Maybelline - Inspired Living SA

Mascara Lash Off {Review}

Mascara Review

Mascara is definitely one of my makeup must-haves! Even if I am wearing minimal makeup on the rest of my face, I have to wear mascara, otherwise I feel naked! Mascara is the one tool that can take a so-so makeup look to the next level.

A reader recently asked which Mascara I would recommend, so I decided to put a few drugstore Mascara’s through their paces and have a bit of a Mascara Lash Off!

As I mentioned these are all drugstore Mascara Brands, which makes them affordable and easily accessible to everyone. The most important thing about Mascara is to find the one that is right for you. Another important aspect of purchasing mascara, is to decide what type of effect you are after – whether it is a natural everyday look you are trying to achieve or a vavavoom dramatic effect!

The five mascara’s I am featuring are: Maybelline The Colossal Go Extreme! Leather Black, Catrice Glamour Doll, Maybelline The Rock Volum’ Express, Loreal Miss Manga Punky and Essence Princess False Lash Effect Mascara.

Maybelline The Colossal Go Extreme! Leather Black Mascara ~ I have always been a big fan of Maybelline Mascara’s and this one is no exception! The Colossal Go Extreme! Leather Black Mascara is also my favourite-favourite, out of all of the mascara’s I tested. You may recall a feature I did on the original Colossal Go Extreme mascara in a favourites post – well this is its big brother! The Colossal Go Extreme! Black Perfecto has a super-loading wand, which adds an extra shot of volume onto the biggest brush. Blackout pigments give you a bold look, with Leather Black intensity! Apply less product for everyday and build up the volume for more intensity in the evening. RRP R134.95

Catrice Glamour Doll Mascara ~ This is one of those rather unassuming products! When you first look at the wand, you are unsure it will do much but don’t be fooled. While it is certainly not the most volumsing, the Catrice Glamour Doll Mascara gives you great definition and it is definitely build-able. It is my favourite for everyday wear and especially if you are going for a nude makeup look, as it separates the lashes really well, for a clearly defined eye. RRP R69.95

Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Express ~ I have repurchased the Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Express often! What I love about this product is the brush, which is similar to that of the Catrice Galmour Doll.It has smaller bristles, allowing you to more easily separate the lashes but still create an intense bold eye. I spotted a new version of this product available on the UK Maybelline website, with a patented Supersonic Brush with micro bristles. I am unsure whether it is available in SA yet but it sounds awesome! {this is an estimated price as this product was sent to me} RRP R129

Loreal Miss Manga Punky ~ This one of those products which you whip out when you want to create an all out volumised eye, with a punky edge! Miss Manga Punky is a mega volume texturing mascara, with a konical shaped brush, which grips lashes from root to tip to create an intense spiky effect. I am not daring enough to go all out like the the photo above but even one coat creates a great effect. RRP 149.95

Essence Princess False Lash Effect Mascara ~ The Essence Princess False Lash Effect Mascara is the budget buy out of all the mascara’s I tested and for the price you cannot go wrong! With a a konical shaped brush much like the Miss Manga Punky, it tends to sweep the lashes and give you a great up-turned effect. I would not say that it is overly volumising but you can definitely build volume with a few coats. RRP R63.95

All the mascara’s mentioned above are relatively easy to remove with a dove cotton pad and eye makeup remover.

A reader pointed out I did not mention the longevity of these products, so I thought I need to add it in! All the Mascara’s tested last well but I must make particular mention of the Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme and the Miss Manga Punky, which in my opinion have the best staying power. In saying this they were the most difficult out of the five to remove.

A side note: I have quite sensitive eyes and all the products tested to be quite gentle, with no apparent reaction.

I hope you found this review helpful! I would love to hear from you so please leave a comment below and remember to share this review with your friends and family!

Stockists: Selected Clicks, Dischem, Foschini and Edgars stores.

Disclosure Ranking:2

Beauty, Beauty Products, Nail Polish

Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish {Mani-Monday}

Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish

I decided on something quite bright for Mani-Monday! I was recently sent a few of the new Maybelline Color Show Nail Poilsh shades to try – these two caught my eye immediately!

The Colors~

As you know I simply cannot resist pink nail polish and the brighter the better! The first colour I used to create the look below is Maybelline Color Show Park Avenue Pink, which is a gorgeous cerise pink. I painted a coat of Maybelline Color Show Wine Shimmer, over the Park Avenue Pink, to create a pretty sparkly effect. Wine Shimmer is a pinky red shade, with fine iridescent glitter.

I think this look would be particularly good for wearing out in the evening – to a glamorous event or dinner party. It will look especially good against black!

The Application ~

The Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish, applies very easily and is fast drying, as the label indicates – in 60 Seconds! I could have gotten away with one coat of Park Avenue Pink, if I was only wearing the one colour.

The Verdict ~

I think Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish is a winner! It applies well, is fast-drying, reasonably priced and looks great. I am not sure about how well it lasts yet, that remains to be seen but it definitely gets a thumbs up from me!

Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish is available from selected Clicks Dischem, Foschini and Edgars stores. RRP R49.95

Disclosure Ranking:2

Beauty, Beauty Products, Competitions

Maybelline Celebrate 100 Years & Win!

For the past 100 years Maybelline have helped inspire women everywhere, to define and enhance their natural beauty. We all know the famous tagline, which has become synonymous with beauty worldwide…

Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.

The Maybelline journey began in 1915, when Tom Lyle Williams noticed his older sister Mabel applying a mixture of Vaseline and coal dust to her eyelashes to give them a darker, fuller look. He adapted this formulation with a chemistry set and produced a product sold locally called lash-in-brow-line, bringing about the birth of the first Mascara! Williams renamed his eye beautifier Maybelline, in honor of his sister Mabel, who gave him the idea.

