The Masterpiece Max mascara.

Ok, so I gave in and brought the Max Factor Masterpiece Max mascara.

I like.

Max Factor say that it is a high volume & definition mascara. What is more, is that the high volume is supposedly sleek and smooth.

Here are some pics and my thoughts.

As you can see, Masterpiece Max certainly adds length and is a little remniscent of Lash Extension. Like the Lash Ext, Masterpiece Max is so simple to apply neatly.

Yes, Masterpiece Max does clump very occasionally (I don't think I've ever seen a clump, Lash Ext style) but we'll skim this little blip as these brush out very easily maybe because the Max product is not at all gloopy or inky.

For me, Masterpiece Max adds some volume but I was more amazed by the amazing length and definition that it gave the lashes giving me a very groomed and defined (or in Max Factor terms, sleek and smooth) look.

Max Factor claim that the high tech iFX brush beautifully frames your eyes.

Given!

I love the fact that the light brush (as old fashioned and simple as it looks) coats each lash easily. I've recently reinvested in a lash curler but to be honest with this mascara, I don't need it. This mascara magically opens my eyes, all on its own.

I'd say Masterpiece Max is a safe mascara that sits at a great price point for us neutral lovers out there. It is currently £9.99 in Boots and Superdrug  This mascara has reminded me of the good work that a Max Factor mascara can do. I'm not sure why I look so shocked!

I will certainly finish the tube and consider purchasing again.

For those a little braver with colour and a yearning for drama (Little Sis, I'm looking at you), I would love to know if Masterpiece Max works for you.

Oh, I do like to play with mascara . You know I've done a few mascara reviews now. I think I might have pull together a post sort of ranking them and my thoughts. Hmm, any excuse to rebuy Volume Million, I hear you say. You might be right. So not sensible for me but I miss that gem. Volume Million and all its drama seemed to equal days off and nights out for me.

I hope you are all doing ok.

X

The ok and the lashtastic!

I do like a good mascara and this is something I now expect from Max Factor even though (until recently), I've only tried two of their mascaras, the Lash Extension Effect (my review here) and the False Lash Effect (review here). However, both of these worked so well that in my head Max Factor now equals mighty fine mascaras!

Therefore, I was very excited when the False Lash Effect Fusion mascara came out. Max Factor boasted of its volumising brush and lengthening formula which together would create incredible lash glamour.

Yay, it was all quite remniscent of Bambi!

However, I landed with a bit of a bump when I tried the Fusion. It is ok (and indeed, my sister has been looking lashtastic of late, this being her mascara of choice. Side thought, does it work better for blondes?!) but for me,  Fusion does not fall in the premier league with its predecessors.

Fusion gave me some extra length and some extra volume but on both counts, not to a degree, that I would consider incredible. I felt as if I really needed to work with it to catch all of my lashes including the little tiny ones and then once, I'd caught them all. It was hard to resist putting on just another layer. No number of layers really seemed enough for me. I currently (I go through phases with how I want my lashes to look) like very dark, glossy lashes all the way to the roots. However, I found this formula quite dry (granted, I think I have a waterproof version), occasionally flaky and not particularly, black.

This mascara did something for me but not as much as either Lash Extension effect or False Lash Effect and this was disappointing as Max Factor's suggestion that I could create my most impactful look yet led me to expect something more.

On the other side of the coin, we have My Blackest Lashes from Prestige (purchased after reading this rave from Sandra ) which indeed I likey.

A lot!

And maybe you can see why in the pics below. We have the Max Factor Fusion on the left eye and the Prestige on the right.

After one layer:

After two layers:

After building the layers as much as I can for wearable made up lashes:

Hmm, quite a difference. The Prestige makes a great impact but is also quite high maintanance, it smudged and clumped easily but once combed through, the lashes had a fantastic very glossy finish with some lift. However, the Fusion look was not particularly inky and it didn't matter how many layers I added, the ends of my lashes looked whispy.
My Blackest Lashes reminds me of Volume Million Lashes from L'Oreal (see my review here). Blackest Lashes is also very inky and can even be quite messy to apply and once on, it does seem to smudge easily. Although, those with a bit more grace then me will probably get a neater finish. However, MBL does deliver more smudges then most other mascaras with my clumsy mitts. Think ten instead of two or three!

