REVIEW: Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara

Long time no see everyone! Now that I'm on Christmas break, I thought I'd celebrate with a little review! I acquired the Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara in September after my Fairydrops Platinum/Scandal Queen Mascara (review here) dried out. I knew it wasn't going to be the same as the Fairydrops (nothing will be, to be honest!) but I hoped it would be a suitable replacement. It's a multi-awarded mascara in Japan by Cosme, and has been for three years! Knowing this, I had high expectations for this mascara.

Packaging & Wand

While not as cute as packaging for Fairydrops, the Heroine Make Mascara comes in a slim plastic tube with a magenta body and a black cap. I highly appreciate that the cap shuts tightly as it prevents the mascara from drying out faster. Its very lightweight and could be easily taken around in your purse or for travel.

The wand is a bristle brush, with a slight curve. I find the curve quite helpful as it fits the shape of the eye. I do wish there were more bristles on the brush, just so it would get more lashes in one swipe. It doesn't require a lot of coats, however, so this is a very minor issue. I will say though that product tends to gather at the tip of the brush, which could make lashes clumpy if you don't take away the excess. Trust me, this has happened more times that I can count.

Formulation

The formula itself is not too wet that it weighs lashes down, or too dry that it doesn't last long. I find it to be in a happy middle. As it is supposed to function more to lengthen and curl rather than to volumize, you will find little volume here. I will say, that it lengthens very well and separates lashes cleanly for the first few passes. I must mention that it does get clumpy and spidery with too many layers, which I attribute more to the brush and the stopper than to the formula. It's a shame, as I did want a mascara that would give definition, length, and curl to my very short, stick-straight lashes.

Left eye with mascara, right eye without

Final result! Lets ignore my eyebrows for now haha. You can see that the look is pretty natural

Lasting Power

The mascara dries within a considerable amount of time - enough to let you build but fast so it doesn't run everywhere. I find that it lasts all day without clumping or flaking, which is a big factor in my book and I am very happy with this. It takes a heavy duty make-up remover to get this off, and is 100% waterproof. Great if you're going to go swimming or watch a movie that will make you cry, haha! I find that I don't worry much about my lashes when I'm wearing this.

Price and Availability

I purchased this for 595 PHP at Watsons. Might be a little expensive, but that's just me who expects mascaras to be under 500 PHP. Its definitely cheaper than say, Max Factor (which is my next brand to try). This is widely available in most SM Department Stores that I've checked, and some of the newer Watsons stores. Otherwise, you can buy this in Japan - it's widely available in the drugstore!

Summary:

(+) Cap shuts tight

(+) Very waterproof

(+) Curved brush

(+) Holds a curl

(+) No flaking or smudging

(+/-) Price

(+/-) Availability

(-) Gets clumpy

(-) Stopper doesn't remove enough product

Recommended for: those looking for a waterproof, lengthening mascara | the weekend mascara

Repurchase: Yes, but not immediately. I want to try other mascaras first, but this is definitely a good back-up in case those don't work out.

That's it for my review! If you guys have any mascara recommendations of your own, or if you've tried this, feel free to leave me a comment below!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

REVIEW: Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara

By Pauline Read More

Mascara Wish List

You all know that I love my Fairydrops Platinum Mascara (which I recently reviewed here) but it is getting very hard to find now. I even asked my friend to get me a tube in Japan but she couldn't find Fairydrops anywhere! I know I have the option of Cult Beauty, but that will be when I get desperate. Despite this sad revelation, I thought it would also be a good opportunity to share with you some of the other mascaras I've been eyeing to try that could serve as a good stand-in until I could get my hands on the Fairydrops Mascara.

I've come to realize that I have high expectations when it comes to mascaras. I look for definition (so just a little bit of volume and separation), a considerable amount of length, curl-holding, non-smudging, non-flaking, and long-lasting. In other words, a good all-rounder, waterproof mascara. It took a while, but I've narrowed my list down to four possible mascaras.

                         

Max Factor Clump Defy Extensions

The only non-waterproof mascara on this list, mainly because it doesn't have a waterproof counterpart. This mascara claims to add length, while separating the lashes due to its anti-clumping formula to give a very clean result. Max Factor has a good reputation with mascaras as well so it would be very interesting to try this.

Innisfree Skinny Microcara Waterproof 

Korean beauty doesn't really give much focus to lashes (unlike the Japanese) but this mascara caught my eye because it has the thinnest wand I have ever seen. My friends Alex from The Red Eyeliner and Danie from That Nugu really like the original formula of this because it gives a very natural look. Though lacking on the volume, I think this would be good for days when I don't want to draw too much attention to my lashes.

L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof

I don't think I've ever talked about a L'oreal product on this blog, but this one caught my eye. The brush has a lot of bristles to coat every lash without any clumping. It also claims to be smudge proof, which is very important as I like my lashes to look and stay the way they did after I just applied mascara. This is the one I have the easiest access to, so we'll see!

Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof

This is the newest one on my list, and probably the one I want the most. Despite its claims on volume, the result it gives it a more clean, fanned out lash look with more length. It can also be built up for a more dramatic lash look for the evening. If it is as good as everyone says it is, this sounds like a much cheaper alternative to my Fairydrops Mascara.

That's all for now! If you guys have any recommendations for a mascara, please leave me a comment down below! Also if you know where else to get Fairydrops because I'm really going to miss my tube once it runs out. :(

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Tuesday, May 05, 2015

Mascara Wish List

By Pauline Read More

REVIEW: Fairydrops Platinum Mascara (Waterproof)

Mascara was something I knew I wanted but was always hesitant to buy because of its short shelf life. I tried putting up with the Clio O'Tank Mascara that came with the Clio Kill Brown Brush Liner but it didn't do much except leave flakes all over my skin after about 3 hours. I was initially planning to buy the Maybelline The Falsies until I saw that Beauty Bar had their Fairydrops items on 50% off. After my success with their BB Cream (which I have talked about in practically every other post on this blog since it started), I knew I had to try their mascara next. Easy to say that despite my shopping ban then, I took the Fairydrops Platinum Mascara home with me.

Packaging and Wand

Can we take a moment to admire the designs on the packaging? It's a long, slim metallic pink tube decorated with jewel and pearl designs in white. It's more portable compared to mascaras with thicker tubes. You can easily place it in your handbag and take it anywhere with you if you need it!

The wand design is exactly what makes this mascara so famous and unique. It's a teardrop-shaped wand (a 'peanut' shape according to my friend Ren, which cracked me up) and curved slightly so it's able to really grip and coat the lashes when you wiggle the wand through them. It's also a brush-type wand rather than one with plastic bristles. I like it better than the straight brush-type wands because I find that I need to work the mascara in more to get every lash coated. I would recommend wiping off the excess, because the brush tends to hold a lot of product. It makes the lashes look a little clumpy this way, but it can be fixed easily with a few brushes or with a lash comb if you have one. 

Formulation

I apply it by getting as close to my lash line as possible, and wiggling the mascara wand up to the tips. I wouldn't recommend getting too close though, because it can go on your waterline and might irritate your eyes. The mascara doesn't take too long to set - it gives you enough time to work with it and build it up if you want to. I wouldn't recommend using it for touch-ups though (not that you need to, anyway) because by then, it will come off as clumpy and will start to flake.

You can easily get a very clean lash look - one with defined, slightly lengthened lashes due to tiny microfibers. It separates lashes well, which is exactly what I've been looking for in a mascara. You can also build it for more of a voluminous look, but not so much since it will lead to more spidery lashes. If you're a fan of that, then great, but I'm easily peeved by it so I try to avoid adding too many layers.

The formula isn't too wet that it doesn't hold a curl, but isn't too dry that the product doesn't last long. In fact, I've had this since November and it has shown no signs of spoilage or drying out! I think this helps justify the price tag a little bit more, since most mascaras I know of last for only 3-4 months. 

Before - no mascara, curled lashes

After - 4~5 coats of mascara on top lashes, 1 coat on bottom lashes

Lasting Power

I usually wear this mascara to school, where I stay for about 5-8 hours depending on my schedule. The mascara doesn't take a long time to set, but when it does, it does not go anywhere. I find that at the end of the day, it's still able to hold its curl from when I applied it. The one important thing I noticed is that it did not smudge, fade, or flake on my upper lashes. On my lower lashes however, I noticed that there was some colour transfer, making my eyes look a tiny bit darker.

Since it does last as long as it does, you do need a good waterproof makeup remover for this. I've found that the only way I can remove this without too much rubbing or tugging is with my Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil and The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Make-Up Remover, which is in a dual phase solution. Cleansing waters like Bioderma won't be enough.

Price and Availability

I got it for P595 at Beauty Bar, but that was during their 50% off sale. It's normally priced at around P1100+ but on the packaging it indicates that it costs 2750 Y = P1375. The mark-up isn't too bad, but I do admit it is a little expensive for a mascara. I inquired last week about a restock, but it turns out that Beauty Bar won't be carrying Fairydrops anymore, which is really disappointing. :( I'll definitely update this with sites that stock this if I find any, but for now you can only get it if you go to Japan, Hong Kong, or Singapore from what I know.

If you'd like to see a comparative review with their other mascaras, my friend Alex from The Red Eyeliner has one here!

Summary:

(+) Waterproof
(+) No flaking
(+) Holds a curl
(+) Buildable
(+) Long-lasting
(+) Versatile
(-) Brush holds too much product
(-) Smudges slightly for lower lashes
(-) Not good for touch-ups
(-) Not widely available
(-) Expensive

Recommended for: those looking for an all-rounder waterproof mascara that lasts all day

Repurchase? Yes! I can't see myself not owning a back-up of this.

That's it for my very lengthy review! If you've tried this mascara, tell me if you liked it or hated it in the comments below! Also if you have any mascara recommendations, I'd love to know about them!

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Friday, April 10, 2015

REVIEW: Fairydrops Platinum Mascara (Waterproof)

By Pauline Read More