PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: MAYBELLINE CAT EYES+HELLO KITTY MASCARA

Here’s an initial review on MAYBELLINE HELLO KITTY+CAT EYES VOLUMIZING MASCARA

PRICE: 549PHP

PLACE BOUGHT: SM DEPARTMENT STORE, SM MALL OF ASIA

OTHER LOCATIONS: MAYBELLINE COUNTERS IN ALL MALLS NATIONWIDE

THE VERDICT:

Maybelline Cat Eyes has found a profitable collaboration with the most fabulous feline of all time, Hello Kitty.

I’ve been obsessed with Hello Kitty ever since I was young. So when I spotted this on the Maybelline counters, I immediately bought one!

Maybelline’s Cat Eyes mascara gets Kitty-fied. The tube’s colour was changed to metallic pink, and Hello Kitty graphics are drawn all over the tube making it Sanrio- worthy!

Nothing has actually changed with regard to the formula .The wand still comes in the comb- type, which is perfect for fan styling so you can achieve wonderful kitty eyes. The mascara formula is still waterproof, and the mascara colour comes only in black.

Here’s my lashes without mascara.

Here’s my lashes with CK+HK. And the result, CAT-ASTROPHIC LASHES! Lush falsies- looking lashes sans the false eyelashes. And this mascara won’t budge!

Cat Eyes is the next best thing since Maybelline’s Great Lash. Formula is great, and the mascara wand is such a wonderful innovation. A wonderful formulation and a great mascara wand make great music together. Even if you’re a newbie to mascara, and you have a great product like Cat Eyes, it just makes mascara application easier than you can imagine.

If you love cats, a Hello Kitty fanatic, a mascara lover, or simply someone who loves unique stuff, Maybelline’s Hello Kitty Mascara is definitely a worthy buy!

*Check out my entries on Maybelline products for an in- depth review of the Cat Eyes mascara

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: MAYBELLINE FALSIES MASCARA IN BLACK

Here's an initial review on MAYBELLINE THE FALSIES MASCARA IN BLACK

PRICE: AROUND $10- $15 EA. (BOUGHT A PACK OF TWO WITH FREE EYELINER KOHL FOR $16- $18)

PLACE BOUGHT: DUTY FREE, PHILIPPINES

OTHER LOCATIONS: MAYBELLINE COUNTERS ABROAD; DUTY FREE PHILIPPINES (UNAVAILABLE IN OUR LOCAL MAYBELLINE COUNTERS)

THE VERDICT:

I've always mused about my love for Maybelline's mascaras. They're cheap, yet they're the best mascaras in the whole wide world. Maybelline is still the mascara brand to beat. Why pay for an outrageously priced mascara tube if you can get the same quality at a cheaper price?

Maybelline has finally embraced their wonder product and has come up with 20+ mascara variants for every eyelash need. Every time I visit Duty Free, I make it a point to drop by the Maybelline counter because it has all of the unavailable mascaras in our local Maybelline counters.

I am in love with their The Colossal because I love how it gives me Snufflelufugus lashes sans the unnatural look. But during my recent trip to DF, this funky violet tube just caught my eye.

And if you think that The Colossal is the volumizing mascara to beat, The Falsies will definitely change the way you look at volumizing mascaras again.

Just when you think that "falsies- looking" lashes are only achievable by using false eyelashes, Maybelline has finally made every girls with sparse eyelashes come true. Falsies mascara was made to achieve that "false eyelashes" look sans the glue, and the heavy and unnatural look and feel of false eyelashes.

Let's now review the product. I love the violet tube. It's funky, and it makes it easy to spot in my stash or make- up kits.

Let's now review the wand.

The brush is flat, and kinda' curved. This kind of style makes it easier to apply mascara because the wand follows the natural curve and arch of your eyelashes. However, I do not know the reason why there's a dent at the brush holder located at just half an inch away from the brush.

Maybelline's mascaras can be quite tricky to apply at first. The consistency of Maybelline's mascaras are semi- whipped, and sometimes, wet, which makes the product hardly cling on your lashes. But after several uses, the mascara starts to whip up some more, and applying becomes a breeze.

I've had some tough love with all the Maybelline mascaras I've owned, including this one. At first trial, my lashes looked like a spider's legs, so I didn't use the pictures for reviewing. It would be unfair for the product to be judged after only one or two usages. So I've road- tested this mascara for 2 weeks. And this is indeed, another great mascara innovation by Maybelline.

Here are pictures of me wearing the mascara. Each picture shows how many coats I've put on my lashes.

My eyelashes curled, but without mascara.

