Neal's Yard Remedies Eye Shadow in Camellia

Neal's Yard Remedies Eye Shadows, according to the company are "made with 100% natural mineral colours in super-fine organic corn powder, with antioxidant white tea, milk thistle, and organic sweet almond oil." It is also said to contain no lead, parabens, talc, and is a vegan product. All this sounds very enticing for the organic revolution that has struck the cosmetic industry.

The puny eye shadow range consists of four colors in sage (green), barley (light brown), truffle (dark brown), and camellia (dusky pink). 

First off, the packaging. It is a basic, no-frills type with a plain blue screw-top cover. This comes with a sifter that is not pictured. It's my first time to use shadow in loose powder form, and I find the small jar very inconvenient and frustrating. With the sifter on, it takes some effort to coax the product out and the result is always a mess with powders flying everywhere on the dresser and the cap. I decided to do without the sifter for better product control. Camellia is what I thought would be a neutral pink shade, but turns out to be a tricky color. On my yellow-based Chinese skin, it can look like I am suffering from a sort of allergy. The texture is also quite rough; not silky like most eye shadows I'm used to. I guess this is what gives for the "natural" part of it, but putting on starchy powder on the lids is not something I enjoy. 

Overall, I find the product sub-par, added to the fact that the shade is not flattering at all. Being organic/natural does not give companies leeway to slack off on packaging and quality. I feel there are many other products in the market that deserve your hard-earned money.

Kiss Me Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara

Long and Curl Mascara by Kiss Me Heroine Make has garnered a steady fan base. I've bought many volumizing mascaras from Lunasol, Fairy Drops, BeneFit, so I thought to try something new and gave this lengthening version a go.

It is packaged in a simple light maroon tube that brings to memory old Shanghai or Beijing, perhaps because I always associate red hues with China. After I remind myself that it is a Japanese brand, the kawaii elegance comes through. For me, Japanese brands win hands-down on product design among the many cosmetic brands all over the world.

The plastic brush is curved to help deliver a curl on the lashes. The formula is fibrous as can be observed on the tip of the brush. Initially I was applying it using the upper curved part as shown on the picture and found not much curling action. When I decided to turn it over and run the convex part on the lashes instead, there was slight improvement. While my lashes were more defined and somewhat longer and curlier, I didn't see considerable results that put a positive impact on my overall look. It coats the lashes in thick black liquid but also leaves it dry and spidery. It stays smudge free and is quite hard to remove with the eye makeup remover I use which is Kose's Softymo Super Point Make Up Remover.

Overall, this is a basic mascara. The one compliment I can give is that it does not travel/smudge thus avoiding the dreaded panda eyes. This can work nicely for girls who have naturally thick and long lashes. It does not help those (un)blessed with sparse and fine hair. The best mascara I have tried yet is Clinique's High Impact Curling Mascara which gives my lashes the definite boost they need by curling, defining, and glossing them beautifully without dryness or the hard-to-remove dilemma.