Showing posts with label makeup battle royale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label makeup battle royale. Show all posts

Sunday, 14 April 2019

Makeup Battle Royal: NYX Microbrow vs. Absolute New York Super Slim Eyebrow Pencil

It's time for another Makeup Battle Royal!
I've been stewing on this post for some time now but I'm finally ready to get my thoughts out.
Today's battle is all about super slim eyebrow pencils, and the NYX Microbrow has quite frankly been one of the most popular and hyped eyebrow pencils on the market.  I've had this brow pencil sitting in my collection for some time because I got hooked on the Absolute New York Super Slim Eyebrow Pencil.
Absolute New York (ABNY) Super Slim Eyebrow Pencil
I bought this pencil on a whim while Wonderful World TT was having one of their Semi-Annual sales since I was in the market for a new eyebrow pencil. At the time of the sale it cost around TT$55, which is definitely on the inexpensive side for slim eyebrow pencil. I've been using this pencil off and on for approximately six months. This pencil is extremely creamy, and has great pigmentation, so a little goes a long way. This pencil allows me to fake hair like strokes which is great for producing more "natural" looking eyebrows as opposed to the more full and structured eyebrows that are popular on social media. What I truly love about this pencil is the colour. This pencil is the perfect cool-toned ashen grey black which matches my natural hair perfectly. I have naturally black eyebrows, and most dark brown pencils tend to run far too warm on me, and it tends to make my eyebrows look unnatural.This never looks overly harsh, and blends easily into my hairs with the spoolie.
Wearing ABNY Super Slim Eyebrow Pencil
NYX MicroBrow Eyebrow Pencil
I purchased the Microbrow at Starlite for TT$75 in the shade Black, hoping it would perform similarly to the ABNY Super Slim. One the first use, I did not like this pencil at all. It was hard, and was barely getting the pigment to show up. I felt as though I had to continuously drag the pencil over the eyebrow just to get the pigment to build. The second time I used this I decided to run the pencil along the back of my hand first, in order to warm it up to see if that would aid the application, and it did. With the product warmed up, it applied easier, and blended into my brow hairs fairly well. Similar to the ABNY pencil, the size of the pencil as well as the colour make it easy for me to fake hair like strokes, to produce a more natural looking eyebrow. However, it should be noted that the MicroBrow is still a bit larger than the ABNY Super Slim.
NYX MicroBrow vs Natural Eyebrow
I think it's important to note that every person has their own preferences when it comes to brow pencils. Some prefer a harder pencil, while others prefer something softer. I personally love something that's soft, but not overly soft because that tends to lead to fading and smudging throughout the day, and I'm pretty sure no one wants their eyebrow to smudge off by midday, especially if you live in a hot and humid environment. ABNY Super Slim Eyebrow Pencil can fade or smudge if too much product is applied. However, if it's evenly applied, it can last for up to 8-10 hours. The NYX Microbrow has similar lasting power, however, it takes work for it to build on itself.
NYX MicroBrow and ABNY Super Slim
Final Thoughts
In Trinidad, the NYX Microbrow ranges from TT$75-$90, which is far too expensive for something meant to be a drugstore/inexpensive brand, and NYX can mainly be found at Starlite or at the NYX Kiosk at Trincity Mall. ABNY is mainly found in Wonderful World stores and can range from TT$55-TT$75 for this product. Honestly for me, the ABNY Super Slim does exactly what I need it to do,therefore, between the two pencils, the ABNY Super Slim is my preferred mainly due to the creamy texture of the pencil and its price.

Should I do an eyebrow routine video? Please let me know.

Thanks for stopping by!
Bye guys (^_^)/


Friday, 17 July 2015

Makeup Battle Royal #4: Battle of the Setting Sprays - Sacha Cosmetics versus L'Oreal


Welcome back to my blog.
Today, I have another Battle Royal(e) all about makeup setting sprays. One of which I've used for years, and the other is new to me but I've been enjoying it a great deal. Today, I'm putting the Sacha Cosmetics Fix It Setting Spray up against L'Oreal Infallible Pro Spray & Set.

Sacha Fix It Setting Spray (left), L'Oreal Infallible Pro Spray & Stay (right)
Packaging:
  • Sacha: Throughout the years, the Sacha Fix It has gone through many cosmetic changes. At first it was in a translucent plastic spray bottle, then it was a pure glossy black plastic bottle. However, the new Fix It spray comes in a silver metal spray bottle which I really do like.
  • L'Oreal: This is a matte black plastic spray bottle. I love the matte black and it feels extremely light, so your arms won't get tired when holding it up to spray.

