Today I am going to review some mascara that I used. I want to start off by saying that I don’t think mascara is an item for which you need to spend a ton of money on. Any inexpensive mascara can give you good results if you know how to apply it. I feel that application technique is more important when it comes to mascara than the brand or mascara itself. A lot of mascara from different brands work pretty much the same for me. I have long and curly eyelashes so I don’t curl them. But if you have straight lashes, I recommend using an eyelash curler. I like to use mascara that volumize lashes without clumping. I start from the base of lashes and take my time to wiggle it so it builds volume. I make sure to brush the tip of lashes so it looks longer.

I have extremely sensitive eyes that get watery with a little bit wind or dust. So if I use regular mascara, black water runs from my eyes. So obviously I mostly own waterproof mascara. Even if you don’t have watery eyes, I still recommend waterproof mascara since they prevent any smudge or mess.

Waterproof Mascara:

Maybelline Volum’ Express Turbo Boost Waterproof in Very Black: Probably the best mascara for my eyes and lashes. Most volumizing mascara have HUGE brush that I can’t get in the inner corner of my small eyes. This mascara gives me the volume I need, yet doesn’t smudge while I put it on.

CoverGirl LashBlast Waterproof in Black: It’s a great volumizing and lengthening mascara. The brush is really big- so if you have small eyes like me it will be a problem getting in the inner corners. It has a strong chemical smell. You can only smell it when you open the tube, you can’t smell it once it’s on your lash.

Something I noticed about this mascara: I used it for 3 months till it dried out. While I was using it, it actually lengthened my lashes. Not only when I was wearing them, but it lengthened the lashes in general. When I stopped wearing this mascara and wore another one, my lashes went back to its original length.

Maybelline Intense XL Volume +Length Waterproof in Very Black: Really good lengthening mascara. It doesn’t volumize much. Thus brush is really big.

L’oreal Voluminous Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black: Really good volumizing mascara. The brush size is good for everyone.

Maybelline Define-A-Lash Lengthening +Defining Waterproof in Very Black: Great every-day wear mascara. Give natural finish – nothing extreme.

Lancome Hypnose Waterproof in Black: Gives a lot of volume, the brush size is also great. But I won’t purchase it again simply for the cost of it ($33 CDN).

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lash Extending Treatment Waterproof in Black: Great volumizing waterproof mascara and the brush size is great. But it dries out VERY quickly (before 3 months). The price is also too much ($28 CDN).

Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof in Very Black: It’s a good defining mascara, but the brush doesn’t work for me. I make a mess every time I try to use it.

Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof in Clear: I use it for my brows in the days I want a very natural look yet I want the brows to be defined.

MAC Zoom Lash in ZoomBlack: It volumizes really good. The brush is big- so I can;t get to the inner corners. It dries out in les sthan 3 months. I won’t purchase it again.

Regular Mascara:

Too Faced Lash Injection: I think this mascara is over rated. It is just like any other mascara and I wouldn’t pay the extra bucks next time I purchase another mascara.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash in Black: This mascara is also overrated in my opinion. It is nothing special and I won’t pay the extra bucks again.

Rimmel Extra Super Lash in Black: It makes the lashes look really long and defines. But that’s about it.

Don’t Buy these Mascara:

L’oreal Volume Shocking Waterproof Mascara in Black: It comes with a primer in one end and mascara in another end. It doesn’t give any volume, rather it clumps all the lashes together. The mascara doesn’t have a brush, it’s a comb. But the comb is so sharp – it pokes the eyes and hurts pretty badly. If you accidentally poke yourself hard, it can damage the eyes totally. I will avoid this mascara and will ask everyone to avoid it as well.

MAC Splashproof in BlackSplash: It is water resistant but not waterproof. It dries quickly. And most of all it stings my eyes. I will never buy it again.

ELF Regular and waterproof Mascara Duo in Black: Doesn’t work and stings my eyes. Will never purchase it again.

I have bought these, I will try them after my current ones dry out:

Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Express Waterproof in Glam Black

Lancome: Definicils in Black

NYX Doll Eye Waterproof in Extreme Black

Rimmel Glam Eyes in Black

If you can have only one type of eyeliner, I say buy pencil eyeliners because they are versatile. It can be applied on the upper lash line (the skin right above upper lashes), lower lash line (the skin right below lower lash line) and your water line (the inside of the eyes- the wet part). Pencil eyeliners are also easiest to apply. Just hold it like a pencil and rim your water line. Stay close to the lash line when lining the upper lash line. If you line your lower lash line, it can look harsh. Smudge it with a pencil brush (a brush with an elongated and firm tip) for a smoky effect. Use a sponge tip applicator or Q-tip if you don’t have any brush. I mostly use Black eye pencils. So my reviews from today are going to be about black eye pencils.

