did you think of it?

Disclaimer: Not sponsored by Maybelline New York. All opinions are my own and 100% true.

Multicolor

Can you tell I'm excited I bought some Glamour Doll Eyeshadows? :D

All the looks I've done lately have been done by Glamour Doll Eyeshadows and I have another post after this that I did with them.

I did this about a week ago but I hadn't transferred the pictures until today.

Jailhouse Jumpsuit (orange) in the inner corner on the top and bottom. Secretive (light pink) in the middle of the top lid, only a small part, not in the crease.

Olivia Green in the lower part of the crease and a little in the outer corner. Also on the lower lash line closer to the inner corner.

If I remember correctly this is a mixture of MIngles and Flashdance!
I really should've written down which blue I used. The blue is on the top part of the crease and on the outer half of the lower lash line. I think it was like 1/3 of MIngles and 2/3 of Flashdance!

Then I had a reasonably matte soft offwhite as a highlight. I think. I'm pretty sure I'm right.

I used a grey liquid liner and some purple mascara. It actually looks purple in some pictures! That's so great!

Do you just stick with a black or one of the more traditional mascara colors or have you tried something like green or purple? And what did you like of this look?

3rd Holiday look

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I never really plan how I will do my makeup for the day, neither do I plan what "extreme" looks I will do and post on here. Today's Holiday look is the result of me just opening my makeup drawers and picking up some random items and just starting to paint on my face. Granted this is quite an extreme looks so no, I will not be leaving my house, not today at least, looking like this because I need to look more subtle, today especially of all days. So now after writing this blog post I'll take a shower, remove this makeup and then do a very, very neutral makeup, one that I probably have already posted on here.

I guess the focus on this look lands on the eyeliner (and lashes), not so much on the eyeshadows. On the inner half of my eye lid I used a shimmery off-white. Outer half got some hot pink eye shadow that I lifted slightly above my crease. I saw a fellow blogger write three great posts about lining your eyes, this is Karkkipäivä, her blog is not in English though. If I'm bored or out of ideas I always go to her blog for new inspiration. Thanks for a great blog, Inkivääri!

I used a deeper hot pink in my crease, and a matteish vanilla eye shadow as a highlight.

Thick and winged dark gray liquid eye liner on the top lid. I don't exactly know how to describe the eye liner in the inner corner, but I believe that you can get a good idea by looking at the pictures. Also you might want to line your upper waterline with some black/dark gray eye liner, which I didn't do as you can see.

Same thing with the lower eye liner, I don't really know how to describe it. It is a little difficult at first to use a liquid eye liner on the lower lid because it can easily look a little funny. There are ways around that, so let me explain what I did. I took a black pencil eye liner, one that you have found to be the best on your waterline, so apply it to the middle third or so on your waterline. Or like on the middle half of your waterline if you decide to divide your waterline into 4 parts.

Then to the inner and outer thirds/quarters you put a white eye liner and take that eyeliner out as well. For example, in the inner corner, you paint the area between the top and bottom lines white and that continues to your waterline. And then do the same thing to your outer corner.

Also, you can put some white eye shadow, or an eyeshadow that is a tad lighter than your skin tone and soften then middle part of the eyeliner on your lower lid, like in the picture.

Here is a perfect example of a bad mascara, or not really a bad mascara, just one that "promises" the wrong things. I bought this one a while ago, and I am happy with how it stays on, how it separates my lashes and it doesn't dry out that fast. What I don't like is that this mascara is supposed to be a volumizing mascara. Do you see any volume? I sure don't. I've tried applying it a few different ways but I just don't get a better result concerning volume. It does however, lengthen my lashes. So I guess that's good then. It did not promise any lengthening action though. This mascara is a good everyday mascara, but not one for parties or looks where you need ridiculous lashes. If I'd put some fake lashes on then this would be good though. Especially in this look cause the eyeliner is so strong and eye catching, it just looks like I'd have no mascara on whatsoever.

Also in these pictures you might be able to see that I filled in my eyebrows with eyeshadow, I have used an eye brow pencil always before. Either I don't know how to use eyeshadow on my eyebrows, or I have the wrong eye shadow color. I just don't like the way it looks. I'm returning to my eye brow pencil ASAP.


edit. I added some mascara and intensified the eyeliners a little. So two new pictures. Enjoy.

And I added a little white eye liner to the inner and outer corners between the grey/black eye liners..

What do you think of the look? Do you prefer to use eye shadow or eye brow pencil on your eye brows? Do you do anything to your eye brows?