Introducing: L’Oreal Miss Manga Mascara & A MEGA SALE ANNOUNCEMENT (May 1 – 31)*

So, how is everyone faring in this summer heat? Admittedly, I’ve taken to putting the air conditioning on from around noon to 3pm when I’m at home. On other days, I mooch off mall air conditioning… which isn’t technically mooching because I end up paying for parking and maybe also getting an iced coffee anyway.

I’ve said it in other posts already, but the heat is so bad that it really does limit what kind of makeup I use. At the launch of the Miss Manga Mascara, I posted a photo of the product and wrote in the caption that mascara is pretty much the only thing I can pile on in this heat. I meant that, and when you’re going hyper-minimal with everything else, having long and thick lashes makes all the difference.

Miss Manga, formulated especially for stick straight Asian lashes, is perfect for the heat. The waterproof formula ensures that it really isn’t going anywhere. On top of that, you get loads of curl. The L’Oreal Miss Manga Mascara will be regularly priced at 599.00 Php, BUT come May, you can get it at its introductory price of 500.00 Php. Miss Manga won’t be the only thing on sale though, as the entire month of May will be…

The Great L’Oreal Sale! You’ll be able to get your fave L’Oreal makeup for up to 45% off, plus skincare and hair color will also be discounted. It’s the perfect time to stock up on stuff!

There will be more information about the specials at the end of this post, but I also wanted to give you an idea of what the Miss Manga mascara can do, as well as show you photos of the adorable press kit I got my sample in. It’s a winner (both press kit and mascara)!

The Cutest Press Kit That Ever Was

This “magazine issue” is the press kit itself. How cute is the Manga Panda on the cover?!

Posted by Mariana

Review: Happy Skin’s Eye Am The One Mascara — Is It Holy Grail Material?

Bet you weren’t expecting a review so soon after I posted about Happy Skin‘s “Beauty in Bloom” collection launch party (here)! We were given a few items from the collection on that day, but I actually bought the Eye Am The One Mascara (899.00 Php) well before the party (didn’t know I was going until a couple of days before). That means I’ve had sufficient time to get to know the product and work on this little write up for you guys. The sort of “subtitle” name of the Eye Am The One mascara is “Holy Grail.” On top of that, the box packaging proclaims that it is “your dream mascara!” You have to hand it to Happy Skin — they really do believe in their products. This fibre mascara is meant to give you “thicker and longer lashes with curls that will never droop.” It’s also supposed to be “smudge-proof, sweat-proof, tear-resistant, and sebum-resistant.” That’s a lot of claims for any one mascara, but Happy Skin took one full year to develop this formula and it’s made in Japan, so there was always good reason to bet on it.

Posted by Mariana

Stocking Up On Old Favourites: My Sasa Picks

Catching a glimpse of Sasa’s pink logo always gets my heart racing and my lips inevitably curl up into a smile. It’s a reaction mirrored only by a Sephora sighting. Sasa (in case you didn’t already know) is an Asian beauty and health store based in Hong Kong and found in many major Asian cities—but not the Philippines. Boo.

Sasa carries a wide array of brands (from Caudalie to Elizabeth Arden to Fairydrops, Bourjois, Canmake and so much more) and is known for selling little sample sizes of products as well as offering things at great prices. Shopping in Sasa is a strange mix of the drugstore shopping experience combined with some higher end options and great deals. I love it.
There was only really one thing I knew I had to pick up from Sasa on my recent trip to Macau: the Fairydrops Quattro Mascara (120 MOP / approx. 680 Php), which you can see on the far right in the photo above.

Posted by Mariana

Cool Concept: Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara

Ever heard of he Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara? It’s an itsy bitsy mascara meant specifically for use on the bottom lashes. The tiny wand and waterproof formula are supposed to work much better on the lower lashes and it gets loads of great reviews. I’ve never tried it myself but I have always wanted to–I just can’t seem to justify the purchase every time I have it in hand at a Clinique counter. I figured that it couldn’t be too long until drugstore brands pick up on the idea translate it into a more affordable option. Turns out I was very wrong about that as I haven’t really seen a drugstore option (have you?). Not until this Maybelline one, at least, and even then it isn’t quite close enough to be a “dupe.” Have a look anyway:

Maybelline’s The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara features a double-ended design with one end meant for use on the upper lashes and the other on lower lashes. It’s called “Big Eyes” because applying lashings (hehe) of mascara to both upper and lower lashes makes for a doll-eyed effect. I used to do that all the time using just a regular mascara all over and it worked well enough for the most part–better if I used a waterproof formula, of course.

