Top 10 Mascaras You Need to Try

This is going to be one super lengthy post, so I hope you've prepared your eyes for lots of photos and reviews! Today I will be talking about ten (yes, ten!) mascaras that you need to try. All the mascaras featured in this post range from drugstore to high end, so it will fit any budget depending what you are looking for. 50% of the mascaras I'm reviewing are deluxe samples and 50% are full sized. Regardless, they have the same brush as the full size so it does not matter what so ever. 

For this review I will be focusing on what the mascara does, the texture of the wand, how well it works on bottom lashes, formula, and ease of use. I tried to photograph every single mascara on my eye, but bare with me because my digital camera sucked at super close up shots, so I ended up using my Iphone 5 camera hahahaha. I hope it still looks okay. WARNING: if you are creeped out by close up pictures of eyes, this probably isn't a post you want to look at then. Okay lets start!

The mascaras are not placed in any particular order. I chose not to rank them since everyone is looking for a certain need when it comes to mascaras, so no one will like the same thing. Sadly, my eyelashes are non-existent so I don't know if you will be able to tell a difference when you see the mascara used on my eyes. Enjoy anyways! 

No Mascara

This is a photo of my eye with no mascara, but I did curl my lashes. Look how sad and short they are. I always love wearing falsies because of my sparse lashes, but I do occasionally try to wear mascara instead now.

Only one coat was applied to each swatch of mascara on my eyes. I did this to avoid clumpiness and I wanted to see how the product worked if I was only using it lightly. 

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara ($26)

I recently got this from my August Ipsy bag and I am so happy I have it. 

What it does: Lengthens and blackens your lashes. 

Wand: Very thick soft bristles.

Works for bottom lashes: Yes, no mess.

Formula: Wet, cream consistency. 

Ease of Use: (1 not easy - 10 easy) 10

Overall: Probably one of my favourites now.

Clinique High Impact Mascara ($19)

I've actually had so many samples of this mascara that I never had to buy a full sized one. 

What it does: Adds volume and length.

Wand: Very fine soft bristles.

Works for bottom lashes: Favourite mascara for bottom lashes.

Formula: In-between wet and dry. 

Ease of Use: (1 not easy - 10 easy) 10

Overall: If you're looking for au naturale lashes, this mascara is for you.

Benefit They're Real Mascara ($29)

Again, another mascara I've never had to buy a full size of because I have like a million samples.

What it does: Volumizes, curls and lengthens.

Wand: Non flexible, stiff, prickly.

Works for bottom lashes: Yes and no. Not a fan of the wand.

Formula: Not too wet, brush doesn't carry excessive product.

Ease of Use: (1 not easy - 10 easy) 7

Overall: Everyone loves this mascara, but I've used better.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara ($28)

A surprise love in my book.

What it does: Separates lashes and creates volume.

Wand: A bit flexible, soft furry bristles.

Works for bottom lashes: Works pretty well.

Formula: More on the dry side

Ease of Use: (1 not easy - 10 easy) 6.5

Overall: Great formula, but the brush may cause difficulties for some.

Yves Saint Laurent Effet Faux Cils Babydoll ($36)

Expensive for a reason.

What it does: Separates lashes and reaches even baby lashes!

Wand: Flexible, short bristles.

Works for bottom lashes: Works wonders.

Formula: Creamy, not too wet.

Ease of Use: (1 not easy - 10 easy) 10

Overall: Amazing formula, does exactly what it states, worth the money if you purchase. Makes you have a very cute and flirty lash look. Very natural.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara ($30)

My holy grail.

What it does: Volumizes and creates dramatic lashes.

Wand: Non flexible, stiff bristles.

Works for bottom lashes: Its alright, nothing special.

Formula: In between dry and wet. More wet.

Ease of Use: (1 not easy - 10 easy) 8 - Can get messy

Overall: One of my favourites. 3 coats make a super dramatic look. I only used one coat in the photo.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes ($28)

Mixed Feelings.

What it does: Volumizes, lengthens and separates.

Wand: Non flexible, stiff, pokey bristles.

Works for bottom lashes: Not really.

Formula: Creamy, thick.

Ease of Use: 6 - brush is pokey.

Overall: Honestly, it gets the job done and my lashes look pretty awesome, BUT I just don't like the brush at all haha.

Covergirl Bombshell Volume Mascara ($10)

My favourite drugstore mascara.

What it does: Lengthens, separates, natural looking volume.

Wand: End 1: fat, stiff, thin bristles. End 2: Soft bristles.

