YSL Lash Clash Mascara Review

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 Every now and then a mascara comes along that pulls out the all the stops and gives me everything I'm looking for when it comes to my lashes. A bit of volume, a lot of length, a touch of curl, non-smudging and not-crumbly are my general criteria and YSL have hit it out of the park and then some with the new Lash Clash Mascara. 

Before now it had been a very long time since I treated myself to a high end mascara. My most recent 'drugstore' buy smudged horrifically, which was disappointing because it was such a hyped up product. After falling for the the fuss surrounding YSL's latest lash offering and being incredibly drawn to the very stylish packaging, I went to John Lewis and told the YSL rep I needed enabling. To be honest, the salesperson didn't need to do much selling, once I saw the tube and very generous wand up close I was already sold. Just a quick note- As amazing as this product is, your stunning new Russian lashes won’t appreciate it! Using mascara with lash extensions can ruin them, so just be aware. It’s also a waste of good mascara!

I like a large mascara wand and Lash Clash really isn't lacking in that department, so that coupled with the formula meant I needed this mascara in my life.

Here are my lashes before Lash Clash Mascara:

And here they are with two coats of Lash Clash:

Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara is currently available in one shade (Black Noir) and features a patent-pending, double-conical brush designed to aid in creating a voluminous lash look. The formula is a unique oil in water wax that combines with black pigments and smudge-resistant 'boosters' for a thick and creamy mascara that is rather beautiful to apply.

This mascara stays put on me all day. By all day I mean at least 12 hours, with perhaps only a very occasional 'flake'.

As with most mascaras, Lash Clash is best removed with an oil based cleanser. Something like Simple Cleansing Oil does the trick beautifully.

Overall, a fantastic high end mascara that I think might just be worth the luxury price tag. It ticks every box for me!

YSL Lash Clash Mascara has an RRP of £29 but I've found it cheapest at for under £25 at Escentual.

Three Tubing Mascaras You Need to Try

Weirdly, I don't actually have a favourite mascara. I guess I just get bored easily and brands are constantly releasing new and improved formulas and high tech wands and brushes that promise to lengthen, curl or volumise lashes and I inevitably get sucked in and want to try what's new. While I can't say I have a favourite particular mascara, years of trying out various high street and high end offerings has led to the discovery of a favourite formula; tubing. Tubing mascaras are not a very new concept but the 'tube' formula is being adopted by more and more brands due to its staying power and ease of removal.

Tubing mascaras use polymer formulas that encase individual lashes rather than painting them, so they are generally a good option if you don't want to deal with smudges (and who does, really) and want a mascara that requires minimal effort to remove. Tubing mascaras generally remove easily with just a little warm water to loosen the bonds, so little to no rubbing is required- great for sensitive eyes and arguably better for the condition of the lashes themselves.
My first experience with the formula involved a miniature sized tube of Clinique Lash Power which I think may have been a magazine freebie or part of a gift with purchase. I remember being a little bit mesmerized by how odd it felt when taking the mascara off- like each eyelash had been wearing it's own little rubbery suit of sorts- and how there was no evidence of the dreaded panda eye in sight.
Since that first wear of Clinique Lash Power, tubing formulas have been one of my favourite types of mascara to use so I'm always keen to try tubing offerings from various brands. These are my current tubing mascaras I have on rotation right now:

DHC Perfect Pro Double Protection Mascara

I find the simplicity of this DHC mascara quite refreshing. The sleek, silver packaging and minimalist design perfectly complement the small brush which seems to easily grab every lash. Apparently this is Emma Watson's favourite mascara and I totally get why-  it's really, really easy to use and utilizes Japanese tubing technology to add volume and length to every lash. This mascara lasts ages on means I've even put in and taken out contact lenses with it on. The small brush and non-smudge formula make it perfect for doing bottom lashes too. £15.90 at Escentual.

L'Oreal Double Extension Mascara

I rather enjoy the two-step ritual of applying this mascara. First priming the lashes with the white conditioning base coat that contains little fibres and then sealing the deal with the inky black mascara. This mascara gives great 'length' due in part to the fibers in the base coat so it's a worthwhile option if your lashes are on the shorter side. The longevity is decent too but I did find it a little more difficult to remove than the other two tubers. £11.29 at Boots.

Eyeko Black Magic Mascara

Eyeko are pretty well know for their excellent tubing mascaras and Black Magic is no exception. Featuring a sizable curved brush, this mascara curls and lifts the lashes in one go and the formula dries pretty quickly once on the lashes. I really like the packaging of Eyeko mascaras in general- the squeeze tube means you get the most bang for your buck as you can almost get to every last drop before giving up and getting another tube. £17.50 at Marks and Spencer.

