Mascaras that I currently own

I've been searching for a decent Mascara as I wasn't blessed with beautiful long and curvy lashes like my friends'. Not to mention I have sensitive eyes therefore, my eyes get watery right away or it itches like there's no tomorrow (reasons I don't wear mascaras often). In search for my mascara I've tried many different brands, from drugstore to department store. Currently I have three mascaras. All but the Stila came part of a kit or free promo so I didn't have to pay for them individually. Without further ado, let's begin..

1. Smashbox Lash DNA (deluxe size). As I've mentioned on my previous post, this was part of their pretty points promotion. I'm fairly happy with the result. It volumizes my lashes and isn't too thick and gunky (otherwise a nightmare) to work with. I can fairly get a decent result with the first coat. The wand is wide but isn't harsh on my eyes. It's definitely way better than their Bionic mascara (a mascara we love to hate).
2. Stila Major Lash in Brown (full size). I got it on sale for $4.95 from hautelook sale. I love the wand, it's very gentle to the eyes. But mascara itself is very waxy (feels like thick Vaseline) and doesn't really volumize well. It gives a very natural finish. If you have thick long lashes, you can work with it but for someone who needs "help" with her lashes it's a no no.
3. Urban Decay Skyscraper (deluxe size). Came with their Hall of Fame collection, I bought from hautelook's sale for $14. It's by far my favorite mascara. It's easy to apply, non-clumpy and it makes my lashes look naturally long, thick and soft (as if I was born with it). The wand is like a spiral mini-comb. Unlike other mascaras, it looked dry coming out of the tube but when applied the result is flawless.

Note that in order to make my lashes bigger, I often use two mascaras at a time. I use UD Skyscraper to separate and lenghten lashes and SB Lash DNA to volumize.

Smashbox vs Stila foundation Kit part 2

Sorry I couldn't post it sooner. I was busy with an unfortunate event involving a student. Anyway without further ado, here's the rest of the comparison. I bought Smashbox Complexion Perfect in Light, since I use their tinted moisturizer in light (the color medium looked too orange and dark on me), but for the foundation kit, it was a big mistake. I've spent $49+tax, total about $53. Smashbox has started to charge taxes even to the people outside of California and their retail zone. But the good thing is, it came with other freebies due to their everyday free samples, let's do lunch promo & pretty points. So I've got a full sized Eye & Cheek color in Heatwave, mini O-gloss, deluxe sized Lash DNA mascara and a sample file of Photo Finish primer in Light. The size of the products on the kit were larger than Stila, except for the primer. The kit came with the following items:

1. Mini Photo Finish Foundation Primer. I love their foundation primer. It blends in smoothly and makes the skin feel so soft. Just make sure you wait 5 to 7 minutes before you put on makeup to give sometime to absorb in. My only complaint would be, the size of the primer. When you are paying $49, you'd at least except a try me size primer (like from their $29 try me kit), but the primer is the same sized as the free deluxe sample they used have. This is the best product in the kit.
2. Smashbox High Definition Foundation in L3. This is a very sheer, light coverage foundation that blends in easily with a brush. The outcome looks same as their tinted moisturizer though. The color was a perfect match for my skin. I was afraid the color might be too dark but since I've got a tan recently it looks fine.
3. High Definition Liquid Concealer in Light. It was few shades way too light on my skin (I like to use concealer that almost matches my skin perfectly). It looked ashy under my eyes and other places that I've put on. I believe the color medium would've been better on me. None the less I love the consistency of the concealer. It didn't dry out my skin like Sonia Kashuk's hidden agenda quad. Overall it was an OK concealer, not the best but not the worst (given If your skin matches with it).
4. Halo to Go - Hydrating Perfecting Powder in Light. This was the worst one in the group. It was way too dry for my skin (I have very dry skin anyway). It seemed to accentuate my wrinkles and imperfections. Not to mention the color was too light (the medium was too orange when I tried in store). This is probably only good for people with good and oily skin tone.

