the flutter wars, phase 2 - Maybelline Define-A-Lash

I admit, I was more enthusiastic about Lash Expansion, and a bit skeptical about this product. Define-A-Lash comes in absinthe-green packaging, and the brush is a slender, flexible, rubber-bristled thing with multiple lengths – shorter in the middle; longer at the ends. It's not quite an hourglass shape – the end bristles are longer than the beginning bristles. It's a very feminine shape, and again, it rendered me a bit skeptical.

Then I tried it. So, without further ado:

Maybelline Define-A-Lash

Okay, the brush is a wee bit tricky to figure out at first, since it really is quite flexible. It takes a bit of finagling to force extra application where you want to; if you're counting on any rigid point in the brush, you'll be disappointed. It'll just bend to make the application even. I am a fan of those rubber bristles, though! They really allow you to fix any inadvertent lash clumping. The curvature of the brush makes for some interesting detail work; the longer outside allows me to fix the tips of my lashes with greater ease, and the touchups were a breeze. The thinner inside made sure I didn't over-apply on my center lashes, which was a relief since I feel like I'm always fixing that bit. The look is really nice, as well – since I already have the volume, I don't have to be concerned about spidery lashes, and so the nice lash definition that this product provides is a treat. No ball at the end, and great sweep – though it doesn't alter the angle of my lashes, which takes it a slight step down from the YSL. The fact that the formula dries so quickly isn't a problem for me at all, and while the feel is a bit odd at first, I didn't find it distracting.

However, where this product REALLY excels is in endurance. I revealed in an earlier post that I wore each product to bed, right? Well this one lasted through the next day. No, seriously. If I slept on my back, the next morning the mascara would still be there on both eyes – not as bold and gorgeous as the day before, but still perfectly wearable and pretty, with no soot-dust underneath my eyes. I was astonished; this wasn't even the waterproof version! If I slept on my side, one eye would be more worn away, but a bit of a touchup rendered them even. I repeated this a few times, just to be sure it wasn't an anomaly, and sure enough – this stuff stuck with me. Despite that kind of Atlas-esque endurance, it's still quite easy to remove, which makes me wonder exactly how much beeswax is IN this.

Endurance – 10
Look – 9
Feel – 8
Flutter Factor – 9

For a product that clocks in at less than $10 after tax, I'm deeply impressed. If you don't have reasonably voluminous lashes already, this will be a bust – if you have lashes that need definition rather than boosting, this product is a godsend.

Next up - Rimmel Lycra Lash!

Yves Saint Laurent 1936-2008

I find it semi-spooky that my last blog post was about a Yves St. Laurent product. I intended to post on Sunday, a "Happy June!" sort of thing before I went on to Maybelline Define-A-Lash. Instead, June 1st gave me a gorgeous day and some sad news. With that, I am wearing Christian Dior's "Remember Me," a lovely limited edition/discontinued fragrance released in 2000 before Yves retired.

I think this quote is my favorite of the ones I've seen in the obits:

"Yves didn't like the word fashion that much, he liked style. ... What will be missing in the world of fashion is a total respect of the human being, of the woman." — Lulu de la Falaise, Saint Laurent's studio assistant and a close friend for more than 30 years