Thursday 11 August 2011

Great Lengths

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Mascara is my absolute favourite make-up bag essential.  If I had to pick just one piece of make up to use for the rest of my life it would have to be mascara (or maybe concealer, oh, and what about an eyebrow pencil, hmmm a bright lipstick...nevermind).  You get the picture though. It is the one product that instantly makes you feel like your eyes are bigger and brighter, like you are more put together and generally serves as a little daily 'lift'.  Yes, mascara you are wonderful but there are just so many to choose from so where do you begin?  Here are just a few options. Some I love and am utterly committed to, and others are very good value and perhaps worth a try.

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This one is a long shot to get hold of.  It is one of my favourite EVER.  Helena Rubenstein - Long lash waterproof mascara.  It is impossible to find in London (I found mine in Japan after being discontinued in the UK and I bought a load). You can source this product on the internet, it's fairly expensive at about $40.00 (£25.00). It is waterproof and refillable (where, I don't know), It comes in a very glamourous gold metal tube with a vintage feel.  It is packed full of silk fibres for thickening and elongating and has the most unique metal brush I have ever come across.  If you manage to get your hands on it you will never let it go!

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If you are in the market for a new mascara, Armani- Eyes to kill is the one I would most urge you to go out and buy.  Again, it is not cheap at £23.50 ($38.00) and I get mine in Selfridges, London. It is a sound investment for your make-up kit.  Because of the lovely fat, bristly brush it gives the most voluminous effect, blacker than black lashes and it never ever drops.  It lasts all day and gives you tons of extra length.  Can you tell I'm a fan?
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Diorshow mascara from Dior is £22.00 ($35.60) and it was always my go to mascara until I discovered Armani-Eyes to kill.  This is also a brilliant product that has a similar effect.  The brush is once again made from thick and flexible fibres and the results are very dramatic. 

When It comes to mascaras I find the products with this type of brush always perform the best.  The moulded plastic brushes like this are clearly cheaper to manufacture, which is why you find most of the drugstore brands have adopted this type. I feel that they are gimicky and under perform which is always a disappointment .  Although the one linked above is actually one of the better ones because of its formulation.  You could always purchase one of the cheaper mascaras and pop a separate mascara wand like this into it and see what effect you get.
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Here is another Helena Rubenstein one called Lash Queen - Feline Blacks.  It is priced around £23.00 ($37.00). Once again, it has a great brush and the most awesome packaging.  I'm a sucker for unique packaging!
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So lets have a quick look at the cheaper options on the market at the moment.  This is the new one from Mabelline whose Great lash mascara is brilliant and it's still America's number one selling mascara to date.  It is called Lash stiletto voluptuous mascara and is £8.20 ($13.00). It has a fibred brush, albeit bent into a strange shape (another gimmick I'm sure).  Mabelline always creates really good products for the cheaper end of the market and the packaging is in the shape of a stiletto heel. What's not to love? 

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This is Illamasqua's Volume mascara, which is a really decent product and is very reasonably priced at £15.00 ($24.00). It is now on sale at only £5.00 although it appears only to be left in Nocturnal - dark brown and Lewd - royal blue,  but if you were looking to add some colour to your mascara arsenal then at that price you should get them both!
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Last but not least, well actually least by a long way and we're talking cash here.  This is e.l.f's earth and water mascara duo.  It is apparently designed with both regular and a waterproof formulations to choose from (perfect for your summer holiday). Now, I haven't tried this one yet and I rarely review a product that I haven't tested myself but I simply had to with this one as it is only £1.50 ($2.45). What amazing value.  e.l.f (eyes.lips.face) is a great brand for experimental make-up junkies who want to try out a ton of different looks without spending a fortune on products.  You can really behave like a kid in a candy store on their website without any buyers remorse. Have you tried this mascara? What did you make of it?

I could go on and on about mascaras forever and these are just a few out of the hundreds on the market and the ones I like at the moment but that is always subject to change!  Which is your favourite mascara?

Keep your eye out for my second tutorial, coming up next!

1 comment:

  1. You should try Clinique High Lengths, it's amazing!

    http://tulipsandtulle.blogspot.com/

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