Completely Overrated Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara

As I’m the sort of person who hates to not use stuff up completely before throwing them out, one of the things I kinda regret buying is the Maybelline Great Lash waterproof mascara.

As I have sensitive eyes that run easily, I always have to buy my mascara in waterproof formula – also as I have stumpy lashes that go straight down that is typical of most Chinese, the waterproof formulas are the types that tend to smudge with me the least.

I also sometimes use the tip I learnt that one of the reasons mascara smudges as much as it does is due to the oils on your eyelids – so I tend to put skin coloured powder under my eyes.

So this particular mascara is one of the most overrated products that I’ve ever bought. I’m starting to be convinced that magazine make-up reviewers are bribed in some way by the company to rave about certain products as this one is definitely NOT as good as it’s purported to be.

Although it does slightly thicken my lashes, there is no particular lengthening effect. BUT this SMUDGES insanely within one hour of use I found smudges under my eyes, so I have to consistently swipe my finger under my eyes whenever I wear it.

This includes when I wear some of the Clarins Double Fix Mascara over it, and the Clarins stuff is awesome as it really works. The worst part is that the Great Lash also gets into the ‘mascara fix’ so it ruins wots in the tube by mixing with the product and getting it all black – and this includes when I wipe both wands after use.

discontinued: Rimmel Stay Glossy Lip gloss

One thing that really bugs me is that due to the fact I prefer to buy my makeup during sales, I sometimes wind up discovering things I love just as they’re about to be discontinued.

So this means that I am a make-up stockpiler as I find that the only way I can keep using certain items is to buy up lots of them during sales…

As I’m a sucker for lip gloss and the red lip look, the deep red one in ‘All Day Seduction’ was my gateway drug into the stay glossy range. I love this one so much that I HAD to buy a second one that I’m keeping aside as back-up for when I use up the first one.

As I wanted something I can wear when I feel like a more ‘natural’ lip look, I wound up getting another version of the gloss in a coral-peachy colour.

Then after telling my girl house mate how much I loved the two I have, she gave me hers that’s in a pale pink colour that looks a little clear

The good thing is that I know what features I look for in my ideal lip gloss, sheer-ish colour that’s nicely buildable, does not feel sticky, and is just ‘gloopy’ enough to feel moisturized but not thick like I have Vaseline on my lips…

Ulta3 Lipsticks Review and Swatches: Rosa, Plum Purple, Deep Red Rose Matte, Sahara Rose

Like Max Black (Kat Dennings) of the show 2 Broke Girls, I’m crazy about lipsticks and all lip products. Also like her, I’m on a tight budget, so much as I love to play around with beauty products, I really can’t afford to unless it’s the sales.

On the plus side, after playing around in my local MyChemist, I think I’ve finally found a collection of lipsticks worthy of Max’s approval: lipsticks by Ulta3.

Anyone who has been in Australia for a while would have noticed how easy it is to find Ulta3 nail varnishes in various chemists, so it is quite interesting to note that the brand has branched out into various other types of make-up too.

Being a huge fan of the red lip look, I couldn’t resist getting hold of Deep Red Rose (matte) as my first purchase for $3.95. On my lips, it kinda felt the way all matte lipsticks do: sits ok, with deep colour and just a little on the dry side. Given that I tend to prefer my lip stuff to be a little more on the moisturizing side, I found myself picking up another one in Plum Purple a week later for $2.95. This one is shade that is really similar to Deep Red Rose but is a tad more moisturizing as it is a standard lipstick. So, obviously my lips has to be well moisturized already when wearing them, as otherwise they pick up on the flakiness like crazy, but luckily don’t seem to ‘bleed’ on me…

Later, after having to throw out my beloved Revlon lip butters, I decided to buy two more lipsticks that felt a tad closer in colour to the two that I had to throw away. Enter Rosa and Sahara Rose. At $2.95 each.

All of the lipsticks have a good deep colour and sits and feels like other lipsticks I’ve swatched from higher-ended brands like Max Factor, so it kinda makes me wonder just what it is that makes them so cheap? I haven’t been able to find the ingredients for Ulta3 lipsticks anywhere but I figure that they are pretty similar to the ingredients of other lipsticks in general…

Well, at least they’re really great for lipstick collectors as Ulta3 has a huge range of lipstick colours, has all the features of high-end lipsticks, and are at very purse-happy prices.

Priceline Haul!

Cotton tips are essential for cold sore care, and a small plastic tub for making lip scrub...

During my last trip home, I forgot to pack my travel mirror so I picked up this mini manicare one from the chemist near the bus terminal. Unfortunately it turned out to be made from relative flimsy plastic and so broke really easily when it fell off my desk and onto the floor.
so I figured I might as well get a spare...

 

Don't knock the supermarket: Woolworth's homebrand concealer brush

The trouble with living in Australia for any girl who loves hair and beauty stuff is that it’s very expensive to get hold of – which is why I like to buy products during sales and from the supermarket homebrand department.

Woolworths (my local supermarket) sells this concealer brush for $5.99 which is about $1 less than most brushes from chemists. That being said…I LOVE it!

Mine has turned out to be the perfect brush for achieving the smoky eye look with my hooded, monolid Asian eyes. All I do is use the ‘edge’ of the brush to ‘line’ my top lid and the lower outer corner of my lower lid. I then use the ‘flat’ part to shade in the same shadow about 1/3 inwards from the outer corners along the top lid. A little mascara and I’m good to go!

Symbolic/Sentimental Things I’ve Given Away 2

15/09/2013

Today I got caught up in one of my usual feelings that getting rid of stuff has a cathartic effect on me – also influenced by the fact that I was in one of those moods that something I barely used was in a better position of being loved more than I did.

So it was off to another trip down to Vinnies to drop off some things. Namely:

The gold studs that I had first gotten my ears pierced with.

The first silver bracelet that I bought myself as a replacement for my first bangle.

The blue swallow brooch that I’d bought in a tourist trap gift shop – was really funny that the shop was advertising that it’s products were made by local artists…in this case where ‘local’ could apply to ‘the world’ and can be bought online http://www.annekoplik.com/product/PN-BLU/PN5254.html

Maybelline Baby Lips: Berry Crush – Comparison to Revlon Lip Butters

Before I made the mistake of using my precious lip butters on my cold sore outbreak, I had the brainwave of keeping a tinted lip balm aside for times when I was sick.

Enter Maybelline Baby Lips in Berry Crush. Which is pretty much Maybelline jumping on the tinted lip balm bandwagon, in my opinion.

As far as I can tell, the formulation in terms of colour depth is pretty similar to the lip butters – the difference in that the Maybelline Baby Lips one made me feel like I had something close to paw paw ointment/vaseline on my lips. The disappointment factor in that all 3 items tended to be not that moisturising – but at least a tad more moisturising than lipstick…

Colour wise, Berry Crush appeared to be a shade that was somewhere in the middle between Berry Smoothie and Cherry Tart – but on the wrong side of ‘red’ for me.

The benefit in pay-off in this case is that you can get Maybelline Baby Lips: Berry Crush at my local supermarket for $3.99 AUD, whereas the lip butters tend to go for $21.95 AUD.