Marc Jacobs O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara Review

Before I get a delicious mascara review I just want to say to my readers, thank you. My last review was months ago and I am amazed that I still get close to 1000 visits every month. This is purely a hobby for me and you are the reason I continue to write.

 

I grabbed a tube of Marc Jacobs delicious O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara a short while ago and here's what I thought of it

Product Description From Official Site Summarized

-long, voluminous lashes.

- an innovative double brush in this volumizing mascara boasting an advanced design formed by stitching together two different mascara brushes: one for enhanced lash separation;

- another for more volume, curl, and volume


From their description, this really sounds like a triple-threat mascara that's said to do it all. Volume, curl, and length, but the one thing that I really like about this mascara is I get great lash separation as I'm adding and building product onto my lashes.

Impressive volume and even more impressive lash separation. There is a certain degree of clumping of the lashes and I accept this given that the volume gained was far greater than the actual clumping.

There was good lengthening and claims of lash curling also lived up to expectations. My lashes remained beautifully fanned and curled throughout the day.

Pro Tip: A good curl regardless if your mascara or brush had anything to do with it always helps with the perception of longer lashes. Therefore, always curl your lashes before putting mascara on them!

The brush applicator is narrow at the top and quickly cascade into uniform tube shape. The brushes are unevenly short and medium. I guess this is what they mean by combining two brush designs into one optimized for volume, length, and curl.

I recommend Marc Jacobs O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara for two reasons. One is the product delivers volume, length, and curl and second is the impressive lash separation and volume combo that I don't come across often with the lower price point mascaras. If you have a serious need for lash separation, O!Mega is worth a try!


Where to buy: Online and in-store at most high-end cosmetic retailers.
Price is $26US


Thou shalt not walk out of thy house without lush lashes except on weekends, weekdays, and basically whenever you don't feel like putting on makeup. More power to you.


Ingredients

AQUA/WATER/EAU, CERA CARNAUBA/COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX/CIRE DE CARNAUBA, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) BRAN WAX, HYDROGENATED OLIVE OIL STEARYL ESTERS, SD ALCOHOL 40-B (ALCOHOL DENAT.), PALMITIC ACID, STEARIC ACID, TRIETHANOLAMINE, ACACIA SENEGAL GUM, CANDELILLA CERA/EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX/CIRE DE CANDELILLA, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, GLYCERIN, VP/VA COPOLYMER, AMINOMETHYL PROPANEDIOL, PANTHENOL, POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, CHLORPHENESIN, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, HYDROLYZED CERATONIA SILIQUA SEED EXTRACT, ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH, POTASSIUM SORBATE, SODIUM BENZOATE, POLYQUATERNIUM-7, BIOTINOYL TRIPEPTIDE-1, GUAR HYDROXYPROP
YLTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE, IRON OXIDES (CI 77499).

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Dior Show Mascara Review

A quick stroll by Sephora's mascara display will reveal the supremacy Dior's mascaras has in the high end segment of mascaras in the market. A few weeks ago, I got my hands on a deluxe sample at Sephora. Let's see how it worked on me.

Product Description From Dior

Buildable Volume Lash-Extension Effect
Runway mascara with extreme volume and a ""lash-extension"" effect.
Diorshow combines the legendary power of its XXL brush with a buildable cream formula for adjustable professional volume and spectacular lashes. The result : customized volume to mirror the effect of professional lash extensions.

It took quite a few coats until I achieved the results you're seeing in the photos. I would have to agree that the formula is buildable for increased volume and length and that there was little to no clumping.

The lashes look lush from the side but here's my gripes with Diorshow - the lengthening and volumizing is barely noticeable from afar. By afar, I mean the distance between the mirror and my bathroom sink counter. I was only able to clearly see the little volume and length increase from the photos I took for this review.

Diorshow indeed has an XXL-sized brush and it reminded me of  Smashbox's Full Exposure Mascara's own applicator brush. The bristles are clustered together and distributed evenly in bunches.

The chunky brush worked well in separating lashes but the formula did very little for my lashes. At $25 a tube, this one is a pass for me, but I would be interested to try their other mascaras as they have 4 other types in their lineup.


Retails for $25USD
Buy at Dior Makeup's official website and most major cosmetics retailers online and in-store.

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Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara with Primer Review

Hey guys! Let's round off this weekend with a review on Tarte's Lights, Camera, Flahes Statement Mascara. I grabbed this little guy during Sephora's VIB/VIB Rouge 20% Off Shopping Event as a 100 Point Perk.
After doing some research I was further impressed with Tarte's formula as it is a paraben-free and phthalate-free product. It contains no mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfates, or gluten.

