mascara

review: maybelline the colossal big shot mascara

~ institutionbeauty ~ 6 Comments

Hello loves! Many of you may have seen or heard about the new big shot mascara from the huge advertising campaign with lots of beauty gurus at the head. Every one has been talking about Manny MUA being the first man to ever represent maybelline and I’m ready to tell you if he stuck his name to something worth while!

prices range:

$6.94 at walmart.com

$6.99 at target.com

$8.49 at cvs.com

$8.49 at maybelline.com

$8.49 at ulta.com (buy one get one 50% off)

$8.49 at walgreens.com

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Now this may not be a long post because its pretty simple. This mascara is incredible! The formula is the perfect consistency. It isn’t too wet and isn’t dry enough that it flakes off. The brush is the perfect size to get into the root of the lashes without creating a big mess. As my dedicated readers know, I tend to like the brush bristles better than plastic or silicone bristles because I find it gives more realistic lashes.

This mascara gives tons of volume and lengthens. The volume is dramatic without being clumpy. It looks like my real lashes are strong thick and long. It just looks like you have beautiful natural lashes. This mascara is so good I actually have been wearing it in place of any false lashes. I feel confident that my lashes look amazing enough all day  and that my eye look is still tied together to wear it instead of lashes because honestly sometimes my eyes just need a break from glue.

I think this mascara is one of the best I’ve tried and I would recommend it to everyone! It may be my new go-to and I will definitely be repurchasing which is a rarity for any makeup product with me. Run out and pick this up so you can lash like a boss too!

Tons of new products are coming out for spring so if you see something of intrigue that you want to hear about, let me know! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog on the right hand side of the page, so you receive updates when I post. Also follow my instagram @institutionbeauty to get updates and see the makeup looks I create! Thanks for all the love & support. Talk to Monday, loves.
love & lipstick kisses 💋

*disclaimer: I did receive these products from Influenster for testing purposes but as always these are my true honest opinions.

review: make up for ever smoky extravagant mascara

~ institutionbeauty ~ Leave a comment

Happy Friday, loves! Today we wrap up our look at high end mascaras with a spotlight on highly rated Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara.

prices range:

$24.00 at makeupforever.com

$24.00 at sephora.com

MUF smoky mascara package open

This product claims to build volume, lengthen, and curl. I wish I could even focus on those claims but it was impossible to even think of those things.

MUF smoky mascara wand

The pictures don’t really capture the massiveness of this brush. It is basically the size of my entire eye. As soon as you bring this brush towards your eye, mascara is everywhere. I actually laughed out loud when doing research for this post and seeing that MUF calls this a precision mascara. I think even for the most experienced makeup artists this brush is so huge and you have such little control that mascara will end up everywhere.

I highly suggest not wasting $24 on this mascara. Soon we will be taking a look at some drugstore alternatives. Let me know if there are any other high end or drugstore mascaras you would like to see on the blog.

As always please recommend any other products you would like to see me test out! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog on the right hand side of the page, so you receive updates when I post. Thanks for all the love & support. Talk to you Monday, loves.

love & lipstick kisses💋

review: benefit they’re real mascara

~ institutionbeauty ~ 2 Comments

Happy Thursday, loves! As we continue on with our feature on high end mascara with one of Sephora’s best selling mascaras. Benefit’s They’re Real claims to make your lashes look so much like falsies that you’ll have to actually tell people they are real.

prices range:

$22.00 at benefitcosmetics.com in a set with a deluxe sample of liner and remover

$24.00 at benefitcosmetics.com

$24.00 at sephora.com

$24.oo at ulta.com (free gift w/ purchase)

benefit theyre real mascara package open

They’re Real has a rubber bristled brush (say that five times fast). There are mostly really short bristles mixed in with some medium length to get in to the root of the lash. At the end of the wand the bristles come to a little half circle that is intended for the inner corner lashes and lower lashes.

benefit theyre real mascara wand

Now this mascara claims to lengthen your lashes to new heights but I think it is underwhelming. I find that it is such a wet formula that it really clumps your lashes together. You also have to be careful to not blink too aggressively or you’ll ruin your eyeshadow.

Similar to the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara, the brush comes out with way too much product. The bristled end only useful if you wipe off the extra product at least 5 times and even then its very easy to get mascara on the inner corners and lower lids.

Im actually really surprised that it is so highly acclaimed on beauty sites because it doesn’t give impressive length and is just a wet spidery mess. If you want to give it a shot I highly recommend trying out the smaller version to see if its worth your money. I had the same problem as the Benefit Roller Lash with it irritating my eyes so I would keep that in mind.

