Makeup By Ariana: 2015

I Got Featured!

01:22

Maybelline Fashion Brow 24H Coloring Mascara

04:00

It hasn't been blatantly obvious on social media until recently, but I've been dyeing my hair from dark brunette to a golden blonde since earlier this year. It's definitely enough material for a separate post, I'll tell you that much. And it's actually one of the reasons why I'm reviewing this product.

Because my natural hair color is quite dark, my eyebrows don't match my hair color. I am very much an advocate of soft brows and for a while (during the first stage of lightening my hair) I would use MAC's Browset in Girl Boy. But now that my hair has gotten even lighter (and so has my wallet from using up so much browset), I wanted to try and see if I could find an alternative.

Luckily, Maybelline has been coming out with new eyebrow products since last year and the big sign saying "SALE" definitely caught my attention. And I found this!

What is it?

According to the lady at Maybelline, this is a long-wearing eyebrow tint/mascara that will color your brow hairs and keep them in place for the rest of the day. There are three colors, Yellow Brown, Rusty Brown, and Dark Brown. Originally, this product retailed for P359.00, but since the sale, they rolled back the price. so now it's P259.00, which is pretty darn affordable in my books.

Bare brows vs. Using MAC Brunette & Maybelline Yellow Brown

What I like about it:

Dirt cheap.

Let's face it, almost every makeup brand is selling their version of a brow gel/set/tint/mascara. What drew me in to trying this was that it was cheaper than the alternative brands. It's definitely perfect for anyone on a tight budget or just anyone who doesn't want to spend too much on makeup.

Unique Shades.

I am a firm believer in MAC's Browset and I pretty much have all the original colors in triplicate in my makeup drawer. However, since turning this unique shade of blonde, both MAC's shades of Toasted Blonde and Girl Boy were looking a bit too tawny in comparison with my hair. Even checking out Etude House's Color My Brows yielded the same results. But! When I tried Maybelline's Yellow Brown shade, it blew me away. Plus points for color accuracy! It has an almost true yellow base to it, rather than a brown or ashen color, which makes it perfect for anyone with warm or golden blonde tones to their hair.

Hey, it's matte!

No hate towards glittery or shimmery brow products. Like I said, I am a big fan of MAC's Browset. This, however, is a nice change. It's also great for people who don't wear a lot of makeup on a regular basis because it looks very natural when applied.

Actually long lasting!

I was pretty surprised at how long this actually lasted. I have super oily skin so I need makeup with staying power. I noticed that this mascara did not flake or melt into goop at the end of the day, but in fact kept my brows neat and in place! Plus, the matte formula actually helped reduce the appearance of shine on my brows (which is the ultimate no-no if you're going for full and natural looking eyebrows.)

Nice Packaging.

I don't know why, but the packaging is actually pretty awesome for me. There is something satisfying about feeling the *click* while sealing the mascara shut. It's almost as if you're locking in all the goodness and deflecting all bacteria and possible air bubbles from seeping in in one airtight twist. It's sleek and compact, which makes for easy dumpability into the nearest makeup pouch. And kudos to the fact that the color of the product actually matches the color swatch!

What I don't like about it:

Okay let's talk for a minute about this mascara wand...

Seriously, when has it ever been a good idea for a brow mascara wand to have a bulbous clump at the end? I mean, I understand the purpose for when applying mascara to the eyes, but his one just doesn't make sense to me. The product just applies all over the place, and the bulb just hinders me from using the actual useful part of the wand. I'm almost tempted to just cut off the top portion. It's not a very good design choice, to be honest.

Formula is too watery.

Color matches great, but what I noticed is that I need to apply a second coat once the first coat has dried in order to completely tint my brows. It's not as noticeable from afar, but up close, one coat looks very unfinished, and my dark eyebrow hairs seem to peek out underneath the tint. Maybe it's one of those products that need to dry out a little bi in order to thicken in consistency? Needs to decant like a fine wine? Meh.

Not too many shades. Other shades are unremarkable.

It's a great product so far, not without its kinks. But a great product to improve on. So far there are only three shades available in the Philippines, and the other two colors aren't super remarkable. Rusty Brown could pass for a dupe of MAC's Show Off, and Dark Brown is close to Etude House's Rich Brown if I remember correctly. So yes, they're basically shades that have already been done. I'm hoping to see more colors in the future that haven't been developed by other brands yet, as well as more light brown/ash brown options.

Overall?

I like it. It's cheap, it's easy to bring around, and it does the job. It's definitely one of the better brow mascaras I have used, and it has a unique color that I can't seem to find in other brow mascaras on the market right now. It does require some skill in applying, but with a little bit of practice, even a beginner can master this product. It has its design flaws, but nothing that can't be fixed in the future. Would I buy it again? Yes. I am a sucker for cheap makeup. I would buy it again for the color alone!