Yet, all this I can forgive as My Blackest Lashes gives me lashes with a capital L.  This mascara delivers lashes that can not be missed which is why you either have to try and ignore the smudges it can create around the eyes or find a way around that mess.

I opt for the latter and have found one way to keep the eye area smudge free is to use the Prestige carefully to lengthen, volumise and Bambise. This takes maybe two coats at the most and then I use the Fusion over the top to waterproof and dry out the inky Prestige. This is what I did in the picture above and it seems to move me closer to my most impactful look yet (I think Volume Million  still posesses that crown but this combo, a notch or two down, is more wearable every day). You know, the one that the Fusion promo suggests!

At the moment, I would say without a doubt that I would happily buy My Blackest Lashes again. It is better value for money then the similar L'Oreal Volume Million which I think lingers around the the £11 something mark compared to a £6/7 mark for Prestige. Both tubes, I believe showed signs of drying out in about a month to six weeks.

In the day, I'd still want another safety blanket mascara layered on top of My Blackest Lashes. However at night, I'll throw my lashanoia to the wind and whack another layer of MBL on instead and then smoke it out. I think this Prestige mascara is a winner for such a look. Smudges and all!

I don't think I would buy Fusion (especially at the £11+ mark) again unless of course, my sister is going to share her secret! I think instead I would opt for Lash Extension or False Lash Effect depending on the look that I'm going for. Then again, there are a few Max Factor and L'Oreal mascaras that I haven't tried yet.

Hmm, could this be a 'To be continued. . .'?! ;)

Have you tried any of these mascaras? Any thoughts or other lashtastic recipes?

X

All about the lashes. Always!

Isn't it so?!

For me anyway, it seems there has been times when that is all it is about, the lashes. Okay, when it not about the hair or the scent but over the last year, I have tried four (and fallen for at least three) new mascaras, interestingly all from either L'Oreal or Max Factor. There was the Double Extension Tubes, the Lash Extension Effect, the Million Lashes and now, the False Lash Effect.

Max Factor's latest release claims to double lash size to give the impact of false lashes.

False lashes, no glue?!

Kerching!

It is no wonder that this ended up in my mitts.

Here are my lashes before application.

Here are my lashes after one coat.

And finally, here are my lashes with a couple more coats.

To be honest, I think that on some lashes, it looks like I may gone a coat too far. In fact, one coat of this mascara would maybe have been enough if it applied uniformly but I always seem to miss some lashes in my clumsy application. I think it may be that I am not used to the fat brush, Max Factor's biggest mascara brush ever.

I just can't quite catch all the lashes. You can see clearly in the last picture of my lashes where I've caught the same ones again and again.

The fact that you need to use so little of the formulation to coat the lashes reminds me of the L'oreal Million Lashes. However, this formulation is not so inky or messy. There are the occasional smudges especially when I try to get those more obsure lashes but I have found any residue easy to wipe away.

Actually I think False Lash Effect falls between the two mascaras that have previously worn my Holy Grail mascara crown. False Lash Effect transforms the lashes and gives results almost as dramatic and divaish as the Million Lashes but the finished lash line also has some definition, seperation and certainly a whole lot of extra length. So in that way, I find it similar to the Lash Extension Effect.

I'm liking the middle ground where this mascara stands. Sometimes when I find a mascara that delivers extreme results then I love it for a month or two but then as it dries out, I find myself craving something a little different. Lash Extension was great but I have mentioned before that that evantually I just got a little bored of been able to slap my mascara on each morning without thinking about it. On the other hand, when I first tried Million Lashes, it made me feel like some glamorous star but it soon got tiresome blotting the brush and the smudges away each morning before work.

In False Lash Effect, I may have found my compromise. There are clumps but in reality, I think these are less in your face then they seem to be in this pictures. False Lash Effect does look false to a degree, it does look not look natural but it still looks in place. The final thing that I love about is this mascara is, despite quite a heavy formulation, it seems to curl the lashes and seems to really open the eye area up which makes me look wide awake which can only be good at 6.30 in the morning.

