REVIEW!!! Maybelline Mascaras

I recently got all three of these mascaras. Check out my previous post on my haul!

Yes, I know, I'm late to the party, but I could never find these in Barbados.

But here's my review on these three bases on my experience with them over the last few weeks.

Mayebelline The Falsies Volume Express Waterproof 

Maybelline The Mega-Plush Volume Express

Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express Black Drama Waterproof

Needless to say, since I am a mascara lover (because I have wimpy, pathetic little eyelashes), these were the first things I busted open to try.

The photos above (borrowed from the internet - thanks google!) are actually in order from my favourite to my least favourite.

Of course every company makes ridiculous claims about their products. Maybelline claims that with these mascaras you'll get lashes that look like Christy Turlington's in the photo. Bear in mind she's wearing several layers of actual false eyelashes. It's a mascara ad!! 

So I'll break each one down by what they claim, what I found in my experience using them, and what I love or don't love about them. For the  product claims I'm going from the Maybelline website because since these were brought in for me by friends, the packaging was removed to avoid customs charges.

The Falsies

The Claim: 300% more visible lashes, corner to corner. Special 'spoon' brush (read: a curved brush which has been 'flattened' so the bristles are shorter in the belly and underside of the curve and longer on the sides) and flexible wand.

By "visible lashes" I assume they mean both longer and thicker, and therefore easier to see?

I prefer waterproof mascaras because they hold the curl better in my lashes because they dry quickly. I don't know what the washable version of this mascara is like, but this one is the absolute BOMB.

The first time I tried it was on uncurled lashes, and I was astonished by how suddenly my lashes were curling upwards! At first, I applied this mascara kind of the way that you're supposed to apply the lash stiletto, constantly pushing the wand through , turning it to get more product as opposed to putting on several coats. I've also used it in coats, though, and I still don't get any clumping problems. 

I like the curve of the brush and though I was skeptical about the longer-shorter-bristle thing, it seems to be a good call because it is easier to get into the corners and on the lower lash line with the shorter bristles. 

It's the formula of this mascara that I love. It's on the thinner side, which means it doesn't really clump, but it dries quickly.

Wearing The Falsies (One coat!)

I'm also a fan of lots of lower lashes, and this mascara gives me lower lashes á la Kim K.

The lashes don't feel too hard or too thick, but they do look thick. 

My only cons with this one is that I don't know if I like the flexible wand, it just doesn't feel stable to me, and also The Falsies is honestly is a bitch to remove. But with everything else it has going for it, this is my new favourite mascara.

The Falsies Black Drama

The Claim: Extreme matte black. 300% more visible lashes, corner to corner, no gaps. Spoon brush, flexible wand.

This one is my least favorite in the bunch. 

It is very black, and very matte. It does make my lashes look much thicker along the base of the lashes. 

I don't know what the matte finish has done to the formula, but this mascara seems very dry and powdery to me. I know quick-dry mascara is supposed to be a good thing, but this dries TOO fast. It almost comes out of the tube half-dry. As a result, I find that it gets clumpy on me before it does any lengthening at all. The "no gaps" thing is crap. Your lashes will ALWAYS have gaps. That's why they're called lashes, not 'fur'.

Wearing Black Drama (two coats)

This mascara doesn't hold the curl as well as The Falsies, maybe because the dryness makes it a little heavier. Again, it thickens at the base but it's very hard to get it moved through the lashes properly, and I really don't feel like I get the length.

This doesn't give me the lower lashes that I'm after either, again because of the dryness of the formula. Same peeve with the flexible neck and the difficulty to remove. Perhaps the brush should be different? It's the same spoon brush but maybe the combination of the dry formula and the spoon brush just don't really work together and well as the brush works with the original Falsies.

I know I sound critical, but this is a good mascara, great for thickening, and it really is a lovely inky black. So perhaps if you already have long lashes, or if you're using it to marry your own lashes to a strip of real falsies, this might work beautifully

The Mega-Plush

The Claim: Mega volume, gel-mousse formula, never brittle or flaky.

I like this mascara. the gel-mousse formula is thin, and I find that it dries quickly, and hold a curl nicely.

I don't find that it gives mega-volume though. I found the volume and lengthings to be a little less than The Falsies, to be honest! But Mega-Plush does lengthen and thicken. It doesn't clump too much either. It's decent on the lower lashes, but I've been spoiled by the Falsies.

Wearing The Mega-Plush (two coats)

I think the brush doesn't need to be quite so fat, and this one has the most flexible neck of all. It makes me feel like the brush is going "doiiinnnggggggg" every time I pull it through my lashes. LOL!

