Covergirl LashBlast Mascara's

Covergirl and Loreal are my two favorite drugstore brands for mascaras. Especially, the Covergirl Lashblast is the one that I always have in my collection. Covergirl Lashblast line has around ten different varieties but today I will be talking about three of them: Volume (orange tube), Clump Crusher (green tube) and Full Lash Bloom (pink tube).

 

 

For some background information, I do not have very long, full lashes so mascara is a necessity for me.  Also, I like defined and separated lashes that look fuller but I absolutely despise the look of heavily coated and thick lashes. So, just keep that in mind as my review is based on those points.

P.S. I have issues with my camera so I couldn't take the pictures of my lashes for the comparison as it was either getting hazy or out of frame but I will add them later. I am sorry about it.

One quality that I truly love about the whole Lash Blast line is that even the non-waterproof versions do not smudge. I never buy waterproof mascara and always use one of these on my bottom lashes and it works like charm every single time. Also, these are really good at holding the curl.

 

 

 

Lash Blast Volume:

This is probably one of the most talked about mascara's of this line. It comes and in an orange tube and has a huge round plastic wand with tiny bristles all around. The bristles kind of tapper off towards the tip, which makes it easier to go over the tiny lashes in the inner corners of the eyes. It's wand looks very similar to the Fusion (purple tube), which I have used in the past. Fusion is targeted towards both length and volume while Volume is specifically marketed as a volumizing mascara and I personally found that the Volume version gave me more defined and fuller lashes as compared to Fusion. So, I would definitely repurchase it.

Lash Blast Clump Crusher:

It comes in a really nice vibrant green tube and has a curved brush. It has a plastic wand with smaller bristles on the edges and slightly longer in the middle. It does give nice definition to the lashes but not as much as the Lash Blast Volume. Even though, now I am used to the curved  brush but I found it a little bit odd in the beginning. Also, I really do not understand the point of having a mascara specifically targeted towards clump free lashes as none of the other Lash Blast mascara's give clumpy lashes due to the tiny closely placed bristles. So, it is not my favorite and I would probably not repurchase it.

 

Lash Blast Volume; Full Lash Bloom, & Clump Crusher

Lash Blast Full Lash Bloom:

It comes in a beautiful pink tube and has a slightly thinner and longer wand as compared to Volume. Also, the bristles are not as tightly packed so for me it takes a couple of extra strokes to get the desired volume. In addition, even  though there are tiny bristles on the top of the tip for inner corner lashes, but those  bristles are almost unusable because the stopper does not clean off the excess product from the tip so usually there is a lump of mascara there. Also, the main selling point behind this mascara is that even after putting it on, the lashes are soft to touch. But for me personally, that it is not a big deal unless a mascara is uncomfortable to wear or it is so dry and crunchy that it flakes off. However, with that being said, this is a nice mascara that gives me decent amount of definition but still it is not as good as the Volume, so I would probably not repurchase it.

You probably already know by now but my favorite is the Lash Blast Volume as it gives me volume and definition without clumping. Also, I use the non-waterproof version and it lasts all day without smudging, even on my lower lashes. So, I would definitely repurchase it and will always have it in my collection for my lower lashes.

What are some of your favorite mascara's?  Or do you have a holy grail mascara? I have been hearing a lot of buzz about the new Lash Blast Super Sizer, have you guys tried it? Do you think it is better than the Lash Blast Volume?

Thank you so much for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a wonderful day!

 

January 2013: Ipsy Bag

Today I received my Ipsy bag in the mail and this month's theme is 19 reasons, which I think, has something to do with new year's resolutions. The products came in a nice sky blue bag. However, I felt that this months bag is quite plain and boring when a new years theme could have made it way more glamorous and cool.

Willa Naturals On The Go Face Towelettes: There are 10 lavender scented moist towelettes in a very compact pack, making it perfect for traveling. However, I found the scent to be somewhat off and not very pleasant. Also, I would prefer the L.A. Colors wipes that I received in a previous Ipsy bag over these Willa ones, because of all the unnecessary ingredients used.

Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner: This is a more natural and supposedly healthy leave in conditioner i.e. made with soy and cocoa. I have not used it yet but I'm definitely looking forward to it. Also, this is one of the only products that I am excited to try from this month's bag.

Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow in Penny: Firstly, this pencil looks more like a liner than a shadow pencil. Secondly, it is quite sheer and needs a couple of swipes to build up some color that still looks very light. Therefore, I am definitely not going to swipe this tiny pencil back and forth on my eyelids. However, it does not budge once it sets, I literally had to scrub my hand with soap to get off the color and there is still some left.  As far as the color is concerned, it is a true copper color with noticeable shimmer particles. On a side note, this is my second product from this brand that was sent by Ipsy, first being a mascara and unfortunately I don't like either of the two. 

Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow Pencil vs NYX Jumbo Pencil

Nourish Organic Lightweight Moisturizing Face Lotion: I have never heard about this product before so I went onto their website to have a look at it. I found that it is formulated with all organic plant based ingredients and without any chemicals and parabens. Also, the 50 ml bottle of this product comes with a pump and retails for only $21.99. However, the issue is that I understand, it is a  lightweight product but despite of ingredients like argan oil, almond oil, vitamin e, shea butter etc, it is just not moisturizing so I'll not buy it.

Mica Beauty Tinted Lip Balm in Natural: As you all know I am not a huge fan of this kind of pot packaging due to hygiene reasons. Other than that, the color is really beautiful rosy nude shade and the product is more like a lipstick than a lip balm as it is quite concentrated and sets to a semi-matte finish. 

Overall, this  months bag was a fail for me as I liked only one product i.e. the Healthy Sexy Hair Leave In Conditioner and that is the only that that I am probably going to use out of all. Also, it is not just what I received but all the products listed under myglam this month are kind of blah. Apart from that, I found the theme to be quite boring and not special enough to represent the new year. Hopefully, next month there will be something interesting for Valentines day. 

What did you get in your Ipsy Bag this month?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

NOTD: Sparkly Bling

Today's nail look is somewhat different for me because normally I do not wear glitter polish on all the nails at once as it is a pain to take off. However, this time I made an exception because my original plan of glitter accent with a nudey mauve shade didn't go well. 

The polish that I used is Clio by Julep and to be honest I am quite disappointed with it. I bought several glitter polishes from Julep last month and based on how it looks in the bottle I thought this one is going to be my favorite, which unfortunately it isn't. In the bottle, it looks very condensed and multidimensional with beautiful pinkish rose gold specks mixed in with silver and gunmetal glitter. However, the problem is that on the nails it looks like plain flat silver glitter. 

Also, another issues is that I had to use thick four coats to get this look and I can still see some gaps in between. I think next time I am going to layer it over a darker color for some added depth and intensity. However, on a side note, I really like the silver top of this polish as regular Julep polishes come with a black cap. 

Do you like glitter polishes? How do you wear them? 

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

 

Smashbox Photo Op Shadow Palette: Soft Box II

Few days ago, I went to Sephora and was amazed at the wide range of sale item as it is quite rare in my area. One thing that instantly caught my eye was Smashbox Soft Box palette. This palette usually retails for $44 but was on sale for only $23. There are three similar palettes in the regular line, however, I believe this was a limited edition one. I always wanted to try Smashbox's infamous photo op formula but never did, so, this time I had to pick it up because both the colors and the price were appropriate. 

Packaging: The box is classic black with raised shiny imprint on it. It is quite compact and sturdy. However, it is one of those kinds that easily get dirty and show every single touch mark on them, so quite a let down. 

Layout: There are six shadows laid out in two rows along with a decent quality brush. However, where one side of the brush is flat shader, I don't know why the other side is such a tiny precision or a smudger instead of the usual blending brush. The only issue I have with the layout is that the names of individual shadows are printed on a loose clear plastic sheet, which is a hassle to keep in place.

Color Selection: There are three matte and three shimmery shades. One half of the colors belong to coppery brown family while the other half belong to purply taupe's. However, all the colors are great to put together a neutral eye look. 

Russet, Truffle, Bare, Juniper, Sandstorm, Sumatra

Texture & Pigmentation: All the colors are very soft and creamy on touch. Some of them are more pigmented than others. Truffle, Juniper and Sumatra show up way more subtle than they are in the pan.  

Russet, Truffle, Bare, Juniper, Sandstorm, Sumatra

Russet: A beautiful shimmery coppery brown. 

Truffle: A cool toned grayish taupe.

Bare: A very light nude pink.

Juniper: A muted purple with golden shimmer. 

Sandstorm: A true shimmery champagne gold. 

Sumatra: A cool toned medium chocolate brown. 

Overall, I really like this palette, especially at the price I got it for. The shadows are not overly intense but really good for everyday looks. Also, I like the mishmash of cool and warm toned shadows in one palette. As I said earlier, I have picked it up just a few days ago and there were at least thirty more palettes on the shelf that day so most probably you can still find it at Sephora stores near you. 

Do you own this or any other versions of this palette? If yes, which one? And do you like it?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!