Being a long time lover of mascaras, it is inevitable that i eventually out run out of those mascara love interests. I took a break from the overly exhausted Sephora, and tapped into a whole other stream of possibilities--japanese mascaras. I initially set out to try one for fun, but was soon hooked as they do offer a certain factor that the sephora counter ones do not. Of course I scoped out the popular ones, each time with hope to end the search for the Japanese HG mascara. Without further ado, these are the lucky ten Japanese mascaras I've been had the priviledge to try....
fiberwig. This is perhaps the most popular of them all, sold in sephora in the States. Like its name suggests, it coats your lashes with "fibers," allowing them to extend beyond your natural length. I liked this one as it was waterproof and it gave me long buildable lashes. After a few months of this, I was bored and ready to tackle the next selection. The major plus side to this was was probably the fact that it washed off with hot water in the shower. Yay for lazy!
fairy drops. No really, thats what its called. I still have no idea which company made this, as a result it is rather hard to replace after drying out. If i were to declare one faithful companion throughout my search, this would likely be it. It is known for its ability to curl the toughest lashes, its wand resembling those of Rimmel Sexy Curves's. It removes without much difficulty, and is capable of holding curls the entire day, smudge-free. It makes a bad lash day into an unexpectedly good one.
kiss me. One word? Yuck. It claims to be the original "tubes" mascara, much like fibers in fiberwig. Well, maybe so, but it does not do anything for the lashes. It goes on way too watery, dries slow, and in the process creates a real mess. Urgh. Its only upside being that it also washes off with just hot water. It comes in a different packaging in Japan. But...I do not care enough to give that a chance...
majolica majorca primer. As far as primers go, this is definitely a good one. Perhaps with my Asian eyes, the comb-tip delivered the definitions and precisions i needed. The package reads Curl, curl towards the sky, and that description was definitely fine by me. If there's anything I need to give my eyes a boost, it'd be curled doll-like lashes. This combs on smooth, and seemingly helps the process along...even if its all in my head.
majolica majorca. To me, this is basically the black version of the primer, slightly more liquified. It thickens and elongates, but it seemingly lacked the definition offered by the Lash Expander Frame Plus version. On the package, another hopeful description is printed: Hope my lashes are full and smooth, which struck me kind of odd for some funny reason. It definitely delivers what it promises, with some minor setbacks in definition and separation.
majolica majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus. This is definitely a worthy advisary, as it can either go very well or very wrong. In short, it is potentially an HG mascara on nicely conditioned and curled lashes. Its double sided comb-tip applicator thickens on one end, and defines in the other, working together like a dream team. Like I said, it can also go very badly when lashes are not skillfully curled. In such cases i often force it off, opting for the fairy drops instead. Oh yeah, it is also hard to remove. But the extra labour is sometimes worth it, as it looks so very right when it is applied right. A major love-hate relationship.
majolica majorca Lash Gorgeous Wing. Once again, its name leaves me slightly puzzled. When pulled out, it has little fibers entangled in its ordinary-looking brush. I brushed it on, hoping to achieve gorgeous wing-like lashes, whatever that may mean. What I ended up with was just chunky mascara that I couldn't do anything with. Neither the brush nor the formula did anything. A pure disappointment in the Majolica Majorca series. I was recently given a new tube of this, and I am clueless as to what im going to do with it.
sana extra large mascara. The Japanese sure have weird names for their mascaras. This one trips me up much like Urban Decay's Big Fatty Mascara. What could its name possibly suggest? The bristles is made of tight little spikes, with a curve to run along the arch of the eye. It tends to have a flaky application initially, but it can also be built up into a big fan of lashes if patiently tamed. Removing this at night hurls me into a state of total mayhem, causing a few strands of lash-loss. This was tucked away after two weeks, maybe a stronger eye makeup remover in the near future can combat this stubbornness.
sana lovely eyes mascara. The shop girl told me this would give the doll-eye effect on your lashes. It did alright---if dolls had goopy clumpy lashes that stuck together. This waved a major NO flag after two consecutive tries. Its wand is normal enough, but its formula ran like ink. Beautiful black colour, but essentially useless for your lashes in every possible way. This is one I'd never ever trust. Wonder what kind of twisted dolls the shop girl played with....
sana Maxigrade Mascara. This shop girl has got to stop lying. And I have got to stop shopping there. The only way I can say anything about it is that it is absolutely the boringest mascara. Like, ever. It is so boring I'm so bored talking about it. So I'm just going to end it here.
The verdict? I don't think I'll ever find an HG mascara at this rate. For all I know, I've already found several but can just never settle down with just one. Like guys, they all offer different qualities, and it simply depends on my mood. I wouldn't stick with Japanese mascaras only, as I have recently gone back to my beloved YSL Faux Cils. Well, it is probably only a matter of time before I move onto something else new...