But I do very much love the gel-mouse formula. I wear this mascara during the day or for more natural looks like in the pic (I wasn't wearing foundation or eyeshadow!). It is quite clean, and I love that it doesn't really clump, even after a few coats. 

Also, somehow, this mascara is also hard to remove. It's not just water-washable.

All in all I do like these mascaras, I think they're awesome drugstore buys, and I would buy them all again. they have their pros and cons, but I think The Falsies (the original) is the best mascara I've tried recently.

Hope that was helpful!

Do you like my reviews? Should I do more?

Blessings and lots of lashes!

Mandy

GIFTS & HAUL!!

I have been posting about the INSANE makeup prices in Barbados for a while now, especially on Twitter (follow me @LadyMandyisms!). One day in March as I was posting, Kristi Escobedo (@TheKristiWithAK) shocked me by kindly offering to get me "a few things" (her words). I was expecting a few lip glosses and perhaps a mascara. But this is what I received from her.

From Left, top row: Wet 'n' Wild eyeshadow trio in Knock On Wood, Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipsticks in Vibrant Mandarin and Shocking Coral, Wet 'n' Wild Blush in Mellow Wine. 2nd Row: A TON of samples from Mary Kay, Dead Sea Premier, Guerlian, and a fragrance by Philosophy called Love Sweet Love, Wet 'n' Wild Megalast lipstick in Bare It All and Don't Blink Pink, Maybelline Volume Express The Falsies and The Falsies Black Drama, NYX Smokey Eye Shadow Palette TSS01, Maybelline COlor Tattoo in Bold Gold and Audacious Asphalt, and Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in Blackest Black that comes with its own little rounded stiff brush. 

This shot doesn't do the Color Sensational Lipsticks justice, because they are stunning. They are silky smooth and really well-pigmented, and I love the the Coral one most, which is not a colour I normally like to wear, But I can't get enough of this one. And they smell uh-may-zing!! The Megalast ones I've used before and they are beautifully pigmented, but can tend to be difficult to apply because they're a little dry, so they go one kind of patchy. but a little balm left to soak onto the lip and then patted off works wonders. I also apply it in thin layers with a lip brush instead of straight from the bullet and it works really well. 

A close-up of the eyeshadows: Again, the photo is a little over-blown, because in that NYX palette the colours from left to right are a dark sparkly grey, black, taupe-y plum, navy, taupe-y brown, and white. WIth the exception of the sparkly grey, the shadows are a satin finish. 

Thank you so much Kristi! I'm absolutely flabbergasted that you were so generous and sent me so much stuff! 

Check Kristi out:

@TheKristiwithaK

www.facebook.com/thekristiwithak

Thekristiwithak.blogspot.com

Soon after Kristi sent me that lovely package, my cousin Kathleen came for a visit. I had sent her some money a few weeks earlier to buy some things for me, and she also went crazy and bought me a bunch of stuff as gifts! 

All these nail polishes were gifts. The Nail Art ones don't have individual names but there is a hot pink, another bright pink, a neon green, a dark yellow and a neon yellow. The darker purple is a satin formula and also doesn't have names that I can see on the package, the lighter one has silver shimmer through it and is called Passion Pirouette by Barielle Shades. The tangarine color is also Barielle Shades, called Gotta Have Fate, and the peach one is by Color Club, called In Theory. They are both cremes. The cobalt blue is a Color Club creme called Bright Night, the pale blue is also a creme by Color Club called Evolution. The small one at the bottom is actually a dark green creme by Color Club called WIld Cactus, the dark turquoise creme is COlor Club Abyss, and the mint creme is  by Rue Beauté, no name but the number is 041. The baby pink creme is Color Club Endless, the red creme mini is Color Club Mamba, the bright pink mini is Color Club Flamingo, and the metallic silver mini is Colour Club On The Rocks. Last but not least is the quick dry top coat that my daughter got hold of and left open and it dried out :( But I did use it a few times and it was lovely, I think it was called 0-80.

This one was on my list for Kath to buy for me, it's Hard Candy Fox in a Box Blush in Hot Flash. The colours are all matte/satin finishes and they're gorgeous alone or swirled together.