One coat

Three coats

For doll eyes: APPLY 5 COATS! :)

Falsies in an instant, sans the glue! I love this mascara! And I'm looking forward to buying a tube again. :)

**How does it compare to the Colossal?

- There's little to no difference at all. But in my observation, The Colossal is good for you if you want fuller, thicker, and softer lashes. If you want extreme volume, ala- falsies, then you should get Falsies.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: MAYBELLINE LIP AND EYE MAKE- UP REMOVER

Here's an initial review on MAYBELLINE LIP AND EYE MAKE- UP REMOVER

PRICE: 99PHP

PLACE BOUGHT: FIRST AID, GREENBELT 3, MAKATI CITY

OTHER LOCATIONS: MAYBELLINE COUNTERS IN ALL MALLS NATIONWIDE

THE VERDICT:

I'm kinda' tight on the budget as of the moment because I am still awaiting my paycheck from a previous play, and I am preparing myself for the Disney Venomous Villains Collections by MAC. As much as I want to buy a cleansing oil at least from Etude House, I can't because I have to budget my expenses. I badly need one because the current play that I'm in, which is Orosman at Zafira, requires a lot of face and body paint!

I hate using baby oil because it leaves my face greasy, even after washing it thoroughly with soap and water. I discovered this through a friend. On my first trial, it worked pretty well so I decided to use this as of the moment.

I was hoping to buy the 70ml bottle, but the Maybelline counter in First Aid only has the 40ml size. Since the show's about to close, I figured that this will last me until the end.

Let's now review this product.

Size is compact, so it fits anywhere, even in your make- up kit. So it's perfect to bring when you're traveling.

The consistency is oil and liquid. I am guessing that the liquid sorta' neutralizes the oil so it won't feel too greasy once applied. 2- 3 drops can remove a good amount of eye, and a bit of face make- up.

This make- up remover promised to remove even the toughest waterproof make- up. Let's see how this will work on my Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner, the toughest waterproof eyeliner there is!

Well, it did remove my eye make- up easily. But for the eyeliner, it required at least two cotton pads for each eye with the make- up remover. This just goes to show how tough Revlon's eyeliner is!

Sadly, it didn't remove the lipstick stains on my lips and face completely.

Overall, it's a good choice if you're on a budget or if you just want to buy a make- up remover for daily use. But professional make- up brands can be quite tough, so they require heavy duty make- up removers. For now, this will do because I can't afford to shell out some moolah for a more expensive (but better) one. For daily use, I will recommend this. Why not? It's cheap, and it works perfectly fine. But for professional use, I suggest you try cleansing oils.

**Maybelline Lip and Eye Make- Up Remover comes in a 40ml and 70ml bottle. It is opthalmologically and dermatologically tested.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: MAYBELLINE UNSTOPPABLE NATURAL BROW LINER IN BLACK

Here's an initial review on MAYBELLINE UNSTOPPABLE NATURAL BROW LINER IN BLACK

PRICE: EEP! I COMPLETELY FORGOT HOW MUCH I GOT THIS. BUT PROLLY IT'S AROUND 150PHP
PLACE BOUGHT: PCX STORE, POWERPLANT MALL, ROCKWELL, MAKATI CITY
OTHER LOCATIONS: MAYBELLINE COUNTERS

THE VERDICT:

I've always mused about Ever Bilena Eye Liner Pencil as my HG eyeliner. But there's always an opportunity to try something new.

The problem with my EB eyeliner is, it's too pigmented. It's also meant for brow usage. But if you have heavy hands, you'll end up with hey-I-went-overboard-with-my-eyeliner kind of brows.

In my four years of usage, I've developed the skill to deal with my Ever Bilena eyeliner. But there are tough days sometimes, where I have to deal with ugly brows. When I'm in a hurry or I'm not in the mood to prep my face up, I end up with bad brows. It really takes time and effort to get a soft look from my EB eyeliner.

Eyebrows are essential in the overall make- up look because it defines the face. So good thing, there are eyeliners developed for our beauty arches.

I've told you guys that I wouldn't spend a thousand bucks for an eyeliner because I solely believe that there are cheap eyeliners out there that are at par with the expensive ones.

I saw this in Maybelline's rack in PCX and got one for meself. :)

Let's now review the product.

Maybelline's Unstoppable brow liner comes with a brow brush which makes this product great. The brow brush is not too big, and the compactness of the brush makes it good for precise brow grooming and eyeliner smudging.

Here's a pic of the swatches of the eyeliner. The left swatch is the eyeliner when built up. The one on the right is smudged using the brow brush.