Like virtually all tubing mascaras, these three remove easily with just warm water. I found DHC Perfect Pro Double Protect Mascara removes the quickest though and (just like Emma Watson) I would say is my favourite out of the bunch for every day use.

Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar Reveal #17

Today's beauty treat is a mini tube of Nars Audacious Mascara. Retailing at £21 for the full size, the wet formula and inky black shade create a dramatic look while the special lash-catching brush separates lashes. I have tried a sample of this before and while I think it's a decent mascara, I don't completely love it- I just find the formula to be a little wet and doesn't dry as quickly as I'd like. I love the pop of vivid red on the end of the tube and on the brush and the velvety feel of the tube though. 

Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar Reveal - Day #4

Today's surprise is a sample sized Hourglass Film Noir Mascara in shade Onyx. 
I'm yet to actually try the mascara, but I have much love for the Ambient Lighting Palette from Hourglass so I'm hoping this will be impressive too.
The Film Noir Mascara features a triple-cut 'hourglass' shaped brush (I see what they did there) and a richly pigmented formula with Pro-Vitamin B5 and polymers. The formula is also gluten free, if that's important to you.

I like the sleek packaging of the Hourglass Film Noir Mascara and I'm interested to see how it will fare against my current go-to mascara; Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme.
The full sized version of this decadent looking little mascara is £25 from Liberty here.

Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion Mascara Review

You know when you come across a mascara that stays put all day but then comes off in seconds when you want it to? Yeah me neither. Well until now. The Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion Mascara is one of those mascaras but it has plenty more to offer other than awesome staying power and ease of removal.

The wand features the award-winning IFX brush

The false lash mascara claims to deliver volume and length in one fell swoop offering up to 100% more volume and 100% more length. While I'm not entirely convinced of these percentage claims I have to admit this is one seriously nifty little wand of black gunk.

Max Factor also claim that the mascara does not flake or smudge, making it ideal for those of us who wear contact lenses. If we're still talking percentages, I 100% agree with this claim and I for one have extraordinarily smudge-prone eyes. If that's even a thing.

This mascara is pretty transitional as you can wear one or two coats for a subtle daytime look or build it up with loads of coats (just wait until the first coat is slightly tacky before applying more). I bought this the day before we went to Scotland last week and it saw me through windy beaches, sweaty trips in the car, rain, toothless goats (that's another story) and even tears (we got briefly lost).

If I were to compare the mascara to an offering from a high end brand it would be Chanel Inimitable Mascara. I actually have a miniature of the Chanel Inimitable and was contemplating purchasing the full size but I think I'm going to sick with Max Factor for now (plus I'm in no position to be buying Chanel anything).

I have the Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion Mascara in Black but it's also available in Brown. You can find it at Boots, Superdrug and anywhere else that peddles Max Factor for £11.99.

Maybelline Volum' Express Mega Plush Mascara

Maybelline are very, very good at Marketing and the latest addition to their Volum' Express collection is no exception - A mascara called 'Mega Plush' is obviously going to fly off the shelves because that's what women want from a mascara, a touch of plush and bucket loads of mega. Whatever that means.

It wasn't just the greeny-blue packaging with shiny pink writing that made me pick this up, but the promise of plushy goodness caressing my lashes rather than stiff, brittle crumbly stuff.

Mega Plush mascara promises 'Massive & Soft Volume' and while I wouldn't agree that this is exactly what it delivers, it does make a pretty decent everyday mascara.

Once dried (which doesn't take long), lashes actually do feel surprisingly soft. Not baby-bum soft, but almost as soft as they feel in their natural state, sans makeup. This is down to the gel-mousse formula of the mascara that contains 40% less hard waxes than your stock standard mascara.

My only real gripe with this mascara that I simply can't let fly is the 'flexor brush'.

 The jointed part of the wand is very bendy, and intended to work in a shock-absorber like fashion, but I like to have absolute control when it comes to putting things anywhere near my eyes so I find this aspect of the product more gimmicky than useful. Will someone also please tell me why a shock absorber mechanism is required for mascara...

