Mascara Madness : August 2016

Another quarter in my Mascara Madness has come to a close and it's time to share the results of the mascaras I've been using over the last three month. If you are new to Mascara Madness then here is what you need to know:

Every three months I choose a set of mascaras to use (around 3 - 4 different kinds). I spend a few weeks testing each of the mascaras in everything from formula, to wear time, to the brush style and everything in between. At the end of three months, I then come here to Embrace & Ignite and report back on my thoughts about what I've tried.

Super simple, right?

Over the last three months, I've been testing out some really good mascaras and some really bad mascaras and I'm finally ready to share my thought with you all and tell you which ones to go buy and which one's to avoid! Here are the mascaras we are going to talk about today:

• L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara in Blackest Black
• Essence I <3 Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara
• Marcelle Lengthening and Curling Mascara in Black
• Covergirl Lash Bloom Mascara in Blackest Black

When I was choosing my new mascaras, I really wanted to make sure that I chose a selection from a variety of brands but I also wanted to stick to using drugstore mascaras. In my previous Mascara Madness (click here) you will know that I found some really good drugstore options and because of this I wanted to continue to test the back stock of drugstore mascaras to see if I could top the one's I've already tried.

Here's a little sneak peek....I DID! 

The first mascara I tried in this round of testing was actually the one I feel in love with the most and that I used for most of the three-month time period. So within further rambling let's get into the round-up and review:

L'OREAL VOLUMINOUS BUTTERFLY MASCARA
**** see image of brush above

When new products launch in the market, I'm usually the last person to go and pick them up. I like to let the hype die down or read the reviews before I fully decide if I want to purchase a product to use and thus, try out here on Embrace & Ignite. So when L'Oreal released their new Voluminous Butterfly Mascara I didn't jump and I sat and waited for the reviews to come in. Many of them were really good and many YouTubers loved this mascaras and others really hated this mascara. So when I ventured to my drugstore and found this mascara on a crazy deal - I mean like under $5 - I decided that it was time to try it. I can't tell you why the mascara was so cheap but I believe I bought it at the time when one of my local drugstores had too much stock and needed to clearance some out.

Here is what I think of this mascara:

When you first open this mascara you are going to be scared of the brush. It's a plastic bristle brush but it's very much in the shape of a butterfly. I love plastic brushes with soft bristles and I actually really loved the shape of this brush. While it takes some getting used to it really allows you to comb the mascara through the lashes making sure you coat each evenly and allowing you to avoid clumps!

The formula is the biggest perk to this mascara. While it might seem wet at first you will appreciate this as you apply the mascara to your lashes. This type of formula combined with the unique brush avoids clumps and really goes onto the lashes really well. The formula also gives you amazing volume - as it is intended - but it also helps provides amazing separation and some length. This makes the formula the perfect one for my lashes since I'm looking for all three of those qualities: volume, length, and separation. Combine all of the qualities within a fantastic black formula and it's a match made in heaven.

The only couple of points I want to make is that this mascara does have a scent to it that you are going to notice upon use. But it doesn't linger and it hasn't affected my eyes at all. And the mascara in the tube doesn't seem to want to dry out so because of this factor you might be tempted to keep this mascara longer than the 3-month expiration date but I recommend throwing this out. Because of the more wet formula, it's also more likely to grow bacteria faster! EW!

WOULD I REPURCHASE THIS?
100% YES!

MARCELLE LENGTHENING AND CURLING MASCARA
**** see image of brush above

This mascara left my drawer approximately 3 - 5 times in the last three months. The first time trying this the product really didn't seem that bad but I did notice that my eyes itched throughout the day. Thinking nothing of it, I used this product again with the same result and then on about the third use I removed my makeup and noticed my left eye was extremely red and itchy. I decide to lay off makeup for a few days and I quickly developed a stye!

Because I had been using this mascara at the time, I decided to discontinue use of the product because of the build up of bacteria from my infection. And because this was the only thing different I used in my routine and might have been the cause of this issue.

Upon the first couple of uses of the mascara I really didn't notice a huge different in my lashes. They simply just looked like my lashes but black. There was no length, volume or curl to the lashes which was quite disappointing considering the name of the mascara. The brush and application was another thing that I felt was just average. At first, I had trouble transferring the product from the brush to my lashes and I just felt like there were much better mascaras that I wanted to reach for. Since I didn't test this mascara for a longer amount of time, I don't feel like I have all of the knowledge to speak on the formula or wear-time.

WOULD I REPURCHASE THIS?
100% No!

