Tag: mascara

6 Beauty Must-Haves For When You’re Running Out of Time!

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Hit the snooze button one too many times and now are cinched for time? Did a friend just call you out of the blue for an awesome event but you’ve been binge-watching shows on Netflix all afternoon in your jammies? Before you panic, here are 6 essential beauty items you will need to look polished in less than twenty minutes!

Concealer

I don’t know about you, but concealer is my holy grail since I’ve been cursed with hereditary undereye circles, so you’ll never see me without it. But if you’re blessed to be dark circles free, then you can still use concealer to hide any problem spots, acne, discoloration, or to brighten up your eyelid. (The concealer pictured above is CoverGirl Vitalist Healthy Concealer in Fair, $8.54 at Wal-Mart).

Eyebrow Marker

If you’re trying to be quick, but at the same time don’t want to deal with powders, pomades, or pencils, an eyebrow marker is your best bet! There’s no sharpening involved, and the small felt tip is so small that it makes for precise feather strokes for a natural finish! (The eyebrow marker pictured above is NYX Eyebrow Marker in Medium, $9.75 at https://www.nyxcosmetics.com).

Mascara

Since the rest of your eye is going to be bare, that means that your lash game has got to on point. So grab the most voluminizing mascara you own and apply three generous coats (after curling them with an eyelash curler of course!). This is really going to make your eyes POP. (Mascara pictured above is from Medusa’s Makeup Witch Lash in Black Noir, $12 at https://medusasmakeup.com).

Lipstick

When you’re in a hurry but still want to look like you didn’t just roll out of bed, then aim for the brightest or boldest lip colour you’ve got. I usually go with reds or raspberry tones, because since the rest of your face is pretty simple, a bold lip will lift your whole face and make you look perky, sophisticated, and instantly glamorous. Never underestimate the power of bold lips! (Liquid lipstick pictured above is from Medusa’s Makeup Lip Paint in Bang, $12 at https://medusasmakeup.com).

Blush

Few of us are blessed with rosy cheeks and if you’re on the pasty side like me, blush is your savior for that healthy glow. (Blush pictured above is from Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Paaarty, $29 at Ulta).

Setting Spray

Need to skip some steps? Then you can cut out powder and reach directly for your setting spray as this will lock the look you’ve got as well as keep any oiliness at bay and lock in moisture. (Setting Spray pictured above is Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, $32 at https://www.urbandecay.com).

Since these items are only six, these are also easy enough to slip into a small makeup bag to bring with you always whenever you’re on the run!

Which items would you have added to your list?

By: Azzurra Nox

Review: Medusa’s Makeup Witch Lash Mascara

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It’s been several years now that I’ve been trying to primarily use Vegan cosmetics. At the moment I’m really digging Medusa’s Makeup, cause not only is it vegan, but it’s also cruelty-free, and crazily edgy. This makeup has attitude and wearing it gives you a boost akin to wearing rock star stiletto boots.

What It Is: A lengthening and volumizing mascara

What It Does: This mascara not only does it lengthen lashes, and gives you an incredible boost, but the flexible rubber brush enables you to separate lashes—say goodbye to clumpy lashes forever!

Verdict: To say that I’m in love with it would be quite the understatement, as I am PASSIONATELY in love with this mascara! So much so, that this is my go-to mascara on a daily basis for the past four months! And since this brand is all about giving an edge to everything they do, this mascara not only comes in Black, but also in Electric Blue and Twilight (a navy shade). Apart from lengthening, volumizing, and separating lashes, this mascara also lasts ALL DAY without every smudging or budging or anything at all! It stays immaculate and perfect all day! But the removal is also very easy, any eyemakeup remover will do and you don’t have to rub it off as it happens with so many mascaras, so that’s always a bonus! If you can’t tell, I simply love this product and will most repurchase (I initially received this product in one of my Medusa’s Makeup monthly subscription boxes).

Price: $12

Where To Buy It: https://medusasmakeup.com/collections/mascara

By: Azzurra Nox

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Review: L’Oreal Voluminous Superstar X Fiber Mascara

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It’s no secret that one of my longest standing go-to mascara favourites is L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara, so when I noticed that L’Oreal came out with a new and improved version of it, I couldn’t wait to check it out.

