Empties II: Makeup, Skincare, & Other + Sephora VIB Spring 2017 Sale Recommendations!

The Sephora VIB Spring 2017 sale starts today, April 18, for VIB Rouge members. So what better way for me to make some product recommendations than by sharing some of the empty beauty products that I've used up over the years. These are some of the things that I've tried, tested, and love. These are some of my holy grail beauty products that I've used up to the last drop and have even repurchased the second time.

Sephora has their big sale twice year, and today kicks-off their 2017 Spring VIB sale. Check-out the sale dates below for your current Sephora status (VIB rouge, VIB, or Beauty Insider). Make sure to also check your e-mail or mail for your invitation in case you might want to shop in-stores.

VIB Rouge: April 18 to April 24 (take 15% off)
VIB: April 19 to April 24 (take 15% off)
Beauty Insider: (take 10% off)

The Sephora VIB sale is a great way to shop and stock up on some of your staple beauty items or to replace any of your old ones. It's also a good time to try-out the more expensive skincare products that's been sitting in your shopping cart for awhile.

Below are some of the products that I've mentioned and the time stamp for each category from the video. Share on the comments below what you're planning to buy during the sale!

January 2017 Beauty Favorites

Sharing some of my favorite beauty products in my first favorites video for 2017. Here's a quick round-up and and mini review of some of the beauty items that were sent to me by PR. You might have seen me unbox some of these in my unboxing snaps (username: yummiebitez) or Instastories. Find out what I think about these products after I've been trying them out by watching the video!

Click more after the jump...

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Sweet & Savory Lipstick Swatches

Here are some lip swatches on most recent Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks addition that were part of their Sweet & Savory collection released earlier this summer. I didn't swatch these lipsticks when I received the PR package back in May since I thought they were more appropriate for fall.

When I had open up the box with the new lipsticks, I was a little concerned on how the colors would look on me as they're something I normally wouldn't pick out for myself. However, I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved some of the colors in this set.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks - Sweet & Savory

(Available in 42 colors)

Price: $26

Available at: Sephora and Sephora.com

What it Claims: Swipe on bold, creamy lip color with Bite Beauty’s Amuse Bouche. Created and crafted by hand, Bite’s small batch, low-heat process preserves a balanced blend of lip-quenching nutrients, vitamins, and omega oils that are essential for achieving healthy-looking lips. Made with 12 edible oils and triple milled pigments, this lipstick provides saturated lip color with weightless coverage and a citrus flavor made from fresh pressed fruit. Formulated WITHOUT: Parabens, Sulfates, and Phthalates (from the Sephora website)

Formula

The formula of these lipsticks are very creamy and comfortable to wear. Every color that I swatched were extremely pigmented with one swipe. It also applied very smoothly while providing moisture on my lips and left a satin finish. The lipsticks has a pleasant yet citrusy scent and taste to it that's not too overpowering.

Overall Wear

The lipsticks have amazing color payoff. However, they easily transfer on my mug and when I did a kiss test on the back of my hand. Even though the lipsticks easily rubbed off after I had my lunch, the darker colors left a stain on my lips. I also I want to point out that the color does settle in the crease of my lips, so something to be aware of when you're wearing this as you might need of a touch-up. Even though the color doesn't last as long, I didn't experience any feathering on the edges of my lips even without using a lip liner prior to applying the lipstick.

Watch the Video

Photos of the lip swatches after the jump...

How I Do My Brows (Brow Routine)

Benefit Cosmetics BrowVo! Conditioning Primer / Precisely My Brow Pencil / Goof Proof Brow Pencil / 3D Browtones

One of my least favorite things to do (before) when it comes to my beauty routine was probably doing my brows. I've always had a problem filling them in and could never get them to look "on fleek". I've always envied nicely groomed thick brows and wish that mine would at least look half way decent.

Then, my friend Heart invited me to be her guest to attend the Benefit Cosmetics reveal in Las Vegas earlier this year. Back in May, Benefit Cosmetics released their new brow collection that changed my brow game.

If you're wondering how I've been doing my brows lately, I've created a video showing you my brow routine step-by-step. Benefit Cosmetics' brow products are currently my latest brow arsenal to achieve a full and bold brow look. For reference, I'm currently using Shade 4 for Benefit's brow products.

Urban Decay Ink for Eyes in Zero Cream Eyeliner (Review and Swatch)

Gel and cream liners will always have a soft spot for my heart. It was the one that helped me learn how to line my eyes with liquid liner.