As always please recommend any other products you would like to see me test out! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog on the right hand side of the page, so you receive updates when I post. Thanks for all the love & support. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the last mascara review! Talk to you tomorrow, loves.

love & lipstick kisses💋

review: mac gigiblack lash mascara

~ institutionbeauty ~ 4 Comments

Happy Wednesday, loves! Today we continue our spotlight on high end mascara with a look at the M.A.C mascara Jaclyn Hill has popularized. If you’ve ever watched a Jaclyn Hill tutorial you’ve probably seen her use this mascara even if its just on her bottom lashes. With her rave reviews in mind, I decided to pick it up and see if it lived up to all her hype.

prices range:

$18.00 at maccosmetics.com

$18.00 at macys.com

$18.00 at nordstrom

mac gigiblack mascara package open

With the first use, it was easy to tell that Jaclyn had not overstated her opinions on this mascara. Now if you want a ton of volume and super dramatic lashes then this is not the mascara you are looking for. But if you’re a fan of natural lash days or a falsie fanatic like me, then this mascara could jump its way to number one on your list.

mac gigiblack mascara wand

I would say I have pretty average lashes and this mascara just amplifies their natural beauty. I get tons of compliments when I wear just this mascara with no liner. I find that since the brush is so thin you can really get to the root and make your lashes long and feathered to where your eyes look bright and open.

This is the only mascara I wear if I am gonna apply fans lashes. It makes your lashes dark while still natural enough to blend in with lashes so you don’t see the distinction between the false lash hairs and your lashes (not a cute look). The small wand is also perfect for the lower lashes. You can get to the root and really define each lash without getting mascara all over your lower lid.

This mascara has easily made its way to the front of my drawer and looks like it could stay there for quite a while. If you like more simple everyday lashes with lots of length or you want your falsies to look flawless, definitely give it a shot! It is easily worth the fairly reasonable price tag!

As always please recommend any other products you would like to see me test out! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog on the right hand side of the page, so you receive updates when I post. Thanks for all the love & support. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the next mascara review! Talk to you tomorrow, loves.

love & lipstick kisses💋

 

review: too faced better than sex mascara

~ institutionbeauty ~ 2 Comments

Happy Tuesday, loves! Today we continue with our look at high end mascaras. The Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara has become a cult favorite to many in the beauty community. I tried this out a few years ago but repurchased again to review it for you all.

prices range:

$23.00 at sephora.com

$23.00 at too faced.com (free shipping with any better than sex mascara purchase)

$23.00 at ulta.com

too faced mascara package open

The wand is an hourglass shape with with long natural bristles. The shape of the wand is perfect to hug the natural eye shape. But the brush picks up way too much product. To have even a relatively clean application you have to wipe off the excess at least ten times.

too faced mascara wand

Even once you wipe all the excess product the formula of the mascara is so thick that it is nearly impossible to keep it from clumping. The mascara also dries out really quickly (especially for $23) and once it starts to dry out, it will flake throughout the day and leave a polka dot mess in your concealer.

I would not recommend dropping $23 on a sub par mascara. There are much better formulas in the high end arena and even in the drugstore. If your really wanting to try this one out try the travel size for $12 (which I still think is way too expensive for what your getting, you can get great mascara for less than $9 that’s full size).

As always please recommend any other products you would like to see me test out! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog on the right hand side of the page, so you receive updates when I post. Thanks for all the love & support. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the next mascara review! Talk to you tomorrow, loves.

love & lipstick kisses💋

 

review: benefit roller lash mascara

~ institutionbeauty ~ 6 Comments

Happy Monday, loves! I’m starting a week long feature on high end mascaras. I bought a bunch of travel size mascaras at Sephora a few months ago and have been testing them all out for a hot minute. So today we are taking a look at Benefits newest mascara that has been blowing up the beauty world.

prices range:

$24.00 at benefitcosmetics.com (a set is available with a deluxe mini)

$24.00 at macys.com (with a free deluxe mini)

$24.00 at sephora.com

$24.00 at ulta.com (with a gift w/ purchase until 8/27/16)

the travel size can be found on each of these websites for $12

This mascara is one of my favorites of the ones I have been testing out. The brush is slightly curved with tighter shorter rubber bristles inside the curve and longer more separated bristles. The cute 50’s flashback packaging is just a nice touch but I wouldn’t expect anything less from benefit.

benefit roller lash mascara wand

The formula of the actual mascara is the perfect balance between a more wet and more dry mascara. I tend to prefer more dry formulas but those can sometimes flake on the face and not hold a curl as well as more wet formulas. I do find that this mascara holds my curl better than most. I have fairly straight lashes that in a few hours almost  always lose their curl but this one keeps the curl almost all day long.

I am someone who likes my lashes to still look like eyelashes after I put on mascara. I love dark long lashes but I hate when they start to clump. This is a beautiful mascara to lengthen and volumize without causing clumping. Your lashes look like you have mascara on but only to darken because you already have perfect long fluttery lashes underneath.

Unfortunately, although I love the way it looks, I had to stop using this mascara. I am allergic to some ingredient in it so every time I remove it, my eyes burn and water profusely. If I weren’t allergic I would definitely be repurchasing this mascara.

If you are looking for an everyday mascara that lengthens and volumizes I would give the roller lash a try! If you have super sensitive eyes, I recommend testing out the travel size before you go purchase the full size.

As always please recommend any other products you would like to see me test out! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog on the right hand side of the page, so you receive updates when I post. Thanks for all the love & support. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the next mascara review! Talk to you tomorrow, loves.

love & lipstick kisses💋