My final verdict is this: Maybelline Volum' Express Mega Plush Mascara is nice, but it's not worth beating someone over the head to get the last tube in Boots. I ended up doing about 5 coats on each eye just to achieve the rather low key look you can see in the pictures. I think Maybelline have definitely nailed the Plush aspect of the mascara but I was expecting a lot more Mega ;)

Maybelline Volum' Express Mega Plush is available in washable and waterproof formulas and has an RRP of £7.99.

Thanks for reading!

Maybelline The Rocket Volum Express Mascara

I don't know how I managed this but I actually ran out of mascara a few days ago ( nothing but a few scrapes left in my Jemma Kidd mag freebie) so I popped into Boots and picked up Maybelline's latest offering -The Rocket Volum Express Mascara.

While I find the name of this utterly hilarious and slightly irrelevant, there's nothing funny about the product itself. It's actually pretty awesome.

I found that I only need a couple of strokes of the 'jet glide brush with flexi-fine bristles' to achieve long, thick, glossy lashes.

Comparable to Diorshow New Look mascara, the smooth formula of the Rocket is awfully good at lasting all day on my lashes rather than around my eyes and is virtually clump free, which is always a bonus, though of course it does stick the lashes together if you use more than one coat.

Here are some before and after shots featuring my eyes and The Rocket.

No Mascara!

With The Rocket

With The Rocket

With The Rocket

I'm seriously impressed with Maybelline The Rocket Volum Express - have you tried it??

I picked mine up at Boots for an introductory price of £5.99 instead of the rrp of £7.99.

Thanks for reading!

Clinique Mascara Swap

FYI ladies and gents, the Clinique Mascara Swap event is back and exclusive to Debenhams.

From the 14th to the 20th of may, bring your mascara (any brand) to a Clinique counter at Debenhams and swap it over for a shiny new deluxe sample of Clinique High Impact Mascara or High Lengths mascara.

Hoorah!

MAC Prep + Prime Lash & Boldblack Lash Mascara

I realise this is my third consecutive MAC post, but I thought it would be wrong not to share the wonders of this mascara with you.

My sister was asked to be a face model for a trainee MAC make up artist last week and in return was presented with a Prep + Prime Lash and a Studio Fix Boldblack Lash.

My sister isn't a cosmetics hoarder like me, but she's seriously impressed with these products and suggested I blog about them.

 The Prep + Prime (rrp £11.00) is one of those 'white mascaras' that dries almost clear. It prepares the lashes for mascara by smoothing and conditioning each one and gives them a thicker base, intensifying the final lash look.
The Studio Fix Boldblack Lash mascara (rrp £14.00) is lengthening and long lasting. The brush with this one is narrow and has tiny bristles, but don't let that fool you because the results are seriously intense. Here are some shots of my lovely sister Prudence wearing the Prep + Prime and Boldblack Lash:

As you can see, my sister's rocking some seriously long and thick lashes! If you're reading this Prudence, consider these products stolen :)

Have you tried either of these?

Thanks for reading! :*

Diorshow New Look Mascara + Light Painting at Selfridges

The Beauty Hall at Selfridges is undoubtedly one of my favourites to play in and it's events like this one that cement my passion for the place.

On Thursday, I met my parents on Oxford Street for lunch and afterwards I went with mum to the Selfridges Beauty Hall while dad escaped down to the electrical department before I could start cooing at the lipsticks.
We saw that there was some commotion at the Dior counter, so made a beeline over there to have a sneaky peek at what all the fuss was about.

The cause of the excitement was down to a brand new mascara - Diorshow New Look to be exact- and mum and I were given eye makeovers by one of Dior's fantastic makeup artists using the new mascara and Dior's Five Couleurs Eyeshadow palettes.

 

My beautiful mum!

Me!

Diorshow New Look is one of those 'little brush' mascaras, featuring 2 different types of bristles that promise to capture, volumise and lengthen every lash. I was really quite impressed with the mascara and I'm hoping I'll be able to get my hands on it one day :)  



The highlight of the Diorshow New Look promo was the 'Light Painting' photo booth. Mum and I were the first civilians (non-models :o) to be photgraphed in it - a privilege indeed!

The Light Painting works like this:

You get in, have your photo taken, then 'paint' the air with little light pens that look exactly like a Diorshow mascara tube. This is how our photo turned out:

....Not the best photo, but you get the idea :)

Interested in trying out Diorshow New Look and throwing a pose in the Light Painting booth? Head on down to Selfridges London before the 31st of March and try it for yourself :D

P.S. Dior have just released a heated eyelash curler, exclusive to Selfridges! It's battery powered, very portable and rather chic indeed!

Find out more about the Dior event here!

Thanks for reading :*