All posts filed under: This or That

Majolica Majorca Mascara Smackdown: Lash King vs. Lash Expander

My first foray into mascaras included the Majolica Majorca Lash Expander. Since then, I’ve tried one other Majo Majo mascara, Lash King. They’re two of the mascaras that have worked well on my stubborn Asian eyelashes, but how do they compare against each other? Let’s start with the wand, which is one of the most obvious differences. The Lash Expander has a double-sided comb with teeth that are spaced differently—one side to pack on the mascara and the other to separate the lashes. I don’t find them to be anything special, really. When I use the separator side, my lashes do separate but they become spindly, too. I prefer the wand of Lash King, which looks more like the traditional mascara wands out in the market today. It’s a long, fibrous brush that’s tapered at the end. It can be a challenge to maneuver but nothing that’s exceptionally hard. I like how this coats my lashes more. Lash Expander Frame Plus 12 (Blue) Here is a photo I’m which I use the Lash Expander in …

Makeup Inventory: Eyeshadow Quads

I’ve been racking my brain for an “eyeshadow special” post that I can do, much like my Lipstick Week, but I can’t think of anything at the moment, so I’m going to show you my collection of quads. 🙂 I LOVE eyeshadow palettes. Those are decidedly my weakness. I showed you my favorite palettes a while ago, and here are all of my quads, aka 4-shadow palettes. I have six in total, clockwise from the top left: Guerlain Les 4 Couleurs in Turandot, Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Eye Kit in Northern Lights, Suqqu Eyeshadow in Sumiredama, Chanel Ombres Fleuries in Délicatesse, Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Eye Kit in Silk Road, and bareMinerals READY 4.0 in The Happy Place. The only permanent quads are Turandot and The Happy Place, but a lot of these are still available online and in store. 🙂 Guerlain Les 4 Couleurs in Turandot: This was my first high-end eyeshadow purchase and it remains one of my favorites. (Review) It’s very warm with a satin gold and pink, a matte …

Softly Special: My Top Five Favorite Eye Palettes

I know I did Lipstick Week not too long ago, but the truthiest truth out there is that I’m an eyeshadow lady. I fricken love the stuff. I think that’s really where it all went downhill. I can remember the first eye product I purchased that changed everything and how I looked at eye makeup (i.e. bareMinerals’ READY 2.0 in The Scenic Route). And then I was doomed to a life of swatching. I don’t know if I want to make a whole week’s worth of celebration out of this, because eye swatches are much, much harder to do than lipstick swatches, but I’ll begin by outing my favorite eye palettes for all of you. What I basically look for in eyeshadow palettes is versatility, which I feel like entails a good variety of tone, texture, and shade. With that little checklist in mind, I looked at my palette collection and picked out a few favorites. Here goes nothing! Honorable Mention: Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Turandot (Review) This was the first high-end palette I …

Makeup Inventory: Highlighters & Illuminators

In one of my recent posts, I decried the hype of a cult favorite—the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade, which I reviewed here—and a number asked Well, what’s a good highlighter for you? I don’t own the most favorite one I’ve tried (I don’t know why), but I do own eight others (again, I don’t know why). I’ve been planning this for a while, and never got around to it, so I hope you appreciate the effort and I hope this short overview helps you out. 🙂 Let’s begin with the one I don’t own, but whose effect I loved—the NARS Illuminator in Orgasm. I received it as a sample, which dried up. I never got around to purchasing the full size, just because. Here it is, in action: It’s a really pretty, peachy-golden pink creamy highlighter that you can put on the “high planes of your face,” or just mix in with your face base. I thought I would hate the shimmer, but I really don’t. To be fair, it actually has more of …

Lipstick Week, Day 4: Go Nude or Go Home

My title sounds like a nicer way of saying “TITS OR GTFO,” but I promise that it’s not! Day 4 is about the perfect nude lip! Sorry for the slight lateness. I usually try to post my posts before noon but I had to do other things today. Still, I made it on time. 🙂 It’s no secret that I very much prefer quiet, unassuming shades to the loud ones. I’ve learned that my Bold Lip BFF is any kind of deep plum, but I don’t think I’ve found my BEST NUDE EVER~ shade quite yet. A nude lip is the perfect companion to a lot of makeup looks, especially if you want to do smokey eyes or anything super colorful. However, finding the right nude lip for you can be quite challenging. Remember my Creamsicle Horror Story? Well, click the link and see for yourself. In my opinion, the perfect nude is not too pink, not too brown, and not too pale. It shouldn’t wash you out and it shouldn’t be so distracting that …