ESSENCE I <3 EXTREME CRAZY VOLUME MASCARA
**** see image of brush above

Essence has been a long-time favorite brand of mine and many of my posts here on Embrace & Ignite contain at least one Essence product - or so it seems. Years ago I tried the Essence I <3 Extreme Mascara and really loved the formula so I was quite interested to try the Crazy Volume formula during this round of Mascara Madness.

The brush on this mascara is a plastic bristle brush and they are extremely short to the base. This also is a large brush and takes some getting used to when applying the product. When I first started using this I did have to go in and clean up under my brow where I would get some mascara transfer from the application process. Another thing to be careful of is that because of the short bristles you do have to get this brush pretty close to your eye and I did experience some discomfort with this and I even poked myself once for twice with it. Because of this large size, it also doesn't apply to the lower lashes well within transferring to the skin.

As for the formula of the mascara, it tends to start out as a wet formula that clumps onto the brush so you do have to pay attention to wipe excess product off. This formula also seems to be really locked in the tube well which has caused the mascara not to dry out. Upon application, this formula doesn't provide that 'crazy volume' like I thought it would. While it comes provide average volume with a name like 'Crazy Volume' I was expecting something much more than I got.

WOULD I REPURCHASE THIS?
Only if I needed something affordable and in a hurry!

COVERGIRL LASH BLOOM MASCARA
**** see image of brush above

When this product first launched I read countless reviews of good things and this really got me excited about trying it. Covergirl was the first makeup brand that I ever bought a mascara from so it was also a bit nostalgic. During a storewide sale around Christmas, I was actually able to purchase this mascara for only $1.50 (CAD) and I'm super happy it was so cheap because this mascara was completely unusable for me. Here's why:

The brush on this mascara is a plastic bristle brush with quite short and spike bristles. Along with that, the bristles have no flexibility which causes the brush to be a very hard plastic and when applying this mascara it actually hurt! It caused tugging on my lashes and getting the mascara to transfer to my lashes was near impossible. Because this product was so difficult to use the first few uses, I decide to discontinue use and move this into my 'trash' pile.

WOULD I REPURCHASE?
100% No!

*******

During this Mascara Madness, I was really disappointed with most of the mascaras I tried with the exception of the L'Oreal Butterfly Mascara. Of all of the mascaras that I tried this would be the only one that I would repurchase or use in the future. Comparing this set of mascaras to the previous set I actually am still loving the following:

• Clinique High Impact Mascara
• Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara
• Rimmel Super Curler 24Hour Mascara
• L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

I'm excited to dig inside my backup products and choose another couple of mascaras to use for the next couple of months. I'm hoping this selection will be much better than the ones I just tried and I will be able to expand my list of products that I would repurchase. I'm also hoping that I'll be able to find my holy grail mascara by doing this series. 

What mascaras have you tried lately?

What mascaras have you been loving lately?

Joe Fresh Eye Shadow Palette in Neutrals*

If you live in Canada and adore Shoppers Drug Mart as much as I do then you might know that they now sell Joe Fresh Beauty products. Previous to this new launch, Joe Fresh Beauty and Apparel could only be found in participating Loblaws (Superstore) stores throughout Canada. But the selection really depended on your local and mine was always dirty and messy.

So when Shoppers Drug Mart decided to bring the brand into their stores I knew this was going to be my chance to get my hands on some Joe Fresh products. I waited out the initial launch though and really spent time reading reviews and staring at the beautiful display at my local store. And then finally, I bit the bullet and contacted the beautiful ladies within the PR agency that oversee's Joe Fresh and they were happy to send me some of the brand new CORE products that have just launched within the line.

Today I'm going to be sharing the first of many Joe Fresh Beauty products and this one is the Joe Fresh Eye Shadow Palette in Neutrals.

The Eye Shadow Palette in Neutrals currently can be found sitting on shelves at Shoppers Drug Mart awaiting your purchase for $14 (CAD). This beautiful palette comes with 12-neutral shades in a range of finishes from matte to satin to metallic. And while this palette prominently leans to the more warm-toned range of color, I also think there are some staple cool-toned colors in this palette which makes the palette extremely versatile for me.

Many of us might have noticed the lack of large palettes in the drugstore. While brands like Wet N Wild, L'Oreal and Revlon are trying to fill the gap it seems that the only thing increasing instead of quality is the price point. Many larger palettes retails for $15 (CAD) and upwards so it's nice to have the Joe Fresh Eye Shadow Palette only retail for $14 (CAD) for such a big selection of shadows in terms of finishes and shade.

