Review: Dolly Wink Volume Mascara

This review is long over due, I purchased this mascara during my trip to Japan, I was buzzing up and down the make up isle trying to figure out which mascara I should buy. I picked up this Dolly Wink mascara, purely because it's got the word "Volume" written on it, and it's the only word on the shelves of mascaras that I understood.

I can't remember how much I purchased this for, but it was around $21 AUD, and it was in a duo eyeliner pack. I  believe it's retailing around random sydney stores for approximately $26.


Before and After


Natural lashes - No mascara



Curled lashes - No mascara



With Dolly Wink Volume Mascara 1 coat to top and bottom lashes

My Verdict

• My lashes are naturally straight and most mascaras make my lashes droop, even after curling. So far, I've found Shiseido's waterproof mascara to be effective in holding my curl, and Benefit They're Real mascara to do a relatively decent job. This mascara tops the lot with a cherry on top. It's ultra-light formula allows my lashes to remain curled and stay curled. It lengthens, creates volume and won't smudge.
• The brush has small bristles to coat all the difficult to reach lashes, I usually go over my lashes with one generous coat, otherwise you might see clumps.
• The formula is fast drying... and did I mention that it'll last all day? My eyeliner and eye shadow would've creased into a muddle, but my lashes would remain in pristine condition.
• This mascara is waterproof, but it's easily removable with make up remover - personally, I feel that it's much easier to remove than Benefit's They're Real mascara.
• Accessibility is an issue. Quite a few Japanese/Korean make up shops in Sydney stores this mascara, otherwise, I've seen Dolly Wink products on Ebay and Yesstyle.
• This is a mascara that every uncurlable-straight-lashed girl should have in their stash. Definitely my HG mascara.

Also note that there is a similar mascara with a silver cap, the reviewed mascara has a gold cap.

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram 

Japanese Makeup

It's been close to a year since my Japan holiday, I've been meaning to make this post for a very long time! Due to the kawaii and kitsch nature of Japanese make up, I instantly fell in love and brought home a small haul.

Yojiya

Yojiya was founded in 1904, Yojiya is known for it's quality and craftsmanship. As a result, the brand quickly spread across Japan. Their beauty products are designed to enhance natural beauty. Their top selling product is Aburatorigami - blotting paper.

I purchased who products, which I thought were unique and would assist me in my travels.
Face powder paper to the left, there were three shades; clear, natural and pink. I purchased mine in Natural. These are so efficient, each sheet is covered with finely milled powder.  To the right, we have portable soap, there are 20 sheets of dry soap in the packet.

Make sure you check out Yojiya's Cafe if you are ever in Kyoto.

Dolly Wink

One thing I dare say is that Dolly Wink's mascara definitely lives up to it's expectations, easily one of the best waterproof mascaras I've ever used. Can't say the same about the liquid eyeliner to the right. I forgot to include my Dolly Wink highlighter pencil + sharpener, but I'll have a review post up soon :)

Sana - Pore Putty

Pore Putty is one of the makeup line within Japanese beauty giant, Sana. Pore Putty is designed to smooth out pores and rough skin. The two products I purchased goes hand in hand, base and powder! Since I don't read Japanese, I had a lot of trouble picking the right product. I've been using the BB Cream as a primer as coverage is minimal.

Canmake

Canmake founded in 1986. The brand expanded across Asian countries and was endorsed across demographics due to their cute packaging, diverse colour schemes and natural ingredients to suit sensitive skin. The bush is beautiful with great colour pay off, the concealer to the far right is not too bad. The eyeshadow palette is a little disappointing with poor pigmentation (see review here)

Beauty Favourites All Star

Initially, I was planning to call this post, "My Favourite Beauty Products of All Time".

That just reminded me of Kanye West telling the whole world how Beyonce has one of the best music videos of ALL TIME. It'll ring in your head like a hangover, so I decided to change the title to "All Star".

I guess this is a little more "high end", I do have a range of budget beauty products I love and adore, but I'm still trying to build my list, so I'll save that for another time.

I am a picky person and it takes a lot for me to re-purchase, so I don't have enough favourites to make monthly posts, but here's a handful of products I swear by/use religiously for the past year or five..
 

Dolly Wink Volume Mascara is a new-comer, I purchased this mascara out of curiosity while I was in Japan. It ended up being my favourite waterproof mascara. It will lengthen, thicken and curl. The wand is designed to reach smaller lashes. I will have a separate review up shortly.

Eye of Horus Eyeliner is incredible. I've tried too many eyeliners that smudged all over my hooded lids. When I received this from one of the beauty boxes, I was gobsmacked. Needless to say, the colour is gorgeous, the consistency is smooth and won't tug at your lids. Most importantly, it stayed put, no more smudging! I anticipate to try their mascara, I heard it's equally incredible. See my previous review here

Shiseido Eyelash Curler. I have been using this curler for the past 5 years and it had never failed me. It will reach most hard to reach lashes and dare I say, designed for short lashes and almond/hooded eyes. I'll have a post dedicated to battling out Shiseido VS Shu Uemura curlers in the upcoming weeks.

Shiseido Foundation Brush. I know, I know, there's a couple of Shiseido products in this post. I previously worked for Shiseido, however, this doesn't skew my view. There are good and bad products in each brand, I just happened to be lucky enough to test and try all their beauty products during my time there. I've tried a few brushes and have experienced a significant amount of fall outs, this brush is excellent in the sense that you will so nil to minimal fall out and it will work with pretty much all types of base. Cream, liquid, powder, BB creams... etc.. with the exception of mineral foundations, which I don't use too much because it gets too messy and I'm always in a hurry. You will receive an even spread with no brush marks.

Bobbi Brown Bronzer is something I discovered while I was in Hong Kong. My aim was to purchase as much Chanel, Dior and Guerlain products as my wallet can possibly allow... but I ended up getting Bobbi Brown products. This bronzer is perfect for my olive skin, my previous Bourjois bronzer made me look dirty. This is excellent for contour, cheeks and even as an eye shadow. See my detailed review here

I went to the Clinique counter for a free makeover and a foundation sample. I told the consultant about my pores and she gave me a generous sample of Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Foundation. I took it home, didn't have very high hopes about it and used it a week later. It worked really well with my skin and evened out my skin tone without clogging my pores. Apparently my pores will become less visible as I continue to use it.. I haven't got to that stage yet, but it's a great instant cover up.

The Giorgio Armani lipstick is another accidental encounter. I wanted to get a MAC lipstick, I stood around their counter for a good 10 minutes waiting for someone to help me and got ignored. Giorgio Armani just happened to be right next door, the consultant was brilliant and treated me like a decent human being. This product was purchased partially based on excellent customer service and partially based on quality and texture. Creamy, velvety with sleek packaging.. What more can a girl as for?

Korres Lip Butter reigned supreme within the blogosphere a couple of years back. I was in search for a lip product that was actually effective (Unfortunately, EOS did not work for my chapped lips). This is my go-to lip product, it is soft, creamy, sheer and treats my chapped lips well. Great for everyday wear if you want a light tint on your lips.

What are your "All Star" products?

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram