Mary Kay, Wrinkly Lips, and Lashes to Die For

I recently had the opportunity to try out some new-to-me Mary Kay products. The products were sent to me for free, however I was only required to try them – writing a review was completely voluntary.

Before I tell you what I tried and how I liked it, I want you to know that I’ve been a Mary Kay girl for more years than I’m willing to admit. If I say how long you’ll do the math and ruin my fantasy that I’m still 38… like I’ve been for the past 5 or so years.

 

It all started when I was in 8th grade, and like most girls that age I reaaaaaally wanted to wear makeup to school. My mom said I had to wait until I was in high school, and to placate me she promised that her cousin Karla, a Mary Kay consultant, would come to our house over the summer to teach me what to use and how to use it.

That didn’t stop me from sneaking into Mom’s makeup after she left for work in the morning and applying a barely-noticable bit of blush and hint of mascara. Shhhh – don’t tell!

I still remember sitting with Mom and Karla at the kitchen table that sunny afternoon, so excited I could hardly sit still as Karla taught me how to apply the makeup. This was back in the day when foundation came in pancake form and you used a damp sponge to apply it. You used two shades: one to correct skin imperfections mine was an odd mustard yellow and one to match your skin tone. My first eyeshadow trio was frosty pink, frosty blue, and frosty grey-lavender. Don’t laugh, it was the early 80s and frost was in!

 

Over the years I tried various products from other cosmetics companies but remained primarily a Mary Kay girl because it worked best for me. I like to stick with the things that work for me if it’s not broken, don’t fix it which means I’m not a happy camper when Mary Kay retires one of my favorite products.

Most recently I’ve been mourning the loss of my number-one-very-favorite-of-all-time lip product – Liquid Lip Color. I love it because it has the perfect balance of color, translucence, and gloss. True confessions time: I have wrinkly lips. It’s not age or lack of moisture; I’m constantly moisturizing them, they’ve just always been wrinkly. Liquid Lip Color is the perfect amount of color, with enough gloss to keep the pigment from settling in the lines and making my lips look even more wrinkly, but not so much that I looked like a teenie-bopper.

Nothing else I’ve ever tried worked as well for me, and I was devastated when they discontinued it, if you’re a MK consultant with Raspberry Ice Liquid Lip Color in stock, contact me – I’m buying up every one I can find! until I received my package of samples in the mail.

How’s that for a smooth transition into the product review? Sometimes I even impress myself.

 

My sample package contained three products: Lash Love Mascara in True Black and Nourishine Lip Gloss in Cafe au Lait and Red Passion.

I’m not usually a fan of lip gloss because it’s often sticky and makes me feel like I’m wearing honey on my lips, but I was fascinated with the glittery red of the Red Passion lip gloss. I have ADOS, remember? Attention Deficit… Oh Shiny! I grabbed it out of the box and tried it on first.

Unfortunately, Red Passion lip gloss wasn’t made for me. It was disappointingly sticky and the color settled in the lines in my lips, making them more pronounced. If that wasn’t enough, the gloss somehow made my lips look smaller, which is the opposite of what gloss is supposed to do. It’s going to Princess, who also has ADOS but doesn’t have wrinkly lips.

Next I tried the Cafe au Lait lip gloss. The color in the tube is just a bit lighter than Raspberry Ice Liquid Lip Color, so I had high hopes for it. The color on my lips is a shade lighter than in the tube, and I do like it. Unfortunately it’s sticky as honey too, and the gloss highlighting the non-wrinkly parts of my lips makes the wrinkles look even deeper. Bummer.

 

But don’t give up hope yet – there’s still the mascara to try!

Despite being a tried-and-true Mary Kay girl, I’ve always used Maybelline mascara. I started out with the classic Great Lash but have been using Colossal Volum Express for the past few years. I’ve always thought that my lashes were one of my best features and like to highlight them as much as possible.

Since Maybelline works so well for me and is cheaper than Mary Kay, I never would have purchased Mary Kay mascara, which is why I’m thankful I received a free sample to try.

I LOVE IT!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!

Lash Love mascara makes my lashes look incredibly long and thick – lashes to die for!

The wand isn’t the typical brush wand; it’s rubbery little spokes that separate the lashes and curls them up at the same time. They don’t hit my glasses anymore! I’ve had a little bit of clumping when I had too much mascara on the wand, but not as much as I’ve had with other mascaras and the clumps are easy to get out by combing through with a “drier” part of the wand.

I was a little nervous when I saw that my sample was non-waterproof, because I’ve always had a problem with mascara smudges under my eyes unless I used waterproof mascara. But my worrying was in vain – the Lash Love non-waterproof stays on without smudging or flaking just as well as my waterproof mascaras, and comes off easier at night Bonus!.

 

Bottom line:
– I’m hooked on Lash Love mascara and have given my Maybelline to Angel Face. I know we shouldn’t share mascara but she stole it from me all the time anyway.
– I’m not thrilled with Nourishine Lip Gloss and am still looking for something to replace my Liquid Lip Color.

That’s my opinion, and I’m sticking by it.

Have you tried either of these products, or any other Mary Kay product? What’s your opinion?

Image credit: www.marykay.com