Confession of a mascara junkie

Indeed, this is still part of my decluttering series, only this is for my mascara obsession. I will have to admit that when it comes to mascara, I am guilty for not tossing them away as frequently as I should. But I do sanitize my mascara once in a while to keep them fresh(-er). But since I have come to the realization that, if I don't use them up or at least toss them away after a few months of usage, I will never get to try new mascara (well, not entirely true because I always keep buying new mascaras). I guess the point is, I really shouldn't have a million mascaras around and not using them while they are at their full capacities. So in my effort to declutter my mascara stash, here I present the empties...... 

Before I begin, here are a few points to keep in mind: 

• I almost always use waterproof mascara because they hold my curls better 
• I look for volumizing rather than lengthening 
• Black all the way, or blackest black 
• I usually do not like synthetic, plastic kind of brush 
• I use the Shu Uemura eyelash curler before applying mascara 

• L'Oreal voluminous waterproof 
  - This is a rather popular one on the youtube/blogger world and I admit I agree to a certain degree. I enjoyed it a lot more while it got dryer. This is one that I would keep in mind for replenishment.  

• Make up for ever aqua smoky lash 
  - SO MANY people RAVED about this mascara, naming it their holy grail. I just could not make myself love it. I don't know if it has anything to do with the fact that it is waterproof formula and most people referred to the original formula. But as I mentioned, I use waterproof formula all the way. This mascara just makes my lashes so clumpy and I usually do not mind a bit of clumpy-ness. However, I found this mascara really made my lashes so unnatural. Plus, it made my lashes straight. To me, this is a "miss". :S  

• Heroine make volume & curl mascara
  - An Asian drugstore popular mascara and this is not my first tube. I love this mascara and it is one of my all-time favourites. Only downside is it is hard to remove. I also found this does not transfer even in humid weather. So this is a trustworthy one.
  
   

• Maybelline full 'n soft waterproof  
  - Too natural for my taste. Did not give enough impact to my lashes in my opinion but I guess it is supposed to be like that? 

• Diorshow maximizer lash plumping serum 
  - Sometimes when I fancy, I do use a lash primer because it will help those not-so-great mascara to perform better, as well as conditioning my poor lashes. I do like this one. I can't say if I like this more than my Shiseido one but I think this serum is more separating than the Shiseido mascara base. However, the Shiseido mascara base holds curls better, at least for my lashes and at least for the old formula. I have yet to test out the new nourishing mascara base from them. 

• Estee Lauder sumptuous bold volume lifting mascara 
  - This was a rather surprising find. I got this sample from my friend randomly and I honestly did not expect much because I have never heard any reviews about Estee's mascaras. But OMG, I absolutely love it!!! By far my favourite in the non-waterproof mascara world. The main reason I chose waterproof is for curl-holding properties. But this mascara separates, volumnize and hold curls perfectly! I really want to purchase the full size! 

• Lancome hypnose waterproof 
  - Who doesn't know about Lancome's mascaras really? And this one? I adore. On top of my favourite mascara list. I am really curious to try out other of their mascaras. 

• Tarte lights camera splashes waterproof 
  - I did enjoy it while I had it. But towards the later stage of its service period, I just don't find it to be amazing anymore. It could have been me just holding onto it for too long. Anyhow, it's a good mascara in my book but I probably would not repurchase. 

My minimal face for Fall

NARS blush in Deep Throat
L'Oreal Voluminous waterproof mascara in black
Maquillage by Shiseido eyebrow pencil (102, GY921)
Canmake eyebrow pencil (02)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus
MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF 35 in NW-25
Prestige waterproof automatic eyeliner in 02 Expresso
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on eye pencil in Bourbon
Shu Uemura eyelash curler
Kiss Me Heroine Make volume & curl mascara 

I am a foundation girl all-season. I just need the coverage foundation gives me and I can't part with it. But recently I have been finding myself reaching for a slightly different routine than my typical liquid foundation face routine. Now, if there is one thing you should know about me, it is given any day throughout the year I am in a rush. That's just reality that I have to press the snooze button several times before I drag myself out of my cozy bed. Getting ready and turning myself into a relatively-presentable state with shortest amount of time is my daily goal.

To achieve that, I have rekindled my love for MAC studio finish concealer. It is a thick, high-coverage concealer and I use my fingers to warm up the product and apply to my skin directly. After covering my blemishes, acne scars, and any other imperfections, I turn right to MAC MSF natural to set the concealer. MSF natural doesn't give a lot of coverage but I like how it never looks cakey on my skin. To boost the coverage a little bit, I usually reach for my elf flat-top powder brush to apply the powder. And this is pretty much my face makeup. If I have an extra 30 seconds to spare, then I will apply a tiny bit of NARS deep throat blush onto my cheeks to give my face some life.


Face is done, now my eyes. Eyebrows have become a must in my book nowadays. My brows are a little bit sparse especially towards the arch, filling them in just frame my face so much better. Eyebrow pencil is the quick and easy way to go. Some people complain about not being natural when using an eyebrow pencil, I think doing it in small, light strokes is the key. My favourite eyebrow pencil at the moment is the Maquillage eyebrow pencil. Maquillage is a line from Shiseido but I am pretty sure it's not available in North America. I bought mine from Hong Kong but when this runs out, I will have to look for alternatives here. It's quite special because one end is a pencil, and the other end is a powder. The powder can be used more for the "head" of your brows to give a softer look and the pencil can fill the rest. Not only do I like this convenient design, the colour match is quite perfect for me. I used to use the Canmake eyebrow pencil, which is a dark brown colour. But through time I find it is a little bit too "reddish undertone" for my brows. I still use it sometimes because I am trying to savour my Maquillage pencil and trying to use this up. The Maquillage pencil is more of an ashy brown colour. But if you ask me, I will definitely choose the Maquillage eyebrow pencil over the Canmake one.

For eyeliner, I prefer brown eyeliners more than black. I think it is just softer and more suitable on a daily basis. I used to never wear eyeliner because I just think it's too much and doesn't fit my hooded eyes. However, recently it has grown on me. I still don't like doing a thick line all across the lid, but what I do is to tight line towards the end of my eyes and to do a half-line on my lids. This just gives my eyes more definition, and at the same time, still natural enough. The two trustworthy eyeliner pencils that do not smudge on me are Prestige waterproof automatic eyeliner in Expresso and Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on eye pencil in Bourbon. Two different price points yet I love equally. Bourbon has a little shimmer in it so when I fancy some glitters on my eyes, I will choose Bourbon. (And when I say shimmer/glitters, it is really really really subtle.)

Lastly, curl my eyelashes with my holy-grail Shu Uemura eyelash curler and splash on some volumizing mascara. Yes, two options again, namely L'Oreal voluminous waterproof mascara in black and Kiss Me Heroine Make volume & curl mascara. I don't just stick with one thing all the time. I like some varieties. I really am not one of those people that will get into a rut with makeup. So this means, I am not sure how long this "routine" will last, haha. But that's the fun of experimenting with makeup.


p.s. I took these pictures on a very nice Fall day, definitely a day to remember......