Drugstore Diaries: Mascara Comparisons

I'm not a big drinker, so I don't do pub crawls. But I  am a beauty lover, so a mascara crawl is more in line with my priorities.  And that is exactly what I did. Popping in to drugstores here and there picking up a mascara each time to see how they compare to each other and to some of my favorite high end formulas. Now it should be said before we proceed that I prefer a big, bold, daring, in-your-face lash, just so you have a reference. Throughout my trials, I found one or two I liked but nothing that took me permanently away from my holy grails (this one and this one are everything in my opinion). But I haven't tried them all, so I will always continue to shop, browse, try, obsess over.....all in the name of beauty blogging aka beauty delusion. Here is a peek at each mascara and how they looked on my lashes:

1. Revlon Lash Potion - This gives a nice delicate lash - great length and a separated look. I did however have trouble building this up to the intensity I prefer. I think I would use this as a base mascara and build up another on top. See? I told you...I need drama!

2. Maybelline Falsies Volume Express Flared - So many people talk about this mascara, but I was quite underwhelmed. It was dark, which I like, but the formula was sticky (for lack of a better term) and it was hard getting a full separated lash. And it smudged in the corners of my eyes. Bummer.

3. Covergirl Clump Crusher by Lashblast - Short, stubby lashes with no oomph. Not for me unfortunately. I know there are a few different clump crusher/lashblast mascaras so perhaps I got the wrong one, and there is a fantastic one out there that I am missing. If so, let me know.  Tweet me @alittlebitetc or leave me a comment below.

4. Loreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara - I pulled out the brush and initially thought "Heck, no!" It looked so measly and miniscule I thought there was no way this could make my lashes look like anything, but then I used it and was pleasantly surprised how much drama this little wand created. Lashes looked separated, long, dark and full. I do wish it was a bit more thickening, but I suppose I can layer.  *pouts slightly*

5. Loreal Power Volume Black Smoke - This was my favorite of the bunch - giving me the most dramatic lash. Long, thick, dramatic (I wish it was a tad bit darker, but now I am just being picky), but there was only one major drawback. Flakes, flakes, flakes! It both flaked and smudged and I was so upset. I felt so fierce leaving the house that morning, lashes in full effect, and then after a few hours, I looked like I had been out for a long night of dancing. Flakes, smudges, raccoon eyes. 

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Drugstore Diaries: Revlon Color Burst Lacquer Balms

The blogs are a-talkin' about these Revlon lip balms, and so far I have only been able to find the lacquer balms.  I am holding out for the matte balms, and hopefully they wow me a bit more than the lacquer ones did.  I purchased both a bold (called Vivacious Exuberante) and neutral (called Demure Reservee), figuring I would love the nude a tad more (because - well, we all know I live for a natural lip), but surprisingly it fell flat for me, while the brighter shade won me over.  Below is a look at the swatches of each color.

They are super easy to apply and feel great on the lips, but the shimmer/glitter in the nude shade, Demure Reservee was too gritty for my lips and actually altered the color to have an odd blue/green tint.  I know, it was weird for me too.  Vivacious Exuberante (these names though?) was less glittery and had a much more buttery smooth finish on the lips, with pigmentation that lasted for a good 4-5 hours.  I love the twist up option rather than having to use a sharpener, and if I can manage to track down the matte balms, I think I may have a stronger fondness for those.  On a side note, I recently bought a Cover Girl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm and was wowed by it - you can see the swatch and review here.  Have you tried these lacquer balms? What are your thoughts and what shades did you love?

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Beauty Bits: Checking Off My List

Making lists Checking things off on a list is one of the great joys of life.  Feeling a sense of accomplishment for completing a task that was important enough to write down - giving yourself the proverbial "gold star" for stellar organization and follow through.  Now imagine if that list was comprised of all beauty items? Swoon.  I regularly keep a running list of items recommended to me, read about or mentioned in a magazine that I must try.  And this past weekend, in the spirit of Olympic goal achievement, I crossed off a bunch of beauty bits that I have been stalking for weeks.  Weather was no deterrent as it was raining buckets on Saturday, I was on a mission.  To. Cross. Things. Off.  And here is what I bought and perhaps some insight as to why (like reason is necessary):

1. Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil - How many times do I need to profess my love for cleansing oils before I am given a lifetime supply?  What does a girl have to do to be with oil for life?  I have talked about the awesomeness that is cleansing oil before, so I was simply expanding my horizons by trying a new one.

2. REN Rosa Centifolia Facial Cleansing Gel - I needed a new morning face wash and the people have been a'talkin bout REN.  Free of all those long words that you learned read about in chemistry, it plays on the more natural team so I thought I would ease into the line with a cleanser.  Stay tuned.

3. OLE Henrickson Truth To Go Wipes - As a precursor to my full makeup unspackling, I like to use a makeup wipe to start the cleansing process.  These were mentioned in a magazine article about what is in each editor's bag when they vacation.  The magazine name escapes me but obviously the product did not. 

4. Lancome Hypnose Drama - embarrassing. humiliating. unacceptable.  I have never tried any of the revered and often dubbed "holy-grail" Lancome mascaras. Any of them. Feel free to judge me. 

5. NARS Velvet Gloss Pencil in Happy Days - I don't like lipgloss. There I said it.  It obviously appeals to my female-beauty addict-lover of sparkly things side, but truth be told - my hair gets stuck in it. ALWAYS.  Maybe I just have extra fly-away hair (a whole other list is forming), or don't know how to hold my head correctly, but I just don't understand how anyone with hair longer than your ears, wears gloss.  That being said, I am really drawn to products that mimic the reflective nature of a gloss but carry less tackiness.  And I love stick lip products -- so I bought a glossy like pencil. Duh.

6. Sally Hansen Gem Crush - Because I need another nail polish. That's why.

7. Revlon Color Stay Brow Enhancer - Again from a recommendation, this time a beauty blogger (Opinion Nothing - read her blog -it's awesome) - I'm such a push-over. It's a tinted waxy stick that claims to color in your brow, while holding them in place.  Double duty. I like it.

8. Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer - I needed a new concealer because I knew Monday was coming and I would be facing disgruntled under-eye bags.  This product was actually not on my list (rogue shopper), but I enjoy concealers with a brush and all good things are spoken of Rimmel.  So I bought it.  I have no self-control, the rain made me do it.

Stay tuned to hear if any of these rock my world.  And while you are tuned, check out my new videos on Viddy and follow along.  You can watch me record quick snippets of my life and then listen to my voice.  I don't have an accent, it's OK.  But what's not OK, is all the blank spots now on my "lists" that will need to be filled with more recommendations.  Tweet me (@alittlebitetc) or comment below with products that I must try.