The large palette was a gift. It's L.A. Colors Private Eye. The colours are beautiful high-shimmer colours, just short of looking like foils, They're quite well pigmented for a "cheap" brand. The huge Bronzer is by Quo, and it's a shimmer but not too glittery. It's quite lovely both as a cheek and a brow highlight. the five pencils are also from Quo, they're called the BFF Super Shaper Eye Wand. They are double ended - one end is a chiseled liner pencil  and the other is a smudger that sits in a little pot of eye shadow, The open one is Amethyst/Opal, and then front left to right Twilight/Chiffon, Bewitching/Mythical, Destiny/Majestic, and (my favourite!) ying/yang. The packaging on those pencils are beautiful; they are quite possible my favourites of the group! The two colour tattoo eyeshadows were on my shopping list, and they are in the colours Fierce & Tangy and Painted Purple. She also got me an Audacious Asphalt because it was on my shopping list, which I had made before Kristi sent me that package, as well as some more of the Maybelline Volume Express mascaras (I have 5 tubes now!). Below the palette is a cream eyeshadow, don't know the brand but the colour is Tidal Wave. It's cracked, but it's not dry. It's a lovely turquoise with a gold duo0chrome type of effect. Also pictured is another no-name brand of cream shadow in a taupe colour, and a stay-all-day cream shadow by Essence called Glammy Goes To. the little blue  tube that's kind of out of frame (sorry!) is NYC Sparkle Dust eyeshadow in Brilliant Sapphire, and the two lip glosses are Lise Watier plumping minis in the colours Nude and Bronze. That brings me to the last four products (the tube of lipgloss, the baked bronzer at the top and the two tubes) which were on my Shopping list. They're from Hard Candy and they made up the Glamazon Bronzing kit. The white tube is the Hard Candy face primer and the gold one is a cream bronzer called Glow All The Way. 

The L'Oreal Infallible Shadows were on my list, in the colours Golden Sage and Bronzed Taupe. The two Glitter palettes are from NYX. These glitters are not for the eye! THe blue palette is called Ocean Breeze and the purple is Royal Violets. On top is a Revlon Balm stain in the colour Romantic (I LOVE this product!!!) The little Bijin Palette deserves its own picture!

It's called the Bento Beauty Box. It's a face and eye palette. The colours aren't named, but the blush is a lovely soft peachy-tan colour, and the eyeshadow quad has a plum, a pale pinky taupe, a rosy pink, and a dark grey. They're ll satin finish. I can't say enough about this packaging, it's just beautiful. "Bijin" is a Japanese term for "Beautiful Woman". SO nice! I don't know that I'll use these colours on myself, but they're lovely for a bridal kit, so that's exactly where I'm putting this one!

I've bought a few more things for myself over the past few months, but I'll save those for another post. Thanks to Kathleen and Kristi I now have a HUGE set of new makeup to play with! SO far I've tried all the lipsticks, and the colour tattoo and Infallible shadows. The Infallible in Bronzed Taupe is just stunning, and Audacious Asphalt is a new favourite for a quick fun eye. Also, the Falsies mascara, which I haven't seen down here yet, is just fan-freaking-tastic. I can't put it any better way.

If you managed to get through all of that, thank you SO much for reading! I'm getting back to doing videos soon, I'm really looking forward to that. 

Lots of makeup dreams,

Mandy

Random Makeup pics

Hey Beautiful People!

Haven't done a blog in a while, I know. I won't belabour my computer woes any more. But I'm getting a new laptop soon! YAY!

So I thought for now I'd share a few manicures I'e worn over the past few weeks. Ive been experimenting with rhinestones and my husband loves them and requests manis with them, so I just keep doing rhinestones manis!

OPI "Yoga-ta Get This Blue", NYX Glitter in a black base (fine and hexagonal glitter), and rhinestones.

Colour Club polishes.

ALso I have a few #FOTDs for you guys:

Glowing skin achieved with MAC  Studio Fix Foundation in NC 42, Studio Fix Concealer in NW35 (because the warmer tone brihgtens under my eyes since I have a sallow skin tone), MAC MSF in Medium Dark, Wet 'n' Wild Blush in Mellow Wine, GOld Highlight (the name on the compact rubbed off...), NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Dark Brown/Brown, Revlon Blam Stain in Romantic, and Maybellline Falsies Volume Express. No eyeshadow, Baby! (I was in a hurry!)

Same foundation/Concealer/powder combo, La Femme Bright pink blush, same highlight, mascara and eyebrow powder, Wet n Wild eyeshadow trio in Knock On Wood, NYX Beige Lipgloss. 

Nude lips are actually quite difficult for me to get because the natural colour of my lips is a very dusky purple, and when I put concealer over that it looks very ashy and sickly. So I'm going to do a more in depth post (maybe even a video!) on how I blank my lips out for a nude lip.

Mascara, eyebrows, balm stain and blush. That's it folks! (terrible photo makes it look like I didn't blend my blush...I promise that's not how it looked!

And finally a simple look: Same foundation/powder/concealer, eyebrow powder and mascara. On my eyes: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack and a random brown eyeshadow I had lying around...I difues the liner and used it through the crease. La Femme bright pink blush, and NYX Lipstick in Chaos (LP511). I didn't wear highlighter this day cause I forgot. *facepalm*

Hope you lovelies are having a great day!

I have a HAUL to post next!!!