~*~

Know of any good brow mascaras? Have any makeup products you want me to review? Just want to ask random questions? Comment below and I will try my best to get to you. :) 'Til next time!

-Portfolio-

Louie and Jake

06:59

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Gela

07:30

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Amalie

21:31

-Adventures-

Becoming A Minimalist: Deciding To Let Go

02:17

Hey everyone! I'm going a little off-base with this post (and hopefully a series of others to come). However, the main reason why I do write is because I want to help other people in their lives, so I wanted to share my story with all of you. This is something I've been wanting to write about for a long time, and it has helped me discover a lot about myself and the world we live in. I wanted to share my experiences leading up to becoming a minimalist. While my story may be uniquely mine, I hope that all of you can relate to it in some way.

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I came from relatively good circumstances. I grew up around country clubs and villas; I've travelled and lived abroad; I've even had the privilege of attending a very reputable school. My family wasn't extensively rich, but we were comfortable enough to enjoy these luxuries. Even so, I was often unhappy.

I remember as a young kid, I would be with my grandmother and hear her comment, "Oh, look at these people. They're so lucky. They can afford all these things." And I would think to myself, "We don't have those things, does that mean that we're unlucky? How come we can't be lucky like them?"

As I grew older I became envious of other people that seemed to be happier than I was because they could afford more. I would envy them for the things that they owned. Even though we lived comfortably, I grew up with the influence of discontent in what I had, even if to another person, it would be more than enough.

We went through financial trouble right as I was graduating high school and funds were tight for a very long time. So when I started earning, I was so thrilled by the idea that I could afford everything I wanted without feeling like I'd burden my family with extra costs. I became addicted to the rush of buying something new and being able to show it off. I enjoyed it so much, instead of saving, I spent so much of my time and effort trying to earn money so I could buy lots of things. Looking back now, I realize that the retail therapy was really just a distraction from my dissatisfaction of the life I was living.

By the end of my first year as a working adult (and by adult, I meant the ripe old age of 18), I had spent nearly all my money on a room full of things I thought would make me content, but only left me unsatisfied because I couldn't afford more.

I lived in a mess. I was a mess. I hated that I had so much stuff and nowhere to put it and I was too attached to throw anything out. On a lighter note, after all my years of hoarding I had become an organizational master. I had begun to accumulate more things to organize the clutter that is my life. I spent so much time cleaning and reorganizing that it consumed me.

One day, as I was into my umpteenth attempt at cleaning (or making more of a mess than ever), I had taken all my possessions and literally strewn them out on the floor. Which, mind you, because of the sheer volume of stuff I've accumulated, took a lot of effort. By the time I was done, I couldn't even see my floor. I was looking at things I never used and things I didn't even realize I had, and I remember thinking to myself, "Oh my god. What am I doing with my life."

I was so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of my possessions. I realized that most of the things I owned, I didn't even like and didn't reflect who I was as a person. More than anything else, I was so ashamed of what I had done. My family and I were struggling to make ends meet, and lo and behold, I had a floor full of wasted income.

In these sorts of situations, I tend to question my life choices. Which is what most people should do before actually making their life choices. I had to ask myself some tough questions: Was I really happy? What was so important about these material things that I need to have them in my life? Did owning any of these things actually bring joy to my life? What do I actually find important enough to spend so much time and effort on? What actually makes me happy?

I am the most fulfilled when I am bringing joy to others. I'm the happiest when I'm accepting of myself. The most important things in my life are the people I care about.

Epiphany struck as if a million lightning bolts shot up in my brain. As cheesy and cliche as it seems, the most important things in life aren't things. No matter how much stuff I accumulated, it didn't make me feel any better about who I was as a person. I was still me, with just more stuff. I didn't feel luckier than anyone else. I felt trapped by the cycle of wanting to earn more so I could afford more, and ultimately never being satisfied. I hated having so much and knowing someone else on this earth had less than nothing.

Which is why I made the decision to let go. Let go of the stuff; the things that I don't need in my life. I decided that my happiness doesn't lie in the things that I own, but the experiences I have, and the people I'm with. Owning all these things I bought were just filling a void, to curb my insecurities. I would never be truly happy being surrounded by clutter, drowning in debt, and trying to impress others with how much I could fill my house with things that don't add value in my life.

It wasn't easy, it still isn't. But to have the knowledge that I'm not bound by the things I own, and to not be defined by the amount of stuff I have; to know that I am liberated and free to live a more meaningful life. That's what's more important. Not things.

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If you liked this and want to hear more, let me know! Have you experienced something similar? Are you a minimalist or want to become one? Feel free to share in the comments! I'll go back to the product reviews and tutorials soon. :) thanks! ❤️💄