Cost:
  • L'Oreal : $99.99TT; US$16.99 (L'Oreal Paris Website)
  • Sacha: $55-70TT (cannot recall the exact price, but prices vary where you purchase it); US$20 (Sacha Cosmetics Website) 

Product Claims:
  • Sacha: Sacha Fix It Spray instantly sets makeup, keeping it fresh and smudge-resistant for hours.
  • L'Oreal:  Makeup Extender Setting Spray, Long Lasting Finish, extends just applied makeup look. 
Don't expect either of these to keep you mattified throughout the day, because they are not designed for that. They strictly made to set your makeup and hopefully extend the wear of your products.
I will say that when I use the Sacha spray, the finished look tends to seem a bit more lived in but I have oily/combo skin, and I often experience my makeup smudging when I blot, even if I blot with blotting paper. However, with the L'Oreal I don't experience much smudging at all. The places I experience smudging with the Sacha spray are on the nose (glasses wearer, so it's common), under the eye and my forehead; whereas with the L'Oreal the smudging occurs on my nose only.


Scent:
Now I must warn you, the Sacha Fix It spray has a harsher scent than the L'Oreal. The Sacha tends to smell like astringent while the L'Oreal smells a bit like aloe baby powder with alcohol (weird description I know!). I've gotten use to the scent of the Sacha Fix It so it doesn't bother me too much, but if you're sensitive to smells you may prefer to try the L'Oreal.

Winner?! - It's a Draw!
Honestly, I can't choose a clear winning because some days, I prefer the finish of the Sacha over the L'Oreal and vice versa, and sometimes the smudging does not bother me. To me these are both well preforming setting sprays, and what it truly boils down to is how much you want to pay for your setting spray.

Thank you for coming out and reading today's post, I hope you enjoyed. I'm sorry I couldn't choose a clear winner, but at the end of the day, my word is not the be all and end all, what I may enjoy you may dislike.
Anyhow, I do hope you all have a great weekend, Eid Mubarack to all of my Muslim readers, and I shall see you all next week with another review (I'm on fire with these reviews...lol!)

Remember to stay happy,, healthy and positive,
until next time...
Bye (^_^)/

Friday, 30 January 2015

Makeup Battle Royale: Face Primer Edition - e.l.f Mineral Face Primer vs. Prestige Primed and Ready Face Primer

We about to showdown!!

Hey guys, today we will be having another battle royale. If you are new to the blog, hello there, it's nice to meet you! Basically this is were I compare two products, from two different brands and tell you which I prefer of the two. This is my second battle royal the first was about 'drugstore' eyeliner pens,which can be found in my blog archives. 
 Let's get ready to rumble! 

The e.l.f Mineral Face Primer became my favourite face primer late last year, but I kept wondering if I can find something a bit better. Don't get me wrong for an affordable face primer it works amazing well, but since I started my blog, I've felt more incline to test out new things, rather than just sticking with my ride or dies. So for my birthday in December, I went on a little makeup purchasing spree and picked up the Prestige Primed and Ready Face Primer (which came with a free sample size Primed and Ready Eye Primer, that will be reviewed in a future post).
                                                          


Packaging: 
I prefer the packaging of the e.l.f mineral primer over the Prestige. The e.l.f primer comes in a frosted glass bottle while the Prestige's is a hard plastic. The e.l.f primer just looks a lot more expensive and almost higher end, compared to the Prestige. 
The nozzle of the e.l.f primer is slightly wider than the Prestige, so you can get the perfect amount of product with just one pump, whereas the Prestige, one pump isn't enough but two is far too much product.

Cost: 
e.l.f Mineral Face Primer - TT$50-60 
Prestige Primed and Ready - TT$65-70


Prestige (Creamy White) on the Left, elf(transparent) on the Right
Product: 
The Prestige Primer comes out as a creamy white liquid, while the e.l.f is completely clear. They have a similar consistency, both have silicone feel to them and they both blend in smoothly, evening out the complexion.

Effect on the skin: 
e.l.f primer : 
  • Blurs pores and any fine lines on the skin
  • Keeps skin matte, controls oils well 
  • Helps foundation to blend smoothly and evenly 
Prestige Primer: 
  • Blurs pores
  • Creates a smooth and flawless canvas
  • Helps foundations blend in smoothly  
As you probably noticed I didn't mention anything about the Prestige primer it's oil control ability, and that's simply because I still get extremely oily when I wear this primer. Unlike the e.l.f primer which tends to keep my oils at bay for 3-4 hours after application, the Prestige primer only controls my oils for 1-2 hours at most, which sucks! I absolutely love the way my skin looks and feels after applying the Prestige primed and ready but the fact that I still get extremely oily when I wear it, makes me reach for it less than the e.l.f Mineral primer.
However, despite the lack of oil control, I still truly like the Prestige primer and I think for dry to normal skin types, it will be awesome. I will continue to use it but I will have to pair it with a mattifier. 

Results:

Who wins this face primer battle royale?!!!!
e.l.f Mineral Face Primer!!! Go one with your bad self! 
This truly has become my favourite face primer I have ever tried and I will continue to repurchase it. If you're in the market for a face primer but don't want to spend a lot of cash give the e.l.f primer a try. 


That's all from me for now. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a great upcoming week. I can't believe January is finished already (O_O). As usual stay happy, positive and healthy and I will see you Next Friday.