Works for bottom lashes: Decent.

Formula: Drier formula, not very wet at all.

Ease of Use: 8

Overall: Makes your lashes look super long without looking fake. Great drugstore mascara. Add many more coats of end 2 and it can create a dramatic look.

 Maybelline The Falsies Mascara ($8-10?)

Nostalgia. The first mascara I ever purchased for myself.

What it does: Lengthens, separates, creates a false lashes look.

Wand: Flexible, thick bristles.

Works for bottom lashes: Great for bottom lashes.

Formula: Very wet. Do not let it dry between coats.

Ease of Use: 9

Overall: Great drugstore mascara. Apply many coats for the false lashes effect.

L'oreal Miss Manga Mascara ($8)

Different, but awesome.

What it does: Lengthens, separates, volume.

Wand: Flexible, short bristles. 

Works for bottom lashes: Cone tip works amazing for bottom lashes.

Formula: Wet formula.

Ease of Use: 9

Overall: Love this new mascara, excellent wand for upper and lower lashes.

Are any of these mascaras your favourite? 

What is your holy grail mascara? 

Let me know in the comments below! 

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My Top 5 Favourite Highlighters

Highlighters and Illuminators. Whats the point of them? If I have an oily face, why would I want my face to look shiny? Today I'm going to be talking about my top 5 favourite highlighters/illuminators and how you use them.

What is the point of using highlighters?
Well, highlighters are used to give you glowing skin and a dewy look. If you prefer to look matte then this is probably not the blog post for you! Highlighters add dimension and glow to your matte and contoured face. Rather than being flat with no dimension or shine.

Where do I apply my highlighter?
The main areas to apply your highlighter are:

• On your cheekbones/temples - Basically the point of highlighter is to emphasize the parts of your face where natural light would shine usually. You're going to apply the highlighter on the highest point of your cheekbones, and bring it up to your temples. You must remember to blend well because we don't want to look to glittery or shiny, the result should be a nice glowing sheen. We want the attention to be on our nice cheekbones and not on the shadows we contoured on our face. If you're interested in seeing my top favourite bronzers, click here!
• Eyes - Highlighter on your brow bone looks awesome because it can make your eyes appear bigger, and make your brows look a little lifted.
• Lip and Nose - Before applying your lipstick, it is also nice to apply a little highlight on your cupids bow and the center of your bottom lip. This helps enhance your lipstick colour and make your lips look fuller and juicy. Applying highlight on your nose isn't always necessary unless you want to make your nose appear slimmer, but make sure to just apply to the bridge and don't go all the way to the tip of your nose.

My Top 5 Highlighters

 Here is an overview of my top 5 favourite highlighters. I don't have a particular favourite order but yeah here they are!

Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in "Champagne"

This is as you can see, an eyeshadow but it works great as a highlighter. I got this from my Ipsy bag so its nice to see that it is getting some use! 

"Champagne"

It looks extremely copper and goldish here but it definitely is a beautiful champagne colour which you will see in the swatch at the bottom of the post. This one is great for the brow bone, or even in your inner corner of your eye.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

This is the highlighter/illuminating powder that everyone wanted before. The Hourglass ambient lighting powders aren't originally made to be highlighters, because they are actually finishing powders. The shades in it are absolutely gorgeous though and they are quite shimmery enough to be highlighters.

From left to right: Dim Light, Incandescent Light, Radiant Light

My favourite to use is dim light and radiant light. I love to use radiant light all over my face to give myself a tanned glowy look. These are perfect for an all over shimmer look.

NARS Illuminator in "Copacabana"

This is only a sample size of it but oh my gosh this colour is absolutely gorgeous! I am definitely going to purchase a full size once I complete this sample. Its perfect for your brow bone and cheeks. I think this one may be number one on my favourites.

Benefit Watts Up Highlighter

One of the first highlighters I have ever used was this Benefit sample of the Watts Up highlight. I actually got this from Sephora's birthday gifts a few years ago haha. It glides on smooth and is a very pigmented champagne shimmer.

RiRi for Mac in "Diamonds"

Unfortunately this highlighter cannot be purchased from Mac anymore because it was limited edition. I know it looks super bronzy and dark in the packaging but trust me it is a gorgeous gold/bronze metallic highlight.

Very deceiving in the package right? Thats why I like to swatch in person before buying. When you buy online you never know how it is going to look! 

