Product Review: Maybelline Hello Kitty x Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara

Got this as part of Maybelline's HyperCouture Fashion Show last month, and it presided in its little baggie since then, till at length yesterday I decided to take it out and break it in.

But you can probably see why, can't you? I'm not that much of a Hello Kitty fan but even I gotta admit that the packaging is gorgeous. Like many Hello Kitty collaborations, this one is limited edition as well. I'm pretty ambivalent about LE stuff -- on one hand there's the exclusivity, but on the other hand this means if you actually love the product, it wouldn't be readily available! The kicker? It's only available in Asia, so readers from other parts of the world would have to scour Ebay in order to find it. : C

That aside, the packaging is almost entirely in Japanese as well, but this volume-boosting mascara claims to create up to 5x more volume with a sky-high curl, even without using an eyelash curler. Its Curl-Lock Technology also helps lashes stay curly for as long as 18 hours.

Luckily for us, at least the ingredients list is in English.

And on to the mascara itself.

The mascara wand is a comb-type applicator common to a lot of lengthening mascaras. Personally I thought the applicator didn't really work that well with the formulation. Like most volumizing mascaras, the formulation tends to clump, and a comb-type applicator isn't well-suited to applying thicker mascara evenly.

The formulation itself is thick and dry, which does well at volumizing individual lashes, but inevitably clump on the second coat onwards. It is decidedly smudge-proof and waterproof on the lashes though, good news for those who routinely rub their eyes out or get caught in torrential rains.

It stayed on the entire day for me, though trying to remove it as gently as possible was rather a pain. But nevertheless, a small trade-off for its lasting power.

Before and after application, respectively. Pardon the messiness (I was barely awake).

Side and bottom view.

I prefer a softer look so this isn't my favorite mascara, but it's certainly a decent one. Clearly though, its main selling point is its feline mascot, the actual effectiveness of the product itself is almost secondary.

Ratings:
Volumizing effect: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (does volumize a little, but there are better ones in Maybelline's range)
Lasting power: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (hold its own)
Ability to hold curls: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Disclaimer: Product given as part of Maybelline's Hypercoulture Fashion Show 2011.

Product Review : Maybelline Full' N Soft Mascara

I haven't really done a non-sponsored review in awhile. That's because of all the deadline I've been showered with =/ I also still owe someone a review for a facial scrub > o < Soon soon, all in due time!

Moving on with my review, today's product will be something from Maybelline BUT it's currently still NA in SG.

The very highly recommended Maybelline Full' N Soft Mascara! Xteeener loves it too :D I actually bought this because of her!

Has quite a big and fat brush.

If you've read my previous post about mascara and their wands, you'll know that this is a number 3 brush except that it's fat all around. Of course if you've forgotten, you can read about it HERE!

Left - Without / Right - With, looking straight ahead

Here's the before and after.Please note that lashes have been curled already. Just from the photo, you can pretty much tell that this mascara weighed my lashes down already. I honestly think that mascaras that are not waterproof tend to be heavier and generally unable to hold curls.

With mascara on, looking straight ahead

Don't be freaked at my eyeball! I'm just trying to show the curls :) As you can see, there's almost no curl. It really weighed my lashes down and they're somewhat as good as non existent.

With mascara on, looking upwards

I have to look up for my lashes to be more visible. But that wouldn't really work because I can't be looking up all the time.

With mascara, eyes closed

This mascara does do what it claims to be able to do. My lashes are indeed fuller and no doubt, they're still soft though I can't let you all touch them. The main thing I don't like about this mascara is that it "uncurls" my lashes because of how heavy the formula is. Then again, it might be just my lashes because this mascara worked well for others. My lashes usually only remain curled IF the mascara is waterproof. This one isn't so those who like waterproof mascara should take note!

The other thing about non waterproof mascara is that they usually smudge. This one is no exception. It gives me panda eyes after a few hours especially when I start getting oily. Personally, I don't like to risk getting panda eyes because I'm just anal about looking like a ghoul. And if you can tell from the way I'm speaking/typing, I'm not going to repurchase this mascara.

In my honest opinion, you can get a better mascara regardless of whether it's waterproof or not. This one gives volume but it's not like a "whoa" kinda effect. It's pretty natural actually so if that's what you want, you can consider this. I still prefer to stick to my FairyDrops or Majolica Majorca one. Waterproof ones are still my favorite because so far, only waterproof ones keep my lashes up.

Ability to hold curls : ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Weighs my lashes down instantly upon application.)

Lasting Power : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (I really hate mascara that smudges!)

Volume : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (It's just too subtle in my opinion.)

Overall : ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (Unfortunately, I really don't like this.)

Cheers,

Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : I bought this with my own money. Just because it didn't work for me does not mean it wouldn't work for you. Xteeener loves it but I don't so who knows, maybe you will too. My review is based on my experience with the product.

