Loreal: Miss Manga vs. Miss Manga Rock

Hello Beauties!

 

Recently the drugstores released a new version of L'Oreal's famous Miss Manga mascara, "Miss Mangia Rock."

Originally I wasn't overly impressed with the regular Miss Mangia mascara, but after seeing some reviews on the 'Rock' version, I decided to give it a whirl.

The formulation of this mascara is very similar to the original, however the brushes are very different.

 

 

Original Miss Manga:

 

The original has a more traditional mascara wand shape, but it tapers towards a point. It has an almost pine cone shape. The application is more feathery compared to the 'Rock' version. This also has natural bristles as opposed to a synthetic rubber brush. It is marked to produce both volume and length on the lashes.

 

Miss Manga Rock:

This brush is very different from any other I've seen. If you look straight from the point it has a star shape (adding to the rock theme I assume) and it has a staggering almost arrow like shape along the bristles. I'm pretty sure these are synthetic bristles which can give lashes a more lengthening look. This is actually kind of strange considering the mascara is marketed for killer volume. 

 

Both mascaras give your lashes a clumpy look, if you want something more dramatic I would go for the Rock version, of you want a bit more natural, the original might be better. I personally prefer the rock because it gives a lot of volume and makes your lashes very dark and bold. Both are good mascaras though.

 

The formula is very loose for a mascara. I prefer a dryer formula because I feel that it is more controllable when building volume and manipulating the lashes. However as far as a liquidy mascara goes, this one is one of the better ones. I do tend to get it a lot on my eyelids and even on my nose a time or two (whoops!) formulas that are wetter are a lot easier to mess up on, so if your new to mascara, I recommend something with a denser formula such as L'Oreal voluminous mascara.

 

If you've tried these mascaras let me know in the comments what you think about them!

 

Best Wishes,

Heather

 



New Drug Store Makeup and Reviews!

Hello Beauties!

 

Recently the drugstores have been releasing a ton of new makeup products! This is like Christmas morning for any makeup junkie! I put these products to the test and am going to give you my honest opinions about them. I am not being sponsored by any of the companies, and all opinions are my own. Some of these products aren't new, but are the first time I've tried them, so they are new to me! :) I hope you enjoy!

 

 

L'Oreal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR Foundation:

 

 

 

I heard a lot of hype about this foundation being amazing, and I am happy to report that this is true! It is a pretty thick consistency, and has good coverage that is buildable without looking cakey. And the best part? This foundation stays ALL DAY and it stays MATTE! I am not exaggerating when I say that my foundation looked exactly the same at the end of the day as it did in the beginning! Also, I wasn't shiny at all! I love this foundation, it has quickly become a favorite of mine.

 I have it in the color 104 Golden Beige. It comes in 8 shades.

 

Maybelline Master Conceal Camouflaging Concealer:

 

 

 

 

This is a good concealer and I am impressed with it. It reminds me a lot of the L'Oreal visible blur concealer. It is not the best concealer in the world, but for the price of it, I think it is definitely worth the money. I used it both for concealing under eye circles, and spot concealing.

I originally got this in the color light/medium thinking it would match my skin relatively well, but it was way too light to spot conceal. I got the shade medium next and that was a perfect match for my skin tone. I kept the light/medium to highlight under my eyes and on my cheekbones. This comes in 5 different shades.

 

Physicians Formula Aryan Wear Aryan Oil:

 

 

Physicians Formula has marketed this as the multitasking miracle. I like this argan oil, it is lightweight and doesn't break me out. My only problem with it is that the stopper around the lid always comes off and gets stuck in the lid which makes it difficult to close. This is basically a standard argan oil, if you have some from a different brand, you probably don't need this then. They also have this same oil in a shimmery version that could be pretty for a body oil in the summer.