I know that False Lash Effect seems quite popular. Have you tried it? What do you think? What is your favourite mascara? Am I missing out on any other amazing lash jackets?

Oh and the eye shadow is one of faves at the moment (when I'm wearing shadow at all. With mascaras such as this one, I don't always bother).

It is Frosted Almond from Front Cover. The colour is great and the quality is ok so you might see it here again sometime.

X
PS One to follow: The Beauty Blog Of A Giddy Princess

Mascara, mascara . . !

When I brought the Max Factor Lash Extension Effect mascara earlier in the year, I thought it would be my favourite forever. You will find an earlier rave here http://essjay23x.wordpress.com/2010/02/14/happy-valentines-day/

I was wrong.

Let me introduce you to my new best friend, Volume Million Lashes, from L'Oreal.

I am shallow.

This mascara may look all classy, ladylike, sleek and striking in it's gorgeous gold tube but Million Lash is actually a lot more demanding then Lash Extension yet J'adore!

One of the things I loved about Lash Extension -and let there be no doubt about it- was that it really did extend how long my lashes look. I've done a post and you've seen the pics but I would say that Lash Extension Effect probably extended my lashes by about a third and yet they always looked natural. I am very clumsy when it comes to make up and grooming. I can be slap dash and boy, can I product overload but no matter how many coats of this mascara I lashed on, my lashes were always perfectly defined, ever so long and clumpless.

Perfect.

Yep almost too much so.

To be honest, it got a bit boring. I was applying the same product every day and getting exactly the same pay off no matter what I did. So samey that I guess I wasn't even noticing (let alone cherishing) what the clever old Lash Extension was doing anymore. We needed a break so maybe it was good that Lash Extension seemed to dry up quite quickly (and started clumping ever so slightly) probably within eight weeks.

Enter Volume Million Lashes!

This really is a mascara to get the party started (what a cheesy line). It is so different from Lash Extension. This mascara makes such a statement and is quite extreme to the degree that I would imagine it will gleam equally extreme love/hate reviews.

It is not particularly easy to apply or to play down. It is very black (which I like since the shade I chose was Black) and seems to coat the lashes with the slightest touch. It can very quickly add some length and volume giving the false lash effect within seconds but be careful, because it only takes a coat more to do the not so fetching spider thing. I imagine this is how mascara was back in the day when it was first discovered/created?!

This mascara is heavy but you can wear it in the day with the right attuide, the right make up and a very slight hand.

However for me, this is first and foremost my glam mascara as with this in my collection then there really is no other choice for nights out and special occasions. It seems to do everything. It adds length not as much as Lash Extension but still, it adds volume, it curls and it almost seems to comb through my lashes and give them some direction.

I have difficulty applying false lashes but am quite confident that if I look after my lashes daily then I should be able to build a look, to compete with false lashes, using this mascara. I feel that Lash Extension was overshadowed and disappeared when worn in heavier eye looks and with dazzledusts. I might be wrong (though I don't think so) but I can not imagine this mascara ever been in the shadows.

Here are some pictures.
These show just a couple of coats across the lashes.

With Lash Extension.

With Million Lashes.

These show the mascaras built up with a few more layers.

With Lash Extension

With Million Lashes

Please bear in mind that Lash Extension has dried out  but I think you will all still agree, a Million Lashes just looks more complete. However it is not as effortless as Lash Extension.

Apparently there is an anti-clump wiper in the L'Oreal tube. Well, lets just say that the Million Lashes formulation overpowers it. In the same way that I never got clumps with Lash Extension (until it started to dry), I always get clumps, to some degree, with Million Lashes. You will get clumps and they are a devil to get rid of. In fact, you probably won't succeed so just try to keep the clumps quite small by making sure that the mascara wand has a minimal amount of formulation on before you paint your lashes. Small clumps sitting at the roots are not going to ruin your look in fact, they can help to line the eyes and add a little something to your look.

This mascara does smudge and takes a minute or so to dry. If you do big, open eyes before it is dry then you are likely to end up with dots on your upper eye lid and in your eye socket. The formulation is soft but thick.

When I first used this L'Oreal tube, there was an overpowering chemical scent but I have not noticed this so much recently.

