Clarisonic Mia Review: Two Weeks Update

This past Friday marked two weeks since I started using the Clarisonic Mia. As planned in my first Clarisonic Mia post, this will be my two week update on how the little gadget worked for me so far.

Clarisonic Mia Pink

Mia has met my initial expectations of having cleaner skin with less oil buildup leading to acne in my t-zone. Like a portion of users, I also broke out. There were pimples and there were about 5 that broke out at different times in my t-zone and took several days to heal. I use it once a day before bed with the normal brush that comes with it.


Clarisonic Mia Brush
The second brush with a blue holder is for sensitive skin. Purchased seperately. This is what my mom uses.


I established a set of guidelines to evaluate the Mia and put my comments below each one. Unless it's one of the more obvious ones like #2, I purposely set a lower rating than what I think it deserves, because this is a product that is supposed to take time before you see all the things that it can do for your skin. I will adjust the ratings accordingly in the 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months review!

1. Effectiveness at removing makeup - The less residue makeup that remains on my face, the less random zits will pop up.

My primary reason to get Mia was so I could remove even the small amounts of makeup residue that's left on skin whenever I put on makeup. In the past two weeks, I had makeup on 3 and up to 4 times each week and to my delight, found that Mia does a great job covering areas that you would normally miss or areas where it might look clean after wiping away the makeup and washing with your cleanser, but still have some residue left over. I'm happy to report, Mia has your bases covered! 8.5/10

2. Cleanliness of skin immediately after use.

My face feels clean and soft immediately after using Mia. There is also a glow to my skin after I use it. This is what I experience after I exfoliate or use a mask on my skin and I expected it from Mia as it cleans and exfoliate. 10/10


3. Cleaniness of skin maintained with regular use - I have an oily t-zone where zits are most likely to appear. I hope the use of Clarisonic will vastly improve these areas and reduce acne problems.

There was a noticeable change in the cleaniness of my skin. A great example would be when I clean the blackheads on my nose, I don't see them build up as quickly as before. Previously, it would be a day or two before I see them surfacing again, but now it's a good 3-4 days and there are less in general. The oily-ness in my t-zone has improved considerably. There are still bumps on my forehead and chin, but I see continuous improvement as I keep up with my regiment. I'm going to give it a reserved 7.5/10 as I believe the longer you use Mia, the better your skin becomes and it's only been 2 weeks. In the 2 months update, I will bump up the rating if things keeps going the way they do and even higher if it's gets better.



Clarisonic Mia Skin ImprovementsClarisonic Mia Skin Improvements
[left to right]: Left one was taken three days after I started using Mia. Right one was after two weeks of using Mia. There are still pumps on my forehead after two weeks, but there are less and not as red. In person, they are also less noticeable.


4. Improved complexion of skin - I have a sensitive patch of skin on my cheek that's a bit redder than the rest of my cheeks. It goes away when my face is fully moisturized (and there's more humidity in the air). Although irritation sometimes occurs unexpectedly, I have faith that the Clarisonic can reduce the dryness in this area when product is absorbed better.

The red patch on my cheek is less sensitive to the touch and looks less red now. It's still drier than other areas so I have to apply an extra layer of moisturizer on there. There is an obvious glow to my skin when I get up in the morning. It makes sense as your body has a chance to repair itself overnight. Albeit slow change to that red patch, but nonethless a noticeable improvement from before plus that glow is very obvious. 7/10


Clarisonic Mia Skin ImprovementsClarisonic Mia Skin Improvements
[left to right]: Sorry about the lighting and quality! The first photo was taken after three days of using Mia and the one on the right was after two weeks of using Mia. The red patch is subtle in both photos, but you can sort of see the patch is smaller and less red in the second one.

Clarisonic Mia Skin ImprovementsClarisonic Mia Skin Improvements
[left to right]: Not my most favorite thing to show, but has to be done. I think the most obvious improvement of my troubled areas is the skin around my chin. On the left, you can see I broke out with a big zit after using the Mia for three days, but the red you see there is pretty constant. It never really goes away and every three weeks there is some sort of acne that is trying to surface. On the right is the same area after two weeks with Mia. Things are much improved in terms of the redness. The zit from before is a red dot and everything looks to be fading. I hope the redness eventually goes away altogether!


