Maybelline the Magnum Volum' Express Ultracomb Waterproof

Say hello to my current go-to mascara! It is the Maybelline the Magnum Volum' Express Ultracomb Waterproof Mascara. Boy that is a mouthful. There is a similar version of this, but not with the Ultracomb. Instead, that has a more 'normal' looking brush. I picked this up at Watsons on sale at about SGD$12 but I believe the normal retail price is just under SGD$20. 

I really like that the tube is this bright yellow, really helps with the ease of finding it in my stash! It tries to convince you it delivers volume (or in this case volum') by being a fat tube. The main reason I chose this was because the wand of this mascara is pretty reminiscent to the Majolica Majorca Lash King brush, and Majolica Majorca is a brand I definitely trust with mascaras. If only they weren't so hard to remove. Anyway, unlike the MM Lash King, this is a single sided wand, meaning application is only done with the spiky part of the wand. The other side is essentially useless. What a 1 dimensional wand, you might be thinking, but it's surprisingly good and works well to separate and coat lashes!

The only thing I do not like about the wand is that there are no bristles/spikes at the tip, making it quite hard to reach the outer lashes. It's not too bad for upper lashes, but getting the outer lower lashes is a real pain and not quite achievable with this wand. Going at the bottom lashes with a vertical wand is not possible either. 

Some background on my lashes - I'm quite lucky to have decently long lashes by asian standards, but I don't have very thick lashes. They are also quite gently curled naturally. Hence I normally go for volumising mascaras, though lengthening never hurts. I'm seldom fussed over whether the mascara holds curl. 

When I first used this mascara, I thought meh. It had quite a nice semi-wet consistency and gave me rather nice length and definition, but simisai (translation: what rubbish) volume!? I felt rather cheated, because the mascara is a VOLUM' mascara! So I added on a second layer as I would normally (ie. I let the first layer dry, then add a 2nd) and I was horrified because not only did it clump my lashes, it made them horrendously stick straight! 

I'm not one to give up on products. Lesson learnt - no layering on dry masacara. The picture on the left is with a single coat, the one on the right is with 3 wet coats. You be the judge. 

 From L-R, Curled lashes, no mascara; single coat; 3 coats of mascara.

The mascara is really versatile. You could probably get away with people thinking  you're not wearing mascara with a single coat of mascara, yet get an almost false lash effect with multiple coats. This mascara also really lives up to its waterproof formula, I could only get it off with an oil-based/bi-phase make-up remover. Gel removers and cleansing waters don't get the dirty deed done. That means, no smudging through the day! 

Certainly, the longevity of the mascara sounds good, but I would not recommend this for a full day of wear. This is because the formula is a rather heavy formula. I find that even with curled lashes, the mascara causes my curl to semi flatten out over the day.

Also, the length that is built tends to kind of droop after about the 5 hour mark and I'm not a fan of obvious fiber bits. The bright side is that these fibers don't flake off I guess? They kinda just like to hang. (heehee)

I also don't know if this happens to anyone else, but the blackness of the mascara disappears when it's been worn for too long! My lashes just look kinda dry and old.. it's really quite odd. Of course, these are really only visible if more than one layer is put on.


Summary:
Pros:

• Interesting wand that's easy to use and apply
• Versatile mascara: both natural and false lash looks can be achieved
• Good lengthening effects
• Decent volume can be achieved without clumping
• Waterproof formula that can be removed with oil-based/biphase remover
• No smudging
• No flaking

Cons:

• Can't really hold a curl
• Fiber tips tend to droop after a while
• Formula loses darkness after a while, lashes look old and dry
• Hard to reach outer lashes and bottom lashes with this wand

Conclusion: I would purchase this mascara for its natural look rather than its volumizing effects. This is also more a school day type mascara, not full working day. Most of the cons can be mitigated by wearing only a single coat, and since the natural look is one I favour, this mascara gets a B+ from me. 

Have you used this mascara before? What are your thoughts? Happy Monday everyone! I really enjoyed writing this review but now it's time for me to get back to the serious dissertation writing. Toodles!

L.A. Girl Creme Lipstick in True Love

Unlike most girls (I judge this from the blogs I read, my Mom and my sisters), I'm at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to lip products. I.e. I'm really uncomfortable with colour on my lips. I have a tendency to lick my lips quite a bit (must be hungry huh), and have a bad habit of running my finger over my lips, and a default position of elbow-on-table, chin-on-palm and fingers-playing-with-lips. Unhygienic, I know. This results in lipstick disappearing at flash speed or getting all over - rather undesirable. I do however, go through phases where i just want to have a lipstick. It is a terrible obsessive-compulsive thing. My practical brain opposes my frenzied brain, knowing that I seldom wear lip products and therefore refuses to let me purchase expensive lip products. That's how I came across the L.A. Girl Creme Lipstick. 

My frenzied brain obviously went for the most unpractical colour ever, something that I cannot ever see myself wearing on a daily basis - True Love. True Love is a rather gorgeous fuschia colour if I may say so myself. It goes on extremely pigmented (that swatch is a single swipe of lipstick) and very, very emollient on the lips. It feels great on dry lips and doesn't accentuate dryness. It has a slight glossy finish that I feel eliminates the need for an extra lip gloss, though a deep red gloss on top of it does look gorgeous. 

