Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant Mascara

Yay for free samples from Sephora! I got this as part of a birthday gift, and I am always excited to try a new mascara, although also tentative, as I still haven't found anything that works better for me than my current HG mascara; Covergirl's LashBlast Volume.

Here is the mascara itself:

Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant Mascara

At first I was a little taken aback by the pine-cone shaped brush, but as I swept on the first coat, I found that I loved having the small end to reach all my little lashes with, something I wish my LashBlast would have. 

Here is one coat on one eye, with bare and curled lashes on the other:

The formula of this mascara seems sort of gel-based, it glides on very nicely. As you can see in the photos, it does clump my lashes together somewhat. Continuing on to a second coat, I noticed that this does better if you let it dry slightly in between coats, otherwise it gets goopy and I get "spike" lashes. Not a fan! 

With two coats on one eye, bare and curled lashes on the other:

I had to take an earring to my lashes when I did my other eye, because I didn't give it any time between coats. But it turned out okay, and overall, I was very pleased with the finished look. This mascara responded really well to curling, after I had let it set, it still remained flexible enough to reset the curl with my fingers by pressing my lashes up.

Here it is on both eyes:

At the end of the day, I had a few tiny flakes, and some smudging under my lower lashes. Since I dance for at least two hours almost every weekday, it's understandable that a non-waterproof mascara (that is easy to remove with water and cleanser) would smudge given how much I sweat, but my LashBlast volume is even easier to remove, and yet I never have flaking or smudging with it. 

The Bottom Line:

It is a good mascara; I loved the brush shape, and the resulting flexible, curled lashes, but for $24, this mascara doesn't do anything amazing that makes it worth paying for over my $7 LashBlast. It was fun to try, though!

NYX Powder Blush in "Mocha"

I've been hovering over reviews on NYX blush for awhile, and when my Target finally put NYX back on its shelves, I jumped at the chance to try it out. I would describe "Mocha" as a gorgeous, subtle dusty rose color, but it can easily be built up to a more vibrant shade, the more you apply.

Here is a swatch:

It is a very nice, matte texture, and applies very evenly. I find that I'm straying away from anything too shimmery lately, so I am especially happy about the matte factor. At first it went on very light, but I think that was because I started out with a clean brush, and the product tucked up into the bristles a little bit. 

Just applied to my right (your left) cheek:

I find that I actually enjoy having a blush go on lightly, because I'd rather slowly layer on the color than suddenly apply too much. But this blush is not lacking in pigment or color by any means. 

Both cheeks:

After a few hours, the color had faded a little bit, but I normally expect that of a powder blush. Just a little touch up and my cheeks were glowing again.
I will definitely be keeping this, and using often. It gets my thumbs-up approval!