I have medium dark skin (MAC NC42 Foundation). These are the eyeliners I am reviewing today. From right to left:

• MAC Technakohl Eyeliner in GraphBlack,
• MAC Eye Pencil in Black Funk,
• Rimmel Extreme Definition Two-tone Eye Definer in 003 (Trend Settler),
• Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in 061 (Jet Black),
• Urban decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero,
• Makeup For Ever Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil,
• Almay Amazing Lasting 16 Hour Eye Pencil in Precise Black,
• NYX Eye/eyebrow pencil in 901 Black
• Elizabeth Arden Eye Pencil in Smoky Black
• Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner in Onyx
• Maybelline Expert Eyes in Velvel Black

Best pencil eyeliner for Top or bottom lash line (on skin):

MAC Technakohl Eyeliner in GraphBlack is the best for top or bottom lash line. It’s true black. It is creamy – easily glides on skin. It is long lasting. It’s mechanical and the packaging is sleek – easy to travel with. GraphBlack is my absolute favourite.

Almay Amazing Lasting 16 Hour Eye Pencil in Precise Black. Very long lasting for top and bottom lash lines. It’s less creamy than MAC Technakohl, but still easily applied. It comes with a sharpener at the back.

Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner in Onyx. Easily applied and long lasting. It’s mechanical, but not as good as MAC Technakohl and Almay pencils

Makeup For Ever Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil. It is long lasting – not too long. It’s also not very creamy.

Best Pencil Eyeliner for waterline:

First of all, have I found an eye pencil yet that stays on waterline for more than 2 hours? NO, I always have to touch up my waterline eyeliner. One trick is to powder waterline with a black eyeshadow – but my eyes are too sensitive for that.

MAC Eye Pencil in Black Funk. It is SUPER creamy. It glides on waterline. It’s true black. It’s discontinued –an alternative would be MAC Ebony eye pencil. However, since it’s so creamy and almost wet – it’s not long lasting.

Elizabeth Arden Eye Pencil in Smoky Black. It’s creamy enough for waterline. Again – not long lasting.

Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in 061 (Jet Black). It’s creamy – so easily applied on waterline. But it’s not half as creamy as MAC Black Funk.

Rimmel Extreme Definition Two-tone Eye Definer in 003 (Trend Settler). It has a black eye pencil in one end and a white one in another end. It gives the same result as Rimmel Soft Kohl.

TIP: To make your eyes look bigger, line your waterline with a white eye pencil. If you are dark, then use a peach colour.

Okay eye Pencil for Both Water line and Top and bottom Lashlines:

Urban decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero. Lots of people love this – but it didn’t work for me. It stays put on skin okay (top and bottom lash line). It glides on waterline – but you have to touch up. What bothers me is that I medium dark skin tone and this eyeliner is not Black enough for me. If you have fair skin, this eyeliner may work great for you. But I only use for natural looks – not black enough for dramatic looks (for dark skin tones). For the price- I say it’s not worth it.

NYX Eye/eyebrow pencil in 901 Black. It’s not long lasting on skin and not very creamy either for waterline.

BAD eye pencil:

Maybelline Expert Eyes in Velvel Black. It’s not black – it’s grey. It is SO hard; I struggled to put it on my top lash line. I can’t imagine someone trying to put this on their waterline – it’s going to poke the eyes out. Stay away from it.

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So you put on all the makeup and look fabulous throughout the day and get nice compliments – great. It’s time to sleep and you don’t take off the makeup – NOT great. Leaving makeup on all night can cause nasty breakouts. Next morning you wake up – all the makeup in the world is not going to make you look beautiful. It is VERY important to take off all makeup at night. You should also clean and moisturize your face afterwards.

TIP: If you are extremely tired and don’t feel like taking off makeup, wash face, put on moisturizer – use Baby Wipes for sensitive skin. It will get most makeup out of your face. Just don’t make this a daily routine.

Great makeup removers:

Whatever makeup remover you use, remember to be very gentle around the eyes to avoid premature wrinkles. I have extremely sensitive eyes. I have tried a lot of makeup removers and most of them sting my eye (though they do the job of removing makeup). Best makeup remover ever is L’oreal Dermo-Expertise Gentle Waterproof Eye and Lip Makeup Remover. It comes in a 125 ml bottle. It has 2 phases – one darker which has soft oils and another clear phase. Before each use you have shake it up, so they mix to a homogenous colour. Apply it with cotton pads or balls. If you are wearing long lasting foundation, lip colour, waterproof eyeliner or mascara – this will get everything off.  It is one of the few makeup removers that don’t sting my eyes. It’s about $10 CDN (depending on where you buy it from).

Lancome Bi-facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover also comes in 125 ml bottle and has the same consistency and gives the exact results as the L’oreal one. But its $32.50 CDN. Though I don’t know difference between them, but I see no point spending 3X money on this when L’oreal Dermo-Expertise has the same outcome.