Swatches:

The three lightest would be the three on the further left, great for people with fair skin tones. Radiant light by Hourglass is good for people with a medium complexion. It would be a good all over powder, or even a bronzer for fair skinned people. Nars Copacabana has a very pink undertone, so it would look best on fair skin people, but honestly its so pretty I think it would look great on anyone. Benefit Watts Up is very gold and shimmery, great for highlighting your brow bone or if you're going for the summer glow with a very dark bronzing contour , this would make a great highlight. Similar with Diamonds, it looks more bronze than gold and would make an amazing summer highlight.

What are your favourite highlights/illuminators? 

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The Top 6 Bronzers

Summer is around the corner, and everyone wants to have a sunkissed tan. Why not get a head start this year and find the best bronzer for you? Today's post is about my top favourite bronzers! I'm super stoked to write this post because I LOVE bronzers. Besides lipsticks, I love trying new bronzers and having a huge collection of all types of bronzers I don't need. When I don't contour my face on any given day, I feel so bland and incomplete. Bronzer is my best friend, and it also keeps my face from looking too round or too flat; because thats what best friends do right? 

My Top 6 Bronzers

To start the post off, man I had a hard time finding a way to photograph all the bronzers in the same picture. The packaging for all these are so oblong they look so weird next to each other. Anyways, if you're interested in purchasing any of these bronzers, the bronzer names below are clickable links. Enjoy!

These top 6 bronzers are my favourite all time bronzers I have ever used. 

I will be listing them from least favourite to most favourite.

6. WET N WILD Color Icon Bronzer SPF 15 - Ticket to Brazil

Before I became obsessed with make-up, this was my first bronzer I ever owned (besides the discontinued healthy glow bronzer by elf). I never understood the concept of contouring your face, or adding dimension to your face, until I was introduced into the world of make-up. This was my favourite drug store bronzer, and actually the only drugstore bronzer I've ever used haha. 

5. The Balm Cosmetics Bahama Mama Bronzer

I was introduced to theBalm first when I watched a make-up video and the girl was using theBalm Nude Tude Palette. I instantly fell in love with the quirky packaging. I was able to purchase this bronzer from Hautelook, my favourite website to get discounted make-up. The slender and sleek packaging for the bronzer makes it so convenient to carry around. The bronzer itself is an amazing matte brown and is perfect for contouring your nose.

4. Too Faced Custom Blend Beach Bunny Bronzer

This is probably going to be the bronzer I grab the most this summer. The Too Faced Beach Bunny bronzer is the perfect glowy summer tan you are looking for. It was featured in my Too Faced Cosmetics Brand Spotlight post, which I think I put up one or two weeks ago. The bronzer is four separate gold/brown colours that you swirl together to make a beautiful golden tan. If you're not a fan of shimmer, this may not work for you, but it definitely gives you a summer glow. 

3. Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder in Ebony (08)

Probably the most expensive and luxurious bronzer I own, the Guerlain bronzer is super pigmented and awesome. I got the darkest shade (ebony) because I feel if you contour your face, its best to get a shade a lot darker than your skin tone of course so it could be used to hollow out your cheeks, or create that shadow on your temples. Would I say this is worth the money? Absolutely! Its pricey because it works.

2. Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

Probably the most sought out contour kit currently, the Anastasia Contour Kit lives up to its expectations. All the shades in this palette are pigmented and the bronzers are PERFECT. I would call this palette number one in contouring kits but then again I haven't used any other one. 

In the kit I use the two bronzers on the left. I don't use the bottom right one because as you can see, it is very orange. The bottom left one is great for contouring your temples and your cheeks, and the middle one is great for contouring your nose. If you're interested in seeing swatches of all the shades or a review, just let me know in the comments! (Unfortunately due to high demand, the palette is currently sold out on Sephora.com which I linked above, and it is sold out on the Anastasia website as well. Best way to get it is to sign up for email notifications on Sephora for when it comes in stock!)

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

When you look at the picture on the Sephora website that I linked, the bronzer looks super light, but it is not even close to that colour. The Hoola bronzer is a matte, muddy (in a good way) brown that is the all around best bronzer I have ever used in my life. I also featured it in my Favourite Products of All Time (Face) post. Everyone raves about this product and there is a reason why. It is one of the most perfect matte bronzers out there. 

Swatches (in natural light): 

The Guerlain one is definitely one of the darker bronzers, and the lightest appears to be the Benefit Hoola bronzer. 

Swatches (with the room light on):

Hope you enjoyed my top 6 bronzers list. These are my best friends all year round!

What are your favourite bronzers? I love bronzers, and I am willing to try new ones so let me know!

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