Beauty Snippets : Is your mascara wand doing its magic?

"With a wave of the almighty wand, your lashes appear beautiful, luscious and simply magical." Is that what your mascara wand is doing for you? By now, we know that there are all sorts of wands in the market. Let me show you a few examples. Also, do note that this post is just a sharing of knowledge, for sharing is caring and why not let everyone know how their mascara wands work?

We have this curved brush applicator kinda wand...

The comb applicator~

The bendy rubbery bristles kinda wand~

And another kind of comb applicator!

These are just some examples to show you the 1927405679103 kinda mascara wands out there! Before you say that your mascara is lousy / not performing to what it says / clumpy / not up to your expectations, have you checked your application method? Here's a very detailed picture to show the right way of applying your mascara!

Here's the original instructions in Chinese :

1）將睫毛向上夾翹，再刷上睫毛底膏，讓纖維包覆睫毛。
2）用睫毛​小鋼梳插入睫毛空隙梳開。
3）用”頂”的這個動作，先刷睫毛根部。
4）眼中部分睫毛要​向前刷。
5）眼尾睫毛則是朝著太陽穴方向刷。
6）眼頭往眉頭刷；記得睫毛刷對方向，才​能呈現放射狀的美感。
7）避免睫毛糾結，可以隨時用小鋼梳整理，完美的睫毛完成囉！

記​得，不論你想要刷幾層，記得都要等乾了才能塗下一層喔！！

And then here's my pathetic self translation in English, hoping that it's more convenient for all readers :

1）Curl your lashes such that it extends outwards and upwards. Coat evenly with your mascara primer.
2）Using a metal lash comb, separate your lashes and get rid of clumps.
3）"Push" your lashes upwards by starting with the roots of your lashes first.
4）Brush the lashes at the middle of the eye forward, slightly towards your inner corners.
5）Lashes at the edge of your eyes should be brushed upwards and outwards towards the temples.
6）Lashes at your inner corners should be brushed upwards, in the direction of your forehead. It is important to brush your lashes in the right direction so as to fully open up your eyes.
7）To prevent any clumping, simply take the metal lash comb and comb through your lashes again! Perfect lashes are done!

Also, you must remember that regardless of how many coats of mascara you'd like to apply to your lashes, you have to wait for each coat to dry first before applying the next one!

At this point, I'd like to add that should anyone not get my translated instructions, do refer to the picture for a better understanding!

Remember how I like to watch the Taiwan beauty show 女人我最大? If you watch it too, you'll know who I'm talking about! I've always been impressed by the make up techniques of Kelvin 老师, otherwise known as 凯文老师. The above picture and tips are given by him! And so are the following information that I'm about to share ^_____^ Now find out more about those wands!

【睫毛膏刷頭比一比：傳統刷毛】睫毛膏刷頭非常的重要，能決定刷出的睫毛效果！以下四​種刷毛的睫毛效果：

1）刷毛間距密，能刷出超級纖長的睫毛。
2）刷毛間距寬，能刷出濃​密感十足的睫毛。
3）間距介於中間的普遍型刷頭，能刷出纖長且濃密的睫毛。
4）刷毛有​疏有密，比普遍型刷頭能更快刷出纖長濃密感，快速看到妝效。

傳統刷毛最大的優點就是可​以重複刷，並且可以進行Z字型的刷法，大家要注意喔！

Now for my attempt at translating that chunk into English!

【Mascara Wands Comparison : Traditional Brushes】The wand of your mascara is extremely important as it determines the outcome of your lashes! Below are the 4 outcomes with the 4 different wands :

1）Bristles are closely packed, gives you extra long lashes.
2）Bristles have big gaps in between, gives you thick lashes.
3）Gaps in between bristles, brush is flat when turned sideways, gives you both long and thick lashes.
4）Brush contains bristles that are both closely and loosely packed, gives you long and thick lashes but with lesser effort as compared to No.3, for those who like fast and immediate visible difference.

The greatest advantage of a traditional mascara wand is that you can brush it through your lashes repeatedly and the Zig Zag way of coating your lashes is easier with this wand.

【睫毛膏刷頭比一比：梳子型刷頭】梳子型刷頭比較硬，無法做出塑型的效果，但可以根據​齒距達到瞬間濃密又根根分明的效果。齒距越密，根根分明效果越好。梳子型刷頭還可以細​分為兩種：

5）全梳型：能夠快速刷出根根分明的睫毛感。
6）類梳子：一邊是梳子可刷出​根根分明感，一邊是刷毛可刷出濃密感。

想要有什麼樣的睫毛效果，就要挑選適合的睫毛膏​喔！

Lo and behold, my translated chunk!

