Mascara | MakeUpGuineaPig

Mascara June 1, 2018

Kush High Volume Mascara from Milk Makeup – Buzz-Worthy or Half-Baked?

There’s a new vegan mascara in town! This one comes from Milk Makeup and it is the CBD oil-infused (and appropriately named) Kush High Volume Mascara! To be honest, an oil-infused mascara always sounds problematic to me, but I’m all in favor of testing out a new mascara…especially one promising volume! And props to Milk Makeup for not only being an entirely vegan makeup line, but for aiming for the best of all worlds with this vegan mascara! So, have they created a new revolution in mascara, or is it just another gimmick destined to disappear tomorrow? Let’s find out!!!

Highlighter June 22, 2016

5 Cruelty Free Products WORTH the Hype!

If you’re like me and read a lot of beauty blogs or watch a lot of YouTube beauty videos, you surely have noticed that certain products are mentioned over and over and over again. They get a lot of buzz! One always wonders if those products are really as good as they seem, or if there’s just some kind of mob mentality keeping everyone enamored with the same so-so products. Always curious about the next best thing, I often find myself trying those “it” products of the moment just to see if they’re really everything my mind has made them out to be. Well, today we’re going to go through five of those very products that do indeed live up to every glowing review, each overly enthusiastic video and even, of all things, most of the products’ own claims! 🙂 Without further ado, I bring you 5 Cruelty Free Products WORTH the Hype!

Mascara June 3, 2016

A Mascara That Does as it Claims? Testing Soap & Glory’s Thick & Fast Flash Extensions Effect Mascara

Let’s face it. Makeup never looks complete without mascara. Am I right? You can be as minimal or dramatic with the rest of your face as you please, but until the mascara is on, things just don’t quite look finished. So I think it’s fair to say that the quest for the perfect mascara is an on-going mission for most of us. I can’t say that I have that exact holy grail level mascara to discuss today, but it’s definitely one that I’ve been thoroughly enjoying and would have to be up there with my top tier of lash boosters. So what is this wondrous new beauty? Get ready because it’s a mouthful! It’s the Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Flash Extensions Effect Mascara!

Mascara February 10, 2016

A New Superhero? IT Cosmetics’ New Superhero Mascara

It Cosmetics released a new mascara and since I’m a sucker for mascara, I had to give a try! It is called the Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara and comes with quite the claims. “96% said lashes look stretched,” “96% saw dramatic volume & length,” “96% saw plumper looking lashes,” and “100% saw a fuller lash line.” As with most IT products, it’s also loaded with good for you ingredients – peptides, proteins, biotin, collagen and “lash-lifting polymers.” It is also paraben free, Opthamologist tested and suitable for contact lens wearers. Thank you for the interesting claims, but we just want to know how does it really perform? JWell, let’s go through the basics and see if we agree with these superhero-worthy claims!

Collaboration December 19, 2013

Cruelty-Free Drugstore Stocking Stuffers – Holiday Collaboration with Liza & Catherine!!!

Today’s post is Holiday Collaboration with Liza and Catherine! This time around, we are each giving you our recommendations for the 5 Best Drugstore Makeup Products! To give this a Holiday flare, they are also our favorite picks for Stocking fillers. This was a bit of a challenge because figuring out items that could really work for anyone, or where color is not an issue, was rather difficult! J After a lot of brainstorming and searching through my collection, I think I’ve figured out some good picks that any girl would be glad to receive in her stocking this year!

Catherine’s Post

Liza’s Post

My first pick is actually a pencil eyeliner. I absolutely adore the NYX Slide-On Eye Pencils. They are every bit as good as the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencils, but for a fraction of the cost! They are available in tons of colors and can be used as eyeliner on the lid or under the lash line, or they can be placed on the upper or lower waterlines. These pencils can be smudged, but once they set, they stay where you put them…even on the waterlines! They are great for stockings because I think every girl uses a pencil liner at least once in a while for something. As for a color, you can’t go wrong with Black or Brown. The NYX Slide-On Eye Pencils are excellent drug store stocking stuffers that any girl can put to good use!

Sticking with the eyes, every girl needs mascara, right? Everyone probably has a different preference when it comes to mascara, but this is one of my favorite all-around mascaras from the drugstore. It is the Lash Knockout Volumizing Mascara from Flower Beauty. I feel like this is a good mascara for most people because it gives volume, length and holds a curl without becoming crunchy. It is buildable to be semi-dramatic, or you just use one coat for a more natural effect. It can clump if you try to layer too much too fast, but in general, I don’t find it to be an issue. Overall, I think the Flower Beauty Lash Knockout Volumizing Mascara is one most anyone would be happy with!

Another product that I think is great for anyone is from Jordana. It is the 12 Hour Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil. Because shade preference can be rather personal, I would grab one in “Continuous Almond” or “Eternal White” because they make great eyeshadow bases. I personally love “Continuous Almond” because it is the perfect concealing eye primer, at least on my skin tone. It conceals the veins and any discoloration on my eyelids, and it looks great on its own with a touch of liquid liner for a Marilyn Monroe-like look. These pencils are amazing bases for powder shadows because they do not crease, are water-resistant, they are nice and creamy, and have a matte finish that doesn’t compete with any type of powder shadow. The Jordana 12 Hour Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencils are amazing and so multi-purpose that I think they’re wonderful for a stocking!

