MAC isn't particularly famous for their mascara selections, I'll give you that. I've tried two from the brand and liked them well enough, but they're not the OMG-you-gotta-have-it-now kind, you know? Still, I thought it'd be nice to give you an idea on what to expect from a MAC mascara. I have here the Zoom Waterfast Lash (P1,000+), a water-resistant formula that promises to lengthen and volumize lashes beautifully.

I like it. The wand is small and slender at the tip so it gets on my upper and lower lashes easily. The formula is easy to build up, so much that in two coats I can achieve a thick fringe that could pass off as falsies. It's quite black and intense! It barely smudged on me, but I just have to use an oil-based makeup remover to take it off.

How many mascaras does a girl need? Honestly, you only need two. One should be a daily mascara that volumizes your lashes and is easy to wash off - no waterproof nonsense unless you have extremely oily lids! Then you need one mascara for special occasions, something that's waterproof and looks practically like falsies. You can layer these two to get different effects.

The Estee Lauder Double Wear Extreme Zero-Smudge Mascara (P1,350) is something that falls between those two categories. It blackens, fattens, and lengthens my lashes in just two coats, looking a little like falsies when I close my eyes. It's sooo black! And matte. 

I love that this doesn't smudge all day. Just yesterday I wore it from 10am to 6pm - eight whole hours - and it did not smuge at all. It has also never flaked or smeared on me (I've been using this for about two months now). Even though it's long-wearing, the Double Wear Extreme Mascara is super easy to remove with just a water-based makeup remover. This is currently my fave everyday mascara!

Aside from having soft, translucent skin, the Japanese are champs at getting the perfect eye makeup. The best eyeliners and mascaras all originate from Japan! Well, at least my favorite ones are. I've also noticed that Japanese eyeshadows have this iridescence to them that are rarely found in Western brands. Try to compare your eyeshadows one time and you'll see what I mean. ;)

So! Today I will be reviewing two of the latest products from ZA Cosmetics: the Perfect Action Mascara (P495) and Impact-Full Eyes Gradation Palette (P525). These were released last September I believe! You can find ZA in Watsons outlets, so I hope you can visit them one of these days if you haven't yet.

Right, let's begin with the ZA Perfect Action Mascara (P495). This has a non-waterproof version (which I have) and a waterproof version, which has a blue cap. I love that the non-waterproof can be easily melted with warm water or a water-based makeup remover - that's probably one of the top things I look for in a daily mascara! And this is a daily mascara, definitely.

A natural-looking mascara product might sound counterintuitive, but I'm sure that a lot of women just need a bit of enhancement on their lashes. They are ones who are gifted with as lush fringe so they don't really need a lot of goop to bring out the natural fullness of their lash line.

If you're one of those women, then you'd love the Shiseido Perfect Mascara (P1.000+).

This mascara has a thin texture that's enough to keep the curl of the lashes, but not to add a lot of volume on the first coat. You'll need to build it up lash by lash if you want a thick fringe. Two layers will get you natural, curved lashes, which like I said above is something other people might prefer.

I suppose I should feel wasteful that I opened about seven brand new tubes of mascara in service of Mascara Week, but that's just part of the job! I hope you had fun reading through the reviews and discovering just what makes an amazing mascara. It's different for everyone but for me, I like lots of length, volume, and ease of removal. I prefer clean lashes with no clumps or flaking, and a brush that can reach even the most awkward corners of my eyes. 

With that in my wishlist, here are my top five favorite mascaras this year. These are what I love picking up! I rotate them depending on my requirements for the day (the look, activity, estimated wear time). Check them out. ;)

If you've read my Holy Grail products post then you know that this is my favorite mascara. The Fairydrops Platinum Mascara meets all my requirements and a little bit more. It gives me just the right volume and length without toe-ing the "are you wearing falsies" line. I do love big lashes but I prefer something less obvious for everyday wear!

It stays on all day with minimal to zero smudging, and it comes off with just warm or soapy water. I still use a makeup remove though. It's just simpler.

New vs old packaging - which one do you like better?

If you don't cook, you should learn how. Not sure if I'm repeating myself here already but - you should cook. It's ridiculously easy, not that expensive, and much more fulfilling than eating someone else's food. You don't have to start with guns a-blazin', attempting to cook something complex like beef bourguignon. You can experiment with simple omelettes, a grilled cheese sandwich, maybe some spaghetti. The recipes you learn will serve you for the rest of your life.

So glad my Dad taught my how to cook! I'm not the best but I like what I come up with. Last night I made mushroom and chicken risotto for dinner (inspired by Ina Garten), while breakfast was bacon pancake (inspired by Jake the Dog). That song is still stuck in my head btw! I topped the pancake with butterscotch sauce and a lick of whipped cream. Sinful but definitely worth it.

Anyhoo, let's move on to the next product for my Mascara Week! The Revlon Lash Potion Mascara  (~P600) is the brand's latest lash enhancer. I have here the waterproof version in Blackest Black.

The Lash Potion's staying power is flawless - it is indeed waterproof and smudge-proof! I've worn this all day and I didn't notice any smearing. It doesn't come off with just my water-based makeup remover, but it slides off with my oil-based remover so no biggie.

