Differences Between MAYBELLINE Mascaras

For those of you who've wondered what's the difference between the products like I did.

my first ever mascara was one from missha, i bought it when i was 16, trying to prepare for my up coming prom dinner. i wish i knew more about make up back then, but hey, everything is a learning journey in itself! every little piece of experience i share with the products i've used along the way help me find out what to look out for when searching for specific needs.

sadly, the missha mascara (i don't even remember what name it's called) turned me into a panda. i probably have another brief encounter with a second mascara, fiberwig by dejavu, which also failed horribly for me (it just can't hold a curl for me! and it also melts and smudges!) from that day onwards, i figured i MUST use waterproof mascara.

one must recall that all these happened about a decade ago. beauty reviews/blogs were rare, and as an unsuspecting teenage consumer, i practically believed the ads when i saw maybelline market their hypercurl cat eyes mascara - which was my holy grail back then simply because it performed so much better than my first. you know what, i bought it for two reasons. it is waterproof, which suits my only need at that time, also, it has a beautiful zebra pattern printed on the tube in a coat of blazing pink chrome paint. animal prints won me over.


click on image to read my review and swatch of the mascara!

it's all about relativity. my first mascara sucked - it didn't do nothing for my lashes, can't hold a curl, and SMUDGES!? the maybelline mascara managed to hold curls, ALL DAY LONG. no smudging, no melting. and i really experienced the volumizing effects because i still remember the first time i put it on, i couldn't get used to seeing some dark blurry shadows when i open my eyes. oh hi, lashes! these days, i'll expect all these qualities from a normal mascara, so this makes the maybelline mascara really normal in today's definition. but like i said, relativity made it seem magical.

ever since then, maybelline has been my go to brand for mascara. well, at least for the first few years after i started wearing make up. i've only started to experiment with other brands in the recent years, so prior to my beauty blog phase, i'm an exclusive maybelline mascara bit*h. :P

i'm still thankful i didn't think too much back then before buying the mascara. if i knew maybelline has such a huge variety of products, i would have ended up not buying any because i simply can't decide which one i want. 

today, i thought i'll try to pass it forward, especially for makeup beginners. i found this wonderful comparison chart from maybelline japan, so i translated it into english for your easy reference. it sort of summarizes the main claims and effect of the different mascara. hopefully, this will help you decide which one suits your needs the most?

but honestly, i realize a lot of the different lines appear to be the same products thrown into different packaging. the selection offered in the asia region is still quite understandable, as the products managed to differentiate themselves marginally. i took a look at maybelline USA's mascara selection and let's just say.. the dilemma of choice is real. don't believe me? take a look for yourself.

there are two main lines for two specific needs - volum' express for volume, and the other is for length (which doesn't have a specific name).

VOLUME TYPE MASCARA


maybelline volumizing mascara comparison chart. click to enlarge!

i've tried the volum' express hypercurl cat eyes mascara, and the falsies everlasting (also called the false lash everlasting mascara in japan) mascara. purchased the magnum cat eyes waterproof mascara (but haven't tried it yet), and feel like trying the rocket mascara next time.

love the cat eyes, not feeling the hype for the falsies (or did i just get a bad tube? twice?). 

LENGTH TYPE MASCARA


maybelline lengthening mascara comparison chart. click to enlarge!

the lashionista care plus and lash exte is only available in japan. the former contains safflower oil as the hair care ingredient, while the latter contains vitamin B5 (panthenol) and ceramide R to nourish the lashes. it sounds so fancy schmanzy, i don't know why we don't have these in singapore, or hong kong. :(

i've tried the lashionista mascara and let's just say, i love it under certain circumstances. when i'm not wearing other kinds of make up, i love it to death because it comes off in the shower. however, when i'm wearing full makeup, it's hard to remove with my eye makeup remover.. but one thing is certain, the length that it creates it well loved at all times. you can read my reviews and see my swatches here.

i'm so glad i don't live in the states, because trying to put ALL of maybelline's mascara on a chart depicting their differences and main claims would drive me crazy.

all in all, i love maybelline for their affordable mascara that actually works - lengthens, volumnizes, holds a curl, and doesn't melt or smudge.

p.s. depending on your region, some of these mascaras may or may not be available in your local store. also, they may appear to have a slightly different name.

