Eye Prime me up: Kanebo Kate Lash Maximizer Black vs Diorshow Maximizer lash Plumping Serum

Out with the new, in with the newer! 

 That might sum up the review I will bring about on 3 eyelash primers. There's actually an old one too, but it performs similarly as the newer, only in a different colour.

For reviewing sake let me introduce: Kanebo Kate Mascara Base, Kanebo Kate Lash Maximizer Black & Dior Diorshow Lash Plumping Serum.

Starting with 'old': Kanebo Kate Eyelash Base. It has been on the market for more than 6 years. Eyelash primers have only taken a more prominent role on the Western market recently but they have been favourite tools among Asian lash-afficionados for a longer time. I only know it for about 6 years but it has been a miracle tool for keeping my curl and having made-up lashes.

Recently Kate introduced a newer version of the lashbase that I reviewed here. I picked the white version that I used up quite efficiently. Afterwards I went for the rave-reviewed Western Diorshow Lash Maximizer.

Though lovingly moisturizing for my lashes, it did not keep my eyelashcurler-primed lashes into a decent curl.

Thus out with the new...in with the newer:

Comparing the different brushes & colour of the primer:

My oldest version of Kanebo Kate Lash Base comes with a straight but soft-haired brush. The formula is supposed to be totally white, but sometimes I transfer the black of the tightliner into the tube again. I do clean up my brush after priming by removing everything with a tissue, but sometimes a tiny bit of black eyepencil stays on and it turns into a greyish mass. That's also a reason I replace eyeprimers oftenly, for hygienic reason.

As said in the earlier review: I love how it performs. Length & keeps the curl in it's form. The only thing is that you have to coat every lash with mascara afterwards to stop the white base from appearing. 

That's when the newer version Kate Lash Maximizer in Black makes such a fantastic primer: you can either plump up your lashes with extra mascara or keep the coat for as it is.

Kate Lash Maximizer Black has a sparse amount of fibres included. They are fewer than in the white version of the Lash Maximizer's series. That might be a relief for people not liking over-fibre-ish bases.

As for the black colour: it appears rather glossy on the eyelashes. Perhaps not the blackest of black but I do think it appears in the truest colour most mascara brands would market they colour 'black'. Only few brands like Hourglass Film Noir make an inky black glossy version that almost glistens from your eyelashes; the rest somewhat varies in colour and gloss factor.

The brush is a classic, slightly bend one with synthetic but bendable hairs. The formula holds up really long: I'd say it hold like a waterproof version. At least, the base survives a shower whereas the 'topping' mascara on top lovingly merges on my cheeks. So I suggest a good waterproof mascara cleanser for removing every trace.

Which brings me why Diorshow was not really into my alley: I already mentioned the formula not lenghtening my lashes enough, nor keeping my curl in place. Then there's the brush:

Brushes are a matter of taste and perhaps of the type of eyelashes you have. I never really liked the plastic brushes with their short but stiff ends. That is precisely the type of brush on the Diorshow Lash serum.

On the positive side: it removes a lot easier than Kate's formula. I guess that makes it perfect for lashes that are easier to be curled/already curly. 

I cannot say too much about the lash-serum effect. I've used it too sporadically to notice a difference.

Conclusion: I prefer the cheaper & more effective Kanebo Kate and love the new black version of it.

Newbies Time...

 Newbies I've gotten this month:

 

The Eyeko eyelash curler is a freebie with Instyle UK of this month

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The Givenchy ActiMine Primer in Mango: I had been eyeing this one up for a while but I hesitated between this slightly older primer or the latest Clarins Eclat Minute Base Illuminatrice de Teint in Rose. I think the opacity of this one is higher and I love the colour-correcting properties of the mango-orangy colour: it's perfect to mask some darker undereye circles and it gives a lovely boost to lacklustre skin. Thus, it's a CC before everyone was all about calling everything a CC.

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I bought a new Bobbi Brown Eyeliner because my older one had become half-empty and slightly dry

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A cute rose-gold necklace from etsyseller DelikatNY

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Finally, the NARS Gaiety. I hesitated for almost a year but have it now. It's wonderful as a highlighter without shimmer but a lot of freshness

Kanebo Kate lash Maximizer Eyelash Plus base (vs older formula Kate Lash Base)

The Queen is dead: Long live the new Queen!

really?

Let's read on...