[Update Dec. 01, 2013]: Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara with primer added at the bottom.

Product Description from Official Website

Product Performance: Take your sultry, flashy lashes to the extreme with this amped up, ultra-black mascara that lengthens, curls and magnifies lashes for an intensified look proven to increase lash volume by 752% instantly! Powered by tarte’s proprietary triple black complex, this longwear, vitamin-infused formula emphasizes length and volume while conditioning lashes for a dramatic look that won’t dry out, flake or budge.

The custom-engineered, dual-molded brush boosts even the skinniest lashes for an exaggerated, voluminous look. First, the shorter, denser side of the brush delivers the optimal amount of mascara to volumize and coat each lash perfectly, then the longer, firmer side of the brush lengthens and separates for maximum volume without clumping.

Powered By: Provitamin B5: vitamin B derivative that helps treat and thicken lashes. Beeswax: a protective barrier between the skin and the environment that has been known to naturally stimulate collagen, production. Mineral pigments: soothe and soften lashes.

The product description as alway,s sounds wonderful. So, how did it turn out?

I was pretty impressed with the results. My lashes increased in volume and length but the one thing that won me over was how nicely I could sculpt my lashes. There is some clumping of the lashes but I'm willing to trade that off for the great fan shape and the combined increases in both length and volume.

The gold colored tube really speaks to me but that's strictly personal preference! The brush wand design is very effective in combing and defining your lashes. I especially liked the fan shape I was able to create for this session. The brush is made up of short to medium length, stiff bristles that are spread further apart than traditional medium to long bristles found on other mascaras. Although it doesn't hurt, I do get a little startled when I brush too close to my lash line and get pricked by the bristles.


Overall, for those who are on the hunt for cleaner makeup products with great performance or a solid mascara, this is a good one. The brush applicator itself may take some getting used to as the fiber bristles are far apart and they are pointy. I will be updating this post later after I've used Tarte's primer underneath the mascara so check back for that. :)

Results with Tarte Primer multiplEYE

I applied Tarte's multiplEYE primer on first and then Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara right after. There is a noticeable difference with increased volume and length but as always that also means more clumping for me.

There is a direct impact to how your lashes turn out as a result of how well you were able to apply and combo your lashes with the primer. If you can use the primer to comb out and shape your lashes evenly, you will retain that shape but increase the volume and length as you apply the mascara. If during primer application,  few lashes got clumped together, you won't necessarily be able to comb them out with the mascara brush because as you would expect, the mascara grabs right onto the primer. It's like coloring a picture - you use the primer to line your lashes and the mascara is used to fill within the area that was lined.

Lashes looked very voluminous on the side and the clumping isn't very noticeable. A big plus is there is no visible white primer on the lashes.

The primer wand has a thin and long brush applicator with a spiraling design. The bristles are soft and short to medium in length. See here for a picture of the brush.

I'm not quite sold on the primer because of how my lashes look from the front. Due to added clumping, it makes the lashes look sparse. I will say that the lashes look absolutely beautiful from the side. I would use the primer occasionally for added effect but for $22 a pop, it's unlikely I will be buying the full size primer after I use this one up.

I've reviewed another Tarte mascara w/ primer results for your comparison - Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara if you are interested.

Retails For $23 USD
Primer Retails For $22 USD
Where to buy: Tarte Cosmetics online or locally and at most major cosmetic stores. Full size from Sephora's Lash Stash 2013

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Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara Review

Here's something refreshing for you guys. This review is on Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes mascara that is formulated without:

- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Phthalates
- Triclosan

Partial Product Description From Official Website

The secret behind doll lashes, finally revealed! Lancôme’s most flirtatious lash look. A volumized, extended and full lash fringe for a wide-eye look. A new, unique, coneshaped brush provides an extremely smooth and clean application, precisely defining even your hard-toreach corners and lower lashes. Lift and thicken every single lash without weighing it down.
 
Application:
1) Place the brush at the center of the lashes. Let the brush glide over lashes from root to tip, following a zigzag motion.
2) Use the tip of the brush to catch the smallest lashes in the inner corner of eye.
3) Intensify the exterior corner of the eye using the widest part of the brush to brighten up the look of your eyes.
4) Apply to the lower lashes.