5. Noticeably better absorption of facial products - I see the Clarisonic as an investment for my skin. I am saving money over time if I don't need as much product for the same results.

This is probably one of the tougher ones to tell. I feel that there is better product absorption, because of the good things I'm experiencing. I can't tell at this point whether a smaller amount of moisturizer is doing as much as before or the same amount of moisturizer is doing more than before and vice versa. I have noticed however that liquid foundation goes on easier and looks more natural (it was fine before, but it's even better now!) which leads me to think that better absorption equals to better moisturized skin and we know that makeup goes on easier and stays on longer if it's applied to healthy, clean skin. Again, I'm going to give a reserved 6/10 as I need more time to observe the changes.

Overall, I have nothing, but positives to say about Clarisonic Mia. Although I broke out and acne can be, literally painful to deal with, I am happy this little gadget is changing the health of my skin for the better. It makes me look forward to washing my face before bed, because I feel like I'm one step closer to consistently good skin. I will wait until 1 month of use before making any solid recommendations. In the meantime, my two nitpicky issues with the design is there is no visual indication as to how much battery is left. I've now gone twice without realizing the previous night's use would be the last before I need to charge it again. This means I have to go one day without using it. Not the worst thing ever, but when I've established a momentum, I don't want to be interrupted...

The second is the charger cord is pretty short. There are a handful of plugs in the home that I can use, but the one most convenient one does not have tables or chairs beside it. Since the Mia is something I use on my face, I prefer not to put it on the carpet as it charges. If it was about 6" longer, I'd be able to place it on a drawer near the plug. Again, not a terrible fault, but this could be an inconvenience if you were traveling and there were limited number of plugs to use.


Clinique High Impact Mascara Review

I took a break in the last couple of days from writing about mascaras, but we are back on track with the Lash Stash review of Clinque High Impact Mascara. The mascara is specifically created with a volumizing  formula and application wand. Let's see how the product measures up.

Read the rest of the Lash Stash Reviews here.




Product Description from Clinque's Website Reads:

Kicks up the volume and length of each and every lash for a look that's lusher, plusher, bolder. Pure, deep colour only adds to the impact. Wear it once and you'll feel naked without it. Ophthalmologist Tested.

  • Start at the base of lashes and wiggle brush up to the tip of lashes.
  • Repeat to build.
  • To apply to lower lashes, hold wand vertically.
  • Do not pump brush in container-this adds air that can dry out the mascara.
  • To prevent clumping, let mascara dry between coats.
  • Remove with your favourite Clinique eye makeup remover.

While this product didn't out perform the other mascaras I've reviewed so far, I did like how my lashes looked using this it and especially liked how easy it is to use the brush wand.

 
 Like Stila's waterproof mascara, High Impact has a formula that gives volume and lengthens with minimal clumping. The lashes, with the help of the brush fans out nicely when you comb through them.

Once again, I was impressed with the length of my lashes using a volumizing forumla. The volume that I did get is also much welcomed. I explained below in detail why I found the brush easy to use. Unforunately, I got some mascara on my upper lid that you can see in this photo. I'm not trying to contradict myself here. lol Part of the reason is, applying the mascara felt so smooth that I took it for granted and thought little to no product would end up on my lid. I do check my eyes during and after application to see if there are excess product and honestly, I didn't notice it from where I was standing looking into the mirror.


The bristles on the brush is grouped densely in individual units that you can easily pick out in this photo. Medium in length. Wand is inflexible. I'll have to give a big thumbs up for how easy the brush is to use. Not that applying mascara is by any means difficult, but in order to avoid getting any product on your upper lid is a repeated challenage with every application. Often times when I see a brush with a funky curve or the bristles are less uniform and the product looks like a web clinging to the bristles, I tend to be more careful.  I I find that if the flow of the movement is not as smooth, it's easier to get product on your upper lid. The Clinique mascara brush however, reminds me of brushing through hair that's untangled so the upward motion is smooth and feels uninterrupted.

