Launching the search for my holy grail mascara: Maybelline the Colossal

While I don't have the perfect skin, I'm comfortable stepping out in nothing but moisturizer on my face. Naked lashes, however, are a whole other story! My lashes are OK for an Asian girl, but I have to admit that I feel uncomfortably plain when I don't have mascara on.

Ironically for someone who loves mascaras I don't have a holy grail one. Truth be told I've never even been that keen on finding one I absolutely love until now. I then told myself to wait on finding my holy grail mascara until I finish a couple of tubes from my current collection, but of course once I had this pact with myself I suddenly found it the most convenient time to enforce the three months rule. I kept two mascaras I like (Almay Triple Effect and Revlon Lash Potion) and threw all the rest out!

Now I'm ready to search for my holy grail mascara. It may turn out to be the Almay or Revlon I currently own, but I'm excited to try out a bunch of hyped up mascaras I keep hearing about in the beauty community.

First collection I got my hands on is the Maybelline Volum' Express line. Kicking off this mascara review series is the Colossal.

Brush:

The brush is rather large with a full head of long bristles. The brush tapers near the tip and has the general shape of a bulky cone. The bristles run a tight, dense spiral to catch every lash. The brush picks up a decent amount of product.

Formula:
This mascara is wet.

Application:
I usually like large brushes for the volume they tend to give, but the combination with the wetness of this formula made this mascara quite messy to use. It was hard to get the mascara to coat from close to the root of my lashes without the formula getting all over my eyelids, but the wet formula made going over my lashes, coat after coat, more possible without clumping. At one point my lashes did clump, but I was easily able to brush them apart using a clean lash brush.

The curl goes away after application because the wet formula weighs down the curl, so I have to use a curler again after the mascara dries to achieve the final look I like. The problem with this is that during the morning rush I can't wait long enough for complete dryness, so the lashes get stuck on the curler. It's not only slightly painful to pull lashes off the curler, but the curler flattens the lashes and/or takes off a smidge of mascara in the middle where my lashes touched the curler--near the base it looks OK, then in the middle it's thinner, and at the tip it looks normal again.

Conclusion:
From a regular distance, this mascara is actually quite nice. It gives rather defined, long lashes. I definitely prefer more volume, but I really like the overall effect this mascara on my face.

All in all despite feeling that this is a decent mascara I did not like the high-maintenance nature of this mascara. For my lashes I can only achieve pretty lashes if I:

1. Apply lots of coats
2. Clean my lids after application
3. De-clump
4. Re-curl

In conclusion this is a solid mascara, but I did expect more based on the amount of love it gets on YouTube. This is not my holy grail.

What are your thoughts on this mascara?? Please comment; I'd love to know!

-Katherine

Next mascara up for review: Maybelline the Colossal Cat Eyes

Revlon Nail Enamel in 410 Dreamer

Hey y'all,

I know it's fall and all, and I love fall...but I am having such a hard time letting go of my spring and summer colors... Pastel and bright and girly colors are my weakness!

Artificial Lighting

(Bright) Natural Lighting

Indoor, Natural Lighting

Do you drink tea?

I am a recent tea convert.

I used to drink coffee everyday, but one day while making my perfect cup o' joe just felt utterly ridiculous about the amount of sugar and creamer I was using. So I tried tea instead and never looked back. I still add honey and cream to my tea, but not nearly as much as when I make my coffee.

I feel great about the change--I'm not staining my teeth and I'm absorbing all the health benefits.

Read below for a short blurb about what I've tried so far!

Almay Color + Care Liquid Lip Balm

It certainly doesn't look like it right now, but I actually rarely wear lip products. Right now I'm not adventurous enough to wear anything out of the nude to soft/mauvy pink range and I usually feel too self-conscious to apply lip products in public. (Anyone else out there also self-conscious about applying lipstick in public? It's such a "classic sexy Hollywood" scene!) In addition, I'm constantly eating, snacking, and sipping on tea or coffee that lip color gets wiped away pretty quickly...there's almost no point in buying lip makeup. But I let myself get curious and look at the pretty colors...and google swatches... Next thing you know I'm taking these photos for you guys. Where are you, self-control?!

Ah well. Let's just enjoy the pretty pictures, shall we?

L to R: Blooming Balm, Pink Pout, Lilac Love, Cantaloupe Cream, Apricot Pucker

L to R: Blooming Balm, Pink Pout, Lilac Love, Cantaloupe Cream, Apricot Pucker

---Swatches & review below---

Follow me on Bloglovin :)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Summer / Fall 2013 Cleanser Collection

Caroline Hirons suggests having a couple of cleansers to use in rotation so I drafted my lineup a few months ago and it includes four products. I tried a good number of cleansers before finalizing my lineup, and I've been extremely happy with all of these products and my collection as a whole.