What It Is: Super-Volumized, Super-Extended, X-Treme Superstar Lashes

What It Does: The Black Primer portion of the mascara delivers extreme volume and depth, whilst the Fiber Infused Mascara portion create extreme length.

Distinguishing Factors: Primer and mascara. Primer creates a black lash base whilst the fiber mascara helps with extending the length of your lashes.

Verdict: What I love about this mascara is that you have both primer and mascara in one handy wand! The primer that comes with mascara is black, rather than white, which helps cut down on the waiting time (cause I usually wait for the white primers to dry up a little before adding the mascara). This black primer is created so that there is no wait time, and it helps prepare the lashes for the fiber mascara. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the fiber mascara formula. Fiber mascara means that there are little tiny fibers in the mascara that attach to the lashes and thus helps with creating a lengthening look to each individual lash. This mascara DOES deliver in helping with length if that’s your concern but it also helps with volume if that’s what you seek. I also love that this mascara was neither clumpy nor did it ever feel heavy. Bonus, there’s no flaking, smudging, or fall-out all day! Instead, what you do get is defined, extra-voluminous, and long lashes without the hassle of falsies or extensions! A definite win/win in my book.

Price: $10.99

Where To Buy It: https://www.lorealparisusa.com

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By: Azzurra Nox

 

Review: Dior Diorshow Mascara

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I was very excited when I received this product in Allure’s December Beauty Box! I’ve always wanted to try out Dior mascaras, since many people rave about how amazing they are and how much better your lashes will look. But I also never was willing to shell-out the money needed because, what if it was just all hype ya know?

What It Is: Lenghtening/Voluminizing Mascara

Distinguishing Factors: It was specifically designed to grab the right amount of mascara product from the tube and position it on the bristles in a way that each and every lash gets coated with the same amount of product. Absolutely no clumping!

Verdict: This mascara DOES deliver, there’s no doubt about it. And I can see why many celebrities and beauty gurus swear by it. However, as much as I do love it, for the price, I don’t think it’s that amazing. The mascara does lengthen lashes and give them volume (always a bonus!). And the brush itself is the shangri-la of mascara brushes (no clumps and perfect product distribution throughout the lashes). But I don’t know if the mascara itself (meaning the actual black goop) is that revolutionary or radically different from a drugstore brand. All in all though, I would recommend this product and am enjoying it very much.

Price: 28.50

Where To Buy It: Dior.com

By: Azzurra Nox

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Review: Covergirl Total Tease Mascara

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What It Is: Lengthening and volumizing mascara.

What It Does: Creates full, long, refined, sexy teased lashes.

Verdict: Let me just say that I’ve always been a huge fan of Covergirl cosmetics. In fact, they were the first brand I turned to when I began my venture in makeup at the tender age of twelve, with their Covergirl Lipslicks Lipsticks (not sure if they still have this line, but it was a line of lipbalm glosses that offered sheer colour for the lips). Now, having said that, this product is simply AWFUL. The lashes barely get coated with enough product to lift them, and the bristles themselves aren’t sturdy enough to lift and coat the lashes, so it makes for a weird application. Once you do turn the wand over to use the teasing side of the brush, it doesn’t do much but create a mess because since the bristles aren’t sturdy enough they never truly define nor separate the lashes. The best place for this product? In the trash. If you happen to have this product and it works for you, then kudos, but it seriously did nothing for me and it was so terrible that I just couldn’t see myself using it again.

Price: $7.94

Where To Buy It: https://www.covergirl.com

By: Azzurra Nox

 

Review: L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise

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What It Is: Voluptuous volume and lengthening mascara

What Is Does: This mascara is designed to volumize and lengthening your lashes in a way that no other mascara has done before!

Distinguishing Factors: More than 200 bristles on the wand to truly grip and coat every single lash and a silky formula that makes lashes soft and voluptuous, never cakey or dry, brittle lashes!

Verdict: I’ve been wanting to try this mascara now for the past month. I’ve always been a fan of L’Oreal’s Voluminous mascara, and opted to get this mascara in Blackest Black. The brush truly helps with a smooth, even application and the formula is really soft like coating your lashes in silk. Like the other Voluminous mascaras in the series, this too delivered in volume and length. My lashes tripled in size and just looked crazily glamorous. I’ve applied two coats in the photos, and there are no fake lash inserts, it’s all the mascara’s magic! I truly recommend this mascara if you want beautiful, lush lashes!

