Lashing out

After having read Lipglossiping's recent post on what she's learned from beautyblogging, I decided to come out of the closet. Share my little secret that isn't a taboo or anything shocking but apparently it's so elementary that I have never dared to asked anybody about it. Just realized that it's something that I don't do that others consider basics:

Why and when did people start using mascara on the lower eyelashes?
The last time I did that, I was 12 and fiddling around with makeup. More is better was my motto.
With mascara on the lower eyelashes I looked like a panda. Mrs Panda after a long night waiting up for Mr Panda who was out binge-drinking with his compadres, just to find him head down in the lovely lilac-bushes...
I digress, but never the less, no, I don't get it. But then again, I am the girl that cut her eyelashes time and time again during her teens. Thinking they looked more like spiderlegs than something that could prettify a human.
These days, if there's anything black or brown on my lower eyelashes, it's a mistake and a result from me trying to break my last speedrecord on putting on makeup.

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Oh, no she didn't?!

When I was a kid, the cool girls wore blue mascara. If they were ultra-cool, they wore emerald-green mascara. When that trend re-surfaced a while back, I looked the other way. It was a trend that didn't ring my bell. However, I've always wanted a bright red mascara. Not to use on the whole lash, just the tips. Like an accent. Enough to make people look but not be able to pinpoint what is off.

So, when I spotted this beauty online, I knew she had to be mine. She might not be red but a good wine-color is fine by me. At first I thought it might be a counterfeit but it seems it's the real deal from Smashbox' That's a wrap which is discontinued.

This is my first Smashbox-product ever. I rarely buy high-end make-up simply because I can't afford it. Spending time lusting over things I'll never get just isn't my thing. It just makes you feel like a loser and I know better things to do with my time. But when I stumble upon it for next to nothing, I can't help myself. I paid roughly $7 for two mascaras, 3 eyeshadows and a lipstick, which are all from a collection long forgotten. Atleast the internet has forgotten and swallowed it whole without even a burp.

I guess that when I say I am living in the past, I really mean it!

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REVIEW: Benefit Bad Gal

I got this much talked about mascara as a mini sized freebie. I have read rave reviews about it but I am not convinced. The formula is thick and well-pigmented, but the brush is far too large to work for me. It may be the dense concentration of bristles that does it - it is very full. I just can't get it close enough to the roots to get the volume promised by the sales blurb. I keep getting clumps too. However, It didn't smudge much even for me (all mascaras smudge on me, its som kind of voodoo curse I've decided).

RRP for Bad Gal is £14.50, which puts in the high-end drugstore mascara group, in between the pricey luxury mascaras and the economic drugstore brands. However hyped, it doesn't do it for me. I am sorry Benefit, you're cute and quirky and I love your Creaseless Cream Shadow and Liner but Bad Gal doesn't impress me!

Lina-Elvira Loves It Thiiiis Much:

♥ ♥

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FOLLOW-UP: Imju Fiberwig Before&After Pix

This is a before and after with Imju Fiberwig, especially for reader Lizzz262 :)

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REVIEW: Imju Fiberwig Mascara ♥ ♥ +

This mascara has the most unflattering name in the history of makeup :) I bought this new on eBay from Hong Kong for less than you buy a drugstore mascara in the UK (between £7-15), and that includes the shipping. This sells for a staggering $22 at Sephora!

Apparently, Imju Fiberwig is 'Japan’s best selling mascara'. I have read mixed reviews on this product, some which were praising it as a Holy Grail and some not liking it at all. It has emerged as somewhat of a cult item among beauty fanatics, so I thought it needs to be rigorously tested by myself to ee if it passes the Pretty Perfect Beauty tests! :)

First off it needs to deliver on its' promises - long 'false lash' effect lashes. Secondly it needs to be smudge and fall-out proof. Thirdly, it needs to pass the removal test (no harsh scrubbing, no panda eyes the next morning).

Firstly, problem number 1 was the instructions. As I don't read Japanese, I was lost as to if there was any specific instructions on how to use this product! But I suppose that what you get for buying direct from overseas... :P

The formula is very runny and messy. You can see the tiny filamentous fibers in the formula already on the brush.

Some reviewers used Fiberwig over their normal mascara to add lenght to just the tips of the lashes (to avoid the curl sagging, as seems to be the problem with this formula). I did this too as it was so messy on its own I kept smearing it around my eyes... So this is before and after shots of Fiberwig over Chanel Inimitable (lashes curled with curler). Yeah, no false lash effect here, it's still pretty spindly with just slightly longer lashes. I think the lashes look fatter with only the normal mascara...

It does however come off easily and it doesn't smudge or flake! Always something!

So in the end, I think what I paid for it was probably worth it just for testing and occassional use, but I would never fork out $22 for this product. I have used other 'false lash' effect mascaras in the past (Dior Show, Max Factor False Lash Effect) which are cheaper/ just as expensive or more accessible than this brand. Don't believe the hype, just because it's big in Japan, doesn't mean it's worth spending a small fortune for it. If you still want to try it for yourself, get it cheap on eBay!

Lina-Elvira Loves It Thiiiis Much:
♥ ♥ +

http://www.fiberwig.com/

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Review: Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara

This has a massive fat silicon bristle brush! And I mean, its MASSIVE! I think it will take some practice to stop putting dabs of mascara on my eyelids. Maybe it's the size of the brush that spooks me and keeps making me blink :) The colour was nice and solid black, and it didn't smudge or flake off during wear (15hrs). My spindly lashes looked longer and a bit fuller, but I wouldn't say that they looked like false eyelashes! But hey, my lashes are sparser than Donald Trump's hair, so ANY volume and length added is a bonus. I will probably buy this again! 4 of 5 stars, mainly for the gianormous brush (a novelty) and the staying power.

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