Yanqina 2-in-1 Classic & Dramatic Dazzle Mascara By fiercenerditude

Recently I received a mascara to review from KKCenterHK. Having heard so many good things about their store in the past, I was pretty excited. I live in a very Asian area of New York and I really do love me some Asian cosmetics, though the very best stuff never does seem to be nearby!

The concept of Yanqina's Classic & Dramatic mascara seems to be similar to MAC's Haute & Naughty Lash (though I admit I've never tried the latter). Basically, as you can see above, the wand has two tiers, Step 1 and Step 2. It's the same wand, essentially, but with different amounts of product on the brush.

Wand when pulled from the Step 1 tier

Wand when pulled from the Step 2 tier

Notice how the base of the wand is thicker in Step 2 and there's more product on the wand? Basically that thick thingie at the base of Step 2 is a tube that scrapes the excess product off the wand and the result is Step 1. I hope that makes sense.

When I first opened Step 2? There was a giant, nearly unusable gob of product on it. I know a gob is generally expected on the first use or two of a mascara, but this was one the likes of which I hadn't seen before. You're going to have to scrape some off on the side of the tube.

Here's the mascara in action. Sorry, again, for the slight inconsistency of the photos, but I hope you can see what I'm saying.

Bare Lashes

Step 1

Above is one coat of Step 1. Step 1 gives some length, and some thickness-plus-separation as well. It's very subtle, but I could see the difference. I was really pleased; I prefer a more natural mascara.

Step 2

Step 2 offers a lot more in terms of thickening and lengthening. If you apply Step 2 without a little bit of a scrape-off (at least when you get a new tube) it really makes the mascara slow-to-dry, but you can layer it a bit more for the full-on effect. These photos are from my very first time using it. I was an amateur then, but now I'm practically a pro. Check it out!

Step 2, after more practice

If you use it the first few times and find it clumpy, I suggest you wipe some product off. Around the fifth use, you won't have to. As you can see above, your lashes won't always gather the way they do on the first uses. I suggest using a spoolie or lash comb with it at first if you have issues (or maybe going back in with Step 1).

The formula itself? Pretty great. The site claims 'no flaking, smudging or smearing' and I can definitely say that that's been true for me. Like I mentioned before, Step 2 can be a little slow to dry if you don't scrape some product off (five to eight seconds) but once it's on, it's on to stay. The site also claims this is 'water resistant' but still easy to remove. Neither tearing up nor being in a mild drizzle made this stuff budge, but both regular water-plus-cleanser and my Origins makeup remover got it off without any trouble, so that's also true.

The flaws tend to be with Step 2. I understand that it's supposed to have more product, but I do feel like it can be too much, especially when you're working with a fresh tube.

The Good:

• Water resistant.
• Easy to remove.
• Easy to layer.
• You can get both a more subtle look or a more dramatic one.
• It doesn't budge or migrate.

The Bad:

• Step 2 can gather too much product.
• Step 2 tends to dry slowly because of the large amount of product.

The Neutral:

• You may need a spoolie to help you out with Step 2 when you get a fresh tube.

Overall, I do like this mascara if you want something that'll stay on all day without issues. If you want to do a really dramatic lash, I do think you can get that look with this but there's a little bit of a learning curve with dry-down and getting just the right amount of product. I think it's worth it, because I do like that you can go both subtle and dramatic with this: I don't like having more than one tube of mascara open at a time, and with this I won't have to. I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for a water resistant formula that won't have a fussy time with removal. I would definitely consider purchasing this.

This is currently available from KKCenterHK for $19.80.

Thank you, fiercenerditude
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http://fiercenerditude.blogspot.com/2011/08/yanqina-2-in-1-classic-dramatic-dazzle.html