The downside of the extreme pigment is that this is sooooo crazy hard to apply. I recommend a lip brush instead of trying to apply it out of the tube. I had to use both a lipliner and concealer to get a good shape. When I used fingers to swipe off the lipstick that's gone off the lip, it caused a smear and (the horror!) a stain. Absolutely horrifying to fix! The odd part is that I find the lipstick to stain the skin but not so much on the lips. The lipstick fades evenly and quickly - about 2-3 hours and disappears completely if you have a meal. 

This lipstick also has a rather chemical smell, and a strong one at that. The practical brain ruled price over smell. At  SGD$10, it is quite hard to find similar pigmentation. (Commence moaning over why lipsticks are so overpriced in Singapore because I'm pretty sure this can be found at dollar store item in the US of A)

Practical brain also ruled over the horrendously cheap looking packaging. I cannot even bring myself to talk about how aesthetically unappealing the packaging is. On the bright side, it's still functional and seems hardy enough.  

A full face photo to show how True Love works with my nc30 skintone. Since I'm mostly a balm girl, I can't really decide if it looks good. What do you think?

Rest of face:

Foundation: The Balm Time Balm Foundation in Medium

Concealer: The Balm Time Balm Foundation in Medium

Undereye Concealer: Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener in Light to Medium Peach

Blush: Famous Shimmer Brick in Golden Rose

Eyes: Mac Paintpot in Nubile, Lakme Eye Colour Quartet in Desert Rose (pink shade), L'oreal Super Liner Black Lacquer, Majolica Majorca Lash King

Eyebrows: The Faceshop Faceit Designing Eyebrow Cake

Summary:

Pros: 

• Very Pigmented Indeed
• Goes on smoothly
• Does not accentuate dry lips nor dry lips out
• Wears off evenly

Cons:

• Messy and difficult to apply for non-pros
• Stains skin but does not seem to stain lips
• Not long wearing
• Ridiculously cheap looking packaging
• Horrible smell

Verdict:

This is not a lipstick that I would wear often (balm girl through and through) but would be good for occasions that do not require much eating. This gets a B- from me. 

Weekly Favourites #8

Hello lovelies! How's the week been treating you? I've had a rather breakthrough week with some of my products and I'm super excited to share with you how I use them.

I've had the Renew Rose Hip Oil for a rather long time. I've used it on and off, always put off by how my skin could not fully absorb the oil. I absolutely detested the oily film it left on my face no matter how long I left it on to sink in. However, I recently dug it up to give it another whirl. This time, on a rather sturdy cotton pad, I put quite a good bit of hyaluronic acid toner (I use the Naris Up Hyaluronic Skin Conditioner) and then 2 drops of rose hip oil, then swipe it all over my face. I find this method allows the mix to fully absorb into my skin and leaves it completely moisturized and plump. My skin seems to be healing more quickly too (might be a placebo effect) and I'm really loving it!

Ah Mac Pro Longwear Concealer... we have a serious love-hate relationship. I could never quite like the texture of the concealer and found it too watery and thin, affecting the coverage that it gave. However, since most of my scarring has gotten slightly lighter and I've gotten fairer, the coverage of this concealer is perfect. It works best with a flat powder brush or stippling brush, rather than fingers (that was my mistake) for higher coverage. It layers rather well, to a maxium of 2-3 layers before it starts to cake, enough to blur out the most obvious imperfections. Most days now I just use this concealer with powder and I've really got the 5 minute face routine down pat. -smug face-

Has anyone ever finished an entire tube of lip balm before it gets lost or purchasing a new one? I have to admit that I lose lipbalms like I shed hair (okay, that might be TMI). However, they more or less do turn up when I clear out my bags. The Maybelline Baby Lips in Smoothing Cherry turned up the other day. It's colourless and massively emollient. It might be odd but I adore the artificial cherry smell (don't judge me). I don't find the moisturizing effects last but the short term effect is just great. Doesn't help that the colour combination of the tube is so adorable.

A repeat favourite! I've been experimenting with the Maybelline Magnum Volum' Express Ultra Comb and testing it to its limits and so far I have not been disappointed. This works well in a single layer (or 2) for the nicest, barely accentuated lashes. I am a sucker for a natural looking lash. I also tried layering this mascara wet, and after 3 layers or so, I got the most incredible volume and length, almost like I was wearing false lashes. The only problem is that the extended portion of lashes tend to droop if I wear the mascara for too long, but since I seldom wear mascara for such extended periods, it's perfect!

A friend once told me, girls are attracted to all things sparkly (upon looking at a Swarovski crystal display case and oohing and aahing) and I could not agree more. I just had to share this H&M ring. It's a blue, green, purple, gold sparkly glittery orgasm in a ring. I am obsessed. At SGD$6.90, it's the perfect pick me up for the day (or week if you must).

Hava great friday night everyone! I'm going to be tucked away at home performing magic on my dissertation. Wish me luck! <3