Partial lashes: D.U.P. Secret Line "Girly Eyes"

On to our next batch of false eyelashes! This time I'm looking at D.U.P. Secret Line "Girly Eyes", Model's Type 920. They're partial strip lashes that are meant to be worn at the middle of the eye. Which is to say, they don't extend all the way to the corners of the eyes; they just add fullness at the center. I've actually already worn these out once or twice, but am just now getting around to taking some pictures.

Here's our baseline. I'm wearing some pink eye shadow, black cream eyeliner (Sephora), and Maybelline Volum'Express Turbo Boost Mascara. I didn't think to curl my eyelashes, which will have some consequences later.

Now, for the eyelashes.They're part of the "Aiku Maikawa Model's Selections" series. Sorry for the poor lighting and glare, but this should give you an idea of what the packaging looks like, at least.

Secret Line, "Girly Eyes", Model's Type 920

And here's what they look like on my eyes. I think the effect would've been even more natural if I'd thought to curl my lashes ahead of time, but that didn't occur to me tonight. Still, the added volume is quite nice, and they blend in pretty well.

Even looking very closely, the lash band is nearly invisible. Like the other set of D.U.P. partials I looked at before, they come on a clear strip, so they blend in with your skin (or in this case, my eyeliner). 

The overall look is very natural, but definitely an improvement on my actual lashes. I've worn them out during the day and felt very comfortable with them. Sometimes if I wear false eyelashes out and about I'll hear random schoolgirls around me commenting on them (I'm not fluent in Japanese, but I have learned the word for eyelashes), but with these ones no one seemed to notice. These may be my new favorites.

Orange vs. Orange

Orange is one of my favorite colors to wear, but it's not always that easy to find. There isn't typically a huge amount of orange clothing in most stores, and orange makeup is even less common. So, when I found out that I could buy such unconventional lipstick shades as blue, green, yellow and (gasp!) orange from Lime Crime, I was thrilled. Along with a few tubes of Carousel Gloss (which I will certainly end up talking about in the future), I bought "My Beautiful Rocket", a bright orange opaque lipstick.

Since last winter I've been occasionally wearing my orange Lime Crime lipstick, and I'm quite happy with it. It's fully opaque with only one coat, has a wonderful scent (I think it smells like marshmallows), and the color stays bright for quite a long time. It doesn't fade or rub off easily once you've applied it. On a few occasions I've eaten a meal while wearing it and found that my lips were still fairly orange afterward. I think that's mostly the case if you've applied it a good length of time before eating, so that it has some time to sink into your skin. Of course, some of the lipstick does come off when you eat, but a surprising amount of the color remains. And it was fairly uniform, too; it wasn't just the edges of my lips that stayed orange, it was the whole surface. Sometimes I find that if I eat or drink while wearing a bright color, most of the lipstick comes off and I end up looking like I'm just wearing lip liner.

Anyhow, just recently I discovered orange lipstick from Maybelline at the drug store. I was very surprised; most brands typically stick to more standard colors. There were maybe three shades of orange. I think they were something along the lines of "Peach Nude", "Apricot Nude", and "Orange Nude". I might be wrong about those names, though. So, out of curiosity I bought a tube of the Maybelline Water Shiny Milky in OR615 (Orange Nude). 

Since this is a color comparison, I figured that I'd better try to get some photos in better lighting than the usual yellow glare of my bathroom lights. I took these pictures in my bedroom, in afternoon sunlight. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about photography or lighting conditions, but I think the colors came out pretty true in these shots. For the sake of comparison, I'm wearing "My Beautiful Rocket" (Lime Crime) on my upper lip and "OR 615" (Maybelline) on my lower lip.

Unless you look very closely, the shades are quite similar. But it seems to me that the Lime Crime is a truer orange, whereas the Maybelline has a slightly more papaya-y color to it. It's just a tiny bit peach-tinted, though I'd still definitely call it orange.

Some other differences between the two lipsticks are texture and opacity. The Lime Crime lipstick is high pigment, so it's somewhat softer and has a creamy texture. The Maybelline lipstick has a fairly standard texture, and feels a little more glossy, if that makes sense. It goes on in thin, smooth coats. For opacity, the Lime Crime is definitely much more opaque and solid. I'm only wearing one coat on my upper lip in order to get that shade, and there are no thin spots. The Maybelline goes on somewhat sheer, so I put on maybe two or three coats to get it to the intensity I wanted. 

Other considerations: The Lime Crime lipstick is higher pigment and higher quality, and as a result, it is more expensive. One tube is $15.99, plus whatever you pay for shipping. I can't do a direct price comparison because I don't know exactly how much the Maybelline lipstick would cost in the U.S., but looking at the prices in Rite Aid's online store, it seems that it costs around $7 for one tube. I think the price in Japan was somewhat higher, but that's a different matter.

