Review: Jade Lash design mascara

This is actually a mascara that I got at the same time as I got my Pupa Ultraflex one, since I was standing in the drug store, having picked up the Pupa one, when I was approached by a saleslady who said she knew a much better mascara than the Pupa one, that she thought I should try. She gave a whole speech about this mascara, which happened to be Jade's Lash Design one, in order to persuade me to get it, and since the mascara was also on offer, making it really cheap, I decided to give it a try.

Now, I will not deny that I would probably never have tried this mascara if it wasn't for that saleslady, and if I hadn't... well, let's just say that I would not have missed out on much!

Because while this mascara separates my lashes beautifully (which is always nice, as opposed to clumping them together in an ugly way), it does not elongate my lashes or thicken them up, which are my main criteria for a mascara. It also flakes a bit, not as much as some other mascaras I've tried in the past, I must say, but still. It does not smear though...

All in all, I would call this a really unspectacular mascara with few redeeming qualities. And I've also learned that I really should stop listening to "well meaning" sales people! They seldom do any good and are probably just after their commissions anyway. In this case it really turned out that the mascara I was naturally drawn to (the Pupa one) turned out to be really good, while the one someone had to convince me to get really wasn't.... So always go with your own gut when making purchases, unless you're dealing with a really spectacular salesperson, I guess!

Review: Pupa Ultraflex mascara

As some of you reading this may already know, I am a bit of a mascara snob. I think most mascaras out there suck, so I try not to switch mascaras very often, since I usually get very disappointed when I do. However, my favorite brand of mascaras, Lancome, is not sold everywhere where I live, and when it is, it is often quite expensive, so sometimes I have no choice but to try something new. That happened quite recently, I ran out of my Lancome mascara and had no choice but to buy a new mascara at the local drug store. I saw that they had a pretty good deal on Pupa's Ultraflex mascara, so since I had pretty good experiences with Pupa products in the past (read this, for instance) I decided to give the Pupa Ultraflex mascara a try.

And I actually really liked it! This mascara does seem to elongate my lashes, and while it does not make my lashes thicker too (I tend to go for mascaras that both make my lashes thicker and longer normally), the effect of longer lashes is really pretty. You do need to use several layers in order to get your lashes to look really long and nice, though, so I would not exactly recommend this mascara for those who don't like applying several layers of mascara, because at least 3 or 4 layers are needed, I think. I don't mind applying several layers, though, so this is not really a serious con for me.

The mascara also does not smudge of flake, which is great, since smudging and flaking is definitely one of my biggest pet peeves with mascaras in general. I also think it is worth mentioning that while some, and even Pupa themselves, I believe, claim that this mascara curls your lashes, and I do not really think that's true. If you need your eyelashes curled, you need to curl them with a curler, and not rely on this mascara. Not a big deal for me, but could be a deal breaker for others...

I will definitely get this mascara again, especially if I can find it for a good price like this time. I did really like it, and if you look at this as a budget mascara, it is really one of the better mascaras in its price range that I've ever tried!

My favorite look on nails right now...

... has to be the gorgeous nails shown at the Kate Spade show recently:

I think they are just perfect, I need to find a nail polish in exactly this shade right now!

Review: Biotop Professional 911 Quinoa Hair Mask for dry and damaged hair

I reviewed the shampoo from the same range recently (read that review here), but I just finished up the hair mask, so I thought I would share some thoughts on that as well. What I do like about this hair mask, as well as the shampoo from the same range, is that it is cruelty free and not tested on animals. It also does its job and hydrates my hair nicely, which is what I bought it for, so that's good.

But unfortunately, this hair mask is not really special in any way. It doesn't have a great scent, an unusual texture or anything at all like that. It is simply a very, very basic hair mask in every way, so while I wasn't exactly disappointed, I wasn't impressed or overly excited about this mask either.

So I don't think I will be getting this hair mask again, there are simply many more special and better hair masks out there, so I prefer to re-buy those when I can. Still, it was definitely interesting to give this hair mask a try!