Lazy Freshness

I hate washing my face at night before going to bed. I know that I preach the importance of skin care but sometimes, I'm just really too tired to go through the steps of cleaning off my makeup, moisturize and all that. Before, I used Lancome's Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover for taking off eyeliner and mascara, then the Huile Clarite Deep Cleansing Clarifying Oil for the entire face. Both products often left my face feeling oily so I had to re-wash with a generic facial cleanser just to make sure I got everything off. Soy Face Cleanser Makeup Remover from fresh is absolutely amazing. It takes everything off in a single step. This includes foundation, concealer, mascara, eyeliner, shadow ... everything! It literally "melts" everything away and leaves my skin clean and refreshed. I fell in love with it after using it only one time and I don't think I will ever switch facial cleanser after discovering fresh!

Hot Lashes!

When I was at home in Taiwan one winter break, I invested in one of the best beauty products I have ever encountered: an imported Japanese heated eyelash curler. (I stumbled upon this by accident. My friend and I were browsing in one of our favorite beauty stores downtown, and the saleslady recommended it because they just got a new shipment. These heated curlers tend to be out of stock.) This heated eyelash curler is unlike any I have ever seen on the U.S. market, and outstrips the $15 one from Sephora in performance. It's battery-operated with one AA battery, and can curl the shortest, thickest, and straightest eyelashes on Asian girls. (I have tried this on some of my friends already.) The head of the curler is the selling point. On full battery, it gets pretty hot but it does the job beautifully. If I use the conventional eyelash curler only, my eyelashes get crimped instead of curled. This is actually a problem for a number of oblivious girls. They tend to get so focused on getting their eyelashes to extend above the upper contour of their eyes, they forget to look at them from the side. The effect of overly squeezing the curler are crimped eyelashes unattractively bent in the middle. This curler needs about 30-45 seconds to warm-up. I tend to give it a little longer to make sure the head is nice and hot when it touches my eyelashes. (Same idea as a curling or straightening iron.) First, I apply mascara, then curl. Apply and curl. For an everyday look, I do it only twice. For a more intense look, I repeat until satisfied.

Multiple options

I have short, wimpy lashes that are mostly unresponsive to traditional eyelash curlers. A good mascara becomes, of course, very important if I want long, full, curling eyelashes without the aid of fake lashes. I have tried many different mascaras, ranging from ones available at any drugstore to those from high-end cosmetic lines. Below is my review:

“I love it!”:

Imju Fiberwig: I always believed that Japanese cosmetics are very aware of what Asian women want and need from their makeup. Therefore, when I heard that Sephora is introducing Imju Fiberwig mascara, I just had to get one and test it out. Fiberwig delivers a very clean and defined look, and definitely lengthens your lashes like no other mascara on the market. It works extremely well with my heated eyelash curler because the product is unsusceptible to heat. It does not, however, give volume or thicken the lash line. So, I usually coat Fiberwig with Dior DiorShow mascara.

Dior DiorShow: This mascara fattens and blackens your lashes without clumps. However, I absolutely hate the brush that comes with it. It’s large and unwieldy, makes it very difficult to capture little hairs at the inner corners of the eyes.

Volume Couture by Max Factor: I am usually not a fan of drugstore cosmetics, but I fell in love with this wand. It thickens your lash line while keeping a clean look. I use this mascara on my bottom eyelashes and it really opens up my eyes.

“It’s okay”:

Clinique High Definition Lashes: I think I bought this mascara out of curiosity because I’ve heard so many great reviews about it and after seeing the double-headed, I just felt that I had to try it out. It’s a decent product, I feel. I’m not particularly amazed by it.

L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara: This is another popular drugstore favorite. Although I am very impressed with the thick black texture of the product and the “blackness” it gives your lashes, it clumps. In light of all the great reviews women gave this mascara, I’m think it’s just my problem with my lashes … perhaps.

“Bleh?”:

Supernova Mascara from fresh: At first glance, I love the wand and the thick texture of this product, and also the packaging. However, it does not dry quickly enough to allow multiple applications in one sitting. Also, it works terribly with my heated eyelash curler because the heat just melts the mascara right off my lashes. I just took it out of my makeup storage box to blog about it, and I’m considering re-introducing it to my routine and try to see if I can make it work. The way Supernova thickens my lashes in a coat of shiny black is worth it … I hope.