Wednesday, 6 August 2014

Makeup Battle Royale #2 : Eyeliner Throwdown: L'oreal Infallible Super Slim vs Milani Eye Tech Extreme

Hey everyone, how have you been? It's been a while since my last post. Had an awkward fall last week and hurt my left hand and wrist so I wasn't able to post anything last week and I'm sorry. I'm planning on making up for it by doing a double posting this week. Yep, that's right, two posts in one week!

Today's post is another makeup battle royal, two products battling it out for supremacy. Which of these liners do I prefer, well you'll have to keep reading to find out...
It's time for a felt tip pen liquid eyeliner throwdown! (Such a mouthful, lol!)

The Look:
L'Oreal Infallible Super Slim 8 hour liquid liner pen (top)
Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Eye Liner (bottom)



  • Very similar, both are pure black with gold detailing and a cushion grip
  • Both contain 1ml of product 
  • Both made in Germany 
The Tip:
L'Oreal Liner

Milani Liner
  • Long, felt tip applicator on both
  • The L'Oreal liner tip is firmer 
  • Milani is more flexible and malleable.
  • Both liners can achieve an extremely thin liner look and a bolder, more dramatic liner look, by varying the pressure you use when applying it to the eye.
 Pigmentation:
  • Both are extremely pigmented and dry to a slightly matte finish. 
       
Swatches
Doesn't seem as though there is a clear cut winner here does it? Well, the liner that wins, is the one with the better staying power. As an oily skin girl, I need a liner to stay put all day long, until I decide to take it off. The liner that does that is.........the......Milani Eye Tech!!
  • The Milani Eye Tech blows the L'Oreal liner out of the water in terms of staying power for me. Usually, the L'Oreal Super Slim 8hr smudges badly within 2 hours and that's with eye primer on. No bueno! Milani Eye Tech stays put, no smudging, no flaking with or without a primer.
I recommend the Eye Tech over the Super Slim to my friends whether they have oily, dry or normal skin. In Trinidad, the Milani Eye Tech can be purchased at Wonderful World (that's where I got mine) or you could order it online from Milani's website.

I really wanted to like the Super Slim liner, however, it failed to life up to it's claim of 8 hour wear. The Eye Tech liner I've had for over 6 months and it hasn't dried out, which is quite impressive. I will continue to repurchase the Eye Tech Extreme liner, until I can find felt tip liner that knocks it off of it's pedestal.

This concludes this Makeup Battle Royale!! Congratulations Milani, you've knocked out your opponent and taken the crown. Thanks for sticking to the end everyone. Hope you all are having a great week, stay positive, healthy and happy and I will see you later this week for another post!
Bye Bye :)

Thursday, 3 July 2014

Makeup Battle Royale: Revlon Lash Potion vs. Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Now just for clarification, I am not a makeup artist or makeup expert, I'm just a girl with a makeup addiction. I also happen to be a girl with some very picky lashes. On my right eye, my eyelashes are thicker and longer than those on the left (I will never understand why).

I fell in love with the Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara by Fabulash back in September 2013 It was on sale so I decided to pick it up and try it out since I was in a bit of a mascara runt. Prior to purchasing this I used religiously the Maybelline Falseies Black Drama Mascara, which is an absolutely amazing mascara. It gives me amazing volume and extreme black and full lashes but it's approximately TT$63 and that's ridiculously expensive. Then again makeup here in Trinidad is ridiculously expensive no matter where you shop (sighs).

The Grow Luscious gives me great volume and some lift. It's not as dramatic as the Falsies so I do use it everyday. I gotten so attached to the Grow Luscious that I haven't repurchased a single tube of the Falsies since I first picked this guy up. I'm on my third tube of it and I still love it oh so much. 

Now this post was initially just going to be strictly focusing on the Lash Potion Mascara but I figured sine I had the two I'll spill my thoughts on them both. Now the Lash Potion, it just doesn't do it for me. I really want to love this mascara but I just don't. The brush to me makes no sense whatsoever. It does give some good separation to my lashes, but I prefer the traditional brush of the Grow Luscious. 
Sorry about the crappy quality
The formula of the Lash Potion was extremely dry for me and it would flake as I was applying it. Now I'm not sure if it was just my tube or if it truly is the mascara itself, but nothing is more uncomfortable than holding this weirdo wand to your eye, applying your mascara and having black chunks of product fall into your eyes, making you tear up. At least Lash Potion is extremely waterproof and smudge-proof for me. I have worn this mascara on long, hot, humid days on campus, even through workouts and I don't end up with raccoon eyes so yay.  I usually only have to do two coats of the Grow Luscious to get my desired lash volume but with the Lash Potion I have to do 3-4 coats, no just no!
Would I repurchase the Lash Potion Mascara? - No! Nopey, no no! I only use it because I hate to waste money, so until it's finished or expired I will force myself to keep using it.

Well, that's all for me for today, I hope you all have a great week and weekend :D
I will talk to you soon, stay positive, stay happy and stay healthy.
Bye guys. :)