Hey everyone! Today I wanted to share with you my January Favorites. To kick of the year I fell in love with a few new "basics" like foundations and a brush I rediscovered. My routine has been pretty simple lately so it's good to have nice products to rely on when you don't have time to think too hard about what to grab in the morning. Let's check it out below!

Hey guys! This month has been pretty intense (as Halloween season always is for me) so a lot of my favorites this month have been products that have been my go-to's when I don't have time to think about what to apply for makeup. That's not to say that the new items aren't spectacular! On the contrary, included are a few products which may be my future holy grail, omg-can't-live-without-it products. Check out my loves below.

Hey guys! Today I have another basics video that I wanted to share. Today's topic is on mascara, one of the most elementary steps to putting on makeup. Even girls who rarely wear makeup will venture into the world of mascara since its obvious benefits of framing the eyes is simple to see and frequently has a high instant-gratification rate.

Blessed are those who were born with long, curled, thick lashes naturally but unfortunately I am definitely NOT one of those girls! Instead my short, downward-pointing, stick straight lashes have always taken specific tools and tricks to make them visible enough to greet the world. ;) Thankfully, I have tested plenty of mascaras and I'd love to share everything I've learned with you. If you'd like your lashes to be va-va-voom instead of droop city, read on!

Remember that drugstore haul I did not too long ago? Well I have a follow-up on how well I liked the products in my August Hits & Misses video!



Products mentioned:
Covergirl Natureluxe Foundation in 325 Sandstone
Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Cream
Wet & Wild 8-Pan Palette in Comfort Zone
L'Oreal HIP Shadow Duo in 510 Electrified
Wet & Wild blush in Pearlescent Pink
Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara
CVS triple sharpener (similar here and here)
Milani Liquif'eye pencil in Black
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Zero
Wet & Wild Mega Eyes Cream Eyeliner in Black
Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Face Powder in Beige
Unii Palette in Black
Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Blush in Blushing Glow

To break it down, here's what each mascara claims to do:

Original: Waterproof, volumizing, curls
Scandal Queen: Water-resistant, lengthening with fibers, volumizing, curls

Sorry about the no-makeup photos here but I really wanted to show a fair evaluation of the mascara's performance on its own. There's really no better way than to wear no makeup in my opinion. Just ignore the end-of-the-day deathliness. ;)







In actuality, my upper lashes are longer with the Scandal Queen mascara (you can tell in the blurry background of the "Original at an angle" photo) but the curl-holding ability isn't awesome enough to show it at this angle. It doesn't suck 100% since I do have 75% of the curl in the first image, but not dramatic enough to be what I would go for personally.

In contrast, check out the Original's mega curl-holding abilities in both photos! Very impressive, which is why I love it so much. Overall, I have to say that the Original is still the big winner in my book which I think is pretty obvious in the photos. Not perfect, since it gets a bit clumpy and doesn't lengthen as much as I'd love, but still a good go-to mascara.

I give the Scandal Queen a 7/10 because it's performance is not bad as it does lengthen and volumize as promised, but it's only medium on the curling front. It does keep lashes soft and pliable though, and is probably better for your lash health than a waterproof mascara. It's also removed easily with my regular face wash.

The original I give an 8.5/10 since it holds curl and volumizes but it doesn't lengthen much and it gets clumpy if you're not careful. It's also difficult to remove and you really need a good waterproof eye-makeup remover to get it off.

I hope that was helpful for those interested. Maybe some of you with longer lashes than me will get better results. I'm actually going to test it more to see if it will work well as a second-step over other mascaras to help lengthen and volumize my more "clean" mascaras like Covergirl Lash Exact. Also, I've been talking with the rep for FAIRYDROPS and he said he's trying to get the waterproof version over as well if the first goes well so if you'd like that, give them feedback!

Valentine's Day look from this video coming soon. :) Let me know if you plan on picking it up, and let me know what you thought of it!

Disclaimer: A rep from FAIRYDROPS send me the Scandal Queen mascara for consideration. I purchased the Original version myself. All my reviews, as always, are my 100% honest opinion. :)