Out of the Lash Stash set, this would be my non-waterproof mascara to go to if I wanted some extra volume over length. I found the results to be somewhere between Stila's Stay All Day and BUXOM's Lash Mascara. It's not the best mascara for length or for volume on me, but it is easy to apply and this is handy when you're in a hurry. 

Retails for $16 USD (cheapest reviewed mascara so far!)
Where to Buy: Lash Stash set (miniture-sized) Clinique's offfical website, most major cosmetic and department stores online and locally.

Bertrand at Mister A's Restaurant Review

Last summer I was fortunate to dine at Bertrand at Mister A's while we were visiting San Diego. The restaurant was chosen based on a recommendation from a friend who lived in the city. Bertrand at Mister A's describes themselves as "Best Dining with a View", sitting on the the 12th floor of a commercial building on 2550 Fifth Avenue, they do have some of the best views of San Diego city. The dining area of the restaurant is surrounded by a 180 degrees view of the city and guests have the option to sit out on the balcony terrace that extends all the way around the restaurant, although it seems like these tables are usually reserved well ahead of time.



We started with two appetizers. Unfortunately, their menu has changed since we were there months ago so I will have to go entirely by memory with it comes to the ingredients.

 A deconstructed salad with red and yellow peppers, goat cheese, olives, some sort of fried fish, and a herb emulsion dressing on the side. This dish did not stand out for me as I wasn't particularly interested in any ingredient. However, all the ingredients were fresh and prepared with care. It's a light salad that wets the palate with sweet tasting peppers, strong creamy taste from the goat cheese, and the tanginess of the olives.

 I honestly could not recall what oysters these were. You can see they are smaller in size and of course, very fresh and creamy-tasting. What made us wanted to try the oysters was the champagne mignonette that came with it. The champagne mignonette had champagne, shallots, garlic, and fresh parsley. I've never tried a champagne mignonette before so in terms of the quality of its taste, I can't fairly compare anything to it. I did enjoy the mixture of the champagne with shallots and parsely. The taste was sweet, tangy, and bitter at the same time, but unfortunately, it didn't conceal enough of the oysters raw's taste for me to enjoy this appetitizer. I like oysters where you can taste how fresh and creamy they are, but with the raw taste concealed. So, I've found that pairing oysters to the more common chili cocktail sauce is still my preferred combo.

Beef filet with bone marrow, au gratin potatoes, and I believe chanterelles mushrooms. I don't recall the sauces however. Steak and potatoes are staples at any restaurant serving western cuisine and it makes comparing offerings from one place to another much easier, because you've had it so many times. Let's start with the au gratin potatoes. They were excellent. The top layer was crispy and tasted a bit cheesey. The rest was definitely very buttery and creamy with the right kind of firmness to them. Each layer was visible and did not collapse into each other when you put your fork into it. The chanterelles mushrooms (on a bed of greens) has soaked in the juices they used to prepare them and they were so tasty when all this juices poured into my mouth when I took my first bite.

The marrow was also very delightful. It was sweet and had all the flavors that beef-lovers like so much without the raw taste. I asked for a medium rare filet and it looked a bit too cooked for mediume rare, but it didn't affect the tenderness of the meat which was half melting in my mouth as I was chewing it. *.* The only thing I would change in the entree is to have less sauce. Everything was already so tasty and juicy that I didn't feel it was necessary to have all that cream sauce.

 Contrary to the heavy steak entree, this one was much lighter in taste and calories! Copper River salmon, lentil beans, cremimi mushrooms, and potato. The salmon was excellent. Cooked to perfection and had just the right portion of sides to make this a filling dinner for most. I really enjoyed the sauce drizzled on the salmon. The sides were simply prepared and rounds off the entree as a healthy, very tasty part of dinner.


 Mr A's famous Macaroni and Cheese with comte cheese and black truffle. It is as rich in taste as it sounds. Black truffle is one of my favorite ingredients so I was really excited to try this. It didn't disappoint and every bite made me feel guilty and happily so.

A classic dessert. Their creme brulee is delicious. Nothing extraordinary, but if you crave for some creme brulee, you're going to get exactly what you'd expect from an award winning restaurant!