Cleansing Practices:

I cleanse once in the morning and twice at night. Unless there is something really urgent I need to tend to, I always wash my face to remove makeup as soon as I get home. I literally walk in my front door, put my stuff down, change out of my work clothes, and head to the bathroom to wash my face.

I don't have a system regarding when I use each of these products. I generally just go by how my skin is feeling or how I'm feeling. Generally I use a nickel-sized amount of product and lather using my hands. I focus mainly from my temple to along my jawline and underneath because those are my problem area for blemishes. After I'm done working the lather I use a wet muslin cloth to wipe away the lather while exfoliating my skin. Lastly I splash some more water on my face to get rid of any leftover soapy residues.

Products:

Cetaphil DermaControl Foam Wash / AM / Foam
I use this in the morning because it's really too gentle for anything other than washing off (please excuse this gross detail) whatever residue is built up during sleep. It leaves a barely noticeable thin film that serves to matte-fy my skin, which is great in preparation for the long day ahead.

Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Cleanser for sensitive skin / AM&PM / Gel
This is an amazingly gentle, light, refreshing cleanser. It leaves face feeling not squeaky and yet very clean and ready to breathe. This is my go-to cleanser once or twice a week in the morning and almost every night as my first cleanse or both cleanses.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser / PM / Cream
This is what I consider to be my 'big gun' as far as cleansers are concerned. It has ridiculous foaming power, and is an extremely effective cleanser. This is what I use when I've put my skin through a long day, or feel that my skin needs a sort of restart. It leaves my skin more squeaky clean than the Clean and Clear cleanser, but it is gentle enough to use twice in a day or everyday. For me, I tend to use this only once or twice a week because it can feel a bit drying.

Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Cleansing Gelee / PM / Gel with microbeads
To me this is a mix of the Clean & Clear and La Roche-Posay cleanser because it starts off as a cool gel cleanser and as you work the product the beads pop and the cleanser foams quite a bit. I have started using this almost every Sunday night.

Do you also have a cleanser rotation or do you stick to one? What are your favorite cleansers?

Katherine

Wet n Wild Megalast: Club Havana

I am finally getting around to using the polishes I got from the Wet n Wild Megalast basket I told you guys about a few posts ago!

Color:

This is an opaque true orange polish. The first coat offers great color, but I prefer to use two coats on my nails because I like the vibrancy and almost gel-like look.

Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin

Ever since I finished my Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Foaming Cleanser I've been looking for a new gel cleanser to fill its spot in my cleanser lineup.

I have to admit that in recent years I've always skipped the Clean and Clear section of the drugstore because last time I tried a product by C&C my skin could not handle the super strength punch the cleanser provided. However, I decided to try this cleanser because I had a really generous coupon, it's inexpensive ($5.49), and Paula's Choice had a really positive review of it.

And my verdict?

Love/Hate: Politics

I thought this was highly appropriate, given what's actually happening in Washington right now...

"We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons, we passed laws, struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and we cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it; it didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn't scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore."

Two Olay Cleansers with Micro-Beads

Olay is probably my absolute favorite drugstore skincare brand, so naturally whenever the need arises for me to replace a product or a new skincare need develops I naturally gravitate toward Olay products. I recently picked up these two products with high expectations.

Pretty in pink with an accent of metallic glitter

You've probably seen this combo everywhere on Pinterest...figured I'd finally try it myself!

Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti-Aging Revitalizing Foaming Cleanser

I am so excited to do this empties / review post because I honestly think this may be my first completely used up skin product ever! I am somewhat notorious for buying a lot of products I never completely use because I always have multiple products per category. On top of that, I used to be terrible about following a routine so it takes me forever to work through a product. OK, confession: before I started wearing makeup, on some nights I'd go to sleep after just washing my face with water. I know, it's really terrible. But I'm totally reformed now, I promise!!

Before you dwell on what I just told you and I lose all credibility let's just talk about this product, shall we?

I bought this Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti-Aging Revitalizing Foaming Cleanser a while back, before my new found obsession with skincare, and to be honest I never really saw this product with the same level of excitement that as my more recently purchased cleansers. I'm not exactly sure why that is--maybe because the packaging isn't as cute? However, time and time again I find myself reaching for this cleanser over my new ones. I guess to me, this is like that old frayed sweater you don't wear out to wow anyone with, but love wearing whenever you just want to be comfortable.

Hello October

Breaking Bad is over.

The government has shut down.

And it's October already.

I need to buy a planner. ASAP.