Battle Of The Lashes #2: Do Expensive Mascaras Work Better?

I love mascaras, but sometimes the bold claims just don't live up to your expectations. I've previously done another mascara showdown which displayed the pros and cons of mascaras from £3 to £19.50, and now I'm topping it by showing twice the amount ranging from £6.99 up to £25 with surprising results that prove that the price tag isn't everything. I'm showing them all in price order to show you how wide the range is in price difference!

Rimmel Volume Shake £6.99
I've recently reviewed this mascara and said that the bristles could be longer but the shake up gimic impressed me. It comes in the cutest cocktail shaker packaging and formula worked well for me. If the wand itself was improved I'd start using this more often.

L'Oréal False Lash Superstar X Fiber £7.99
This is my joint favourite mascara, with it being a double-ended product with the second part adding small fibers to add length and volume. Whilst I hadn't previously tried a fiber mascara and was dubious about the actual fibers themselves, these haven't ended up in my eyes yet so I'm pretty damn impressed.

Revlon 3D Volume (Discontinued)
I took the photos for this post before I did a quick Google search and realised that this is discontinued. I'm not too sad however, as the bristle didn't give me the '3D Volume' I was expecting.

Revlon Ultimate All In One £9.99
Revlon brought out a year or two ago, a new set of mascaras that were tailored to different areas you wanted to target, and within the range they brought out an 'all in one' version. Although I love Revlon as a brand, I don't like how tiny the wand is. It feels like it takes forever to apply and for volume I use wands with long bristles on to really get the product onto my lashes.

Maxfactor False Lash Effect £10.99
This mascara claims it has up to 50% more bristles for 'never ending volume' and I'm not overly mad at this. It definitely has a ton of bristles but they aren't long enough to add enough volume in my opinion. It doesn't give me a false lash look but the formula lasts all day and looks just as good as when you first applied it.

No7 Lovely Lashes £12.95 This is my 'natural lash' mascara for days when I don't want to wear makeup but still want to have visible lashes. It's the only mascara in a different colour as it's in Brown/Black which looks more natural. It doesn't add a ton of volume which is fine by me as the name suggests a more natural look.
Tarte Lights Camera Flashes I bloody love the bones out of Tarte but I really do not like this mascara. The packaging is very unique which I adore, but the mascara itself is lacklustre and makes my eyes water because the spiky bristles poke me in the eye. I've kept this mascara purely for comparison in posts like this.
Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof £19 I had previously tried the non-waterproof version of this mascara and loved it but even with an eye primer it seemed to end up underneath my eyes and just underneath my brow bone so I thought when it came to getting the full version I may as well try the waterproof version. Definitely the right decision and it is one of my favourites.
Urban Decay Perversion £19 This was the first mascara that I tried that really made me say oh wow. The first time I tried it I used the Subversion Primer too and fell head over heels for the combination. I ran out of the primer and recently rebought the mascara alone and it works almost as well as with the primer. 
Illamasqua Masquara Gain £20 This is another mascara I've reviewed and I genuinely love it. You'll see a pattern of big fluffy wands = nice lashes for me but for a while it overtook other mascaras on my list until it unfortunately ran out. 
Benefit They're Real £20.50 When I first started using They're Real I was over the moon with it as the wand really separates the lashes, but I found that the formula made my lashes feel odd. The formula sticks to the lashes and makes it a bit hard to remove which is great if you need it to last all day. 
Dior Diorshow Blackout Waterproof £25 The most expensive mascara on the list but not my favourite. The wand is pretty big and gets every lash which I love but the length isn't quite how I'd like it because of the stubby wand shape. All in all it's a good mascara but there are others I prefer.

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Have you discovered... Primers

No7 Beautifully Matte Make up Base

(picture source: boots.com)

I've only ever had one primer; the No.7 Beautifully Matte Makeup Base. It is a hypo-allergenic primer that is supposed to give you a matte base before your foundation. It definitely says what it does on the packet!

You only have to use a tiny amount and it lasts you absolutely ages! I don't use it every day as I don't need to, but when I need a primer this is what I reach for.

The reason I've never tried another primer is because I've never had to. It doesn't make me break out, I love the matte base and it doesn't leave my skin oily afterwards. 

When I first tried this I didn't like it but it's because that's because I was 18 and didn't fully understand how a primer worked. The consistency is like a paste, compared to other cream primers. It gives quite a chalky finish if you overdo it but it works perfectly with my skin and foundation.

My skin can get quite oily and I know that a primer cannot 100% prevent this, but when I do use it I notice a significant different, as well as barely being able to see any pores. My makeup lasts so long when I use it and it definitely helps.

This primer is amazing on your eyes. I went to see Fall Out Boy two days ago, and put it on, then my foundation and then eyeshadow. I came back about 6/7 hours later and my makeup hadn't budged. It looked like I'd only just applied it.

I've never seen anyone talk about or actually see people use this so I thought it would be perfect for the 'Have you discovered....?' series that I'm part of!

Let me know if you've tried this or have any questions!