The service was excellent as well. Our server was very attentive. They must be so used to people going out on the balcony terrace for the view and to take some photos. Despite how busy the area is around the entrance to the balony, they never made us feel like we were in the way. You wouldn't expect anything less from a restaurant like Mister A's and we were treated like the best guests in the house while we were there.




I will make certain to visit Bertrand at Mister A's if I'm ever in town. The views are beautiful and the service is as attentive as they lead you to believe on their website! I would try some different appetizers as neither of what we ordered on this trip was particularly impressive. The rest of the dinner was excellent though! 

Where: 2550 5th Avenue #12  San Diego, CA
http://www.bertrandatmisteras.com/


Clarisonic Mia Review: My Journey Begins!

[Update 11/26/2012]: The Two Week Mia Review is Up! 
[Update 01/05/2013]: The One Month Mia Review is Up!
[Update 03/23/2013]: The Two Month Mia Review Here!

In my last post, I mentioned buying the Clarisonic Mia. Since the purchase, I've used Mia once a day every day and it'll be my fourth time tonight. I haven't even used it for a full week for what is meant to be a regular process in my daily skincare regime so it's too early to provide any in-depth review. I will use the opportunity to write down a few expectations I have and review the Mia on here after 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and provide a 6 months brief update if nothing drastic has been observed.

Clarisonic Mia Pink


Clarisonic was recommended first to me by a friend. She liked it, because it was very good for cleaning residue makeup off her face after her using her normal routine to remove makeup. It's fair to say the least of my hopes is to have a cleaner face after using Clarisonic. The rest of my hopes for the product comes from from other people's reviews where many atested that Clarisonic cleans and exfoliates so effectively it improves your overall complexion allowing for both skincare products and makeup to absorb better. And a cleaner face means less buildup of dead skin, oil, dirt, and makeup where the former two of the four are identified to foster growth for blackheads and other acne baddies.

My Clarisonic Mia came with a normal brush head, charger, and Clarisonic's own brand of gentle facial cleanser. I have been using my own cleanser so I haven't tried it yet. I also bought a gentle brush for my mom as her skin is more sensitive than mine. It's much softer to the touch than the normal one. The little gadget is waterproof (big plus!), small enough to fit with the charger into most makeup bags (another big plus), and the charger is universal, meaning it'll work in every country. How fantastic is that? I am thoroughly impressed by the thoughts gone into designing this. They've made it so you never need to part with it!

The Mia is one speed (Mia2 has two speeds) where the center bristles of the brush is rotated or vibrated when you turn it on. The machine turns itself off after one minute and that is the recommended time you should use it on your face. While they say (see description below) the product can be used twice a day, it's not meant for long sessions. Please note your face doesn't need to be exfoliated for several minutes at a time! They instruct you to charge your Mia for 24 hours when you first get it. Every time after that, charge it until the flashing green light becomes solid on the back of the handle.

More detailed information in the instructions pamphlet that comes in the box. Go through it before you begin using.



Product Description Directly Off Clarisonic's Website


About Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System

Our smallest Sonic Skin Cleansing System, the one-button, one-speed Mia comes in a variety of colors and fits your active lifestyle – offering beautiful skin at home or on-the-go.
Directions: Gently move the brush using small, circular motion.  Use on forehead (20 seconds), nose/chin (20 seconds), and both cheeks (10 seconds each).
Tips: Prior to the first use, charge the Clarisonic Mia handle for 24 hours.
Once a week remove the brush head and wash the handle using warm soapy water to remove any residue buildup.
View full Mia Userguide
Kit Includes
  • Clarisonic Mia
  • Universal Voltage Charger
  • Sensitive Brush Head (Note: Gray Mia & Limited Edition Carbon Fiber Mia come with a Normal Brush Head)
  • 1 oz. trial size Refreshing Gel Cleanser
Beautiful Skin Begins With Cleaner Skin