Note that I've been out in the sun a lot these days and I do have a tanned face compare to other parts of my body (you can see my arm on the pictures). Therefore, the kit is too light on me. If this kit matches your skin and you have a normal skin, it might work on you. But I still find it way overpriced. The best part about this kit would be the freebies. Here's the bonus product reviews.

• Mini O-gloss. It came as the everyday deluxe sample. This is an intuitive lip gloss that matches with your lips to give it a custom shade of hot pink. Normally I'd never buy a hot pink lipstick or gloss, but I love the color it gave on my lips. 5 minutes after you put it on it does give you a tingling affect and changes color (it comes out as clear from the tube). It's very hydrating, even my chapped lips looked moist. This is something I'd go buy in full size since the sample size is running out fast (even after I'm being stingy on using this).
• Deluxe sized Lash DNA. It was the part of their pretty points promotion. A very good volumizing mascara. It's way better than my Stila or Rimmel. It's not clumpy and easy to work with. I prefer deluxe sample sizes over full size, because after 3-6 months I'd have to toss them away anyway to prevent any eye problems. It's a waste if I buy a full size, especially I don't always wear mascaras.
• Cheek & Eye color in Heatwave. The colors were ok. It had three different shades of color, bronze, pink and beige type. I used it as blush (swirling all the colors) and eyeshadow (using individual colors). The quality was definitely better than the color palette I have. It went on smoothly. Except it made my cheek looked too peachy (a color that looks hideous on me).
• Photo Finish Foundation Primer - Light. I can't tell you anything about it. Since I didn't use it yet. It was part of the bonus sample. It's a small file.

Bottomline, I think the price wise Stila won the game. $9 I've spent was well worth to try out the products, so I won't have any regrets or curiosity anymore. $49 for Smashbox kit seemed way overpriced. However, quality wise, Smashbox won. Their products were way better than Stila's, but not the best out there. I would suggest one to look into Lorac as an alternative, often their items are on sale for $4.99 or so.

Smashbox vs Stila foundation Kit part 1

I wanted to do a comparison between Smashbox Complexion Perfection Kit vs Stila Foundation wardrobe: Made In Your Shade. Note that I have a medium and very dry skin. I do get tanned in the summer. But my skin type is either neutral or cool (pinkish). Anyway without wasting time let's get down to business. This is the part 1 of the review.

Stila Foundation Wardrobe: Made In Your Shade in Medium (MRSP $18). I bought it for $9 at the Hautelook sale. The kit comes with 6 items. They are:

1. Hydrating Primer w/ SPF 15. Quality of the primer is like thick Nivea cream. Doesn't really smooth out the skin but it moisturizes somewhat. But I had better results with my Pharmagel DN-24 Hydracreame, and that's just a regular facial moisturizer I use everyday. The primer comes with an expiration date.
2. Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer w/ SPF 15 in Medium. OK tinted moisturizer. If you have good skin, you can pull it off. But it was kind of dark and cakey for my skin. It comes with an expiration date
3. Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer w/ SPF 15 in shade 01. It was very shimmery, reminded me of Smashbox tinted moisturizer in Luminous. Color felt kind of lighter on my skin, then again I guess it's supposed to be this way.
4. Natural Finish Oil-Free Makeup in shade D: It's by far the worst foundation I've tried. It's thick, gooey and cakey, also a couple of shades darker than my skin tone. It accentuated the wrinkles I've had and the ones I never knew existed. My pore size looked double. Unless you are 16 with flawless skin don't buy this. Also I've used my Smashbox foundation brush as well as finger to try to make it go on smoother, but it was an epic fail.
5. Illuminating Liquid Foundation in 50 Watt. It was the best of the bunch. The foundation was light went in smooth. Although had some shimmer and looked a couple of shade lighter at first but my skin looked good after putting it on. I use it with my Smashbox tinted moisturizer to have a flawless look.
6. Convertible Color in Peony. It's a double duty peach cream color. You can use it as a blush or lip stain. I use it as a blush often. Although my cool tone skin isn't too suitable for peachy color, but during summer month I think I can somewhat pull it off if put on lightly.

Overall I was fairly pleased with my $9 purchase. It allowed me to sample different types of Stila items without breaking the bank. I don't think I would purchase most of the items in this kit again.