Plump & lenght is what I needed: Or,  since I've been in post-eyelash-extension Limbo of really short eyelashes for a couple of weeks. 

Kate Mascara base (old version, shorter name) has been my saviour for the last time I went real-lashes again. Naturally I wanted to try out their newestestestest version too: Kate Lash Maximizer Eyelash Plus.

In the first place it was Tomato/Tomato: what's the difference?

Ahh, Fibers...Like fibers in my bread I actually think they can benefit the health looks of a person. But not all fibers have the same fiber-ness so let's discuss Kate's Eyelash Plus (New) for this.

The key to a good eyelash product with fiber is that they

1. should adher right WITHOUT mid-day flaking
2. should lenghten the lashes in a similar direction (no droopiness, and do not have a dirty mind over this remark)
3. Not too long nor too short (or thick)
4. No irritation from wearing them
5. adher quite coherently to most lashes

And Kanebo Kate also added a version that has a black fiber on a whitish base: Brilliant.

Does it work (or do 1-5 apply?)

First I think the white base in both primers are exactly the same: that's a good think as I really like the formula to keep the curl, add length and thickness too.

1. Yes, perhaps because of the white base or the mandatory normal mascara on top, but it stays (and I've been having crumbly fiber symptoms with MM Lash Meister, blah)
2. Sorta, I pre-curl my lashes and it follows the upward movement, only with a tiny droop. Now you can say that I'm too perfectionist and nobody else would notice...but then I'm a beautyblogger so I do notice.
3. Yes, quite miniscule that gives about 1 mm extra
4. Irritant-free
5. Somewhat, it misses some lashes and it is not that easy to focus on each lash because they are so miniscule. 

Do I prefer the new formula (with fibers) over the old?

Yes & No

The new formula with fibers does add more lenght than the older formula: For the time being I needed extra lenght to compensate for the eyelash-extension breakage. The lenght that the eyelashes give is not dramatic but just enough to have longer eyelashes. However, seen in step 1-5 I do not think the lashes give the most perfect extension as they are 1. slightly droopy and 2. do not adher to every single lash by themselves: and manipulating them by tweezer is almost impossible. 

Thus when my eyelashes are their original length again I prefer the older formula Kate lash base: The white formula is already quite lenghtening & thickening and keep the curl like no other base I encountered. Minus the possible irregularity of the fibers.

Conclusion:

I will stick to the older formula when my lashes are their original length again, but it still makes a reasonable alternative to lengthen & plump your eyelashes when they are on the shorter side.

Availability:
I bought both on Adambeauty: The new Lash Maximizer formula over here & the older lash base over here

Lotree haul:

A couple of days ago I blogged about my new Lotree haul. I will show you the items I got in the Lovely  Faceline set:

Lotree Crazy Orange is a cheek/liptint in a transparant but vivid colour of orange. It is not Lotree's first time making a cheektint. I still have their Cherry bling Liquid Rouge (see below):

They are not of similar opacity: The Cherry Bling is of a more opaque quality whereas the Crazy orange is a rather transparent colour: UPDATED: Lotree crazy orange actually shows up quite well when layering two thin layers.

I think I prefer the deeper opacity of the former Cherry Bling, but I still consider the Crazy orange to be a cute additional colour for the cheeks, for example when pairing up with my orange-toned Burberry Coral lipgloss.

I think the colour is too transparent and too gel-like for lips, but it has a Cool-aid sort of taste so if you do it, it will taste like children's lollipops (in orange).

Secondly, the Longlash Eye Tention Serum is aimed to make lashes grow naturally

My understanding of Korean is quite limited, but like the Latisse products and the other eyelash growth serum it is probably best to use it once a day when the lashes are free of mascara and other makeup. I will keep you updated and plan to look back on it in a couple of months.

The Lotree Moisture Skin Primer Pact in 23 is actually not a primer, but a post-er. Ehm, to be used after base foundation as a powder (according to this site)

It is formulated with licorice, mineral powder, amino acid derivatives and other powder essences, making it a gentle yet skincare-enhancing powder.

Blush, my fave item! The Rosa Davurica Cheek came in 3 colours: there was no explanation or colour swatch of what colour was what, so I randomly picked no 3.

secret layer containing mirror & brush

It turned out to be the bronzer-type colour: slightly flecked with glitter and in beautiful title pattern:

The glitter is not too noticable and the bronzer turns out rather subtle when layered with my NARS Yachiyo brush  (will make better skinswatch soon)

Lotree Davurica Cheek 3

Last, but not least...a creamy eyepencil in a beautiful navy/purple hybrid: Violet DarkBlue Gel Pencil Eyeliner

 I really loved the colour and the texture of the eyepencil:

Until....