Traditional methods of cleansing don’t get your skin as clean as you’d think. Fortunately, the lead inventor of Sonicare discovered a breakthrough in how we cleanse. Using Sonic Technology, Clarisonic’s patented micro-massage motion works within skin’s natural elasticity to gently remove the impurities traditional methods leave behind- leaving skin softer, smoother and more beautiful.
  • Cleanses 6x better than with your hands alone in just 60 seconds
  • Works with skin, not against it, to gently massage away impurities trapped within pores
  • Prepares skin for better absorption of creams, serums and moisturizers
  • Gentle enough to use 2x a day

With the product description and reviews in mind, my own guideline to grade the Mia will be based on:

1. Effectiveness at removing makeup - The residue makeup that remains on my face, the less random zits will pop up.

2. Cleanliness of skin immediately after use.

3. Cleaniness of skin maintained with regular use - I have an oily t-zone where zits are most likely to appear. I hope the use of Clarisonic will vastly improve these areas and reduce acne problems.

4. Improved complexion of skin - I have a sensitive patch of skin on my cheek that's a bit redder than the rest of my cheeks. It goes away when my face is fully moisturized (and there's more humidity in the air). Although irritation sometimes occurs unexpectedly, I have faith that the Clarisonic can reduce the dryness in this area when product is absorbed better.

5. Noticeably better absorption of facial products - I see the Clarisonic as an investment for my skin. I am saving money over time if I don't need as much product for the same results.

I will, of course note additional observations as I see them. At this point, I hope the Mia at the end of three months will make it on the Perfect 10! list

Retails for $119 USD
Where to buy: Clarisonic's official website and most major cosmetics and department stores online and locally.

Very Important Beauty Insider, VIB Review

There was a VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider) event at Sephora this weekend where all members (plus one friend) gets 20% off any purchase in the store. I was invited by a kind friend and together, we visited this cosmetics of a "candy" store on Thursday. The invitation came at a great time as I've been eyeing the Clarisonic Mia for some time and thanks to its purchase, I became a VIB too.

I'll keep my experiences at the VIB event seperate from this post, because I was quite disappointed with the service at my local store, considering everything, it is one of their more anticipated annual exclusive events...But for those interested in becoming a VIB or curious about the perks, I am going to talk about Beauty Insider and VIB membership info here.

Beauty Insider

The Beauty Insider member is a basic membership that's free to join any time and every dollar you spend equals to one point. When you reach a certain amount of points, you can exchange "point perk" items at an online or local store checkout. The items change every so often and come in points of 100 or 500. The 500 point perk items are usually a decent sample pack consisting of 4-5 popular items from a sought-after cosmetic brand. You also receive a free birthday gift from Sephora that can be collected at a local store or online when you are checking out. I've been a Beauty Insider for 4 years and have never collected my gift. lol I really need to get on this next year! From what I've heard, the gifts are usually quite good too!

Essentially, being a Beauty Insider is Sephora's way of getting your information making target marketing easier and more efficient for them.

VIB 

When you are already a Beauty Insider and spend $350 in one calendar, you automatically qualify as a VIB.  If you qualify via an online purchase, you should receive an email or some sort of notice at checkout that you've become a VIB. If not, be sure to contact them and get this sorted out. If you qualify from buying at a local store, they give you a VIB package with one-time use welcome perks and a VIB card. You should then receive an email a few days later saying you've become a VIB. Your online information on Sephora when you are logged in should also reflect your status change.

If you are not a Beauty Insider and happen to make a one-time purchase of $350, you should be able to become a VIB. If it's not offered to you, be sure to ask for it. I don't see why they can't give it to you on the spot. This won't work however if you make more than one purchase in the year that add up to $350, but is not a Beauty Insider. There is no way for them to attach these purchases to you since you are not on their system to begin with. If you have your receipts from all the purchases, you might be able to ask for membership.


 VIB package.


 [from left to right]: The VIB card is a metallic silver color. The item on the right as shown in the right hand side photo is a mirror where one side reflects normally and the opposite side magnifies.


 [from left to right]: A one-time 45 minute makeup session with an "expert beauty advisor". The card pays for the session. The photo on the right shows your one-time 10% off on a purchase. Both offers expire within 90 days from when you become a VIB.