Each shadow in this palette comes with approximately 0.9grams of product and are roughly the size of a dime. While this makes the shadows quite a bit smaller than your traditional trio or quad I actually appreciate the sizing of this palette for the large variety you get. And let's be honest, when was the last time we used up an eyeshadow?

Shade one is a yellow-toned browbone highlight shade with a matte finish. This shade works perfectly as a matte browbone highlight shade and also as a shadow to set your eyeshadow primer or base. This can also be used to help blend colors out to avoid harsh lines within your shadow.

Shade two is a true yellow-based gold shade with a beautiful metallic finish. This shade is the perfect all over the lid shade - among others in this palette. To make this shadow even prettier you can use some MAC Fix + to create that beautiful foiled effect.

Shade three is warm-toned bronze shade also with a beautiful metallic finish. Just like the last shade, this one is absolutely beautiful all over the eyelid and combined with some MAC Fix + to create that foiled effect.

Shade four is light peach with a satin finish.This shade can also be used as a browbone highlight and will give you a beautiful highlighted effect because of the satin finish. You can also use this as an inner corner highlight or all of the lid if you are going for a more natural look.

Shade five is a light taupe with a satin finish. To really bring that shade to life, I also recommend mixing it with some MAC Fix + and applying it all over the eye lid. You can also use this color in the crease since it isn't as metallic as others.

Shade six is a medium tan shade that contains pink undertones with a metallic finish. This is another perfect shadow that you can use all over the eye lid and combine with MAC Fix + to really bring the shimmer and metallic finish of this shadow to life. This is another great shadow that can be used in the crease or to help blend out other shadows.

Shade seven is a light baby pink shade with mauve undertones and has a satin finish. I'd almost say that this is my favorite shade in the palette because it is very unique to the shades that I wear. This shade is versatile because it can be worn all over the lid, combined with MAC Fix +, used as an intense browbone highlight and even used as a highlighter on the face.

Shade eight is a medium rust toned shade with a metallic finish. This shade is the most basic to me and the one that I haven't played that much with. It would be really beautiful all over the lid but taken into consideration it would probably create a really smokey and dark eye. My method of use for this would be as an accent color on the lower lashline.

Shade nine is a deep chocolate brown shade with a matte finish. Since this is the only dark shade in the palette that is matte - besides black - this is the shade I use most often to deepen the crease and the outer v. It's also the shade I drag down onto the lower lash line to create definition.

Shade ten is a light cool-toned tan shade with a matte finish. For my light to medium skin tone, this shade is perfect as a transition color because of it's color and finish. I use this shade to start every one of my looks with this palette and I also finish with this shade to make sure everything is blended and faded out beautiful.

Shade eleven is a dark gray shade with strong blue undertones and a satin finish and a small amount of micro glitter. This shade is also something that I just don't reach for on an everyday basis. But this is something I would reach for when doing a smokey look - in that case, I would use this all over the lid. In other looks, you could use this as a shade to deepen your crease or outer v.

Shade twelve is a dark black with a matte finish. I'm the type of girl that likes to use black in every one of her looks so I'm constantly using this to deepen the outer v and smudge under my lower lash line.

Before now, some of you might remember in lots of my posts that I raved about the Joe Fresh Single Eyeshadow in Smoke. This shade was discontinued long ago but I still use it almost every single day because the formula and color payoff is amazing. Because of my experience with this shadow and many others, I knew that the Eye Shadow Palette in Neutrals would not disappoint me. And it didn't!

The shadows in this palette are some of the softest I've ever used but they are pressed hard enough in the pan that you don't get an extreme amount of kick-up or powder when you dip your brush into them. Along with the soft texture, the shadows are also smooth - even the ones containing micro-glitter and glitter particles. However, with some of the shadows like the dark gray that contain more glitter you are going to experience some fallout but this can easily be cleaned up.

The pigmentation is another huge hit to this palette. Each of the shadows are pigmented without being over-pigmented. They are easy to work with - including being able to sheer the shadows out or built them up as desired. And of course, they blend like a dream! While many of the shadows are also beautiful on their own, I also think the addition of some MAC Fix + with the more metallic shades is going to enhance the color and finish in the shadows making them even more beautiful.

Overall, this palette gets a huge pass from me and has even moved onto my vanity area in my palette storage. This is a really classic palette but I think is also really different to the drugstore market and I'm really impressed with the quality for the palette only costing $14 (CAD). If you are in the market - or a blogger on the hunt - for a person neutral shadow palette, I highly recommend this one!

Have you tried anything from Joe Fresh Beauty?
What are your thoughts on the brand?
What other products should I try?

*** This product was sent to be for consideration here on Embrace & Ignite! ***