The Great Lash-Off 2013 Round Two

The Great Lash-Off 2013: Round Two

After twelve weeks of trying the two finalist mascaras from Round One, More Than Mascara by Estee Lauder and Lash Stiletto by Maybelline here's my report...

First, let's review the comparison pics:

Lash Stiletto by Maybelline

More Than Mascara by Estee Lauder

Overall I found them to be very similar is how they looked after applied.  They also both really "vamped up" when applied after applying a Lash Primer first(I like the Tarte and Lancome Lash Primers).  Even though I got the darkest black in both, the More Than Mascara was definitely darker, it was also harder to remove.  What I liked about the More than Mascara is that you can apply more and layer it to get it really dramatic, it also works well adding more after work for going out...not many mascaras alow you to do that without getting thick and clumpy.  The Lash Stiletto came off easily with eye makeup remover and lasted all day without flaking or feeling dry.  They both worked well even after six weeks of use and didn't "dry out" in the tube.  My overall opinion between these two is save your money and get the Lash Stiletto from the drugstore, it costs about 60% less and you get a mascara that goes the distance and gives your lashes tons of volume.

The Next Four Contenders

BUDGET BRANDS

Rimmel ScandalEyes vs. Revlon Grow Luscious

THE RESULTS

ScandalEYES took about 15 swipes to get it to look like this, it was really thick but didn't want to go on my lashes at first, once it did it was hard to separate.  Huge brush that is difficult to use. EWWWW didn't like it.

Grow Luscious, on the other hand also has a huge brush but it is much easier to use.  It went on this voluminous in a few quick swipes; thickened and lengthened without being too clumpy.  It also made my lashes feel soft all day, not crunchy.

PRESTIGE BRANDS

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara vs. Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Volumizing

THE RESULTS:

Big Fatty really lengthened and the brush holds quite a bit of mascara so no need to re-dip.  Overall I like the length and volume and ease of separating the lashes with the brush.  The Black is very rich and dramatic but still appropriate for daytime.

Not a big fan of the Flawless Definition, it was so dry my first use I could barely apply it.  I can only imagine how dry it would be after 6 weeks.  I worked really hard to get it to look like this instead of how it looked initially.  

  My Two Picks From Round Two:

Revlon Grow Luscious

Urban Decay Big Fatty

I will be trying both for the next several weeks and will let you know how they perform!  

Until next time, stay beautiful!
Melissa

What is Depotting????  More importantly, WHY would you want to do it?

Depotting is the act of removing cosmetics "pans" from the cases they are sold in and putting them together in  a larger palette allowing for more convenience and easier access.  

I have often wondered if there was a better way to store my "many" eye shadow colors and blushes and keep the color families together without having to open a bunch of single compacts.  I consider myself a highly productive person and any time saving I can do while getting ready in the morning I am all for!  Also, I have so many compacts that I tend to "forget" about colors even though I really like them.  Having them all in one place?  Fantastic I say!

and I turned this:  

into this:

Well, the act of depotting is not so fantastic but well worth the effort.  It is like demolition and a science experiment all rolled into one.  Please remember safety first!!!  Wear safety goggles or glasses, burn gloves are great if you have access to them and use caution, products get hot and the glue gets hot too! 

You will need the following tools:

safety goggles or glasses

Nail polish remover

Rubbing alcohol

cotton pads(not balls)

cotton swabs

tweezers and/or tongs

the thinnest instrument you can find(many people use a knife, they are a little sharp for me so I have used a fine tip craft scissor and a nail implement I found at Sephora shaped like a f rounded rectangle at the end but it is very thin.)

old cookie sheets(one for cooking, one for cleaning the glue off the cooled off product)

Aluminum foil

Palette with magnet sheet(use a Z-palette or make your own with magnet sheets from the craft store)

Oven preheated to 350 degrees and ALLLLLL your windows open and fans on, cooked plastic is stinky and possible toxic so you don't want to take any chances!

I searched online and found many people use their flat irons to heat the compacts, too slow I say, you can only do one at a time.  Then I found this website:  http://floatingindreams.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/how-to-depot-eye-shadows-the-oven-method/  and decided to try it myself...

First, I gathered my compacts and avoided the single ones that were too well used.  I did use some that were part of a trio or quad that had one nearly empty one.  I pulled, pried and snapped off all the lids(this iswhere the goggles come in!) and some have a two-part bottom, I got those off as well.  I spread a layer of aluminum foil over an old cookie sheet(from my wedding circa 1992)  and laid the compact pieces across the sheet keeping at least an inch between them:

I put them in the oven for just 8 minutes and this is what happened:

I removed them form the oven and let them cool down for about 8 minutes, then I used tongs, tweezers and scissors to pop the loose ones out onto my cooling tray...some were just falling out, others, like the Sephora singles, needed to be gently eased out by sliding your thin instrument in between the metal pan side and the compact side.  I looked for the biggest gap possible and slid the instrument down as far as I could to where I could angle it under the pan and it would just "pop" out.  If you are too rough, you can crack the make-up and destroy it.  I had an empty lip gloss pot that I put one of my few failures in:

I only ended up ruining 3 shadows that were not salvageable.