So why even use a separate mascara for bottom lashes if regular old mascara works fine anyway? Well, sometimes you don’t want waterproof mascara on all of your lashes (it’s a b*tch to remove), but the biggest pain is using a huge mascara wand in the lower lash area. It’s tricky and it can be a little messy. So in theory a good bottom lash mascara features a tiny wand design and a waterproof formula–precisely what Clinique offers.

Maybelline’s attempt is admirable. I don’t know if you can tell in the photo above (I think I zoomed in too much hehe) but the wand for the lower lash mascara is smightly smaller. It’s got shorter bristles, is just as long as the regular wand, and applies a waterproof formula. It’s a cool concept, really… but the bottom wand is still way too long in my opinion. I also don’t really care for the upper lash (i.e. regular) mascara, so that chops half of the convenience of the design away immediately. I want an itty bitty bottom lash mascara that I can pair with whatever regular mascara I want to, okay. That just makes better sense.

This could mean a trip to Clinique very soon. I just have to know if the Bottom Lash Mascara is worth the hype and if other mascaras with smaller wands (like the ones with little balls on the ends?) are good substitutes for that one in particular.

Anyway, just wanted to feature this mascara because I sincerely thought it was a great idea. Fell short performance-wise, but then I really do think mascaras are a matter of extra, extra personal taste–if there’s such a thing. Lol. Any thoughts on bottom lash mascara? In general or on the Clinique one. Do share. :)

Posted by Mariana

If you find yourself in Bangkok…

… without a mascara in your makeup bag *gasp*… no worries! 7/11 has got you covered!

Yup, 7/11 in Bangkok sells good mascara! While I didn’t exactly forget to bring my own, I couldn’t resist picking this up because (1) I was surprised that 7/11 had cosmetics like bb creams, powders, and mascara, and (2) it was cheap at just over 120.00 php. I wasn’t going to cry over wasted money in case it turned out to be crappy but as I said, this Be Witch volumizing mascara is GOOD. It’s got “natural” hair bristles and fibres in the mascara itself to add volume and length. I believe it is also water resistant.

Checking convenience stores in other countries is always interesting. I’ve been using this every day since I bought it and I’m regretting that I didn’t go back for more. It’s even cheaper than my fave Avon mascara! Amazing.

Posted by Mariana

Revlon Photoready 3D Volume Mascara

It took me a while to figure it out, but I realized that I love almost any mascara that has a synthetic comb or brush head. My lashes don’t seem to agree with natural hair (or hair-like) bristles; they refuse to be in contact with anything other than rubber or plastic. I find that plastic wands grab onto the eyelashes better and coat them more evenly, but now I’m wondering if that’s just the case with my lashes. It seems that no matter what the formula, I just can’t use a mascara that doesn’t have plastic bristles. Hmph, that seriously narrows down my selection. For example, I really wanted to pick up the Revlon Grow Luscious mascara, but when I saw that it had a natural hair applicator, I became very hesitant to buy it. Instead, I picked up the Photoready 3D mascara which seems to be working for me just fine. It’s the most expensive mascara I own at 750.00php, but I’ve been using it everyday and I do really like it. It’s not waterproof (which I like!), it makes my lashes look longer, thicker, and blacker, and I have no application issues with it at all thanks to the plastic bristles. It’s a great everyday mascara, as the overall effect isn’t too dramatic. My go-to evening mascara is still the Maybelline cat eyes mascara, but since that’s waterproof I don’t like to use it everyday.

I didn’t want to do a full-on review for this because I believe mascaras are largely a matter of knowing the elements that you personally like in a mascara. You’ll like this one if you like it as basic as it gets, with plastic bristles, a slightly glossy finish, and a very clean overall effect.

Does anyone else out there have very specific preference when it comes to mascara wands?

Posted by Mariana

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