Durability is possibly another issue. Because high pigment lipstick is softer, it can melt more easily. I've been hesitant to carry the Lime Crime lipstick in my purse on hot days for fear it would be ruined, possibly staining my purse in the process. I don't know at exactly what temperature you should start worrying, so I've been erring on the side of caution. 

This has been a very wordy post, so for my conclusions I'll just boil it down to the basics.

Maybelline Water Shiny Milky in OR615 (Orange Nude)

Pro: Inexpensive, easy to control color intensity by layering, widely available, as durable as most lipsticks

Con: Less long-lasting, lower pigment/quality

Lime Crime "My Beautiful Rocket"

Pro: Very true orange, high pigment, great smell, extremely long lasting, fully opaque with one coat

Con: More expensive, less widely available (purchase online), higher risk of melting 

Personally, I'm very pleased with both lipsticks. I'll continue using each of them, though for slightly different purposes. The Lime Crime is perfect for when I want a major pop of color and don't feel like reapplying often, and the Maybelline is great when I want more control over the intensity of the color and need something sturdy enough to chuck in my purse and forget for a while.

Partial falsies: D.U.P. Secret Line false eyelashes

Hello!

Last night I tried out a new set of false eyelashes. These ones are strip lashes, but only partials; they go from the outer corner of the eye to roughly the middle of the eye. I thought they were interesting in that they aren't nearly so obvious as regular strip lashes, but they still have a visible effect. I took an excessive number of pictures, so let's have a look.

Here are my eyes with shadow, liner and a few coats of mascara (Maybelline the Hyper Curl Volum'Express Waterproof), but no false eyelashes.

At a distance

Both eyes, a little closer.

My right eye, close up.

So that's where we're starting from. Now for the lashes:

D.U.P. Secret Line Model's Type 919

These are D.U.P. Secret Line Aiku Maikawa Model's Selections, Model's Type 919. To the best of my understanding, they're meant to be worn at the outer corners of the eyes. Fun thing I just learned from the packaging: the Japanese word for the outer corner of the eye is "mejiri" (目尻). 

Here we go! As usual, I used D.U.P. Rubber Type glue to put the lashes on.

From a distance, I look about the same as before.

Getting closer, though, you can see that there's a bit more volume.

Here's a closer look at my right eye. The lashes definitely look thicker now, but not unnaturally so.

With my eyes closed, the lashes still look pretty natural. Usually from the top it's easier to see the strip the lashes are attached to.

My right eye again. If you look closely you can see the strip, but it's not immediately obvious because it's clear instead of black. These lashes are on a very flexible clear band, and they conform to the shape of the eye really well. I think that someone skilled at applying false lashes could probably wear them without eyeliner and still have them look natural.

Here are my eyes viewed at an angle. It looks like the length of the false lashes matches up pretty well with the length of my natural lashes.

I wore these out for a casual drinking night with my friends, and they were very comfortable. It didn't take long before I forgot that I had them on. I don't think anyone noticed that I was wearing them, either; I have one friend who will usually ask me about it if he thinks I'm wearing false eyelashes, and he didn't say anything. These are inconspicuous enough that I think they'd be fine for daytime use as well. 

I've never tried using individual false lashes; I've only ever worn the ones that come on strips. I think the individual ones would probably be too difficult for me to apply. But it seems like these partial sets of lashes can fill a similar role in making your eyelashes look fuller but still natural. I have another style of partials that I want to review next; I've already worn them once, and I think I like them even better than these ones. So, I'll be seeing you again soon!

Some Favorites

As sort of a baseline, I thought I'd list a few of my favorite products. These are the ones I use the most consistently. I'm not including pictures or much in the way of commentary, but for some of these products I intend to come back to them later and write up an actual review.

Eye shadows:
Business natural: Cover Girl Eye Enhancers #265, "Sheerly Nudes"
Shiny natural: Urban Decay "Midnight Cowboy Rides Again" or Sephora "carine no. 26" (they look really similar to me) and Sephora "californian blonde no. 10"
Silver: Sephora "engagement ring no. 01" (the only silver that doesn't look too dark on my skin)
Lavenders (one of my favorite eye shadow colors): Tarina Tarantino Eyedream Highlight Duo "Iris Plume" and "Moon Opal"

Eyes etc.:
Waterproof mascara: Maybelline the Hyper Curl Volum'Express Waterproof Mascara
Non-waterproof mascara: Maybelline Volum'Express Turbo Boost Mascara
Makeup remover: Maybelline Express Care
Under eye concealer: L'Oréal Bare Naturale gentle mineral concealer
Eye shadow primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Brand of false eyelashes: D.U.P.
Eyelash glue: D.U.P. Eyelashes Glue Rubber Type #501
Cream eyeliner: Sephora Waterproof Smoky Cream Liner
Pencil eyeliner: Vivid & Smooth Liner by Eyestudio

Lipsticks:
Long-lasting lip gloss: Lime Crime Carousel Gloss "Cherry on Top" and "Candy Apple"
Bright lip gloss: Revlon Color Burst Lip Gloss #20 (papaya)
Pink lipstick: Maybelline Water Shiny Volumy #004
Purple-pink (mauve?) lipstick: Maybelline Water Shiny Volumy Pearl #107
Wine red lipstick: Maybelline Water Shiny Pure #209
Orange-red lipstick: Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter #35
Orange lipstick: Lime Crime "My Beautiful Rocket"

You can probably see that I favor Maybelline for most things. I don't have a very specific reason for this, other than that they seem to offer a lot of colors that I like. Also, I'm finding that it's one of the easier brands to get in Japan. Most all drug stores here carry Maybelline, but only a few stores I know of have Revlon or Cover Girl. For lipsticks, all I really care about is the color. I like bright colors, so any brand with really vivid shades is good with me.