 

Milani Baked Bronzer:

 

 

This is a very nice Bronzer to help give yourself an overall golden bronze glow. I do not recommend this for contouring because of the warm and glittery color of it. I have it in the color 05 Soleil, which is the medium color of the three shades it comes in. It blends well and doesn't come off as orangey.

 

 

L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Spray & Set Makeup Extender:

 

 

I really love this setting spray. I feel like it does help extend the longevity of your makeup, and it also provides a dewy glow to your skin. I also found it useful in combating powdery or cakey looking makeup. It is also works as a nice makeup refresher. It sprays evenly, and isn't heavy on the skin. I have heard that it is quite compatible to high end setting sprays.

 

 

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel Cream Shadow & Liner Trio:

 

 

These gel cream shadows have a very interesting texture. They are solid enough where you can press into them without leaving an intent, but they have a slick surface which give it the 'gel' feel. I have the nude trio, and all the colors are extremely sparkly. There is a light silvery Champaign color, a light golden pink, and a taupe brown. There is another trio with silver/black colors. The colors are very buildable, and you can sheer them out nicely too. I like these a lot, but be prepared to have a lot of glitter left over on your face even after you take your makeup off. Also, I love the pretty packaging on these products!

 

 

Maybelline Color Molten Eye Shadow:

 

 

I really love the Maybelline color molten eye shadow in 305 Plum fusion. It comes with a pretty grey/purple color and a deeper purple shade. These are cream shadows and are super soft. They go on very smoothly and are easy to blend with either your hands or a brush. By the end of the day though, I barely saw any remnants of the eye shadow. I recommend using an eye primer before using this product to help extend the wear of it.  This comes in a variety of colors and includes both matte colors and satin finishes. I definitely want to pick up some other colors.

 

 

Revlon Luxe Crème Eye Shadow:

 

 

 

This is a dark green colored cream eye shadow that has a similar texture to the color molten by Maybelline. It has bright green glitter in it too which gives it a pretty sparkle that helps not make the dark green look too harsh. To my knowledge, this is the only color of this product that Revlon has made. It is the color 'Street Style.'

 

Maybelline Brow Precise Shaping Pencil:

 

 

This is my new favorite brow pencil! I got the shade auburn, and it isn't too red, but its warm enough to look natural. Also, the pencil isn't too creamy where its hard to make light hair-like strokes. It isn't too dry where you feel like your scratching the color on either. Plus as an added bonus, there is a nice little spoolie on the back to comb your brows and blend in the lines for a natural look.

 

 

L'Oreal Paris Silkissime Eyeliner:

 

 

 

This eyeliner is one of the smoothest I've tried. And the color is BEAUTIFUL! It's called 'Highlighter', and is a beautiful shimmering Champaign/salmon pink color. It looks incredible on the inner corner of the eyes, or on the waterline for a bright pop.

 

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Eyeliner Trio:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought the nude extreme shimmer eyeliner pencil trio to coincide with the gel cream shadows. It came with three colors. Champagne is a midline sparkly taupe color, and is very creamy and pretty. Pewter is a sparkly grey color with a purple reflex. And black is a sparkly black. I was extremely disappointed in the black color. I swear by Physician Formulas black eyeliner in because it lasts all day, and is very easy to apply. But this sparkly black was so dry and difficult to apply on the eyelid. I'm not sure if mine was a dud because the other two colors had a wonderful texture, but the black was so dried up that is wasn't usable.

 

Cover Girl Full Lash Bloom Mascara:

 

 

(Me with this mascara on)

 

I really love this mascara! I haven't tried too many cover girl mascaras, but this new one is wonderful. It doesn't take much work with it to get your lashes looking long, thick, and dark. My eyelashes weren't feather soft, but I did notice they weren't as hard and crunch as my usual mascaras make them. The formula is thick but wet, so it goes on smooth but has substance to cling to your lashes.

