Product reviews: mascaras and liquid liners

  When I was younger I didn't wear liquid liner, always pencil and it was mostly because I was worried it would be too hard to use. With the pencil I would always put it on and then smudge it a bit to cover up any spots where the liner wasn't perfect and I would end up with a slightly smokey effect. I still do use pencil on occasion on my upper lash line and quite frequently on my waterline(along the inside of your bottom lid), but for a good long lasting liner nothing beats liquid. You can put it on in the morning and it still looks the same at the end of the day and doesn't end up underneath your eyes. With a little bit of practice I'm sure you'll be a convert too.

 I have a couple of different types to talk about and the first one is Maybelline's new one called Master Precise in Black. I hate this liner, so if you have seen it in store and were considering buying it than I would give it a pass. The package advertises that the sponge tip is only .4 wide and you will be able to get a very fine line, but what you don't find out until you try it is that the tip is very weak and just bends as soon as you touch it to your eye. It also doesn't continually put out product and I was constantly shaking the end so I could continue lining...very frusterating. Two thumbs down for this one. :(

The next isn't actually a liquid liner, it's a gel liner but I thought I would include it anyway. The lid has a little brush inside that you can just pull out and use which is nice and I was very happy with this gel liner overall. The colour was 004 Charcoal and is easy to use and very long lasting. The only drawback for me with using gel is you have to clean the brush every time you use it which is a pain. That isn't specific to this product, just gels in general. I do like this one a lot and would recommend it.

I've saved the best for last here and that is Wet n Wild's Mega Liner 861(the colour isn't actually written on the bottle but it's black). I LOVE this liner. It is very easy to use and get an extremely precise line, either very small(the brush tip is very fine) or build it up large. It is also very quick to dry which is nice and lasts all day long. Quite a bit of product comes out so be sure to wipe the excess off on the bottle before using it to line your eyes. Another bonus with this product is it's also the cheapest(the most expensive was the Maybelline which I liked the least...figures. :S ) at less than $5.

 Moving on to mascaras I'll start with one of my old ones and it's actually time to throw this one out as it's pretty much done, as you can probably tell by the fading of the word express under volum'. This mascara is The Colossal Volum' express, and the colour I have is Glam Black. In mascara I only use black as I like the impact a good black mascara has. I also don't use waterproof mascara unless I am going somewhere I may cry. It's just too hard to get off even with good make up remover and I don't like pulling at the skin around my eyes(can you say wrinkles!?).

 I like this mascara a lot as it's easy to build up big lashes and the clumping factor isn't too bad. I've bought this one more than once and it's easy to remove with soap and water too(always a bonus). I would recommend this one. There is a bit of flaking by the end of the day.

The next one is also a Maybelline mascara and it's one that just came out called Mega Plush and the colour I got is Blackest Black. The selling feature with this one is they claim it has 40% less hard waxes in the formula than regular mascara and so you don't end up with stiff or brittle lashes, instead they stay supple and bendy. It also has a flexible wand but I didn't find that made any difference and was really just a gimmick. I did like the formula as far as keeping lashes soft and supple, it definitely did what it said and I didn't find it did much flaking by the end of the day. It also comes off easily with soap and water. I didn't find it made great big lashes though(the above colossal mascara is better) and I put on three coats every time I have used it so far. Usually I don't do more than two coats or I end up with major clumping but this formula you can continue to build on(although without much success. :S). I would say this one is a good basic everyday mascara(and I love the colour of the tube. :P).

The last mascara has been out for a little while and I actually found this one in the sales bin at London Drugs for about $5. This is Loreal's Telescopic Explosion in 975 Blackest Black. The feature of this one is the unique brush(you can see it in the picture on the tube) that is in the shape of a ball on the end of the wand rather than a long brush. This one is easy to use as you can come from any angle and it can reach all those little lashes in the corners of your eyes that can sometimes be hard to get to. This is another easy to wash off formula and the flaking wasn't too bad by the end of the day. 

 I have talked about the They're Real mascara I have from Benefit in another post and it is one of my favourites for building big lashes and for lasting all day without flaking. The only drawback for me is that it's really hard to remove(probably why it doesn't flake!). It didn't say anywhere on the package that it was waterproof, but it is hard to get off even with make up remover.

So that's the beginning of my product reviews, still lots more to come as I talk about things I've been using for awhile as well as things that are new to me. Hope you enjoyed it and feel free to leave a comment if there is anything you would like to have reviewed. :)

On another note I have started running again, only just but I definitely intend to keep at it. I had to do major penance after an indulgent Father's Day weekend and I still haven't managed to get beyond the nine lb loss. I know I have to kick my diet/exercise up a notch so running is a great way to do that. I'm hoping tomorrow brings me my first milestone goal and I will be at 10lbs lost. Fingers crossed!

 Here's a couple of new songs for you:

Can't Say No - Conor Maynard - this ones on my running playlist. The MmMmmmMmmmMmm in the background is so catchy.

Ed Sheeran - The A Team - this one was a freebie on iTunes and I love it! Hopefully it's still on there and you can get it too. :)