Well, those are most of my absolute favorites. I intend to come back to the Lime Crime lip glosses because they are amazing and deserve a lot more commentary than what I'm providing here. Look forward to it!

Fun with false eyelashes: the butterfly wings

Recently I bought a set of ridiculously large false eyelashes. The brand is Kosé Cosmeport, and the style is Anmiel type 200: cute. I bought them in Japan, the home of psychotic false eyelashes. Well, maybe Japan doesn't have a monopoly on crazy eyelashes, but I'd say they've got a pretty damn good selection.

Due to the extreme length of the lashes at the outer corners, this set reminds me of butterfly wings. And I guess they'd be pretty good for butterfly kisses, since you wouldn't even have to get your face all that close. I measured them, and at the outer corner they're about 1.5 centimeters long. They come 2 sets to a package, but my photo only shows one set because the other pair is on my face.

Anmiel type 200: cute

I'm not an expert at putting on false eyelashes, so they may be a little wonky in the next few photos, but it should give a general idea of what these lashes look like on a face. I used D.U.P. Eyelashes Glue Rubber Type (#501), which is my favorite eyelash glue. I find it sticks well, but is easy to peel off afterward. Other makeup I am wearing: some old peach eye shadow,  Smashbox eye shadow in "Torch" (orange), Sephora Smoky cream liner in "Must Have" (black),  Maybelline Water Shiny Milky lipstick shade OR615 (Nude Orange, I think), and Maybelline Volum'Express Turbo Boost Mascara in Jet Black. Eye shadows and eyeliner purchased in the U.S., lipstick and mascara purchased in Japan.

Here's the overall look from a distance. I don't look too crazy, but let's just take a closer look...

Okay, looking a bit more dramatic now. Nice thing about wearing giant eyelashes is that you can wear brighter/more intense eye shadow and it doesn't look out of place. Keep zooming in...

GAH! Okay, that is pretty crazy. Let's see what they look like from the top:

Yeah, really freaking long. Still, I've had them on for an hour or two now, and I'm finding them just as comfortable as the more natural false lashes I've tried. Although they're freakishly long, they aren't particularly distracting in my peripheral vision, maybe because they have a bit of curl to them. I wear contact lenses, so when I first put the lashes on they kind of seemed to make my contacts move around a bit on my eye, and I was blinking more than normal. But now I've adjusted and I'm not having any trouble with them.

I can't really think of any situations where I would wear these, but I actually do rather like the effect. Very doll-like. I figure they're more appropriate for a particular Japanese style, and wouldn't really look that good with the sort of clothes I wear on a day to day basis. But I might consider wearing them out at night or to a club if I wanted to look especially doe-eyed. I think the packaging says something about making the eyes look more round (I can only read a little Japanese), and that's not really a concern with me. My eyes are pretty large and round, I'd say. But I'll be keeping these lashes around until I find a suitable opportunity to try them outside the house.

Side note about the incidental makeup: The orange lipstick I'm wearing was kind of a surprising find in that most major brands don't make that color. I'd previously bought some orange lipstick from Lime Crime ("My Beautiful Rocket"), and they're similar in color. The Lime Crime lipstick is much higher pigment and has a nicer smell (marshmallows!), and is slightly more orange-orange. The Maybelline stuff is a little more reddish, but still a fairly true orange. I think I prefer the Lime Crime lipstick, but the Maybelline is good to have on hand in that I'd be less afraid to carry it in my purse on a hot day. Apparently high pigment lipsticks are softer and more liable to melt, and I would hate to ruin my Lime Crime lipstick (and my purse) by exposing it to hot weather. Maybe later I'll do a direct comparison of the two lipsticks.

Hello there!

Hi!

My name is Andrea, and I like messing around with makeup. Due to shaky hands and poor taste, I'm not a makeup artist, but I would list "playing with cosmetics" as one of my major hobbies. I don't have any particularly interesting techniques to share, and I'm probably the last person you should take beauty advice from, so this won't be a "how to" blog. It's more like a catalog of the products I've tried recently, and a review of how they worked out for me. I'm not expecting a lot of outside readers; this will more or less be for my own benefit, in order to help me remember what I've tried and what I thought of it. But if you do end up here, thanks for reading, and I hope you'll find something you want to mess with yourself!