NOTD featuring Revlon

In truth, this is actually a "Nail of Last Week." In all fairness though, I had this colour on for a good long while, so it's still sort of relevant...?

Mascara of the Week #3: Maybelline Duet

I stated in a previous post that I may have actually found a way for me to make Maybelline Falsies better! Or at least more wearable. When I decided I don't like a mascara from the drugstore, it's not a total loss because it's not like I spent an arm and a leg on it; but that's still $$ down the drain. I wanted to see if I could make the Falsies mascara work for me. I didn't like how this mascara literally did NOTHING that it claimed: in no way did it look like I was wearing false lashes, or have 70% thicker lashes. Anyways...I came across a tip a couple of weeks ago on some random beauty blog (can't remember which) that said this: if you want to make the curl of your lashes last while wearing mascara, use a thin coat of a waterproof mascara underneath your regular mascara. 

I'M SORRY!

I've just moved AND I've been waiting for the internet to set up at the new place. Blogging will commence as per usual as of right...NOW!

Beauty Wishlist

Mascara Problems *Update*

I'm currently in the process of moving and all of my makeup is packed away; therefore, I won't be using a new mascara this week to review. However, I think I may have found a way to make Maybelline Falsies more desirable to wear. So instead of a new mascara review, I'm going to write an update for the Falsies. 
I promise I'll have a new mascara to review for next week 


xoxoDarlingBuds

NOTD: Essie's Cocktail Bling

Mascara of the Week #2: Maybelline "The Falsies Volum' Express" Mascara

WEEK #2

Week 2 of my Mascara Problems series. I'm starting to get a good feel for what I should be looking for in my perfect mascara. Up for review this week was Maybelline "The Falsies Volum' Express" mascara. This mascara has been on the market for a couple of years now and it gets a lot of hype from bloggers, youtubers, and "common folk" alike. I decided to put this mascara to my vigorous (sarcasm) testing to see what I thought of it.

My Fave Makeup Removal Products

It is so incredibly important to make sure that you get all of your makeup off at the end of the day. I've been really good this year about ensuring that I remove my makeup every night before I go to bed. I'll admit, some nights are more thorough than others, but for the most part, it all comes off at the end of each day. There are 3 tried and true products that I use to remove my makeup. 

NOTD: Turquoise & Gold

Ahoy!
I don't know why, but this is one of my favourite nail combinations. I just love the mix between the brightness of the turquoise and the metallic gold

The awesomely bright turquoise colour is Essie's "Turquoise & Caicos" and the gold that I painted only on my ring finger as an accent is Nicole by OPI "The Next CEO." As you may have been able to tell from my last NOTD post ("Trending...featuring Essie"), I really like mixing up my nail looks and using two polish colours. I've said it before and I'll say it again, nail polish is the easiest way to follow the current season's trends. Mixing metallics with colours is another trend you can expect a lot of for this upcoming season. 

I love this look. I feel as though a lot of my NOTD posts from now on are going to be featuring two colours. Guess we'll just have to wait and see


More to come soon 


xoxoDarlingBuds

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Mascara Problems Week #2

MAYBELLINE "THE FALSIES VOLUM' EXPRESS" MASCARA
Just as I did with my first Mascara Problems post: L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes, I will do a full review of this mascara at the end of this week; once I've had an opportunity to get a good idea of how it wears throughout the day. 
Stay in touch!


-DarlingBuds

Mascara of the Week: L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes

WEEK #1

This past week, I've been using L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara. This mascara is pretty neat. It's a dual-ended mascara; the first wand is a primer, while the second is the actual mascara. L'Oreal claims that using the two formulas in tandem extends the body of your lashes. Not only are you supposedly going to get super long lashes, but the other super neat thing about this mascara is that to take it off at the end of the day, you just hold a warm water soaked compress to your eyes and the mascara just slides off in 'tubes' - hence the "beauty tubes" aspect of this mascara. 

wand #1 - the lash primer

wand #2 - the mascara

no mascara!

According to the packaging, this mascara claims to give "80% visibly longer lashes." On the packaging, it also promises that the benefits of tube mascara is that it's long wearing, smudge proof, flake proof, and clump-free. Let's test those claims...

one coat step #1 - the primer

one coat step #2 - the mascara

I have to admit, this masacara wears really well throughout the whole day. I didn't have any problems whatsoever with smudging or flaking. However, I did notice that on a couple days, this mascara applied a little clumpy, which I do not like at all! It also looks really hard and spikey AND it does not hold a curl very well at all. In fact, I noticed that after applying the primer, I still had a semblance of a curl to my lashes, but after applying the second step to the mascara, the curl was completely gone. I don't know if this mascara formula is heavier because of the "beauty tube" aspect but it definitely didn't hold a curl and that is something that I'm looking for in my perfect mascara. 

The wand itself was okay - it was a on the big-ish side, and awkward to get to the lashes in the inner corner but it wasn't overly difficult to use. It's your basic typical, spooley mascara wand. 

People may think that the dual-ended primer + mascara aspect of this product is probably just a gimmick. I honestly think that using the mascara in conjunction with the primer did add a bit of length to my lashes. And the primer also plays a role in the ease of taking the mascara off. Other primers may be a waste of time and packaging, but in this case, it's the purpose of this product.

after being removed with water - the mascara comes off in "tubes"

I'm going to rate the mascara now based on the categories initially mapped out in my "How I'll Conduct a Mascara Review" post

1. Lash separation: 4 out of 5
2. Lash volume: 3 out of 5

3. Lash length: 4 out of 5
4. Holds curl: 1 out of 5 
5. Staying power: 5 out of 5
6. Mascara wand: 3 out of 5
7. Taking it off: 5 out of 5

8. Overall appearance: 3 out of 5

9. Overall score 28 out of 40

I think this mascara is really good if you need a mascara that you know will last throughout the whole day without flaking or smudging. For staying power alone I would repurchase this mascara. The fact that it doesn't move until you soak your eye with water is also a plus. It's a tried and true stay put mascara, but the hard, spiky appearance and its poor performance in holding a curl is a big disappointment. For a night out or a long day, I would wear this, but it's not a go-to everyday favourite.