These are the initial perks of becoming a VIB. They're not bad. I do hope to be able to experience the other perks advertised on the website in the upcoming year. I'll make a checklist and let's see how many of these are checked off throughout the year!

Additional Perks as Advertised on Sephora's Website



Special Gifts:
  1. Complimentary gift sets
  2.  Makeovers on us
  3.  One-of-a-kind products
  4.  Seasonal discount
 First Access:

"Get first access to highly anticipated launches, special sales, and other exciting offers."

The VIB Life:

"Coming soon"

Private Events:

"Attend private shopping nights and parties hosted by celebrities, founders, and top beauty experts."

Exclusive Rewards:

"Be rewarded with exciting beauty, shipping on us, double point purchases and more."

Beauty Concierge:

"Get answers and advice, and recommendations from dedicated consultants at 1-xxx-VIB-xxxx."


I don't think the telephone number is a super secret, but just in case, I've concealed it. x.x I'm excited to see what private shopping nights will take place at the local sephora store here as well as these complimentary gifts sets (on top of the birthday gift?) and free shipping perks. Keep all of you beautifuls updated as events happen (or don't happen) in future posts.

And finally, I feel the initial perks of becoming a VIB alone are not attractive enough to have people power buy products for unlike Starbuck's Gold Membership pre-perk changes. I think a lot pf people become a VIB through purchasing their regular stuff there. Sephora does carry a ton of products making it easy for us to one-stop shop there. You'll also find them to be constantly adding new products that have shown promise in the market, but have yet to be widely distributed which often makes them the only local store to be selling certain items.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Volumizing Mascara in Black

I took some time earlier this week to try Stila's Stay All Day Mascara. It's the only waterproof mascara that came with Lash Stash. When I pulled out the applicator wand from the tube my heart dropped. I saw how there were clumps of mascara clinging to any given bristle on the brush and immediately thought of the times where some volumizing formulas made my lashes clump together. More on the results below. First, the product description.

Read the rest of the Lash Stash Reviews here.



Taken directly from Stila's website:

Stay All Day Waterproof Volumizing Mascara is an innovative, long-wearing mascara that contains a special polymer with an extremely high resistance to water. The rich formula pumps up the volume of lashes, is buildable and unlike other waterproof mascaras, leaves lashes soft and shiny, yet will not smudge, budge or flake. The unique triangular brush expertly applies a generous coat of mascara for extreme volume and beautifully defined lashes.

  • Waterproof and long-wearing
  • Plush volumizing formula
  • Contains a nourishing conditioning agent, coconut oil, and antioxidant-rich mango butter, which leave lashes soft, protected, smooth, and shiny
  • Innovative 3-d triangular brush utilizes 3 wells to dramatically load mascara onto lashes for volume, and 3 rows of combing bristles to lift, lengthen and define each lash
  • Paraben free

Prior to reading the product description, I had no idea that it is paraben free. That is always good news even if it means the product will not last as long. There are simply way too many chemicals in the things we eat, touch and put on ourselves. If your makeup brands sees that natural formulas outsell those with parabens or other common, but highly suspected to be harmful chemicals, they will put money towards researching alternative forumlas to cater to the demands of their consumers. Being an informed consumer and making an informed decision with your health in mind is the only way to go!


Ok. Back to the mascara. I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Partially due to my previous experience, but it gave me decent volume with little clumping. If anything, I was impressed by how well defined and lengthened my eyelashes were from a primarily volumizing formula. The mascara is waterproof without a doubt. I didn't test how waterproof it is. Though if it's any indiction, the product was drying quickly when I was applying it onto my lashes.

 Very sleepy in these photos. I took them soon after I got up. lol

Nice length and good definition. Little clumping.

 Lashes looked voluminous from the side.

My only gripe with the product is not the product's fault by any stretch. Rather, it is any waterproof mascaras. I tend to loose a few lashes when I'm taking off the mascara with makeup remover. It took me a good 10 minutes to get this one off and I lost three lashes in the process. This is expected and it does comes off steadily (as opposed to some super waterproof mascaras out there!), but it's not something any girl would want to see...

The wand applicator is inflexible. The bristles on the brush are medium length, a bit sparse, and stiff.