 

Physicians Formula Eye Booster Instant Lash Extension Kit:

 

 

(Me with this mascara on)
 

This is one of those lash boosting kits where you put on the mascara as a sticky base, put the fibers on the base, and then stick them down with another coat of mascara. This is always a good way to add volume to thin lashes. I was very impressed with the end result of my lashes. Usually mascaras like this give me spider lashes that are all clumpy. This mascara however did not! My lashes stayed soft and natural looking. Cotton fibers are used to adhere to the mascara, and these are small and soft enough to give a beautiful effect without looking spidery, while also being natural and non-irritating to the eyes. I was also impressed with the visible volume my lashes had, and the intense blackness of the mascara. My lashes still had a natural look though.

 My only complaint with this product is the amount of fall out you get from the fibers. Not only did I have fibers all over my cheekbones, but also on my nose, and even my eyelids. This made my entire eye look appear smudgy and foggy. If you knock some fibers off, and apply them very gently and carefully, then your don't get nose or eyelid fallout, but you still get some on your cheekbones. Luckily that is easy enough to brush away with a powder brush.

 

Milani Lipstick:

 

 

Milani makes amazingly pigmented lipsticks that smell like jolly ranchers, and that makes them even better! I have the color 25 Naturally Chic, which is a pretty rose color with a hint of coral. The color on the bottom of the tube is a bit more toned down than the actual swatch color, but both are very pretty.

 

Revlon Ultra HD Lipsticks:

 

 

These lipsticks are creamy formulas, extremely pigmented, and have a pleasant berry scent. I have the colors Iris and Dahlia. Iris is a deep berry color with notes of pink. And Dahlia is a more orang red color in comparison to Iris. The formula to these lipsticks are very nice. They are moisturizing, and they still have a great color payoff.

The shape of the Ultra HD Lipsticks annoy me a bit. It is a perfect circle cut at an angle, which makes it impossible for anyone with smaller lips to get a neat clean lip line using the lipstick from the bullet. I think these lipsticks would be a lot easier to use if they were in the classic lipstick shape.

 

 

Rimmed London Provocalips 16HR Lip Color:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can not explain how impressed I am with these lip products. The colors are beautiful, the product doesn't feel sticky when dry, and the balm on the opposite side is very moisturizing and doesn't feel watery like they tend to with products of this design. And the best part? It lasts all day! I put this on one morning before work, and after a 45 min drive to work, an 8 hour shift with talking and eating, and another 45 min drive home, it was still on! I was very pleasantly surprised that is lasted as long as it did. I definitely want to try other colors from these.

 

 

I hope that these reviews have helped, and remember that some products work for some people, while others don't. If you think a product will work for you, I encourage you to try it! Keep on the look out for my next post, and thank you for reading!

 

Best Wishes,

Heather

 

Sea Glass Nail Tutorial

Hello Beauties!

 

 For my next beauty endeavor, I decided to share how I created my "sea glass nails." These don't have actual glass on them, they are just designed to have a beautiful sea glass look.

 

 

For this look, you will need 3 nail polishes. A base coat, a color, and a top coat. For a base coat I used Pink Armor Nail Gel. This can be used as either a base or top coat and retails for $10.

 

For a nail color, I used Sinful Colors nail polish in Mint Apple, retailing at $1.99. I picked this color because green sea glass is my favorite. You can use any color you wish because beach glass comes on all different shades.

 

 

I recommend not using anything overly glittery or metallic though ,because it can take away from the sea glass effect. 

 

And finally, for that perfect sea glass finish, I used Revlon Matte Pearl Glaze in number 785. This is a matte nail polish, with a pink/purple iridescence that retails for $7. This gives the nails a perfect matte yet shimmering sea glass effect. This top coat is great for creating a matte nail look, but the iridescence give your nail a sleek shine which makes the nail appear longer.

 

 

To start off, file your nails to your liking, and do any necessary nail maintenance you need to prep for a manicure. I filed my nails in a round shape to give them more of the rounded sea glass effect.

Apply a base coat on your clean nails.

