Mascara... for beginners/dummies

Hiya. I am back, as promised... with a post on my favorite product- mascara.

Men, please ignore. Come back later.

I have always had regular eyelashes- thin, slightly curved and not too long. Eyelashes should be long, curved and thick. Thats where a mascara comes in. It opens up the eyes and makes them look more attractive. Not kidding. This is the 2nd last product I have come to like; last is blush. Anyway, right now it is my favorite product because even if I do not use an eyeliner, it makes my eyes look better.

The first mascara I purchased was Maybelline volume express in college. I never used it and could not figure out the big deal. Almost 2 years back, I decided to give it a try again. This time I picked up Mac mascara. I was not sure what I wanted from it- do I want to lengthen my lashes or curve them or thicken them? Every beauty counter I went to, the skin advisers would apply many coats of the mascara and make my eyelashes look weird. I did not want to look over the top.

I follow one rule- when in doubt, pick up Mac... if you afford it. I bought a mascara which only defines lashes. After some time of using it, I realized- its not meant for my lashes. My lashes need help- to curve, lengthen and thicken.

So, I bought another Mac mascara- this one for curved and thick lashes.

After a few months, I picked up L'Oreal mascara. I love L'Oreal products (most of them) and

decided to give it a try. I picked up the volume million lashes. I also decided to try out a brown mascara- L'Oreal telescopic mascara.

Front to back: Mac Pro Longlash: Price- around 1k; Mac Plush Lash: Price- around 1k; L'Oreal telescopic mascara: Price- around 600 bucks; L'Oreal volume million lashes: Price- around 700 bucks.

Mascara should be applied last- after completing the rest of the eye make up. Open the bottle, take out the wand, swipe on the lash- bottom to top. Swipe again. And again, if you want more volume. Use it on the other eye. Do not dip it again in the bottle. This is to prevent the air from entering in and drying it sooner.

Here is a pic of my eye with the mascara on- I have used volume million lashes mascara and swiped twice. The pic has been taken with my phone so it is not very clear.

You can compare the lower lashes and upper ones and notice the difference.

For a casual look, you can skip liner and apply mascara and kohl. It still gives a defined look to the eye and seems like a thin liner has been applied.

Reviews of the mascara:

Front to back:

Mac Pro Longlash: I do not use it anymore and will be glad to give it away for free. Lemme know if you want it

Mac Plush Lash: It has a thick brush which curves the lashes very well. The only problem is it does not cover the small lashes. I generally skip covering those

L'Oreal telescopic mascara: This one is my favorite. The brush is very thin and covers smallest lashes. It is brown colored and gives a very natural look. It lengthens the lashes but does not add too much volume. I need to swipe 3-4 times for volume. Best for daily, casual wear

L'Oreal volume lashes: Really, really adds volume. Covers even small lashes and lengthens them. Gives a black look to the eyes. Love it.

Tip: Always, always curl your lashes with an eye curler (costs less than Rs 50 and available at all cosmetic stores) before applying mascara. If lashes are not curled, they will not look very good. Also, don't go for blue or green or different colored mascaras. If lashes are black, no matter which color you apply it will not be visible.

For cheaper options, Maybelline mascara is good. Lakme is dependable. You can check out Revlon/Chambor/Max Factor etc. There are many, many options these days.

Clothes... shoes... make up... fashion

Hey!!! I am addicted... to so many things these days:

• Vampire Diaries: I loved the first few books (the last 2 were pretty boring)... but the series was quite good. It did not follow the book strictly, was scary and much more interesting. I am waiting for season 3 to begin... do not know how to pass time until then
• Online Shopping: I came across the website fashionandyou.com through Femina magazine. It is quite good. I always wondered how people shop online... without the touch, feel and trial factor. I never buy anything without trying it first. I made the first purchase around 1-2 months back and now am hooked. My first purchase were leggings and kurta from "W"... the fit was great and at a discount. The next purchase were tees from Disney and Adidas... each costing less than 400 bucks. And now, I am addicted. I wait for 11 am for the new sale to begin. Footwear, I have bought for 2k (Enroute) are available for 700 bucks online. Cool, na? Of course, you have to be fast... atleast twice it has happened that by the time I started paying, the products got sold out. Delivery is a little delayed... could take anywhere between 1-3 weeks. If you want to join, let me know. I will send an invite... it will give me some credits (Thats NOT why I mentioned it here).
• Make up: This post is really about make up... something I have inculcated in my life a year back. Till I was in college (grad and post grad) application was limited to parties... mostly an eye liner and lipstick. Never more than that. My first job involved a lot of travel... mainly to rural places and make up was limited to kajal (technically- its not make up). Working in the beauty industry had made me more aware.. its difficult to resist temptation when make up is all around me. For the past one year, make up has become part of my daily routine. I do not leave home without it (unless I am going grocery shopping).