As for the finish, I do like how it fattens and lengthens my lashes in two coats. Blackest Black is also as the name hints: very very black and practically matte. 

Ebooks are convenient to read. I don't have to turn the light on and off, and I can lie down on any side, put my arms anywhere. Printed books, compared to stuff I just read on my phone, are inconvenient and prone to murder by a dog who loves paper. Still, I always seem to walk out with something whenever I pass by a book store.

I've read H.P. Lovecraft before and loved his macabre yet awe-inspiring stories. I remember seeing the Necronomicon in National Bookstore many years ago, but I was poor enough (first job!) to feel that P800 was too much for one book. I wanted it badly though; I went back for it a week after. Unfortunately, it was already out of stock! It's one of those books that I just need a copy of. In my hands. Finally got it yesterday!

I also grabbed Neil Gaiman's newest novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I've read a few pages and already I can see how this is different from his other works. It starts with a feeling of slow dread. I can't wait to see where it will take me.

Well anyway, we're actually here to talk about mascara. Haha. This time, I'll be reviewing theBalm What's Your Type? The Body Builder Mascara (price to follow, available in Beauty Bar). 

On a side note: I wonder if there's, like, a world competition for crazy mascara names?

It may be too soon to say, but I LOVE this mascara. It's my first time to try a theBalm product for lashes! So happy it didn't disappoint.

Should you invest in a good mascara or should you just save that money for something else? There are tons of good affordable mascaras out there, if you find one that fits your preferences then there's no reason to spend over a thousand bucks for a tube. My HG mascara is quite expensive, yes, but if it gets wiped out from the face of the Earth tomorrow, I'll go to my next favorite one (which is just P600 bucks btw). No big deal.

Just set a comfortable budget and read reviews first before you settle on a mascara purchase. Do avoid using mascara testers on your eyes, for the love of glob! You don't know where that wand has been and how long it has been steeping in the darkness! *shudder* Just read beauty blogs you trust and save yourself from a possible eye infection.

So! To continue Mascara Week, here's a review of one of the latest mascaras in the country - the Etude House Lash Perm All Shockara Mascara (P648). It promises shocking volume, curls, and length all in a waterproof formula. Does it deliver?

It does, at least in the lengthening and waterproof department. If you want curls and volume, you need to give your lashes a really, really good curl first! This isn't the kind of mascara that you can just swipe on and expect to get dramatic eyes immediately - it requires some prep time with a great lash curler plus a lot of coaxing afterwards.

Did you know that mascara is one of the oldest forms of cosmetics? It dates as far back as 4000 B.C., when ancient Egyptians would use crushed minerals, soot, crocodile stool, honey, and water to darken their eyes. They believed that masking their eyes would keep them safe from evil spirits. Today, women and men use mascara primarily for aesthetic purposes - to enhance their lashes and define their eyes. I'm just glad we lost the crocodile poop!

This week will be all about mascara at Project Vanity. I'll be reviewing some of the latest and most remarkable mascaras out in the market, and at the end of it, my top five picks. So! Let's begin with a reformulated version of one of Majolica Majorca's bestselling mascaras - the Lash Expander Edge Meister (P795)!

This is the most lengthening mascara I've ever tried to date. I swear, people always ask me if I'm wearing falsies whenever I have this on! This is actually the reason I'm not so fluent in applying false lashes - I mean, why bother when I can just wear Lash Expander and get the same effect?

Lash Expander Edge Meister is the updated formula of the original Majolica Majorca Lash Expander. I find that the fiberwig hairs are denser in the new formula, giving even longer and more volumized results. It also has less of that mascara smell; it's undetectable unless you give the brush a direct sniff.

Whimsical and ethereal, the new Artdeco Butterfly Dreams Collection is sure to appeal to girls with a soft spot for pastels. There's a beautiful selection of nail polishes and lipsticks that flatter Asian skin, as well as new eye definition products such as a felt tip eyeliner and a volumizing mascara.

Pretty eh? I'll be reviewing a couple of products fully in the future (that blush definitely deserves a whole post of its own), but for now I'll be sharing quick reviews and a look I did using the collection. 

Last week I read Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being A Wallflower. I honestly expected a light, jaunty read. All the promo materials led me to believe that it's a story about love, what with that "I swear we were infinite" and "We accept the love we think we deserve" crap getting quoted on Facebook all the time. But it's not about love at all. It's about making choices - real ones, not the kind where you figure out if you should eat two eggs today - and accepting the consequences of a past you can't change.

Suffice it to say, I started reading it at 10 PM and ended up crying so much by 3 AM. Read it if you haven't yet!

Anyway segue. Today I want to review a mascara I've been using rather often lately - the Max Factor 2000 Calorie Dramatic Volume Mascara (P595). I've had a great experience with the brand's False Lash Effect Mascara before so I had high expectations for something as popular as 2000 Calorie. I wasn't disappointed. ;) Here's why!

What I love about the product 

• Volumizes and lengthens nicely. You can build it up for really dramatic lashes, but two coats should be enough for a day-to-day look.
• Doesn't smudge or flake with normal sweating and oil around the eyes. It's not waterproof though, so this isn't something you can cry with.