Miss Manga Mascara from L'Oreal Paris

In March I had the opportunity to attend Rent the Runway's Capstone Weekend in NYC.  The event was a great experience, as attendees heard from RTR co-founder Jenn Hyman as well as from magazine editor and ANTM celeb, Ann Shoket from Seventeen Magazine.  Both of these women, as well as the other speakers offered valuable advice about breaking into such a competitive industry and how to stand up on your own feet.

A component of the weekend was an activity ran by L'Oreal Paris.  We were tasked with creating launch campaigns for two of L'Oreal's latest projects: the Advanced Hairstyle line and the Miss Manga mascara.  We were paired into groups based on the people seated around us.  I was fortunate to work with my friend and met a few girls from Duke University.  We chose to create a campaign  for the Advanced Hair Styling Product line.
After 20 minutes of collaboration, we handed our work into the judges.  It wasn't until the end of the day's events that the winners were announced.  The members of each team (one for the Advanced Hair Styling line and one for the Miss Manga mascara) would each receive a tube of the unreleased Miss Manga Mascara and the entire Advanced Hair Styling line!!  Needless to say, I was beyond surprised when my group was called on stage with the best campaign promoting the product line.  There were so many teams there and we had no idea we were giving L'Oreal what they wanted.

Fortunately, we were able to take the mascara home that day and the hair product would be shipped to us.  So because I've had the mascara for some time, I've been using it regularly so I could give you guys my own input!

The idea behind the product is to give women the doll-like lashes that the Harajuku girls of Japan rock on the streets.  This all new "360 degree flexible brush" from L'Oreal is meant to deliver "mega volume on top and mega volume on bottom".  At Capstone, L'Oreal debuted a rough cut of the US commercial and it featured the typical cosmetic model, white, thin, great bone structure, with her hair in Princess Leia-esque buns.  Here are some of the promotional  pictures.

Packaging and Product

 Personally, I'm not into the desired look, because I think it makes lashes look clumpy and less natural.

As to the mascara's performance, I felt it was decent.  Nothing special or out of the ordinary.  If you need a new mascara and want to try it out, go for it.  But I wouldn't rush out and grab it.

L'Oreal Paris' Miss Manga Mascara will be out this month in drugstores and retailers like Target & Ulta.

My Staple Eyeliners

Today I thought I would share with you my most reached for eye liners and a few of my favorites.  Although I do love the quality of high-end products, being a college student on a budget keeps me away from spending $20+ on an eye-liner that I can pick up at Ulta or Target for $6 or $7...
 First let's talk about gel/cream eye-liners.

These types of eye-liners can be very intimidating because you have to use a brush to apply them.  However, I find that these have better staying power and pigmentation.
My most used liner is the Maybelline New York Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in brown.
Maybelline sells this product in Blackest Black, Brown, Charcoal, and Eggplant.

I love this shade because it is a dark brown that is neutral yet doesn't overwhelm my light complexion.  It enhances rather than make a bold statement.  For $9.99 check out Ulta, they always have a BOGO type deal with drugstore brands.

This next liner is the L'Oreal Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner 24 Hour in the shade Navy.  This too can be purchased at Ulta for $9.99.

I know it doesn't look too navy in the picture, however once applied there is a clear navy hue.  I was looking for a navy liner for quite some time, however everything I found was too blue.  This shade by L'Oreal is neutral enough that it adds a spark of blue but isn't in your face.

This eyeliner is Sephora's Waterproof Smokey Cream Liner in Bewitch Me, for $12.  

Bewitch Me is described as a metallic, deep violet.  My favorite part about this liner is the rich pigment it produces.  However, to get to the "deep violet" you have to go over the initial line you drew once it dries.  This shade is complementary to blue eyes, which is why I purchased it!  The Waterproof Smokey Cream Liner comes in 8 different shades ranging from neutrals to fun, brights!

Now, onto my pencil and liquid liners!

My favorite liner to create a defined, bold line (and a cat eye which I recently mastered!) is the L'Oreal Lineur Intense Brush Tip Liquid Eyeliner in Carbon Black. The tip of the brush is narrow and flexible enough that I can achieve a line of any thickness.

The next brush on the list is probably my most favorite eye-liners of all times.  Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil can be purchased from Urban Decay or Sephora for $19 a pencil.  While they are very expsensive, they are so worth the price.  I first purchased a 24/7 pencil from Urban Decay in 7th grade, in the shade Gunmetal which is so old its not even sold anymore.  However, I do believe the replacement shade is called "Uzi".  Anyways, these are every beauty guru's favorite pencil because of the cream texture with brilliant pigment and staying power.  Everyone is sometimes afraid to branch to the gel liners, so I would recommend the 24/7 pencils as a substitute.  

These are so popular, Urban Decay is selling The Vault, 40 full-sized pencils for a low price of $300... 

Please sense my sarcasm.  This item was released about a month ago, and is already sold out.  Catch a review on Musings of a Muse.

My final pencil is your basic black liner.  Because I don't use it often, I didn't feel the need to splurge on one from UD.  Instead I went for the $1.99 NYC Kohl Eyebrow/Eyeliner Pencil that can be purchased from any drugstore.  I think its important to have a cheap, basic liner that will always be a staple.

Eyeliners and mascaras have always been my favorite make-up products.  What are yours?