THE BEST OF: MAYBELLINE

Whilst having a look around my makeup drawers the other day, I seemed to notice I had a wide collection of Maybelline products; some that I use daily and some that I tend to push to the back. So, I thought it'd be a wise idea to do my take on a 'brand focus' esque post, and share what I think are the best bits of the brand.

LIPS: I have quite my fair share of lip products, but for when I'm on the go, I always seem to throw a Colorsensational lippy in my bag. I think it's because I can slap them on without a mirror and they just seem to work well. To show just how much I like them, I even had Coffee Craze as my prom lipstick shade.

EYES: I think everyone knows of the Colour Tattoos, and I have 6 of them myself. On and On Bronze is the classic shade, and mine has near enough completely run out (and I will definitely be buying another ASAP), and is the best option for when you want a look that seems as though you have put the effort in, but really it was a one sweep wonder. Maybelline also do pretty well with mascaras. the Lash Sensational is my personal favourite and I've repurchased this countless times, but the Collossal Go Extreme and the Rocket and pretty good options too. I love how waterproof Maybelline mascaras can be and I'm always safe from smudging.

BROWS: The Brow Drama is one of the best budget brow gels I have found, and also one of the only ones to actually sit on the aisles of the drugstore. I go for the transparent, but I have tried the tinted ones too and they do a pretty good job aswell - something a little extra for the brows. I also actually use the Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe for my brows, something I've now been doing for months and don't think I will actually move away from. Like a Dipbrow alternative, this pot of wonder costs just under a fiver and gives me the perfect shade of ashy brown for brows that could last for days.

NAILS: Maybelline nail polishes also aren't a bad option. The Super Stay options really wowed me when I first used them - they genuinely were ''super stay''. For something a little quicker, the Colour Show 60 Seconds polishes are quick drying, but also rather pigmented and some of them can actually work with a single coat.

So, pretty impressive overall. Although I don't tend to go for Maybelline for base products (I prefer Bourjois, Rimmel and L'Oreal), their product range is pretty solid with quite a few gems in there. Definitely one I wander towards each time I go into Boots...

MAYBELLINE LASH SENSATIONAL MASCARA

A couple of weeks back my mascara ran out and I was on the hunt for a new option, and wanted to try out something I hadn't tried before. I stumbled across the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara in Boots on offer and thought I would give it a go to see how it worked, and I actually really like it.

I was using the Falsies (waterproof - as I choose with most mascaras if I have the option) but found that the formula dried out really quickly and I just didn't like it much, woah an unpopular opinion there. But this one is just the right formula and I love the wand. It is a plastic one (unlike some people I don't really have a preference, both a bristle and plastic ones work for me), and they call it the 'lash multiplying brush'. It has longer bristles on one side of the slightly curved wand, and then very short ones on the other that really hug and coat the lashes.

I could be wrong but this seems like a tubing mascara, as when I remove it it seems to come off in kind of chunks rather than a big panda eye mess which I quite like, and because it is waterproof, although harder to remove it really holds the curl and keeps my lashes look as long and defined as when I first applied all day long. Seriously, if you are on the hunt for a new mascara, definitely give this one a go, both length and volume combined in one tube with a serious hold to the finish.

MILANI EYE TECH PERFECTION LINER

Whilst doing some beauty shopping in America, it came to my attention that I've been using my usual liner for far too long, and could do with trying out another. I spotted this Milani Eye Tech Perfection Liquid Liner for a mere $7.99 with a free eyeshadow in Beach Sand too, and I couldn't resist. 

These curved liners have interested me for a while now after seeing the NYX Curve one but that was a little more pricey and I thought I'd give this one a go instead as I bought a few other NYX products. It does take some getting used to with how to hold the actual packaging, but my liner still looks good when I use this so I wouldn't say it caused much difficulty. You can actually take the pen out that just slides to reveal a tiny little pen but I think it's too short to actually get enough control. 