Can you even tell that I'm wearing an eyeliner? Some say that you should use dark brown eyeliners to line your brows because it makes the features look softer. I beg to disagree. It really shows what eyeliner shade you're wearing. And I don't want to look unnatural. Besides, my hair is black, and one major beauty rule is, the shade of your brows should match the shade of your hair.

They say black eyeliner can make the face look mature or can make the features look too strong. I beg to disagree again. It just takes a steady hand, feathery strokes and a bit of smudging to soften the black color.

Will I buy this again? Of course! It looks very natural and the chalky-to-creamy consistency of the eyeliner makes it a perfect brow liner. The consistency helps you from not going overboard, whether you have heavy or light hands. And one major thing, it's cheap! Good job Maybelline!

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: MAYBELLINE LASTING DRAMA 24 HR. GEL LINER IN BLACK

Here's an initial review on MAYBELLINE STUDIO LASTING DRAMA 24- HR. GEL LINER IN BLACK

PRICE: AROUND 280- 330PHP

PLACE BOUGHT: PCX BOUTIQUE, POWERPLANT MALL, ROCKWELL, MAKATI CITY

OTHER LOCATIONS: ALL MAYBELLINE COUNTERS AND STALLS IN MALLS NATIONWIDE

THE VERDICT:

I apologize for not being able to post this review as soon as I got the gel liner. I keep on forgetting that I'm wearing this so I wasn't able to take any pictures.

Maybelline's gel liner comes with a gel liner precision brush which I like. Most commercial and cheap gel liners don't come with a brush so this is pretty worth the moolah when you come to think of it.

The gel consistency is whipped and it glides like a dream!  Once you dip the brush on the pot, a good amount of ink goes off with the brush. And one swipe is enough because the gel liner is quite spreadable!

Here's my eye with Maybelline's gel liner.

AFTER 4 HOURS...

A good amount of the eye liner is still there! I did not apply an eye primer on my lids to help the eye liner stay in place. For reference, I have very oily lids. And the staying power impressed me so much! There was a little smudge, but as compared to other waterproof gel liners and pencil liners that I've tried, this one is a cut above the rest! Without any eye primers on my lids, the liner still persisted to stay. I can pretty much see that there'll be no smudge if I have applied an eye primer before the gel liner! Other gel and pencil liners that I've tried, some even are high- end ones, didn't last as long as Maybelline did!

Overall, I love this gel liner! I'd alternate this with my Revlon Colorstay pencil crayon waterproof eyeliner (which is a fab product as well). Gel liners are recommended if you want to achieve a more dramatic eye- make up and eye lining. And if you have oily lids, no fear! Maybelline has finally formulated a gel liner for us girls with oil mine lids!

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: MAYBELLINE THE MAGNUM BY VOLUM EXPRESS WATERPROOF MASCARA (BLACK)

Here's an initial review on MAYBELLINE VOLUM EXPRESS MAGNUM WATERPROOF MASCARA (BLACK)

PRICE: 429PHP

PLACE BOUGHT: PCX, POWERPLANT MALL, ROCKWELL, MAKATI CITY

OTHER LOCATIONS: PCX STORES (SELECTED MAYBELLINE COUNTERS)

THE VERDICT:

I was sooo ecstatic when I saw a yellow mascara tube in the Maybelline counter in PCX. I picked one up and to my surprise, it's named MAGNUM. I thought that finally, Colossal has hit the Philippine market. 

SA: Ma'm bago po namin yan.

MOI: Ay, 'kala ko Colossal.

SA: Ay wala po tayo nun ma'm. 'Di po siya ire- release sa Philippines pero ito ang counterpart niya. Okay siya ma'm. Dami na kaming nabenta.

MOI: Sige, ita- try ko. Bigyan mo ako ng isa.

So there you go. Colossal fans, Colossal won't hit the local stores. But I'm still crossing my fingers that we will have it someday.

Let's now go to the actual product. Here's a comparison of Magnum and Colossal. Magnum's tube is thinner than the latter. It doesn't eat up too much space and it's cute.

Let's now go to the actual product. Let's review the wand first. The wand is thinner and flat as compared to the traditional and new ones. It's a bit curved, which is meant to go with the natural curve and shape of the lashes. I like the wand so much because one swipe already gives your lashes a good amount of gunk. It's well- engineered, IMO.

The mascara is infused with collagen, a formula included in mascaras nowadays to pump up the volume by at least 50%.

Maybelline never fails to amuse me. After my first trial,I was so impressed with the volume. Im already fine if Colossal doesn't hit the local stores because Magnum gives me the same amount of volume that Colossal gives! It's waterproof, and it doesn't run- off nor flake during the day. And it rubs off easily with baby oil.

Another great product from Maybelline. And yes! I am willing to repurchase! My new HG for mascaras! :)