The search continues...

xoxoDarlingBuds

Mascara Problems Week #1

L'OREAL DOUBLE EXTEND BEAUTY TUBES MASCARA
Full review coming at the end of the week so stay tuned


xoxoDarlingBuds

NOTD: Trending...featuring Essie

I love seeing all the new trends that come out every season, but let's be honest; not everyone can afford to go out and buy every single new hot ticket item just because it's a trend for a couple of weeks. One of my favourite ways to sport a trend is with nail polish. Nail polish colours hardly ever go out of style. You will always find a new way to wear a fun nail colour, no matter what. This NOTD is inspired by the hot trends for this spring and summer: coral and pastel mint. I used Essie's "Absolutely Shore" and Essie's "Tart Deco" alternating to create this look...

The pattern I chose isn't quite alternating. The index finger and pinky are the same colours, and the thumb, middle and ring fingers are a different colours. On the other hand, I switched the colours around. So the index finger and pinky are Absolutely Shore and the thumb, middle and ring fingers are Tart Deco.

I really like the look that this asymmetrical nail design gives. It's eclectic, bright and wearable! I'll definitely play around with different nail colours and use them in the same way. I just thought that for spring, coral and mint together on the nails is the best way to wear the trend without having to spend a lot of money on clothes I may never wear again. All you need is two nail polishes to pull off this trend :)
Until next time!


xoxoDarlingBuds

Mascara Problem: How I'll Conduct a Mascara Review

photo from here: http://weheartit.com/entry/25969618

I've been thinking long and hard about how I'm going to go about conducting my mascara reviews for my upcoming "Mascara Problems" series. There are some things that I am definitely looking for in my perfect mascara, and there are some qualities that I would rather brush aside. I will mark each mascara I review depending on how they score on these categories: (each of the first 8 categories will be marked out of 5, leaving a total of 40 points at the end of the tally)

1. How well the mascara separates my lashes 
2. How well the mascara adds volume to my lashes 
3. How well the mascara adds length to my lashes
4. How well the mascara is able to hold a curl 
5. Staying power - does it flake? smudge? 
6. Wand - is it too big? small? Does it poke? is it easy to apply the product?
7. Overall appearance of the mascara - does it look spidery? clumpy? barely there?
8. How easy/difficult is it to get the mascara off at the end of the day?
9. Overall score (out of 40)


I hope to be testing a new mascara every week so that I can get a good idea of whether or not I like the product. I'm also going to be testing how many coats of a certain mascara I need to get a desired look...or if too many coats just makes it worse. I'm super excited to get started on these reviews!
Stay tuned!


xoxoDarlingBuds

A Beauty Haul for Y'all

I've been shopping. These products are not all from one shopping trip. What kind of person do you think I am?? Haha...but seriously, I could do so much more damage in one day. But I'm getting better.

I'm starting a new little series type thing. My Mascara Problems post hinted at this new idea. I'm going to start a series on my quest for the best mascara. I'm starting with drugstore brands first. So when I was at Walmart and Shopper's Drug Mart, I picked up some mascaras to help me dive into this new endeavour that I will be taking on. I've heard good things about all the mascaras pictured above and I can't wait to try them out and see how they wear. Stay tuned for full reviews of these mascaras coming soon...

Also from Walmart, I picked up this random blending brush I found in the cosmetics section. It's from a brand from SOHO London and it was under $10. I've used it a couple times already and so far I really like it. I mean, it blends...so it does its job accordingly. I wasn't about to fork out over $30 for the MAC 224 blending brush, and this one suits me just fine for now. 

I couldn't go to a drugstore without getting some nail polish. I HAVE A PROBLEM! But look how pretty they are...I picked up: (from left to right) Essie "Sand Tropez"/ Essie "Tart Deco" and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Lacey Lilac". Look for these coming to a NOTD post near you!

I also made a stop into Sally's Beauty Supply a little while back and picked up this donut hair thingy. You use it to create the perfect high fashion bun, or I guess you could use it for a  chignon like the label says. Comme ci, comme ça! Maybe I'll post it in a HOTD post (hair of the day)!


And now for the grand finale!

So many beauty gurus on youtube, especially Tanya Burr, or pixi2woo, RAVE about this highlighting powder from Dior. When Shopper's was having their 20X the Optimum Points event, I jumped at the chance and finally got this product. I feel as though, if I'm going to buy this product at some point eventually, I might as well collect a bunch of Optimum Points in the process. 
I haven't had the chance to use it yet, nor have I wanted to make that first sweep into the product because it's just so beautiful and glamorous!

High-end cosmetics are such a luxury, I know. The packaging on this is beautiful! It comes with a little velvet pouch to keep the compact in, to avoid fingerprint and scratches I guess. It just seems like such a beautiful little item to have in my possession. I'm treasuring it like a baby!

The product itself is an absolutely beautiful array of golds, peaches, and whites. I can't wait to actually use this product for the first time. And y'all know that I'll be using it for a makeup look sometime soon :)

That's the end of my haul! Until next time...

xoxoDarlingBuds