This will be my beach mascara if I ever needed it. For any girls considering this, I would recommend it if your lids produce a lot of oil and product smudges easily. And of course if you're going to be splashed at, at the beach/pool, but also if you're living in a tropical location where it's humid and you're outside a lot.

Retails for $22 USD
Where to Buy: Lash Stash set from Sephora (miniature-sized), most major cosmetics store locally or online, Stila's website

Bare Escentuals BUXOM Lash Mascara Review

Third on the list from Lash Stash is Bare Escentuals' BUXOM Lash Mascara. Where do I begin? Let's just say Fiberwig's Paint on False Lashes has some stiff competition, because BUXOM is faaabulous!

Read the rest of the Lash Stash Reviews here.


Official Production Description:

Bigger is better. Buxom Lash Mascara intensely volumizes for bigger, fuller lashes. The vitamin-enriched formula deepens, darkens and thickens from root to tip. Our curvy, talented, hourglass-shaped brush holds the ideal amount of mascara to ensure every lash is coated evenly with our silky, clump-free formula.

Real Results

  • Volumizes lashes 300%*
  • 98% agreed this mascara kept lashes full all day**
  • 98% agreed this mascara separated their lashes**
*After 2 coats of mascara, based on an independent USA study. **Based on independent USA clinical studies


It's interesting to see companies now include findings from research studies into their online marketing. I believe this was much less common 2-3 years ago.

Buxom has three different mascara lines and Lash Mascara is their most popular one. It truly is a fantastic product for me. It lengthened, defined, added volume to my lashes very evenly. I purposely continued to apply more product on for this test, because the mascara was not drying or clumping on my lashes so I wanted to see how much I could apply and what further transformation would happen. I was impressed to find that after 5-6 more coats, my lashes were even longer and had more volume while still retaining a very nice fan shape.



You can practically count out the lashes in this photo.


A very natural finish!



The bristles on the brush are medium in length and density, but longer than Benefit's. It's a brush that's definitely meant to lengthen and define. In the photo, you can see the applicator is slightly angled to the left. I thought this was an intentional design, but after looking at some official product photos I can't be certain. It might have been bent during the manufacturing process. I didn't notice a negative impact on the usage however.


Retails for $19 USD

Where to Buy: Lash Stash set (miniture-sized), Bare EScentuals' official website, major cosmetic stores online and locally.

Benefit They're Real Mascara Review

I was eager to try all of the Lash Stash mascaras after I opened the box so my next review is yet about mascara. This time it's Benefit's They're Real mascara.

Read the rest of the Lash Stash Reviews here.

[October 5, 2013] Adjusted my review of this mascara. Benefit's BADgal Lash mascara review added!



The product description on Benefit's site reads:

They're real! lengthens, curls, volumizes, lifts & separates. Our jet black, long-wearing formula won’t smudge or dry out. A specially designed brush reveals lashes you never knew you had!

What else you need to know:
94%
saw dramatic length & volume*
90% saw base-to-tip curl*
94% saw visible lift*
100% saw long-wearing results*
*Results observed in a consumer panel survey


I wore the mascara for the entire day (about 10 hours) and found it to be very long lasting with no smudging and retained much of the fan shape I carefully combed out when I put it on.  The mascara gave me quite a bit of length. It helped define my lashes until my lashes start to clump.


I got length but not a lot of volume. I'm sure if my lashes could be better defined by the brush, they would appear more voluminious.

They're Real was easier to remove with warm water than Korres's, but like most mascaras, you will need makeup remover for a thorough cleaning. Removing makeup thoroughly is really important for the health of your skin so don't skimp out on this!

The bristles on the applicator are medium in length and density. It's reminds me of other mascaras that are good for lengthening.  The wand is inflexible.


Retails for $23 USD
Where to Buy: Lash Stash set (miniture-szied), Benefit's official website, and most major  cosmetic stores online and locally.

 
Love it! Live it! Makeup Reviews © 2012 | Designed by Rumah Dijual, in collaboration with Buy Dofollow Links! =) , Lastminutes and Ambien Side Effects