My MAC fluidline in Blacktrack have dried out like a dessert. It had its good run and it has served me well, but I was open to try out other gel or cream liners. I love Urban Decay products and I love their 24/7 Glide-on eyeliners (review), but not as much as my MUFE Aqua Eyes eyeliners (review). Anyway, I decided to give their Ink for Eyes a whirl to see how they compare to their pencil counterparts.

Urban Decay Ink for Eyes Cream Liner in Zero

Product Blurb: It's everything you want in a cream eye liner: more precision than a pencil but more forgiving than a liquid. This ultra-creamy, paraben-free formula offers more control, play time, and buildable coverage. Create razor-sharp lines or smoky bedroom eyes with the double-ended angled liner brush and smudger. The secret ingredient? Nylon 12, a unique ingredient that decreases drag, creates a flawless application experience by eliminating skips or smears and also softening and absorbing excess oil. This creamy eye liner is available in a wide variety of sexy shades that stay put all day long. Decorated with a hand-illustrated peacock, the long, lean case (complete with mirror!) is ideal for applying color with the angled liner brush. (via Sephora.com)

Price: $22 (buy it here)

Available at: Sephora stores, Sephora.com, UrbanDecay.com, Beauty.com, etc.

Tarte Tres Cheek Natural Cheek Stain (Review)

Product Blurb:
What it does: Tarte Très Cheek Limited-Edition Mini Cheek Stain Set features three mini cheek stains housed in a reusable purple and gold pouch that makes this set the perfect gift of pure couture. This annual best seller is back with three brand-new shades infuses with Tarte's natural, t5™ infused formula. The natural formula enriches pigments and blends into the skin for a finish that's fresh and dewy.

What else you need to know: The tarte t5 super fruit complex™ is a proprietary blend of the five most active superfruits: goji, acai, maracuja, acerola, and pomegranate. The first blend of its kind, the t5 super fruit complex™ is loaded with naturally occurring, antioxidant rich nutrients and vitamins that have been known to deliver refining, anti-aging and skin-restorative benefits with each application. This set features skinvigorating™

Ingredients: acai fruit extract, goji berry extract, pomegranate extract, acerola extract, maracuja extract.

Shades include:
- Posh (soft plum)
- Fierce (light strawberry red)
- Chic (golden coral peach)

(Source: Sephora.com)

Price: $25 ($50 Value)

Available at: Sephora, Sephora.com, Ulta stores, Ulta.com and TarteCosmetics.com

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5


Swatches




Quick Rundown

PROS

gives a nice dewy look (read: not oily)

easy to stash in your purse

has a pretty good staying power

smells really good

easily blendable

didn't break me out

CONS

very little product inside

the twist tube is cheaply made

More Product Images




* I know my thumb looks a bit gross. I am double jointed, so it bends farther than normal LOL




This is my very first Tarte product. I've always wanted to try cheek stains, and the moment I saw their online promo at the time, I had to jump on it.

I'm very pleased with this product, although it's smaller in size compared to it's full-sized version, this product is some major good stuff.

The set has a pretty good combination of colors because of the variety of shades of the stains. Fierce is the color if you want that pinched cheek look. Chic is the one you want for a natural sun-kissed glow. And, Posh the shade for the winter flushed look as if you just stepped outside from the cold.

First thing I noticed was its Berry scent which smells delicious that it's a bit tempting to even sneak a lick of it (but obviously it's not edible or should even go any where near your mouth). The scent is light hint of berries. I know some people probably prefer their makeup unscented, but I actually didn't mind since my face didn't breakout from using it.

I'm quite fond of the size because it's small enough to carry one or all three of them in your purse or even your pockets. My only gripe about it is the amount of product that you actually get per tube, which is not all that much as seen in the pictures. Also, since the company wanted to be more environmental friendly, the twist part of the tube is kinda flimsy that sometimes I feel as if the product will plop out of the tube.

These cheek stains are easily blendable (with your fingers) and transfer to your cheek easily. You really don't need too much on your cheeks, that sometimes just dabbing it on your cheek would do. It gives a nice dewy glow that looks like your natural flush. The staying power is also pretty amazing as it holds up through most of the day when I applied it.

Final Verdict: I love it. It's great when I'm in the hurry in the morning and I need some cheek color on my face. I can just swipe or dab it on my cheeks without needing a brush. It's that convenient and it's small enough to stash it in your purse. I also like how the shades all don't look closely similar to each other when you apply them on your cheeks. It also works great as a base for your powder blush. It's well worth of its price.