This is my "aftermath":

A few of the compacts needed more cooking so I put them in for five more minutes and that was perfect.  I left my oven open all day after I turned it off to air out the stinky plastic.  Let them cool down!!!

After cool down is the hard part, you have to remove the glue, YUK!!!  Some people use the rubbing alcohol, I liked the nail polish remover and found they worked differently depending on the glue that was used.  On some, I have to used the nail polish remover first then "finished them" with the rubbing alcohol.  I used the cotton pads because the smooth side didn't leave a bunch of cotton sticking out like a cotton ball would.  I used cotton swabs for the smaller pans.  Once all the glue is removed and the bottoms of your pans are shiny and clean the fun begins!  You can organize by brand, color or put your favorite colors together-use your imagination!  I had on Z-palette and also made one of my own using some fun scrap-booking paper:

So fun!  I figure this will save me at least 3 minutes every morning, 15 minutes a week and 780 extra minutes of sleep a year!  WELL worth it...and much more organized too!

Until next time, stay beautiful!
Melissa

Jasmine Eye Shadow Palette Looks To Try

It is finally here and going fast at Sephora stores and online at www.sephora.com ....the Disney Jasmine Eye Shadow Palette, the second in the Disney Princess series.  Much more colorful and FUN than the Cinderella palette which was neutrals and pretty party looks.  Jasmine has some colors great for "Color Popping" and also some to-die-for colors that you will just have to have...(I have heard Ariel is next and I am hoping to see some Sea-worthy blues and greens when her palette comes out!)  My faves from the collection? Take a look at my Gorgeous Eye Model and Friend from the Great North Ayla Emery  for how to play with this fun new palette!

                          Blue Oasis

 

Lapis

 Abu 

Friend Like Me

 Mystical Wonder

Cosmic

Sand in the Glass

Bazaar

Rajah 

Master 

 Cave of

Wonders

Ali Ababwa

Master

ArabianSunset

Trust Me

Master

I can't wait to take you "under the sea" when Ariel comes out!  

Until then, stay beautiful!
Melissa

The Great Lash-Off 2013 Round One

The Great Lash-Off 2013 Round One

For the next few months I will be posting mascara comparisons so you can actually "see" what the mascara really looks like.  Advertising, hype, and online reviews aside, these will be visual comparisons and my opinion of how they go on and feel once applied.  I don't know about you, but I've spent HUNDREDS on mascara over the last few years and find I am more often disappointed than impressed.  I will compare two prestige brands and two budget brands, use my two favorites from the Lash-Off for the next 6 weeks and do a follow-up comparison on wear-ability and longevity in the next round of the Lash-Off. 

I am pretty stringent about throwing my mascara away after 6 weeks of use, once opened it becomes a bacteria feeding ground and is only recommended that you use it for 4-6 weeks.  That said, why don't they just make minis if you are supposed to throw them away???  Seriously, I am a huge fan of the minis because they start drying out after about four weeks.  I feel like I got my money's worth rather than throwing out half a tube of mascara.  If any of you have ever had a bad eye infection, you know exactly why I throw them out!

PRESTIGE BRANDS

Lancome Definicils vs. Estee Lauder More Than Mascara

THE RESULTS:

Lancome Definicils:  Goes on uneven, some lashes end up short and some long.  It starts drying pretty quickly and it does not let you "build" on it.  The more you put on, the more uneven it looks.  Comes off easily, even with just water(I don't recommend this!) and overall, disappointing.

Estee Lauder More Than Mascara:  Dramatic results compared to Definicils!  Thicker, longer lashes that still have good definition.  You can build and build on this mascara, even apply another coat hours later!  Better staying power and needs an eye makeup remover to remove properly.

BUDGET BRANDS

Cover Girl Last Blast Length vs. Maybelline Lash Stiletto

THE RESULTS: 

Cover Girl Lash Blast Length:  Goes on soft & natural, not at all what I would expect from the advertising!  I was expecting skyscraper lengths and this is not it!  If you like your lashes to look soft and natural, or if you are just starting to wear mascara, this would be a good one to try.  Will likely come off with a gentle rubbing...

Maybelline Lash Stiletto:  Here you get what you pay for-skyscraper length and curl that makes your lashes really stand out.  With a lash primer and a couple more coats, this would be a great "night-out" mascara.  Definitely need the remover, this mascara also has staying power!

My Two Picks From Round One:

Estee Lauder More Than Mascara

Maybelline Lash Stiletto

I will be trying both for the next several weeks and will let you know how they perform!  

Until next time, stay beautiful!