No-frills Makeup

Mascaras are called the magic wand because they can really open up your eyes, not only making them look more attractive, but fresh and attentive as well. Overdoing it, though (with major clumping!), may make your eyes look heavy or sometimes even inappropriate for work. For me, mascara is the second most important thing next to eyeliner as a form of 'basic makeup'.

And my fave drugstore mascara?

Maybelline Magnum Volume Express ($18.90). I bought the brown waterproof version this time. My HG drugstore mascara has always been L'oreal Collagene mascara ($22.90), but I find that costly to keep restocking each time. But Magnum is just as good, and I daresay slightly better in fact!

I picked brown cos I wanted a softer, less stark look. Same idea with choosing a brown eyeliner over black.

I have long lashes, but they hardly have any curl so I love that Magnum's best quality is its ability to hold. And a tip for longer lasting curl? Follow these steps!

1)  Eye makeup done. No mascara yet.

2) Curl your bare lashes starting from the base, middle then end, holding for 3 secs each time.

3) Apply a thin coat of mascara. Just one swipe so that it dries immediately.

4) Now curl your lashes again following the same base, mid, end method.

5) Apply a thicker second coat in a zig-zag upward motion.

6) Done! You can carry on adding more coats to your preference. But Magnum is volumizing enough so two coats is sufficient for me.

7) If you find that your eyes are now top-heavy, go on, apply on your lower lashes too! They need some attention too ;) Start with horizontal downward swipes.

8) Then, vertical downward swipes to reach the invididual lashes.

9) Now, you're really done! Strut along like you've had a full 8 hours of sleep, but actually it was only 4 hours! Make sure you conceal your dark rings sufficiently beforehand and you're good to go.

I absolutely love that the Magnum mascara gives the wispy lashes effect, rather than a clumpy effect. The holding power is a winner too! My lashes stay curled till the end of the day. The slight V-shape of the wand also helps to lift the lashes better :)

Nothing bad I have to say about this mascara, except that I wish the non-waterproof version offers this much hold! Waterproof versions naturally have better holding power than non-waterproof ones because of its high wax and oil content which hardens and helps retain shape. I am always too lazy to painstakingly remove every trace of mascara off with a proper makeup remover!

Thanks for reading. So what's YOUR favourite drugstore mascara?

L'oreal Hip Mascara High Intensity Pigments in Blue Black. If you're keen to know how much/where I got it from, read this previous entry.

This mascara promises 10x the volume but in truth, it volumizes, but not to the dramatic effect that I assumed. It is great at separating & lengthening, but not quite of holy-grail status. I still prefer L'oreal's Ultra-volume Collagene (read my review here) which has been my favourite drugstore mascara till now. Here are some comparison pictures.

One coat

Weird angle shot, I know. Don't get horrified by my eyeballs :p

Two coats

The HiP mascara is quite bleah with one coat, but with two, it's comparable to the Collagene mascara. But the downside is that, the HiP mascara clumps!

Both are equally volumizing, but the Collagene mascara is more fibrous, thus better at lengthening. HiP is also quite flaky as some dry bits of the mascara shed off. The positive side is that I love that it is a dark black (doesn't even look blue at all!) and holds curled lashes throughout the day. This HiP mascara isn't waterproof, but it works for me becos I've always prefered non-waterproofed ones anyway for easier removal.

And if I were to rate it...

HiP Mascara: 7/10

Collagene: 8.5/10 - still my HG mascara ;)

As for the Milani bronzer in Sunset Shores..

If you're into the baked-in-the-sun look rather than the subtle radiant glow, then this is for you. The brown doesn't quite work for my skin tone (I think it works best on fairer skin), but it's great for contouring. There are micro pigments, but when applied to the face, it appears matte. But I'll still use this for days when I really wanna look like I just came back from the Bahamas or something, but definitely not something I'll wear everyday :p

There are other shades available to try too! Sunset City from this Sunset Duo collection is highly raved on Makeupalley (4.8/5.0), but too bad that shade isn't available from the blogshop I bought from :(

Hope these reviews have been useful!