Chanel Beiges de Chanel Dupe?!?

As you may recall, I recently picked up and drooled over my Chanel quad 13 Beiges de Chanel in my previous post. I mean, a Chanel is a Chanel. It's pretty much the description of luxury and timeless classic.

So, the other day, I was cleaning out my stash of makeup that I've hoarded for some span of time. Trying to sort out which one I still use or items that I can probably sell. And then I came across the palette that Vanessa had given me at the Pow Wow, and it looks oddly familiar. Why didn't I realize this before?? Could this be a dupe of my Chanel quad?!?

Here's a recap of my lovely Chanel quad in all its glory. The FOTD seen below was taken from this post.

Chanel 13 Beiges de Chanel quad $54



It's neutral at it's best. It's a pretty good combo for that neutral look without looking boring and drab beside it being a Chanel quad.

But why not get the same (if not similar) look for mere pennies (well, almost compared to what you spend on a Chanel quad). I had it all along. I had this quad way before I even got the Chanel ones. Why I didn't realize they're almost similar? Because I couldn't get the dupe palette to open up for awhile, so I never really touched it until I had it side by side.

Tropez Sunrise to Sunset Palette in Olive Oasis $3.99

Ok, that's a whopping $50 big difference between the two palettes. With the Tropez palette, you even get two extra eyeshadows. By just looking at the palette, you can already clearly tell that the colors are similar to each other.

If that's not enough, here are some swatches comparing them side by side (or top and bottom, hehe).

Top: Chanel 13 Beiges de Chanel quad
Bottom: Tropez Sunset to Sunrise Olive Oasis quad

Both swatches are applied WITHOUT a base.

How striking is the resemblance? The quad only probably slightly differ with the last two shades on the right. The cream color for the Chanel quad has a matte finish while the Tropez one has a pearly or frosty finish, but are still both meant to be as a highlight color under the browbone. The golden shade for the Tropez looks looks a bit more chalky, but pretty much has the same color compared to the Chanel quad after you apply it on your eyes.

If you're still not convinced, I tried to replicate the look that I did with the Chanel quad using the Tropez Olive Oasis palette. You can almost see that the looks are very much alike, and all you really need is a good base.

(For the darker color, I ended up applying it to my crease and outer V instead of just the crease, hence why it looks darker on the outer corners. I also lined my upper lashline with a brown gel liner. And sorry for the ugly brows lol).

And yes, I really did use the Tropez palette to recreate the look.




Chanel v. Tropez
Blendability: For some reason, I found that the Tropez eyeshadow blends better than the Chanel one. Shocking, I know!

Price: Obviously, Tropez won this hands down. $54 vs. $3.99 at your local drugstore (and you get two extra eyeshadows).

Quality: Chanel has better pigmentation on the gold eyeshadow, but Tropez has a better pigmentation on the highlight color. You might be able to get away without using a base with Chanel and still have your eyeshadow look fabulous, where as the Tropez palette, you will really need a good base to prevent the colors from fading.

Extras: The Chanel quad is housed in a velvet sleeve to protect the compact and you have the Chanel logo screaming on top when you do decide to take it out of your purse. It's up to you if $50 extra is justifiable for those perks.


Verdict: In the end, I ended up bringing back my Chanels to Nordies and exchanged it for something else *ahem* NARS *ahem*. I have no reason of keeping it even though it's Chanel. I just really hate keeping duplications and makeup that I already own. For those who have been oogling at the new Chanel quad, you might want to consider the Tropez palette for a cheaper price. When you think about it... the Tropez palette is a lot easier to stash in your purse because you can just throw it in there and not worry about your quad getting scratch or your sleeve getting dirty. I mean the Tropez is not as pretty or as luxurious as the Chanel quad, but it does the job. Besides, $50 is a hugggeee chunk of change.


So who do you think copied who first? :]

Chanel Eye Shadow Quad 13 Beiges De Chanel (Swatches and Makeup Look)

Ohhhhhhhh Chanel. How luxurious and pretty you are!!

As I slowly branch out from MAC to other high end brands, I've decided to pick out the new Chanel quad from their holiday collection. I was in the look out for a good neutral eyeshadow quad, and as I was perusing the Nordstrom counters this seem to jump out to me. Swatching time, and the colors was just so pretty that it had left me that warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

Swatches and Product Review: Dior Deluxe Travel Palette

So the boyfriend and I decided to hit up the mall after work. We went to Glendale Galleria since they have Lush store open there already (can't wait til they open the one at Topanga!) to check out some of their stuff.