QUESTION
have you tried any maybelline mascaras? how do you love it?

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A Guide On Majolica Majorca Mascaras

For Those Confused By The Marketers

i decided to write this entry because i also need to educate myself on the range of mascaras offered by majolica majorca, a brand under shiseido. those fancy  names don't tell me much about the actual functions, and the brand is obviously trying to make it difficult for me to differentiate between product packaging because they all look similar in terms of color scheme (with the except of the lash link and lash bone). so here is an illustrated entry on the strengths of each mascara.

on the official japanese website, there are only 2 types of mascaras and one base coat. each type comes in two variations: film type (removeable with warm water) and waterproof type.

LASH KING FILM | LASH KING | LASH EXPANDER EDGE MEISTER F | LASH EXPANDER EDGE MEISTER | LASH BONE FILM | LASH BONE 

LASH KING VS LASH EXPANDER EDGE MEISTER

click image to enlarge. image originally from the official japanese website.

i've translated the original image (it was in japanese) to english. it's only available on their japanese website, i think they should add this to their other websites too because it's so useful! now you are able to tell at a glance what each mascara does.

the LASH KING is meant to give you length AND volume, while making your lashes more fluttery at the same time. think of it as an all rounder. i'd perhaps liken this to the maybelline falsies, since that also promises length, volume, fullness, and flared out lashes. i have a review on the maybelline falsies mascara coming up soon!

the LASH EXPANDER (i'll omit the 'edge meister' from here on because the name is too long) on the other hand will give you length and separated lashes. this is much like the maybelline lashionista mascara, except this comes in waterproof formula. i've actually tried the older version of the lash expander, you can read my review here.

the LASH BONE is a translucent mascara base that contains black fibers, meant as a base coat to give you more length and volume. japanese brands seem to love making a lash primer for extra length. kate, visee and integrate have them too.

on the singapore website, i spy two extra mascara that isn't shown on the japanese site (anymore?).

LASH ENAMEL GLAMOUR VOLUME ON | LASH GORGEOUS WING NEO

and look what i found on the taiwanese official website!!! a full on comparison chart! i translated it into english from chinese :D easy peasy!

LASH EXPANDER VS LASH ENAMEL GLAMOUR VS LASH GORGEOUS WING VS LASH KING

as the film type LASH KING is a new release in japan, it's not updated on the taiwanese website yet, hence showing only a "waterproof" sign. image originally from the taiwan MJ website.

the LASH ENAMEL GLAMOUR VOLUME ON is a volumizing mascara, the dual comb brush allows you to control how thick you want your lashes to be. thick as in clusters of lashes stuck together to form a gigantic spider leg. i'd say this mascara parallel the maybelline volum'express hyper curl cat eyes waterproof mascara, as the comb allows the volumizing formula to coat my lashes thickly. read my review here!

lastly, the LASH GORGEOUS WING NEO has a formula that will make your lashes look fuller and more fluffy. "more hairy" doesn't sound nice even though that was the first adjective that came into my mind. the brush is zig-zagged to separate your lashes in order to prevent clumping even after multiple coats of the mascara (according to them). at first glance it seems similar to lash king, that's because they are similar. but i'll expect the lash gorgeous wing to give you skinnier and more natural looking lashes. you know some times lashes end up looking spidery after multiple coats? this MAY avoid that. just a guess judging from the product description.

IN A NUTSHELL

there are 4 main types of mascaras offered by majolica majorca - length, volume, fullness (the false lash effect), and "all of the above".

take your pick.

after writing this entry, everything suddenly appears to be clearer to me. majolica majorca's mascara collection isn't as confusing as maybelline's in my opinion. the thing is these mascaras have a creative name, which is in line with the entire brand because they dream up fairy tales for each collection they release - just goes to show you how airy fairy this brand is. it'll be odd to see really practical and descriptive names show up in majolica majorca's product lines.

one must learn the facts before they can appreciate the beauty in these product names, and i can finally say i really like the product names after spending hours flipping through the web to write up this entry.

QUESTION

were you confused by majolica majorca's product names just like me? please tell me i'm not alone.

image credit: majolica majorca official japanese website and taiwanese website

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