Maybelline Spring 2017

I've been asked before why I don't feature drugstore products more and I'm not really sure. I have to admit I don't use a ton of them in my beauty routine but I pretty much always go with drugstore buys for mascara and eyeliner. Since these products have such a short life span, I generally don't feel comfortable splurging on them knowing that they have to tossed in a matter months. Maybelline New York recently sent me a few products from their best-selling Eye Studio collection of performance eye products designed to master the latest runway eye trends. I was excited to see that it included their recently launched Big Shot Mascara and Master Precise Eyeliner as well as their new 24K Nudes Palette. By the way, how cool is it that Manny Gutierrez was just announced as a new face of the brand!

Maybelline The Colossal Big Shot Express Mascara

Price: $8.49

The Colossal Big Shot Express Mascara is billed as a one coat volumizing mascara that lifts and separates to create full and thick lashes. A unique fully-loaded brush with wavy bristles maximizes delivery of the collagen enriched formula to reach every lash.

I feel like I've just been seeing this mascara everywhere on the interwebs, in stores and on television. It's been years since I've tried a Maybelline mascara. I just gave up on them because of issues with smudging and flaking.  This has a fiber type wand that deposits a full and even coating of product onto my lashes and yes it does actually reach those tiny lashes on the ends. My experience with volumizing mascaras usually involves clumping in some form. This mascara combs through and separates my lashes with zero clumps. The formula starts off a little wet so I usually just wait a few seconds before applying it. The result is thicker and longer lashes that don't feel heavy or weighed down. It holds a curl and the best part is no flaking or smudging. Just one coat yields a natural lengthened lash look. The formula is buildable and several coats will give you more of a false lash look. It was also easy enough to remove with my Bioderma Sensibio H20. This mascara is worth trying if you want high impact lashes!

Maybelline The 24K Nudes Palette

Price: $11.99

The Maybelline 24K Nudes Eyeshadow Palette features an array of 12 expertly curated shades for custom eye makeup looks. The eyeshadows have been reformulated for deeper pigmentation along with a silkier texture. With dazzling colors infused with metallic gold pigment, from sparkling gold and shimmering nude to gilded smoke and aubergine spark, this makeup palette has everything you need to create a variety of eye looks.

Top, L-R                                                          Bottom L-R

Nude pink/peach - shimmer                        Champagne pink - shimmer

Neutral cocoa brown - matte                          Aubergine - shimmer

Soft white - shimmer                                     Dark bronze - shimmer

Taupe - shimmer                                               Black - matte

             Ecru - matte                                         Coppery brown - shimmer

         Gold - shimmer                                        Glittery black - shimmer

They did a good job putting together the colors in this palette. Mostly neutral, each one is both pretty and wearable and the different finishes offer up a multitude of options for creating different eye looks. I think it fell a little short in terms of the formulation as there was a consistency issue with varying quality and pigmentation depending on the shade. Overall the texture was okay. I found the shimmer shades to be smoother than the mattes which were a little chalky. These shadows especially the lighter shades show a better depth of color with the use of a an eye primer. With primer, they can wear for a good 6 - 8 hours whereas without primer, they started wearing off within about 3 - 4 hours. If you're looking for a budget-friendly neutral eye palette that you can use both day and night, Maybelline's 24K Nudes Palette might be worth considering.

Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precise Ink Pen Eyeliner

Price: $7.99

The Master Precise Ink Pen Eyeliner features a breakthrough super-sharp 0.4mm tip that allows full control to create smooth, even, perfect lines without any skipping. Available in intense black, the precise tip produces a continuous flow while the exclusive ink technology keeps pigment
saturated for

As a former cake eyeliner devotee who made the switch to pen style eyeliners last year because of their ease and portability, I like this one because the felt tip is easy to use and to control whether you want an ultra thin or bold line. The color is a pigmented deep black and it glides on smoothly. I'm big on tightlining for a natural look and the thin tip works quite well for this purpose. This eyeliner wears fairly well. I didn't experience any smudging but there would be some fading by the end of the day. I didn't have any issues removing it with Bioderma Sensibio H20 which has become my de facto eye makeup remover. This is a serviceable if not particularly remarkable eyeliner.

Have you tried any of these Maybelline products? Do you have a favorite Maybelline product?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Maybelline. It features complimentary products received for review. All words and opinions are my own. It may contain affiliate or referral links. For more details about my product review policy, copyright, and information about affiliate links, please refer to the Policies page of this blog.