【Mascara Wands Comparison : Comb Applicators】Comb applicators are slim and hard so it enables you to separate each lash beautifully while giving you the volume you need. There are two types of comb applicators :

5）Full comb applicator : Separates and coats each lash efficiently. Gives you nicely separated lashes.
6）Fine and thick toothed applicator : The fine toothed side helps to separate your lashes while the thick toothed side provides volume.

To achieve the desired outcome, you must choose your mascara wand wisely!

Also if you find that you are the kind that tend to accidentally stick the wand in your eyes while applying mascara, you might want to try a comb applicator. It's thinner and easier to control. Now you know, it's not only the mascara formula that affects the outcome of your lashes. The magic wand plays a big part and you just have to know what you want!

All in all, I hope this mini article has helped everyone, even if only slightly.

Much love,
Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : Pictures without watermark belongs to Kevin 老师's Facebook. Tips in Chinese also belongs to Kevin 老师's Facebook. I translated the tips myself so should there be errors, feel free to correct me. This post is just to share and give people more knowledge on their mascara wands. All credits go to Kevin 老师's Facebook.

Product Review : FAIRY DROPS Platinum Water Proof Mascara

Okay, we've had quite a lot of skincare reviews for awhile now. It's also been a very long time since we last reviewed a mascara! Here's one from FAIRY DROPS!

Do note that Ringo's review is not included this time round as she is usually busy and it'd be really weird to ask her out for mascara shots!

TADANG! The FAIRY DROPS Platinum Water Proof Mascara ~ Can you see that this mascara has FIVE kinds of treatment essence?! FIVE, namely Collagen, Scwaren Oil, Hyallon, Jojoba Oil and Panthenol. We all know what Collagen is so I'm not gonna talk about that. Unfortunately, after researching, I still have no idea as to what Scwaren Oil and Hyallon is. Jojoba is pronounced as HOHOba! Most people don't know that but now you do! Jojoba oil is supposed to provide moisture so I'm guessing that in this case, it'll condition our lashes. As for Panthenol, it is also moisturizing and it supposedly coats our hair and seal the surface, lubricating our hair shaft and making it look shiny. So... We'll have glossy lashes?

Here's a sneak peek as to what the wand will look like!

The back of the box. Because I can't read Japanese, I did not take a close up of the box.

This however seems to illustrate the effects of the mascara well!

GOTTA LOVE THE PACKAGING! It's like a shiny metallic warm pink with white graffiti like illustrations on it. There's like white sparkles and the overall packaging is just so cute? Not girly but cute. Did I mention that I really like pink?

Now you can see the unique wand!

Close up of the wand! Personally, I hate my mascaras to have a brush applicator. It's usually too big for my eyes and I have the tendency to just stick it in when I'm not careful. Then it'll turn into a black mess on my eyes and I have the I-just-got-punched look. This applicator however makes life so much easier. It's curved to fit the contours of our eyes and catches our lashes easily with those three little balls. The tip of the wand is also slimmer so that you can catch the tiny lashes at the front of our eyes.

Now I'm going to show you the before and after!

Left with mascara, right without, looking straight ahead. 

Left with mascara, right without, looking downwards.

Left with mascara, right without, looking upwards.

Here's a sideways one for you all to see the curls!

So how does this mascara fare in terms of length, volume and curls? I have to say that this mascara really matches up to my favorite MM one. It's not very visible in the picture of me looking straight ahead because I have eyeliner on. However when you look at the looking upwards picture, you can see that my lashes are nicely curled and both length and volume is there! It's supposed to be waterproof and smudgeproof much like my MM one and it works exactly like it is supposed to. It sometimes flakes into my eyes though and that hurts a little but I don't think most people will face this problem. I face it because sometimes I stick the mascara wand too close to my eyes. I can wear this all day without any smudging and this is really waterproof.

In fact, it's a pain the the butt to remove this! I am unable to use my Dove lathering remover for this, I have to use my Biore one instead because this is one tough mascara. This however only means that it really holds your curls in place and lasts you an entire day?

Also, do note that this will work well with a curler but not the batter operated heated curler. This mascara is NOT YET available in any outlets in Singapore BUT you can get it from BlingAlways for just $32.90! They have a whole range of hard-to-find skincare and cosmetics there so it's a great place for online shopping~

Thanks to them, you can look forward to a CandyDoll 2 way cake review, coming up soon!!!

Ability to hold curls : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Up and curled all day!)

Lasting Power : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (No smudging nor flakes on me~)

Length : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Really long and length is buildable.)

Volume : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (Would love for it to go on thicker but maybe that's why this mascara isn't clump?)

Overall : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (The brush makes application a breeze and a few wriggles will do the trick. One coat gives you nice lashes so I personally believe it's quite worth the price!)

Cheers,

Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : This product was sent to me for reviewing purposes. This does not affect the honesty of my reviews.