Anyway, I was looking for a replacement for the gift he got me for my birthday. He originally got me the Bobbi Brown Shimmering Nudes palette and the Harajuku perfume in Love which he bought and had nicely gift wrapped from Nordstrom, but I ended up returning both because: 1) whoever rung him up didn't give him the free gift with a $100 purchase (hey, free is free) and 2) because I realized that I wasn't really too fond of the Bobbi Brown palette because it looked too similar with what I already have (swatches will be up soon) after testing them out. Anyway, although I really love the Harajuku perfume, I had to return for the meantime so when I do find something to replace the palette with, I can get the free gift with purchase (yea yea I know).

So with a new item I just mentioned on my lemming list, I had to check out the Dior Deluxe Travel Palette. Luckily, the Nordies in Glendale Galleria already had them out with a tester ready for me to play with.

Sorry if the product pictures are a bit blurry. I took them with my iPhone. I wasn't about to bust out my camera in public.

Click on the image to enlarge...





So did I end up with this baby home???

No.

It wasn't exactly what I pictured it would be. It wasn't as glamorous as it seemed on the photo. Yes, it does have six eyeshadows, a sample of their Blackout mascara and Ultra gloss reflect with a blush and a sun powder (bronzer), but to me it just wasn't worth to shell out a fat $70 on it, well to me at least.

The eyeshadows are nothing I haven't seen or extraordinary. They're pretty much your basic OL colors that you can probably find in another for a lower price. I probably wouldn't use the purple and pink colors only because it's most likely not going to show up on my tanned skin and the color also seemed a bit too teeny-bopper-ish maybe because they're pastel colors. Also, the white and the pink shades are just too close of a shade to each other that once I lay it on my eyes, they'll end up looking the same (white).

However, I really like the sun powder and the blush that it came with. It just had a nice sheen to it that it'll make your face glow once you put it on. But still not worth $70 for two small blushes.

The lipgloss was a nice pink shade with reflects on it. It was a very pretty gloss, but probably something that I'm not really going to use only because I have enough pink gloss as it is. It wasn't really an "ooooh so pretty" color for me.

What really irked me the most out of this palette was the casing itself. I was looking at it for awhile and trying to think of what's wrong with it. It looked like a daily planner (fil-o-fax). The leather was just so cheaply made and even worse when you see the lining inside the palette. It's like one of those designer dud wallets (might as well be) that you can find at a swap meet (or maybe downtown L.A) with a Dior logo just slapped on top of it. It was sooo not deluxe, just bulky and ugly. My bf even pointed out that it looks a bit cheesy, and has too much of a Swiss Army knife feel to it (I don't know where he got that, but I do see what he's trying to say). The case just looks like an emergency or first aid kit that you take with you when you go camping.

As you can tell, I ended up talking myself out of buying $70 makeup palette. It ended up becoming passable to me once I saw it in person. I thought I was going to get this palette the price was just waaaaaaay too steep for the type of product you're paying for. But I still did get something in lieu of the failed Dior palette. But that's another post :).

Product Review and Swatches: Urban Decay Book of Shadows Palette

I finally got my hands on the Urban Decay Book of Shadows palette that I've been lemming (here). I. HAD. TO. GET. IT!!!!

For awhile Sephora.COM was out of stock of these, but one of the bloggers have mentioned that it's now available in stores. I wasn't too quick to react however, and just picked it up yesterday.

So I dropped by my Sephora to scout for this palette, and to my surprise that they didn't have it on display!!! So I asked one of the SA if by any chance they have it in back on stock. And she told me they did and that they haven't put it out yet because the older palettes are still out and there were no space to put it.

This sweet lady goes back to get me a fresh, brand new, never been opened palette for me to play with. My fingers were the first one to dip in it. It was amazinggggggg. So there I was swatching it up, and putting some on while I'm at it to test them out (scroll down for FOTD). Not even the other SA at Sephora knew this palette even existed. They were also surprised that it's only $45! It is pretty cheap for the amount you're actually getting.

I was afraid that I might have most of the colors, being it that the palette has 16 gawgus colors. From bright to something neutral, this palette is definitely one I'll be reaching for. I checked all my eyeshadows that might look similar to it and swatched it next to each other, and none of what I owned are dupes!