 (The Pink Armor Nail Gel is not actually pink, it is clear.)

 

 

 

Next apply one thin coat of the color of your choice to your nails.

 

 

 

If you want to capture the see-through effect the glass has, you can put only one coat of color. I wanted the color to be a bit stronger when I did mine, so I added a second coat. Do whichever you prefer!

 

 

And finally, add your Matte Pearl top coat. You can put an iridescent shimmer polish on your nails, and then apply a standard matte top coat if you don't want to invest in this specific polish. I applied two coats of it.

 

 

Voila! Your end result is beautiful sea glass inspired nails. Now all you need is a pina colada and an umbrella, and you can head to the beach!

 

Best Wishes,

Heather

 

Review of Soho Disney Themed Brushes and Sponges

Hello Beauties!

 

Recently when digging through the new makeup bins at work, I struck gold! We got new makeup brushes and sponges from soho. And the best part? They were Disney themed! Anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE Disney themed makeup. I grabbed a few of my favorites and decided to give them a whirl.

 

I decided to get the little mermaid brushes, the snow white sponge, and the set of 3 sleeping beauty sponges. There were also two brushes in a beauty and the beast theme, and two double ended brushes in the jasmine theme.

 

My favorite of the three things I bought was definitely the snow white sponge.

 

 

I know that soho has a sponge that looks basically like this, but in pink. I'm not sure if it's the same one with just a different color and marketed as new. But this sponge is excellent! This retailed for 10$ and is definitely worth it. I've never had a beauty blender sponge, but I own the Sonia Kashuk version, and this blows it away. When you wet it, it blows up to double the original size (as shown). And the marquis shape makes it great for both large areas of blending and detail work. I used this today to apply my liquid foundation, concealer, cream bronze and cream blush, and to blend any areas that seemed powdery when I was finished with my makeup. It is a do it all product.

 

 

The next product I tried was the little mermaid brush set. This included a foundation/concealer brush duo and a "highlighting brush" and this retailed for $15. My main gripe with the foundation brush is the size of it. It is way too small to put foundation on your whole face. If you like to spot apply foundation instead of covering your entire face, then this could work. The brushes are synthetic fibers, and very dense, which is good for spot concealing.

The other brush is called the "highlighting brush". I have the same problem with this as the foundation brush, its just too small. If your trying to apply the highlight to the cheekbones, the smaller brush will make the highlight too intense in a small area, instead of an all over glow that a larger less-dense brush can offer. I do like this brush for contouring the sides of the nose. And if you did want to use this brush for highlighter, you can use it for the bridge of the nose and cupids bow for a more intense highlight.

 

 Just look at the cute little mermaid scales and shell emblems! :) (Please excuse the dirty brushes.)

 

 

The final sponges are the ones I was the most disappointed with. The sleeping beauty sponges came in a set of 3 and were supposed to represent the 3 fairies. These retail for $13. The idea is super cute, and I love how the matched each sponge to the colors of the fairy, but the sponges are just terrible. They were smaller and denser than the snow white sponge, and did not work at all. In fact they were not only dense, but they were hard! Even after a full minute of being submerged in warm water, they didn't not soften or expand at all. Because of this, it was extremely difficult to blend any makeup with. It felt like I was using an egg to roll on my foundation. I attempted to use the green one to blend out my foundation, and the red one to blend out my under eye concealer.  It just astounds me that soho can make such a good sponge in the snow white collection, and such terrible ones in the sleeping beauty collection. If they were made out of the same material, they would have been fabulous sponges.

 

 

 So overall, I love the idea of Disney themed makeup, it appeals to the princess inside all of us. I just wish soho would take the time to execute better quality brushes. I'm going to return the sleeping beauty sponges, and I might purchase the jasmine or belle brushes and put them to the test.

Let me know in the comments if you would be interested in a follow up post with those brushes, or on any other Disney themed makeup. Thank you for reading lovelies!

 

Best Wishes,

Heather