One thing I will say, is this is black. Like, intense black, and I love it. No layering it like you sometimes do with a greyish liner, oh no. This is a one coat and you have a gel-looking line going on. It is bloody brilliant. Also, I didn't find it to smudge, it lasted all day until I at one point in the evening (in the midst of coursework) began to manically rub my eye, but I gave it a rub in the day and it didn't smudge at all so it's rather long wearing. 

To be honest, I'm a little sad that I only have one of these now; I could do with another, or perhaps for Milani to come to the UK so I can keep my stock of this replenished...

SEPHORA WATERPROOF EYE MAKEUP REMOVER

For me, I like my makeup removal to be as simple and speedy as possible, so when I saw this bi-phase eye makeup remover in Sephora in Madrid for something around the 2-3 euro mark, I couldn't resist giving it a go.

I always find the bi-phase removers such as this Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover, or 'makeup eraser' to work better for me, the oilier half makes for quick removal whilst the other part allows the greasy feeling to be diminished after you have removed everything.

I actually really like this, even more so than the Nivea Double Effects offering which I have used a good 4 bottles of. This leaves no oily residue on the eye area at all for me, whereas the Nivea one does a little - something I never took notice of until I tried this product out. I also find this is a lot quicker and holding the cotton pad for a couple of seconds then sweeping away leaves me with clean eyes and a very dark cotton pad.

I am using this 50ml bottle sparingly, and I can't help but kick myself that I didn't pick up a bigger size, so for now I will have to put up with my Nivea bottle...

BARRY M BLINK EYELINER

Diverting away from the Christmas posts for a day, over the past month or two this Barry M Blink Eyeliner has quickly become my favourite eyeliner. I haven't tried many before, but the simplicity of using this has won me over.

This is a felt tip eyeliner, which I find the easiest type of liner to use. I basically draw on whatever shape I like, whether that is a dramatic wing, a small wing, or no wing at all, (some of which are demonstrated in the picture above), and it will last all day. I love that the pen tip is a spongey-foam kind of thing, as it just makes the application so much more flexible and quick. 

This is waterproof and smudgeproof, and all the other good stuff. I have only ever had this smudge on me once when my eye watered and I went crazy rubbing my eye because I forgot I had eyeliner on. School Girl Error. For £4.19 though, and for how blimmin' good this is, I will be repurchasing to my heart's content. 

If you suck at eyeliner, go and buy this. I was awful at liner, and after buying this, the amount of compliments I have gained isn't countable on my two hands...

THE WATERPROOF MASCARA TRIO

If I see a mascara I want, I will be opting for the waterproof version whenever there is one. It isn't that I have oily lids or problems with smudging all that much, it is more like a security blanket for if I get a bit hot, or if I am caught out with the occasional  frequent downpours we get. I have been trying out this triad for a few weeks now, and it has come to reviewing day. 

Maybelline The Rocket has been the second mascara I have tried from the brand, after finishing my Falsies one. This used to be my #1 mascara, but I have realised that there are better. For those clump free, fluttery, long lashes, this is one to go for, but for volume, this mascara lacks - and trust me, I have wiggled that brush through my lashes, layered it, the lot, I tried. It is a trustworthy waterproof though, if that's what you are after, and still isn't the worst of the ones I have tried in my time. 

An offering from Collection (previously known as Collection 2000), is the Skylash Mascara in Waterproof. This is one that you can also find in Poundland, as it has been rebranded numerous times - if you like this, stock up at these times. This one adds that bit of volume missing from The Rocket, and also adds some length. This can be a very 'wet' mascara when you first open it, so be sure you wipe away the excess before you look like you have applied it with a paintbrush. 

My current favourite from the clan is the CoverGirl Volume Exact Waterproof option. Now, I don't know what I am going to do when this runs out, because I found it in TkMaxx, so I am assuming it is discontinued, and we don't have the rest of the CoverGirl selection here in the UK. I am crossing my fingers and my toes that this appears in another TkMaxx somewhere, because I am starting to adore this one. The packaging is another story though, reminding me of something you may find buried at the bottom of you Nan's collection, but in the end it's whats inside that counts.

Mascaras are one product I use every day, so my share of the latter is growing all the time. Just wait, in a few months time I will have a 'Take Two' of this post.