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?

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A Benefit FOTD!

For me at the moment, it is all about Benefit! I think the Glamour promotion got me digging out my Benefit products again. As you all know I am currently besotted with Benefit Frenched so I decided to give the other Benefit products a chance to shine and do a Benefit FOTD.


So here we are

FACE

Some Kind of Gorgeous Foundation faker

Erase Paste

It Stick

Coralista

(Touch of Mac Mineralise SkinFinish in Light to Medium)

EYES

Erase paste

Birthday Suit Creme Shadow

Skinny Jeans Creme Shadow

Eye Bright

Bad Gal liner

Get Bent Mascara

LIPS

Skinny Dip

I like this look. It is perfect for everyday. Boring maybe but quite tidy and groomed. I feel comfortable wearing it.

I’m not too worried about the lipstick wearing away and leaving patches. Skinny Dip is an ideal nude for me (and one that seems to last a few hours), it is like a mauvy peach. Not as peach as Hue but not as pink as Angel. I have just made a You Tube video about Frenched and Skinny Dip http://www.youtube.com/user/essjay23x and when I was swatching I found that the Benefit lipsticks seemed more pigmented then MAC.

For the eye make up, there is also little to fret about. I’m not thinking is this eye make up too much or too bright! It does just enough to highlight my eyes. It is very rare that I wear the creme shadows as the eye look. Normally I use them as a base in the same way that I would use my MAC paint tube or Erase paste. It is slightly more subtle then powder shadows but there is certainly colour there. Birthday Suit is a lovely light brown shade remniscent of Satin Taupe from MAC. While Skinny Jeans is probably the equilivent to Carbon. However, it is not quite as black more a dark grey and does need building up for impact. These Benefit shadows are meant to be creaseless. Um, not on me but my shadows are old and my application amateurish so I would imagine that most of you could get a better finish and to be honest, even my creases wouldn’t stop me from picking up these shadows for an everyday look again. I do like the added sheen, the subtle gloss, that you seem to get with these creme shadows but I find the shadows have a very subtle impact on the ovarall look. Somehow the color impact from the pot seems to disappear when applied to my skin, as if my skin sucks it up or something. I know that Lisa Eldridge has done a tutorial for a Smoky eye using only Cream Shadows but I would be surprised if a cream look could ever have as much impact on my eyes as powder. Personally I would use cream shadows to support a powdered eye or alone to complete a look which needed light eye make up.

I have used the Get Bent mascara to slowly wean myself off the Max Factor Lash Extension Effect and it is working a little. The consistenancy of the mascara is similar to the Max Factor one and creates defined lashes with very few, if any, clumps. However, the innotative brush means the lashes are pulled up a little and slightly curls. Sometimes make up seems to close my eyes especially eye liner and mascara, the curl that this product gives lashes creates more of a wide eyed look. Yay!

Oh and going back to the cream shadows, I tried to apply them with a brush but I found that the product seems to get lost in a eye shadow brush and it was just easier to use my fingers THEN a brush to define the edges once the colour was on my lid.

I haven’t really used the Foundation Faker for a long time. I used to use it a lot but the shade is a little dark for me. As with many Benefit face products, I think there are only limited shades available (in this case,2?) and even though I have the lighter one. I find I either need to be tanned or I need to work to ensure good application down my neck and decollatage area. I do love the product concept though because the foundation faker is in a little compact and almost like a cream shadow until it hits your skin and seems to matify. It does work well with the Erase Paste which as you all know is a much loved everyday staple for me. When I did this look, I was also very impressed with some of my Glamour freebies. The Eye Bright does brighten the eye but I’m not sure if you would see a big difference in the final look as to a time when you haven’t used it so I am not sure if i would actually buy this product again. However, the IT stick is magnificent just like my Erase Paste really but in pencil form even the shade for the IT stick suits me. I can see how my skin appears younger and more awake when I have used it. Very, very impressed. So much so that if my worse nightmare happened and when I run of Erase Paste, I can not get a replacement then I would not be so worried if the IT stick was available instead.

As for Coralista, well, it is with this product that I am going to leave you hanging as it is the next in my blush series so expect a review very, very soon.

I hope you are all well. Please let me know what you think of Benefit, I’d love to know! Don’t forget you can follow and comment at http://essjay23x.blogspot.com/ ; http://essjay23x.wordpress.com/ ; http://www.youtube.com/user/essjay23x and http://twitter.com/xessjay23x

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