I’m not entirely sure everyone would count nail polish as makeup, but I do so that’s what I’m choosing next! I think Flower Beauty makes a great polish for an affordable price and the shade “Fanatical Botanical” is a beautiful choice! It’s a metallic rosy-gold that is subtle without being completely unnoticeable. I feel like it would compliment virtually any skin tone and even the polish-phobic would feel comfortable wearing this Nail’d It Nail Lacquer from Flower Beauty!

Finally, I don’t think you can go wrong with a lip color. I’m going to cheat a little bit and give two suggestions because they are very similar and I couldn’t decide between the two. I really love Jordana’s Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains and the All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stains from Hard Candy. Both are twist-up chubby lip pencils that are quite pigmented, while not being intensely opaque. They last pretty much all day, while actually feeling comfortable on the lips. The two formulas have a slightly glossy finish that does fade, but leaves behind a slight stain of color. As for a color, you can’t really go wrong with a nude shade, but I find a red or berry color more fun this time of year! “Rockin’ Rouge” and “Cranberry Crush” are great options from Jordana, while “Red Minx” is a wonderful semi-sheer red from Hard Candy. The Jordana Balm Stains and the Hard Candy Lip Stains are wonderful choices for any girl’s stocking this year!

That does it for my Top 5 Cruelty-Free Drug Store Stocking Stuffers. Add a little bit of foundation, some blush and a bit of concealer, and you pretty much have a full face of makeup! JI hope this was helpful and maybe gave you an idea or two to help fill the stocking of someone special! JDon’t forget to go check out Liza’s and Catherine’s posts as well because I know they always have incredible recommendations! I wish you all a wonderful Holiday season and a very Happy New Year!!! J Thank you so much for stopping by!

Mascara October 30, 2013

What’s Better Than Sex? Too Faced’s New Mascara – Does it Live Up To It’s Claim?!?!

Better Than Sex Mascara? Quite the provocative name! I imagine it gets people talking or giggling about it, so I suppose it’s a great marketing move. In case you hadn’t guessed, today I’m going to talk about the Better Than Sex Mascara from Too Faced. So instead of going on and on about the name, let’s slip into something a little more comfortable and get a bit more intimate with this new mascara! J

When I first saw the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, I felt that it looked and sounded quite promising. However, every tester that I saw looked really clumpy and disgusting, so I decided to hold off a bit on actually purchasing one because I feared that the mascara might start out just fine, but dry into a nasty mess over time. I was thrilled when I got my hands on a sample, and I immediately set about testing it out!

What really drew me to this mascara was the brush. It has an hourglass shaped brush with densely packed standard (not plastic) bristles. I feel like the shape helps get to the inner and outer corner lashes easier without making such a large brush that you apply mascara to your entire eye socket! J I find it very easy to apply the mascara and rarely, if ever, have trouble with smudges on my eyelid…or worse. Definitely a fan of the hourglass shaped brush!

The formula itself is also amazing! It is not too wet, nor too dry, and it applies like a dream! It creates beautiful volume and length with ease! It lasts wonderfully without being impossible to remove…I would say that it is water-resistant, but not waterproof. It also seems to hold a curl relatively well. I’m not sure I would say that it actually helps create a curl, but it doesn’t seem to weigh down lashes. It doesn’t dry to a crispy or unpleasant texture either. I really dislike mascaras that end up feeling crunchy, but this mascara keeps lashes feeling soft and flexible thanks to the “collagen-fueled formula.” According to the Too Faced website, this mascara also uses “unique peptides for the deepest, intense black possible,” and it definitely is intensely black. As far as clumping goes, lashes do not stick together with one coat, but I would recommend giving them a minute or so to dry before applying a second coat…just in case! They can get a little clumpy if too much is applied at a time. The end result with one coat is somewhere between natural and dramatic, which is perfect for me! Add two coats, and you have drama! My eyes, which are occasionally irritated by mascara, do not feel at all negatively affected by the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. Amazing formula, amazing results! J

Top: Bare Lashes
Middle: 1 Coat of Better Than Sex Mascara
Bottom: 2 Coats of Better Than Sex Mascara

Overall, I lovethis mascara! I really can’t find anything wrong with it. The only fault I can find with the mascara is the $23 price tag. It’s hefty for me, but it may just be worth every cent! JAs for the nasty looking tester wands in stores, I’m not sure what seems to be the problem. I have been using this mascara for at least a couple months and have not noticed clumping on the brush or any other unpleasant appearance or change to the formula. Well done Too Faced! Your Better Than Sex Mascara just may be better…well, it’s an amazing mascara and quite possibly my new must-have! J

Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara retails for $23 and can be purchased from retailers like Ulta and Sephora, or directly from the Too Faced website.

Disclaimer: This item was a free sample provided with the purchase of another item. I have not been compensated in any way for this review, nor have I been influenced by the fact that there was no charge for this deluxe sized sample. For more information, please see my full Disclosure Policy.