Product Review : Pink Brown Eyeliner and Pink Brown Curl Mascara

Blogging has been a little slow late, and I sincerely apologize.As much as I try to be a professional, I still get affected by my mood and I don't want it to show in the blog posts.

I've recovered a little and hence I bring a little surprise for all of you today. Something that's new and so far, I haven't seen any dupes out in the market.

It's the... PINK BROWN EYELINER AND MASCARA!

I've never tried anything that has a blend of brown with pink iridescence in it so this is a first for me. Let me first clarify, I've always always been a fan of EXTREMELY black and intense eyeliners / mascaras. I never believed in brown because they were always dark brown and it'll end up looking like black too. I'm referring to liquid liners. Pencil or gel liners wise, I can't judge because I can't use them. My lids are super oily and no amount of primer can help.

So imagine my joy when I had the chance to try out the browns, tinged with my favorite pink color!

I really love how much effort was put into the packaging for just an eyeliner! So cute right? I'm someone who is easily attracted by packaging so... Yea I actually keep a lot of random boxes around my table...

Here's the ingredients list for the eyeliner. Can you spot the goodies? Okay, they're in more scientific names but basically, this product actually contains cherry extract and rose water to care for the our ever so delicate eye area! I think even if you eyes are sensitive, this product shouldn't be a problem to you!

That's the description of the eyeliner along with how to use it. Do remember to shake, it has the roller ball in it so you should hear the clanking of it! I love waterproof stuff because I have oily lids and I like to yawn. Yawning generates tears, I don't want to look like a panda!

Such a girly design, it just screams love!!!

Flowers, almost every girl likes them no?

The applicator. I LOVE IT. It's the same kind as the Dollywink Liquid Eyeliner! It goes on even more smoothly than a felt tip applicator in my honest opinion. Gives better precision too!

Here's the swatch, can you tell that instead of the regular kinda dark browns, this one is light and warm instead? I really love how it looks on my eyes!

Because it's a liquid liner, it has less tendency to smudge. Or at least that's what I've learnt from experience. If you've always had problems with smudging and you want something soft and girly, you can try this. It gives you a more natural oomph and well, if you want it to be really natural, draw it closer to your lashline and make sure it's thin!

It doesn't smudge and I wore this for an entire day. It's waterproof but can easily be removed with make up remover! Or facial wash depending on how strong yours is but I still recommend a make up remover!

I'll probably repurchase if mine runs out because my bf prefers the natural look!

Texture: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Dries quickly upon application and has a wonderful color!!!)

Application: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (The applicator makes application a breeze, so smooth. Just glide it on!)

Lasting power: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Last the whole day for me!)

Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (WILL DEFINITELY REPURCHASE!)

Next up? The PINK BROWN Curl Mascara! I've also never tried any brown mascaras before, this is my first and I have to say, I'm not afraid of browns anymore :)

The same kinda pretty packaging! It's the kind that calls out my name!

Those are the ingredients in case anyone is sensitive to anything...

There's the description and I promise it's as water-proof as it promises to be!

I love floral prints, not only on clothes but on my make up as well!

Also, did I mention that I love comb type applicators? I've found that these work best on my short and stumpy lashes. It really can comb through my lashes and coat each one evenly. I'm also able to reach the inner corner part of my eyes easily because my lashes are the shortest there and I always end up stabbing my eyes with those regular bushy applicator. This one does the job perfectly because it's slanted at the tip!

The same warm brown color~

L - With / R - Without, looking downwards

L - With / R - Without, looking straight ahead.

L - With / R - Without, looking slightly upwards.

Now I know those comparison pictures aren't very clear because I struggled with taking them myself. So here's more close ups!

Sorry for the many lid creases, I was trying to force my eyes shut so I can snap the picture!

SEE. See how long my lashes are now!!!

They're curly too~ Lives up to its name.

Overall, this mascara works so well that I even wish there's a black one to use when I'm doing more dramatic looks! It's a little stubborn though, a little more tough to remove but at least I'm assured that it doesn't come off at any other time of the day.

Ability to hold curls : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (The picture doesn't lie)
Lasting Power : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Hard to remove, but totally worth it)
Length : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Again, pictures don't lie!!!)
Overall : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★(It's an excellent product no doubt. Wishing for a black too though!)

Here's a look I did up with these products!

Don't laugh at my expression please~

Really girly and sweet right?

Dreamy too...

YOU can achieve the soft, girly and natural look too! These products are launching soon at SASA in July~

The EYELINER is $23.90.
The MASCARA is $24.89.

Try it! I recommend using a pink eyeshadow to bring out the pink in the liner! You can also try smudging out the liquid liner for an even softer look.

For their latest updates and promotions, like their FB PAGE!

Cheers,
Chiharu ❤

Disclaimer : These products were sent to be for reviewing purposes and I am in no way related to Eternity Inter-trade Singapore. My opinions are 101% honest but results may vary with individuals!