Geeeh, the pigmentation of the blue/purple/violet sparkles is more of an overlayer on a black undercolour. That is not a big problem, if only the multicolour of violet/blue/sparkles would stay on consistently: now it fades in the end, making the pencil not really suitable for blending.

Conclusion: I really like this haul although it has some hits and some misses. The blush-that-is-bronzer has already been used a couple of times to warm up my skin & to shade where there should be cheekbones/thinner nose...So that one is a hit so far. I know I shouldn't blend my eyepencil if I want it to appear in that gorgeous multiflecked navy/purple with reddish sparkles. I have been ordering the finishing powder before and I know I like it. I cannot tell anything about the eyelash serum yet. As for the Crazy Orange cheekgel, that one is probably more gimmicky for me than it would be a regular staple, but sometimes a girl likes something frivolous to alternate in the makeup-routine.

Lash-ed and Unlashed: My Extention Experience

Normally I do reviews and some semi-personal account of my Mid-weeklies. Today I want to talk about beauty stuff I did outside of the creams-n-potions.

I have read a lot about eyelash extentions from English magazines and when I found a good deal in the Netherlands, I went for it. The magazines raved that they would feel like your own lash and would be almost effortless.

Hurray, I always was slightly envious of the long-lashed women around me that, even with the best mascaras, I could never come close to.

example of a before/after

The woman that would set my eyelashes was a short-haired brunette in her 40s and had some dramatic extentions that almost bordered to looking like Las Vegas Eyelashes. Strangely, as she said, the people around her "never saw that she had eyelash extentions", or, "they have never told her that she had something done about her eyes".

This story already questioned how honest the people in her surroundings actually are, or that they need glasses or such. I was also slightly worried that I would get 'exotic' Dancer lashes. I'm actually more of the natural type.

Anyway, I didn't run away and had to lie there for 2 hours straight, resulting in a pair of longer, but still somewhat natural lashes.

my eyes with extention (I changed eyecream after seeing this pic)

This was really lovely and the boyfriend didn't notice a thing: good work! With mascara they would look even more dramatic!

However:

• Pricy: The basic extentions costs me about 80 euros and refills are 30 or 40, depends after how many weeks you visit the place. That is quite some cash involved!

• Time-consuming: The beginners-set takes 2 hours. Even for refills I had to lie there for 1 1/2 hours: quite time-consuming. Another thing is that eyelash bars are not really that common in the Netherlands yet, so I have to drive for at least 2 hours to get to the place.

• Not-so-natural-feeling: I also tried a glossier type of extentions in another place: they felt really heavy and unnatural on the eyelids. So they were not the light-as-a-feather natural feeling. That woman, a girl in her 20s, didn't even wear them herself because she said she didn't like the feel of it: not quite the best advertising strategy.
• Safety:  (I remembered thanks to Mary in Wonder's comment). In my experience of the extentions being done by two different women I can tell it has been done in a good way. However, the people who can set these extentions only do a relatively short course and I'm not even sure if they are legally bound to have a certificate. In the long run, these are people who are working really close to the eyes and the slightest mistake can cause a damage to the yes. The first woman was eating a candy while doing the procedure (she said she never ate breakfast and needed something to counter her faintness) and the second one was really hygienic but gave me a disclaimer to sign before that I couldn't really sue her if anything happened. 

I suppose you really take a risk making people who aren't trained opthomologist work really close to your eyes. In the end my vanity won over these concerns, but after trying this out I wouldn't venture on such a procedure that easily again.

Overall, it looks like an easy-to-go beauty treatment but I went back to primers & mascaras again. At the moment I am trying out the Lancome precious cells range and another eyelash growth serum. I hope to get slightly longer eyelashes this way. At least, I don't have to spend so much time for beauty anymore, that isn't even getting noticed that much.

Perhaps I will have some done in the future. I really like them before I go on a holiday, because I can dive into the sea and plunge around without having to bother to put on mascara/waterproof eyeliners or feel concerned about looking expressionless without eye-makeup on.

Any beauty-treatments you do/did that you find actually too much maintainance in the long run?