I am finding it quite hard to remove Million Lash (to apply my L'Oreal Lash Serum). I have been using make up remover but I remember with the L'Oreal Double Tubes, you had to use warm water and this dissolved the tubes. Any ideas what to use with Million Lash? I don't want to pull my lashes out just to clean.

I brought Million Lashes in Boots about ten days ago, it was on offer for £7.99. I think the normal retail price is about the same as Lash Extension (£10.99?). Lash Extension has 6.5ml of product and Million Lashes 9ml.

Oh and by the way Girls, I mentioned that I'm using the L'Oreal Lash Serum. Tell me, do I want to buy RapidLash from Boots? I can not decide. The lash serum is more to keep my lashes healthy and looking their best, I think RapidLash should help them grow like Ardell and Lipocils.

However, Laura, Lollipop26 http://www.lollipop26writes.com/2010/06/rapidlash.html, actually seemed to lose lashes but the lure of longer, longer lashes is tempting me. Please let me know if you have used RapidLash before or will be buying it. I'd love to know what you think. By the time I decide (funny how in the end, I know that I'm going to give it a go) there'll be none left anyway.

So Max Factor, L'Oreal, RapidLash, eye products. . , any thoughts?

X

Some little things and . . ?!

Sometimes I change my mind or discover something new about the products that I have been using and may have mentioned so today, I just wanted to keep you people updated with a couple of things.


MUA Nail Varnish

I posted about one of these recently. It was shade 10. I know I said in my May favourites video on You Tube that it was not really the colour that you would wear out. Well actually, I wore it out on Saturday and I loved it. In some lights it looks quite metallic. A nude with a subtle, tantinglising twist.

In conclusion, I think you can wear this varnish both day and night and that it is great value for £1. I doubt it is a contender for Chanel et al varnishes but neither do I apply it and immediatly think ‘Bargain bucket’. I’m also very impressed by the drying time, it is mega quick!


Creme de la Femme.

I love this. I know that I have compared it to to Snob and I would still say there is a resemblance between them but the two shades are actually quite different color-wise. You can see this in the photos below.

Snob!

Creme de la Femme

I am actually finding Creme de la Femme, easier to wear. Again, it is darker and a tinge closer to red then the pinky Snob. I think Creme de la Femme is closer to my natural lip shade and needs less maintenance as the colour wears away. Patching is less evident and it just seems ever so slightly more classy and mature over the course of a day or night.

I have also said that I would wear Creme de Femme when I want the lips to do the talking but actually I have since found that Creme de la Femme is more versatile then that. I have since used it to accompany smoky eyes and this lippie merges in to such a look and plays a meagre supporting role just fine. It lends the lips just enough polish to keep them looking in synch with the rest of the ‘made up’ face without overdoing it. Yep, I admit that my flirtation with Creme de Femme is growing deeper and deeper each day. Really like!


Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara

This is still a great product and does exactly what it claims but the tube seems to have dried out quite quickly. Then again I have been using it quite frequently.

Anyhow, nevertheless I think that ‘m getting just a little bit bored of using this mascara every single day.

The mascara is ok for an everyday look but if I’m going out or want a little extra pisazz, I find myself mixing it with a couple of layers of the beauty tubes mascara. Sometimes I use the primer, sometimes I don’t.

For the first time in my life, I’m actually craving clumps. They can give my look an extra dimension and lend a bit of a ‘cool’ factor!

Green tea

I feel much better in myself and more energetic since I have been drinking tea. However, I have noticed that if I drink the tea on an empty stomach, I do get awfully nauseous within about ten minutes of consumption and a couple of times have been physically sick. I have felt this with a couple of different brands of green tea and regardless of the brand, it seems if I ever green tea on an empty stomach, it really does make me feel sick. It is a horrible travel type nausea too. That horrible that I will not be having green tea on an empty stomach anymore and am keeping a close eye on the situation. I’ve never heard others say of this before. Have you?

And finally there was going to be a pretty bag but uploading issues again so expect a post very soon.

So Girlies, have you got any purchases or products that you want to rave about, diss or update on? Remember I’m on a mission so keep me informed.

X

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