Okay Makeup Removers (for most people):

L’oreal Refreshening Eye Makeup Remover Oil-Free comes in a 125 ml bottle. It does not remove waterproof makeup. It stings my eyes badly. If you have sensitive eyes- stay away from it.

Neutrogena oil-free Eye Makeup remover. It removes makeup but stings my eyes.

Rimmel London Gentle Eye Makeup Remover Oil Free. It removes waterproof makeup but once again stings my eyes.

Clinique Take the day Off Makeup remover. It removes waterproof makeup but stings my eyes.

Elizabeth Arden All Gone Eye and Lip Makeup Remover. It removes waterproof makeup remover but stings my eyes.

Bad Makeup Removers:

Olay mascara + Makeup Remover claims to removes waterproof mascara. It doesn’t remove all of the waterproof mascara. It stings my eyes.

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Eyeshadows can look great if applied correctly. Eye shape is very important when doing an eye look. If you have droopy eyes, then winged eyeshadow in the outer corner is a great trick to give it a lift. If you have no crease, then doing an overall colour makes it more apparent that you don’t have a crease. If you have hooded eyes, doing light shimmery lids is the way to go. There are tons of different brands and tons of different textures of eyeshadows to choose from. I am going to start doing eyeshdaow reviews by brands soon.

Basic eyeshadow application can be very difficult to explain on a blog. So I will try to take pictures in the future. For today I will choose brown colours from MAC.  I recommend brushes, but sponge tip applicators are fine if you are just beginning.

Step 1. Apply an eye primer with your fingers. Eye primer prevents any creasing of the eyeshadow, enhances the eyeshadow colour and makes it last longer. Urban Decay Primer Potion or Too faced Shadow Insurance (Both found at Sephora) are both GREAT eye primers.

Step 2. Apply a shimmery colour on the eyelid. When you close your eyes, everything that’s under the fold of the eye is you lid. Use a flat eyeshadow brush (ie. MAC# 239) to pack on the colour. Pat it on, don’t move the brush back and forth. This will give a solid pigmentation and prevent fallout. The colour I choose today is Woodwinked eyeshadow by MAC.

Step 3. Apply a darker and less shimmery colour on the crease (or fold) of the eyes. With a fluffy brush (ie. MAC #217), start from the outer corner and go towards the inner corner. If you have close set eyes, then stop at halfway. I choose Satin Taupe eyeshadow by MAC

Step 4. Apply the darkest colour only on the outer corner of the eyes with a pointy but fluffy brush (ie. MAC 226 brush). I recommend Sketch eyeshadow by MAC. Take 217 brush again and start blending the harsh edges of all colours. If colour is not blended it looks awful, but over blending can make it look muddy. So practice is key here.

Step 5. Take a skin toned shimmery colour to highlight brow bones and inner corner of the eyes – makes you look awake.

If you choose to put eyeshadow under your bottom lashes as well, then line the bottom lash line with a brown eye pencil (Rimmel makes creamy eye pencils). Apply Sketch eyeshadow over that with a pencil brush (Ie. 219 brush by MAC) and smudge it for a smoky effect.

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So I have been chit-chatting for a while. Now I am going to really start talking about makeup in details. Today’s topic is face primers. There are different types of face primers. Some are water based and some are dimethicone based. Primers go after moisturizer and before foundation. So it makes a barrier between skin and foundation. Most primers even out skin tone, smooth out any rough patches or dryness, fill in fine lines and pores. Primers also make the foundation application very smooth and easy. Foundation usually lasts longer when applied over a primer.

High end primers:

My all time favourite primer is Make Up For Ever’s HD primer. It has a non-oily finish so foundation can be applied immediately and it goes beautifully with Make Up For Ever’s HD foundation. It’s great for all types of skin. They have one translucent primer and 6 other coloured ones to correct imperfection, I prefer the translucent one.

My second favourite is Photofinish primer by Smashbox. But it is my favourite only in winter because it makes my face greasy in summer. It is oil-free and gives a velvety finish. The translucent primer has an “original” version and a “light” version for oily skin. There are also colour-correcting primers.

Clarins make Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch. It is a creamy and non-oily primer and best for dry skin. It gives a smooth finish and fills in fine lines and pores.

Clinique makes Pore Minimizer. It comes in two colours- Invisible Light and Invisible Deep. It really does minimize the pores. But it comes in a tiny tube and is pricey for the product.

Budget friendly primers:

Fix and Perfect foundation primer by Rimmel is a great low end primer. It goes in peachy but is invisible once you blend it. It smoothes the skin and hides pore very well. It’s excellent for oily skin. The finish is somewhat like Make Up For Ever’s HD primer, unlike Smashbox’s silky finish.

Last but not the least, Monistat Chaffing Gel. It is an intimate care product and NOT designed as a primer. It cautions to keep out from eyes. So I am NOT responsible if this product harms your face. However, it is the best primer for dry skin in my opinion. It smoothes the skin, fills in fine lines, gives a silky finish – everything that a primer does.