Maybelline Lashionista, A Sister's Temptation

During a shopping trip with Ling in a local shopping mall, while I was sneakily spying on my little niece misbehaving when her mum's not watching, her mum happily shoved this into my scope of vision.



Maybelline NY Lashionista Mascara


 

All that this Lashionista can promise

On the package, it states that this waterproof mascara contains 4mm microfibre that is 2x longer than classic fibres. It is also suppose to be able to defy gravity and hold your curls. Then Nylon-bristled applicator brush is developed specially for Asian eyes and it promises zero flaking, smudging. Best of all, it can be removed with lukewarm water.

This sound suspiciously similar to another of Maybelline's mascara, Illegal Length Fiber Extensions that is not available in Asia. After hearing Ling talk about the raves of this product on the women's Taiwanese cult beauty TV programme (女人我最大) which I faithfully watched years ago, I had to get one.One can witness the hypnotic power to referral marketing working on me as I clutched to my package and marched straight to the counter chanting "Must Buy This... Must Buy This..."(nah, leave out the chanting. Bad joke)

As the magic started to wear off when I was on my way back home, I started to wonder if this SGD 21.90 mascara is worth the hype. I was using Maybelline's Volum' Express Turbo Boost Waterproof mascara as a curl-holding base and Dejavu Fiberwig Paint-On False Lashes Extra Long Mascara (SGD 25.90) for the extra length and smudge proof effects to get the perfect, voluminous lashes the way I love mine to be. I was getting skeptical that this can replace my Dejavu, let alone make my 2 step regime 1 instead. By the time I got home, this brand new purchase was stored together with the rest of my backup cosmetic supplies and soon forgotten until now.

Now straight to the review.

Decent amount of fibres clinging from the tapered
and curved brush. It fits the curve of my eye well.

Here's the photos starting with no mascara from the top to four coats of mascara in the last photo in the column.

Naked lashes to 4 coats of Lashionista

Below is the photo shot from bottom up. It clearly reflects that this mascara is only good for lengthening as it is advertised and does nothing much for volumizing after 4 coats.

Bottom up shot

Next up is the photo shot from the side. The first photo is my clean but curled lashes and the second photo is of lashes with 2 coats and final photo's with 4 coats. Notice in the second photo that my lashes are not as curled as the first?... I was disappointed as I tried my best to apply each coat, letting it dry while pressing them upwards and towards my lids with the curved brush hoping that this will further reinforce the curls before I applied the next coat. I experience the same problem when using the Dejavu mascara too but I was still disappointed with the outcome. I was secretly hoping for a miracle product...

Side shot



4 coats of Lashionista on my top lashes



So, did Maybelline NY Lashionista mascara live up to it's name?

1. It did lengthen my lashes by 2 to 3 mm, hence 4 mm extension should be possible if you have the time & patience to layer the product.

2. It did not work well hold up the curls. However I have 2 suggestions to overcome this concern. First, use another mascara that holds curls well as a base before applying our Lashionista. This will also volumise your lashes at the same time, however do use a eye make-up cleanser for removal. On the other hand, you can use a electronic heat lash curler to gently boost your curl near the base of your lash as some microfibre in these mascaras as not made to withstand heat. They may start to twist and shrivel when in contact with heat, not something anyone will describe as fluttery lashes.

3. It is waterproof and most importantly smudge proof, on par with Dejavu. Apart from a residue that accidentally fell off when I was seperating my lashes right after application, there was no flaking throughout the day.

4. Soak a cotton pad with warm water and place it over your lashes (it's really relaxing as well) and in less than a minute, the mascara residue actually slided off so effortlessly. This, I love. Super convinient.

No tugging, no prolonged soaking, no fear of stinging on
sensitive skin, no oily residue left from remover in your eyes

Will I continue to purchase this mascara after I hit pan on it? Since Lashionista & Dejavu are almost on par on performance in my personal point of view, I will re-purchase whichever is more readily available or economical. Any one have any recommendation of a mascara that can achieve both full and long lashes in a single tube, please do not forget to share with me & drop me a comment.  

Watsons (Takashimaya) & G2000 Haul

There is one more reason why I can spend almost half a day in Takashimaya: the super big Watsons. I love Watsons, I used to be crazy about it and is proud to announce that I've grown much more disciplined nowadays with my hauling there.

As mentioned in the previous blog that we were lugging bags of stuff, mine were mainly from Kinokuniya, Watsons and G2000. So let me start off with my Watsons purchases.

Liese Designing Jelly 03 Nuance Make and Kracie Naive Rosehip Makeup Removal Oil



Nice pump bottle with a butterfly embossed on the cap



I bought this as a back up as my hair styling jelly may be hitting bottom soon. However I'm not able to review the jelly as I'm currently using Lucido-L Design Jelly in Airy Keep which is working quite well defining my soft curls, non-sticky and does it's job even in our humid weather. I just wish it can have a little more holding/ defining strength, hence I purchased the Liese bottle to try. Hope it will be my dream styling jelly! 

Rose! (and I love the blue of the bottle...)

Naive Rosehip Makeup Remover Oil (Click to enlarge)

I've been using this for about a month and did not like it at the beginning due to my own error, I did not read the instruction and assumed it works like all the other cleansing oils I've used. I massaged the oil on my face to dissolve all my makeup, then I wet my hands and started trying to emulsify the cleanser. The oil did emulsify but if my hands were not wet enough the emulsified film will turn out thick and thus slightly difficult to remove thereafter.

