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I picked up this Maybelline Define-a-Lash mascara at the Bangkok International airport on my return trip from there a while ago and bought it again at Philippines’ NAIA duty free because I think I might have just found my holy grail of mascara. After using it for several moths on end now, I’m finally writing a review on it .

The first thing that strikes you about the mascara is its bright green packaging; it is eye-catching and hard to miss. The entire thing looks futuristic and you might think, to youself, that green isn’t exactly a conventional color for a beauty product. But pull out the wand and here’s surprise number two: the comb is a rubbery one that is flexible. Wow, not only is the packaging bold, so are its claims.

Here’s what Maybelline says about this mascara:

This zero clump mascara creates stunning length with clean definition.

* Patented shaped-to-the-lash brush
* Ophthalmologist tested, Contact lens safe
* Waterproof; also available in washable formula

“Separated, sensuously long, no clump” lashes. Mmmmmmm… I like that. The promise of a no smudging formula would mean fluttery lashes that last from day to night. But could it withstand the hot and humid weather in Singapore? I’ve always had the problem of little mascara flakes on my bottom lids after a day of living in my mascara.

So how did this mascara fare? Let’s see.

Zero clump? CHECK!
Separated and defined lashes? CHECK!
Stunning length? Well, the lashes didnt exactly STUN me but they DID look longer.

All three claims FULFILLED! I’m impressed!

Although they never mentioned this, but another thing I really like about the mascara is it’s ability to hold a curl. Curl your lashes and sweep on about 2 coats of this fabulous mascara early in the morning and you’re set for the entire day! I came home after a long day and found my lashes sitting prettily curled just as I had curled them that very morning. On top of that, NO FLAKING! YAYYYY!

Here’s the evidence.

I’m SOLD.

I swear I’ve never seen my eyelashes looking so long and pretty before. In fact, I cant remember what my eyelashes used to look like before this mascara. Haha. Is it any wonder why I have 2 of them sitting in my drawer at this very moment?

Sadly, they dont carry this particular mascara in Singapore but it’s available at drugstore.com. In fact, I’m going to the Philippines in April again. Anyone wants me to get it for them? Lol.

After that long picture post of all the girls, here’s the face I sported for the day. We had to do our own makeup for the videoshoot and I got to put my brand new makeup items to good use, including the Too Faced Shadow Insurance I just got. I’m pretty proud of my improving makeup skills. Hooray for a large stash of make up items!

Face of the day

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We’re taking a break from reviewing mascaras for a bit and moving on to other exciting stuff like GEL EYELINERS! There isnt much of an abundance of gel eyeliners available here in Singapore save for the 2 major makeup brands that I know about. Maybelline just hopped on the bandwagon and introduced their gel eyeliner here, and I couldnt help but feel that it took a stab at the Kate eyeliner packaging and concept by also packing the brush together. Can you believe my incredulity when I saw their gel eyeliner several days after I came back from BKK on a high?

Anyway, the Kate Gel Eyeliner wasnt readily available in Singapore but I still managed to get my hands on it! Ever since my excitement at finding them in MBK Watson, I have been looking for the perfect excuse opportunity to open my gel eyeliner and use it. Then came the chance.

Now, remembering that I’ve always been using pencil eyeliners and/or liquid liners, I surmised gel eyeliners to be the in-between. If I could “rank” them, I’d say that pencil eyeliners are for beginners because you can draw lightly (ie. sketch) before deciding to apply more pressure to your desired line, while liquid liners should be handled by users who generally have better control over their brush/tool. Thus, gel eyeliners are for people like me who arent exactly new to eyelining, yet arent as skilled and still sometimes make mistakes when it comes to drawing the perfect line.

I judged the gel eyeliner on its ease of application and it’s staying power. My problem with pencil liners was that it would transfer to my upper eyelids owing to my naturally oily eyelids AND hidden double eyelids, thus leaving me at the end of the the day with well, hardly any eyeliner left.

Kate Gel Eyeliner’s staying power, despite also having this transfer problem, was very much bearable as compared to using a pencil. At the end of a long day, the line was still visible, though not that much fainter, and someone most likely would still be able to notice that you took the trouble to line your eyes.

Ease of application was such a breeze. Just dip the accompanying brush into the pot, brush out a little bit of eyeliner, touch the brush head to your lids, draw and go. The line was precise, consistent and there was no worry about dragging/pulling your eyelids. You know what they say about applying too much mechanical stress to your delicate eye area. It takes me about 2 minutes to draw both my eyes and this amount of time I can afford when in a hurry to get to work early wanting to beat the morning peak period traffic. If you have the extra time, wiggle on some mascara and your eyes are pretty much dressed up for a casual day at work.

For gel eyeliner noobs like me, you may want to consider this gel eyeliner if you’re graduating from your pencil liner. It definitely helps that the brush is a square flat brush instead of them long skinny types. Say hello to eyelined eyes from now on.