BVL

xxx

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BVL's makeup essentials

I thought I'd share what I wear on an everyday basis with all you lovely people!

Primer - No7 Shine Free Primer "stops shine for a matte finish". This stuff is amazing. My mum gave me it a few years back, and I'd never even heard of a primer before. If I put it on and wait 5 minutes, then apply my foundation/concealer, it makes my makeup stick all day without fail. It also reduces my red patches for some reason! It is my must have. This is the first and only primer I've ever used! I'm currently saving for Benefit's porefessional primer.

Foundation - Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid in Ivory. Over the years I was very on and off with foundations. When I was 13 I had Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse and it was the worst foundation I could have chosen for my skin type but because everyone had it I thought I would use it for ages. Oh dear. This however is nothing like the matte mousse. The only thing I would say is that it does sometimes highlight any scars/blemishes you may have so sometimes I fight a losing battle with this. I want to try Estee Lauders Double Wear foundation next, but again, student probs - I'm skint :')

Concealer - Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Concealer in Light Beige. Here you can see my problem. I bought the wrong shade. If i apply it before my foundation, you can't tell, but if I apply it on a blemish after foundation you can tell so much in the difference! I have learnt my lesson.... But it really does stay and it is quite a thick formulation so I love it, just not the shade.

Powder - Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Waterproof Powder in Sand. I know what you're all thinking, why is your foundation, powder and concealer all by the same company but different shades. The answer to that is because I was desperate for this powder and just picked a shade. It wasn't available in Ivory so I grabbed this. Until about 4 days ago, I didn't notice a colour change at all. This was until I did some OOTD pics down by the river and it looked like I had an orange face and a white neck. ASAP I am buying this in Ivory ahhh.

Mascara #1 - Maybelline the Mega Plush Volume Express Mascara in Very Black. I love the thick wand on this which makes my lashes look super long and a bit thicker without looking clumpy. I just wish the end of the wand didn't pick up loads of product because I end up sometimes blobbing a bit on my nose and using a wipe..adding more foundation bla bla. That's annoying. But I love this mascara. I have been through so many and this is one I'm not bored of.

Mascara #2 - Rimmel Scandal Eyes Rockin' Curves in Black. I bought this before I even knew there was a big rave about it which pleased me as I bought it because of the wand not because of what a lot of people say, which I have learnt my lesson about! The wand is curved which means it picks up your lashes easily and makes them look longer and fuller. The wand is amazing but as with a lot of mascaras, it picks up a lot of product on the end of the wand which does annoy me. However, it feels very wet which I like if I have spare time to wait for it to dry as the effect is better. I'd recommend this to people who like longer and fuller looking lashes.

Eyeliner - Maybelline Master Duo "thin or thick glossy line" in Black. I have now seen there is a bit of Maybelline loving here! I have issues with this eyeliner and is due to my lack of experience applying eyeliner rather than the product. I always seem to make one line thicker than the other. It is great for applying either a thick or thin line, it just depends on how you hold it. It lasts all day and doesn't smudge when you first apply it if you blink which is a huge bonus.

Brow Pencil/Highlighter - Soap and Glory Arch de Triumph. I have gone through so many of these beauties! The shade is perfect for people with blonde or light brown hair as it doesn't make your brows look too full on compared to your hair colour. As a natural blonde, I have translucent eyebrows which is SO annoying. This is my perfect eyebrow fixer! The highlighter is also amazing too. The only problem is, if like me, you use it mainly for the brow pencil, you find out it can run out pretty quick. On the other side it is a product I re-buy every time and lasts long on the eyebrows without making them look too fake and drawn on!

Lipstick - Rimmel in Sloane's Plum. This is my go-to lipstick for a vampy sort of look, which is often considering I'm so pale and don't use fake tan. It is a smooth formula which compliments any lip shape. I've never gone to any other plum lipstick, this is my rock and I shall remain forever in love with it!

Blusher #1 - Benefit Powda Wowza in Coralista, Hoola (bronzer) and Bella Bamba. As you can tell by the packaging, I've had this quite a significant time. Apart from my one other blusher, this is my favourite powder blusher as both blush shades are gorgeous on any skin tone. I hit pan ages ago but the powder has never broken and it comes with a small brush to make applying it easy. I don't really use the hoola bronzer at the moment, but I'm going to make it my next mission to start contouring.

Blusher #2 - Benefit Mousse Blush in 04 Dist. I don't even know if Benefit still make this! It is a lovely creamy blush that gives a natural flushed look. I think it looks best on pale skin personally, as it wouldn't give off such a natural look on medium-darker skin tones but it suits my just great! 

Please don't shout at me for getting the wrong shades in concealer and powder! I seriously would buy more but money is tight being a student sometimes and I simply can't afford to! (sob). I'm excited to save and buy some higher end products, but I have no issue with drugstore makeup in the slightest, as long as you test the products and get the right shades to suit you, you can pick up some amazing bargains!

I know this is a bit different to usual, but I wanted to show you guys I do like beauty blogging too!

Much love, BVL x

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