I got fed up and use really wet hands to emulsify the oil and virtually stood under my shower to rinse off the remains. After that shower, I took the bottle and read the instruction. There is no emulsifying step, it is just "Rinse thoroughly". Oh, I see. Ever since, it has been working well removing my "long-wear" makeup for me (but not strong enough to remove all of my waterproof mascara) but I still prefer my UNT's PERFECT DERMAQ10 which I bought from a Singapore blogshop, it rinses off to a "cleaner" feeling.

The rest of my Watsons haul

Canmake Jewel Glitter Nail Polish in Gold

Oh I love this to bits, really. This so versatile since I can wear it on it's own but I always layer it over another colored polish. I love the fact that the glitter bits are of different sizes, giving a textured, gold flake-like effect. I love it so much that I am seriously thinking of buying the silver version and backups of my "golden love in a bottle". Below is a swatch of it layered over Magic Shop's nail polish #63 (neutral brown with purplish-pink iridescence).

I paired this two for a more subtle effect, so that it's not too garish for my work place 

Close-up, please disregard my cuticle...

I bought this to try after watching Xteeener on YouTube

and this as well since I've read so many raves about it versus Sech Vite Top Coat

As for the Sally Hansen Insta-Grip Fast Dry Base Coat & Mega Shine Top Coat, I decided to give them a try as I'm every bothered by the "shrinkage" issue I encounter with my Sech Vite Top Coat (click on link to know all about the Pros & Cons). I have tried the Sally Hansen's duo once and ended up with mixed feelings. I'll use them for a few more manicures beforegiving accurate reviews.

For powder foundation, I'll will always shuttle between these :IPSA Pure Protect Powder Foundation SPF 25 #103, UNT Ideal Glow H20 and ZA True White SPF 20 #22. I like their weightless finish, medium-high coverage and oil control qualities. I will normally buy the refill pack as I don't need to have them cased up at home, neither do I want to add bulk to by makeup pouch that I bring out. It's simply a waste for me to purchase any casing because it'll just end up collecting dust in corner.

Now that ZA came out with an improved version, I had to get one for myself. I confess I will not be able to use it until I hit pan on the current on that I'm using, in fact I still have back ups of the UNT and ZA. Lesson learnt, do not overhaul and regret as better products are launch every single day. I only can peer with temptation at my new ZA True White Plus SPF 20 two-way foundation every time I pass by my vanity counter.

ZA Plumper Lip Gloss in Glossy Cherry #01



Click to enlarge



I don't own any lip gloss of this color, must have one in my collection

This gloss is smooth-textured, not sticky and not syrupy-thick (which sadly means it will not last long as well). It may look quite red in the tube but it can be sheered out using the doe-foot applicator to a light tint of natural-looking color on the lips. Layer on 2 to 3 layers and you'll get the high-gloss, just-eaten-ice-popsicle looking lips. Overall, it's a comfortable gloss to wear.

Majolica Majorca Lash Enamel Glamour Volume On (BK999)

All written in Japanese... 

My previous Majolica Majorca mascaras had the one-sided comb applicator, I guess this is the first new version one I've got. You can choose which side of the applicator you want to use to achieve the preferred volume build up and it also states that it is newly formulated with thick jet-black fibre, volume up powder, gloss oil for lustre (I love!) and waterproof polymer (very important must-have property of all my mascaras). I can't wait to break the seal for this as well.

Majolica Majorca Creme Pencil Liner
(BK 999)

All in Japanese again...

I grabbed this during this visit to Watsons because I tested it during my previous visit. I was impressed that the line that i drew was still there after I reached home, still there after i bathed and still there after I woke up from a nap. I wonder if it is as water and smudge proof on the eyelid. I shall put it to the test soon, maybe tonight. I don't want to take the risk of getting caught out there with "raccoon eyes".

Majolica Majorca Honey Plump Gloss Neo
in PK246

I give up...

I have a couple of these tube babies, but sad to say, I seldom use them. They are really thick (therefore sticky and stay put for quite a while) and really super glossy. The gloss factor is so patent-like it comparable to some of the high-end lip glosses out there. Sigh, I should curb myself from buying another tube since I've got more than I need. However, I'll always end up purchasing it for "I don't have this color" or "I don;t have one in this finish" or etc...

Ginvera Green Tea Whitening Marvel Gel

I used to exfoliate using the original Marvel gel during my hostel days but moved on to other exfoliators as time went by. As I aged, my skin matured and I wanted a gentle exfoliator for days my skin's more sensitive or when I want to exfoliate areas with delicate skin... this may sound weird but some times, I will very gently massage gel exfoliator on my eyelids. I emphasize, very very gently. I just feel that with all the eye primers, shadows and concealers I slap on, it's only right to "clean up" the area once in a while. Thus I decided that this Ginvera Green Tea Whitening Marvel Gel (it's stated "safe for eye area") should do the job and yes, it did. It feels so soothing to have some kind of lubricant (no dragging of skin around our eyes please) while I give my eye area a good massage, until it starts to become a slightly "grainy", I'll stop and rinse off.

That's all of this round of Watsons haul and I bought 4 cardigans from G2000 to add to my collection (I'm cladded in cardigans most of the time). This trip made me a happy lady. I hope my dear readers are happy for all their own reason. Until my next entry, take great care!