What I like about it: Urban Decay's eyeshadow pigmentation are friggin amazing! One swipe and you get an intense color payoff! This is by far my most favorite palette that Urban Decay has came out with. If you don't have an Urban Decay palette yet, this trumps them all and a definite must have. You have a good selection of colors in one palette (not to mention it has 16 colors!!!!) and the combinations are endless! It's the one palette that really, really, really stretches out your dollar. It makes an excellent gift too!

I also like how it's in a drawer-like casing. You pull the little drawer, and out comes your eyeshadows. Although the drawer is a bit of a challenge to pull, at least you know that you can easily throw this palette in your purse and not worry about it opening up unlike the other palettes that only has a magnetic-close-top. So you know that your eyeshadows are sitting pretty and safe inside the box.

Another good thing about it is that it comes with a mini primer potion tucked in a little hollow next to the eyeshadows. It really comes in handy for the people who are on the go or traveling because it's conveniently packed with the palette already.




The eyeshadows are almost as big as a quarter. The box says that the eyeshadows are 0.03 oz which makes it even better because MAC eyeshadows are not much more in content since they're 0.04 oz! So you are definitely not getting a dinky eyeshadow in the palette. It'll last you a long time since Urban Decay eyeshadows are pretty pigmented that there's really no need to slave away when swiping some color on. Also, there are less glittery eyeshadow (about 3 or 4 eyeshadows) in this palette unlike the Ammo palette. They're more of a metallic sheen finish which I likey.

What I don't like about it: This palette is pretty heavy (well heavier than normal), and is pretty large in size.



The palette itself is almost as wide as my MAC 227 brush, but it does have to accomodate the size of the eyeshadows you're getting. But stowing this away in your purse might add some weight to it.
The two brushes it came with just plain sucks! I'm not even going to use it. The handle are cheaply made with plastic and the brush heads... I just don't know. Although it's pretty soft and not scratchy, but it's still not the best in quality.
I'm not sure why Urban Decay added the unnecessary pop-up crap. Waste of paper and has no point and use. Although it's pretty decorative, it can look rather annoying and cheeeeesy. But it doesn't really affect the quality of the eyeshadows, so who cares right?
SWATCHES*Click on the images to enlarge*
Perversion (matte black); Last Call (plum punch); Grifter (sheer lavender with lots of silver microglitter); Mayhem (deep purple),

Baked (rich bronze); Smog (deep coppery bronze); Sidecar (bronze sparkle); Gridlock (medium brown)


Shakedown (shimmering taupe); Roach (deep brown with reddish sheen); Scandal (peachy-pink); Midnight Cowboy (golden beige with gold glitter)


Goddess (midnight blue with lots of electric blue microglitter); Shattered (bright green/blue shift); Absinthe (electric green); Protest (dark green)





And my FOTD...






What I Used (all Urban Decay unless stated otherwise)

EYESBaked e/s -- inner half of lid
Smog e/s -- crease and outer V
Sidecar e/s -- highlight
Protest e/s -- lower lashline
MAC Blacktrack fluidline -- upper lashline
Stila Major Lash mascara

CHEEKS
Paul & Joe 08 blush
Silk Naturals Halo mineral glow-- highlight

FACE
MUFE HD powder

LIPS
Paul & Joe 09 l/g

Yea, I know long-ass post :). Bwahahaha, I know gross eyebrows. So was this convincing enough for you to buy this palette? Omg, now I'm even more eager to play with makeup now.


Anyway, I finally renewed my license. Little did I know, I had to retake my picture. Blaaaaah, now I just wonder how my ID will look like.

NARS Duo Eye Shadow in Mediteranee (Review)

What they say about it: Same longwearing crease resistant formula as the NARS Single Eyeshadow, in a series of uniquely paired color combinations. Worn together or alone, all eyeshadows can be applied sheer or built up for a more dramatic effect. All powder eyeshadows can be used wet or dry.

Richly pigmented powders
Effortless blending; coordinated in fashionable pairs
Multifunction: use as eyeshadow, eyeliner or on eyebrows

Price: $32 USD

Available at: NARScosmetics.com, Sephora, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, and other leading department stores.


What I like about it: It's buttery soft! It glides like no other. It's highly pigmented that there's really no need to dig through the pan to get a good color payoff, and each duo are matched perfectly that it's a no brainer when it comes to eye color combinations. The eye shadows are also easily blendable, so layering is a cinch, yet the colors doesn't fade after blending.