Price: $9

Where To Buy It: Ulta, CVS, Amazon, Wal-Mart

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By: Azzurra Nox

Violent Violet Make-up Look!

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Nowadays, it’s far more common that I’ll be sporting a neutral smokey look when it comes to eye-makeup. But when I was just a teenager, I LOVED bold purple shadows. I think one of the reasons why I stopped doing my eyes that way wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy the purple shadows anymore, but rather because in the coming years it has been difficult to find shades of violet that I actually like and suit me.

But recently I’ve found a violet shadow that I adore, and decided to start sporting the same makeup look I had when I was sixteen to see if I’d still love it today. Well, I probably wouldn’t wear it everyday now, but I do think it’s a pretty option every now and then.

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Products*:

Notoriously Morbid Eyeshadow – Siren Song

Wet N’ Wild Eyeshadow – Creme Brullee

Urban Decay Eyeshadow – Anaheim

Urban Decay Eyeshadow – Romp

Urban Decay Eyeshadow – Blonde

L’Oreal Mascara Primer

L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black

NYX Eyebrow Marker in Medium

Jeffree Star Liquid Lip Velour in Rose Matter

Urban Decay Glow Blush in Score

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara in Black

Lancome Le Crayon Khol in Blanc

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Step One:

I distributed Notoriously Morbid’s loose shadow in Siren Song all over my lid. I really packed on the colour. Be sure to use an eyeshadow primer as that truly makes the colour POP. Usually I use Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, but I decided to get Wet n’ Wild eyeshadow primer a go and it works just as well at a fraction of the price!

Step Two:

To not overwhelm the purple, it’s best to use a neutral transition colour on the crease. I opted for Urban Decay’s Anaheim shade. I dusted it with a light hand using a blending brush. I then placed Wet N’ Wild’s Creme Brullee shade all over my brow bone and lightly dusted Urban Decay’s Blonde shade on my brow bone to highlight it.

Step Three:

I then used Urban Decay’s Romp shade (a deep purple) as my liner for upper and lower lashes. It’s an eyeshadow, but I often like to use shadows as liner when I’m trying to keep the look light and not product heavy. I then used Lancome’s Le Crayon Khol in Blanc on the inside of my lower lash line.

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Step Four:

After curling my lashes with an eyelash curler, I used L’Oreal’s Primer to coat my lashes. I allowed ten seconds to dry before applying three coats of L’Oreal’s Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black and one coat of Smashbox’s Full Exposure Mascara to my lower lashes. For my brows I used NYX’s Eyebrow Marker in Medium. This is hands-down the best and most lightweight eyebrow I’ve ever used! So kudos to NYX for making such a kick-ass product that is long-lasting and smudge free!

Step Five:

To complete the look I dusted Urban Decay’s Glow blush in Score and added Jeffree Star’s Liquid Velour Lipstick in Rose Matter to my lips.

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Now slip into something edgy and go out to show off your look! Let me know what your fave purple shadows are in the comments below!

*All products used for this look were purchased by the writer.

By: Azzurra Nox

Review Beauty Counter Mascara

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One thing you need to know about this Santa Monica based cosmetic company, is that their mission is, “to get safer products into the hands of everyone.” The cosmetic brand relies on their non-toxic approach when it comes to creating their products. I didn’t know about this company until I found their lengthening mascara in Allure’s February Beauty Box.

Now, the notion of using non-toxic mascara on my peepers is truly reassuring cause seriously, who wants dangerous chemicals around their eyes? So I decided to give it a spin and see how good this mascara really is.

First off, the packaging is simple, yet sleek, which I don’t mind, because I prefer a no-frills approach when it comes to packaging as long as the product delivers. And let me tell you that this mascara is Va-Va-Voom-AMAZING! This mascara not only lengthens your lashes, but adds a much needed oomph of volume to them too.

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The photos below show me wearing the mascara (two coats only!).

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What I also loved about the mascara is that I was able to wear it from 7 a.m. Till 9 p.m. Without smudging, crumbling, but rather it was intact. Another plus is that the removal process is hassle-free (there’s nothing worse than having to rub the mascara off).

It retails for $29 and is currently available to order at: http://www.beautycounter.com/

*Products reviewed in this post were purchased by blogger.

By: Azzurra Nox