My reviews on products and tips are below:

• Base make up: For the longest time I was oblivious to the importance of base make up. It mainly includes foundation, concealer and compact powder. I skip concealer 'coz its awfully difficult to apply and can look bad if not done correctly. As for foundation, I have experimented with many, before finding my preferred brand. I started with Chambor's foundation (since Mom is a fan) but was using the incorrect shade until a colleague pointed that out. Its so difficult to figure these things out. I tried L'Oreal's True Match foundation but did not like the heavy coverage. I like low coverage so that the face does not look too made up. I came across Lancome accidently... it is an imported brand with limited outlets in India (Mumbai- Phoenix Mills, Delhi- Select City Walk Mall). The foundation is called Tient Miracle and covers pores, gives a glow and is perfect was party wear. It is pricey at 2700 bucks... but so worth it. Its my most expensive buy- I do not have any clothes or shoes that have cost so much. But its worth it. I have saved it for party wear. For daily wear, I discovered L'Oreal's mineral foundation. This is perfect for my oily skin. It gives an amazing glow to the skin without making it oily.... also, there is no need for compact. Another daily wear foundation is the recently launched L'Oreal Mousse... love it. It spreads easily but compact application is needed. I think Revlon also has mineral make up but I do not like that brand... for some reason. When buying a foundation, always inquire for the shade at atleast 2 counters since the beauty advisers can get it wrong. Better safe than sorry. A good foundation makes all the difference and is most important. Take it from someone who never used it before and now is not comfy being seen without it at work or on an outing. I am not very choosy about compact and have been using Chambor for the longest time.
• Next step is eyeshadow. There are so many, many, many options. I used to look up videos on you tube to learn the correct application. There are so many ways to apply eye shadow... it was quite confusing. Also, very few women wear eyeshadow in India and it can end up looking out of place- specially at work. I just apply it on my eye lids.... thats it... no highlighter, nothing on brow bones... nothing to make eyes look bigger or smaller. Also, if I am using a catchy shade like blue or green, I skip the eyeliner. When I use base shades like brown or pink, I apply an eyeliner also. Coming to brands... Mac is the best out there... at 900 bucks its pricey. Go for Mac if you are looking for that perfect shade... they have the largest range. Lakme and Maybelline are good within budget... L'Oreal eye shadows are nothing to write home about. Revlon sucks... I bought their kit with 4 shades but they settle on the eye lid crease after a few hours. Max Factor is another good brand. Clarins is the only brand with liquid eye shadow but they have very basic shades (brown, goldenish, pink, green) and are pricey at 990 bucks.
• Eye liner: There are so many kinds available in the market now. When I was in college, everyone used Lakme's liquid eye liner which took ages to dry and you had to be careful before opening your eyes incase it had not dried and would smudge. It took me a lot of practice to be able to apply it correctly. None of that anymore. The best options are gel liners... smooth, applied with a brush, do not smudge... Maybelline, L'Oreal and MAC have these liners. Maybelline is budget and strictly ok... L'Oreal is better but has only black shade... MAC is pricey at 900 or 1000 bucks but has many shades- brown, copper, green, peacock green, peacock blue, bluish purple, black etc. I have only 2 liquid liners... L'Oreal and Lakme... both are good. For pencils liners, I think Chambor is best... Maybelline has many shades but I do not like them... L'Oreal's contour liner pencil is also good. It does not smudge.
• Mascara: I did not understand the importance of a mascara until recently. I love how they make the lashes look. There are many options in the market but I have not experimented with too many... for lengthening, volume, curl, defining etc. I read somewhere that washable is better than waterproof 'coz it is less harmful. Not sure about the facts. My first mascara was Maybelline which dried 'coz of under use. Many years later I bought Mac's defining mascara. It didn't do much since my lashes are not long and curled. Next I bought Mac's volumizing and curling mascara which is better suited. Don't go by the way a beauty adviser demonstrates its application. They tend to over apply... also, it takes some getting used to. It makes the lashes feel slightly heavy and that can be uncomfy. Go for a good brand... and practice. It is worth it. Also, its important to curl the lashes with an eye lash curler before application. It hardly costs 20-30 bucks.
• Lipsticks: Again... so many options... long lasting, matte, glossy, lip gloss. Whichever... it will need touch ups... My favourites are Chambor's long lasting, Mac's lipsticks (for that perfect orange shade), Lakme (cheap and tikkao), L'Oreal's color riche. Mac has all kinds of shades... pale pink to bright orange red. Its pricey at 900 bucks... so go for the niche shades. Lakme is good for generic shades... L'Oreal has very nice, glossy nudes not found in other brands. I had tried Colorbar's long wear lipsticks... they hardly lasted and dried my lips real bad. So, pick with care.
• Nails: Females in my workplace in Mumbai actually matched their nail paint to the outfit... and yet turned up at work at 9 am (after spending 1-1.5 hours in traffic). Thats dedication. I can barely change the paint twice in a week... sometimes, even once is an effort. I have so many, many shades... Lakme, Maybelline, Colorbar, Vov... Lakme is good for generic shades... Maybelline has funky colors like green, purple, black, yellow, orange etc... My fav is Color Bar... they have a huge range- 2-3 shades of green, pinks, purple, blue, yellow, purple. Not bad at 150 bucks. I do not see the point in spending 600-700 bucks on nail paint for brands like L'Oreal, Inglot etc.
• There are many other things I have missed out- primer, blush, lipliner.... but I generally skip these. For a party, they can be included... but otherwise skip it.

All comments and suggestions welcome. A girly post after a long time...