Every time I've been at Sephora, I had my eye on this particular eyeshadow. I swatched it a million times (ok I'm exaggerating) while I thought about it long and hard if it was worth it or not only to ended up falling in love with the color even more. Yes it's orange, but it's not your kind of orange that is obnoxiously bright that you'll probably wear once in your life. Mediteranee is your wearable type of orange with gold specks, without the annoying chunks of glitter. It looks good in the pan just as much as its on your eyes. This color combo is also a nice addition to your fall makeup look.



*I forgot to watermark these pictures -____-*

What I don't like about it: Obviously, the price. The price is pretty steep for two colors of eye shadows, but it should be expected in a high-end makeup. But I thought about it this way, $32 divided by two is $16. So technically, you are only paying $2 more for each eye shadow than MAC potted eye shadows, but the quality you're getting with NARS is way better. However, compared to the color selections you get with MAC and NARS, MAC definitely has more colors of the rainbow available especially when they come out with limited edition colors.

Although the packaging is cute in appearance, the texture of the casing will attract powder in it that it can get it to look kinda dirty after awhile. It might be harder to clean it since it's foam-like material, so it probably won't hurt if they're kept in the box if you care for them that much.

Would I buy it again: You bet I will! Although I probably won't buy too many of it at the same time since it's not exactly inexpensive. But I wouldn't mind spending a few more bucks on colors that I think that I will be frequently using and reaching out for. You're not only paying for the brand, but the quality it comes with. I've already used my Mediteranee eye shadow twice, and I've already gotten compliments on how my eye make up looks like (coming from TWO Dior MUA :] from my recent trip to Nordies). Since these eye shadows are really super easy to blend, there's really no need to be in front of the mirror trying to blend the heck out of these eye shadows. I would recommend these eye shadows for the people who are ready to branch out to higher end makeup.

And here's a sample of my eye makeup using this duo eyeshadow:

Maybelline Define-A-Lash Mascara and Estee Lauder Projectionist Mascara (Review)

*EDIT: After a few more days of using Define-A-Lash, I'm dumping this thing out. THANK GOOODNESS IT WAS FREE! Probably won't purchase again because it's making my poor lashes fall off more than usual! ;[

Thank God I have some mark in one of my eye which makes it easier which eye was which when I uploaded the pictures. Anyway, I just did a comparison of my new vs. my old mascara. I chucked out the Estee because it's been three months already since I first used it. Remember ladies... throw those mascaras away after three months whether you used it everyday or not.

The Estee had the traditional brush applicator that has the bristles while the Maybelline has the new kind of applicator which doesn't really have hair but its flexible. I found it kinda odd in the beginning since I was so used to a more sturdy wand. It just take some getting used to using it.

Let's begin...!

Lashes were curled using Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Round 1: Maybelline Define-A-Lash Mascara

Round 2: Estee Lauder Projectionist



And my take on it:

Maybelline: My lashes are pretty long to begin with but without mascara, it's not really that noticeable. The Maybelline mascara only defines my lashes (hence the name), and doesn't give it much volume compared to my Estee mascara. Maybelline gives that natural looking lashes minus the clumping. However, Maybelline mascara does not hold the curl at all. It just goes flat after awhile. What I like about it though is it separates my lashes without the clumping. It might be because of the wand applicator not your traditional one. For me this is ok for everyday use since I usually opt for a more natural looking lashes. I'll probably get more volume if I keep coating my lashes. However, the Maybelline mascara kinda reminded me of my old Fresh mascara that I really loved. It gave me natural looking, long lashes, and it curls your lashes even WITHOUT curling it before hand. Only drawback about the mascara was the price... $25. Would I purchase Maybelline Define-A-Lash again? No. Thank God for buy one get one free. This was the freebie. I would still use it only because it does a some what ok job and it's ok for my everyday wear. (The mascara is not waterproof.)

Estee: Estee mascara already lengthens and volumizes your lashes after one coat. However, more than two coats of it will my your lashes look really clumpy. It doesn't hold the curl too well, but it holds it better compared to the Maybelline. The only reason I've been using this mascara was because it was free. heehee. Probably would not purchase the full size though. (The mascara is not waterproof.)

In conclusion: I'm still in the search of my HG mascara with a pretty decent price. So I'll prolly test another on in three months when it's time for the Maybelline mascara to go. I still love my Fresh mascara... but I'm really just not willing to shell out $25 for it. Hopefully the pictures and my two cents on it helped a bit whether your the Maybelline or the Estee is worth purchasing.