To this day Maybelline has been inspired by confident, accomplished women, to create scientifically-advanced formulas, revolutionary textures and up-to-the-minute, trendsetting make-up shades.

Some of my first makeup products {Tinkerbell does not count} were from Maybelline. I know for sure my first Mascara was from Maybelline. One of the first Beauty Pick posts I did featured Maybelline products. It is a brand I love and use everyday!

To help Maybelline Celebrate 100 Years, we have decided run a reader competition! One lucky reader can win a hamper from Maybelline, containing all the products seen in the image above, as well as an extra surprise from Inspired Living! Please tell me what the first ever Maybelline product was that you purchased and why you love Maybelline. Spread some love on Facebook and for an extra entry Tweet about the competition.

To enter our Maybelline Celebrate 100 Years competition and win a product hamper, please follow the simple steps below and use the Rafflecopter form to complete your entry:

Like: Maybelline SA and Inspired Living SA on Facebook.
Leave a comment below: Please tell me what the first ever Maybelline product was that you purchased and why you love Maybelline.
Tweet: Celebrate 100 Years with @Maybelline_SA & win on @inspired_lifeSA #Maybelline100
Please ensure you read the *Terms & Conditions below carefully, to ensure you comply with all the entry criteria.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Terms & Conditions:

By entering this competition you automatically accept all the Terms and Conditions laid out below.

Entries are open from 15th May 2015 until the 25th May 2015.
You must complete all the steps as stipulated above on the Rafflecopter Fome: Leave a Comment, Like and/or Share on Facebook or Instagram and/0r Tweet about the competition.
To ensure that your entry is processed correctly (please use a valid email address). Your details will only be used to validate your entry and inform you, if you are selected as a winner.
This competition is only open to South African residents and to readers who have not won a competition on Inspired Living SA in the past 6 months.
Entries will be considered incomplete and thus disqualified if the entrant does not provide all requested information. Entry information will not be shared with any third party without the entrant’s prior knowledge and consent. The prize hamper will go to the first name selected at random after the closing date.
The prize is not transferable and may not be exchanged for cash.
By “Liking” you enter and agree that this promotion is in no way associated with, administered by, or endorsed by Facebook; and acknowledge a complete release of Facebook by your participation.

Beauty, Beauty Products

Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue { Beauty }

Last year saw the launch of Maybelline Baby Lips in SA, which created much excitement! Well, Baby Lips fans will be super excited to know that the new Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue, is now available in SA! [Read more…]

Beauty, Beauty Products

Maybelline Superstay 14H Megawatt Lipstick {Beauty Review}

Maybelline Superstay 14H Megawatt Lipstick

I recently received a few new Maybelline lipsticks to review and among them was this gorgeous foursome. They are from the Maybelline Superstay 14H Megawatt Lipstick range. These lipsticks are an addition to their existing Superstay 14H range.

If you are looking for super charged electric pigments to create a statement, in your face, bold lip, then these colours are perfect! The four Megawatt colours available in SA are Neon Pink 120, Flash of Fuschia 135, Burst of Coral 455 and Red Rays 575. I must admit I have become a bit boring with my lippie of late, opting for either a nude or soft pink lip {I can hear some of you shout BORING!} Well these shades are anything but boring!

First impressions – I love the bright summery shades and the packing is cute and compact, perfect for popping in your handbag. The Maybelline Superstay 14H Megawatt Lipstick has a delicious fruity sent, which while I am not sure why, is hugely appealing to me!

Before we explore the colours a bit more lets talk about the formulation. The Maybelline Superstay 14H Megawatt Lipstick has a light-weight formulation, which when first applied, has a waxy almost lip balm like feel to it. It does however set with a matt finish.

Another note about the formulation and application, which may just be personal opinion, as I have quite dry lips but it tends to emphasise the lines on my lips. It does not have a very smooth texture, which I am used to in other matt lipsticks I wear. I will definitely need to wear a lip primer or lip balm under these lipsticks. I must admit am not a lover of “longwear” lipsticks, as I do find them quite drying.

As far as the staying power, they are highly pigment and the colour definitely lasts, even with eating and drinking, which is great. Whether it lasts 14 hours I am still to find out 😉 The colour does stain your lips, so be warned you will need either a beauty wipe or makeup remover on hand, to remove your lippie. I also think that wearing a lip liner, with the Maybelline Superstay 14H Megawatt Lipstick, creates a more even looking application but again that is personal preference!

On to the colours…

Flash of Fuchsia ~ This gorgeous hot pink is definitley my favourite out of the four! Both because of the colour and application! For some reason this particular shade looks much smoother on my lips, than the others and as you all know pink if definitely my colour!

Neon Pink ~ I do love this shade but it is the most drying on my lips and over emphasises the lines on my lips. So yay on the colour but not so yay on the finish!

Burst of Coral ~ I love coral lipstick and have had a vague obsession with it for a while! While this is not my favourite out of the four, I do not dislike it. It is also more of a pink coral, than an orange coral, which I do prefer.

Red Rays ~ Last but not least is Red Rays, which I really like! When I first had a closer look at it, I thought maybe the red was too orangey but once on, I am enjoying it more and more! I think I will definitely get a lot of wear out of this colour especially in winter.

So in closing, I really love the bright colours of the Maybelline Superstay 14H Megawatt Lipsticks and possibly I just need to get used to the slightly different formulation. Why don’t you give them a try for yourself and let me know what you think. They are available at selected Clicks, DisChem, Foschini and Edgars stores countrywide, RRP R134.95.

Disclosure Ranking: 2