I've heard good things about this mascara but I didn't get much notable results from them. The length of my lashes look about the same. You can see in the photos that there's considerable clumping as well. I will note that the lashes do fan out with the help of the brush applicator.

The clumping isn't so noticeable on the side. Everything usually looks pretty nice in the side view. :)

 

If there was one thing I thorougly enjoyed when using the  mascara is the brush. The brush applicator has a cone-shape, much like another Lancôme mascara, Lancôme Hypnôse Star but unlike Star, the brush is 360 degrees cone-shaped.The bristles were short to long from top to bottom. Densely set together in bunches and their texture is soft.

I like how easy it is to use the brush. The thinner end of the brush is good for getting the inner corners of the eyes. The wider end of the brush is used to pack on product, volumize and define lashes. I just didn't get much volume, length or definition. But I will recommend the mascara on the basis of it's cleaner ingredient list. If you're allergic to those regularly and toxic chemicals used in makeup and mascara, you will want to check out Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes. Doll Lashes is one of the two mascaras I've come across without the some of those nasties. The other is Korres Volcanic Minerals Volumizing Macara which you can read the review after the link.

Retails For $31 USD

Where to buy: Lancôme online and locally at their flagship stores and makeup counters in major department stores.

Ingredients

Black

Aqua / Water / Eau, Paraffin, Copernicia Cerifera Cera / Carnauba Wax / Cire De Carnauba, Steareth-20, Cera Alba / Beeswax / Cire Dabeille, Acacia Senegal / Acacia Senegal Gum, Alcohol Denat., Steareth-2, Cetyl Alcohol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Peg/Ppg-17/18 Dimethicone, Tdi/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Sodium Polymethacrylate, Silica, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol, Phenethyl Alcohol, Nylon-12, Disodium Edta, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylyl Glycol, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, Polyquaternium-10, Sodium Dehydroacetate, [+/- May Contain / Peut Contenir: Ci 77007 / Ultramarines, Ci 77491, Ci 77499 / Iron Oxides, Mica].

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Lancôme Hypnôse Star Show Stopping Volume Mascara Review

I've got some more mascara reviews for you. Let's take a look at Lancôme Hypnôse Star Show Stopping Volume Mascara.

Product Description From Official Website

Glamorous Volume. Alluring Length

Lancôme reveals the secret to show-stopping eyes. Lashes are dressed with intense volume at the lash line and sensuous curve from root to tip.

Never overdone. Get the star lash look with a new, exclusive double-sided brush. The flat side of the brush coats lashes with show stopping volume. Comb through lashes with the round side of the brush for seductive, separating length. Dress up your lashes with a “Black Diamond” effect for an ultra-glamorous look.

Star Mascara gave good lengths and  volume. My only complaint is the clumping. Volume mascara formulas and/or their brushes tend to clump my lashes. While Lancome's Hypnose Star is a notch better than other mascaras I've tried, the problem is still there. I get more volume and less clumping with Lancome's Drama mascara.

 Lashes look great from the side. The lengthening and curling effects are very visible.

The applicator brush has a unique shape of a pine cone that isn't cyclindrical. The front and back of the brush is flat. [left to right]: Photo 1 shows the brush from the front where you'll notice the cone shape and because the brush is actually flat and looks skinner from the side in photo 2. The bristles are medium soft, short from the top and becomes longer as you descent the "pine cone".

Lancome designed the brush as such so that you can use the front and back side of it to build volume and the sides to comb out your lashes for seperating and lengthening. The brush is easy to use and the sides do help seperate and fan out your lashes nicely.

Overall, Lancôme's Hypnôse Star Mascara is not bad. It's notable effects include lash-curling formula, an easy-to-use brush and provides good length + volume (albeit clumps on me). It's a  higher-end mascara priced at $28 USD. At this price point, I do expect it to be better than it's drugstore or $18-$22 counterparts so it does fall a little short in this aspect.

If you're prone to clumping, Lancome Hypnose's Drama Mascara is the better choice as the brush combs out product more effectively. I would try Hypnose Star if you need a formula that provides a noticeable curl to your lashes and you prefer length over defined volume.

Retails for: $28USD

Where to buy: Lancome online and locally at department store counters and flagship stores.

Ingredients

Black

Water, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Cera Alba / Beeswax / Cire Dabeille, Copernicia Cerifera Cera / Carnauba Wax / Cire De Carnauba, Acacia Senegal / Acacia Senegal Gum, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Tin Oxide, Peg/Ppg-17/18 Dimethicone, Steareth-20, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Sodium Polymethacrylate, Silica, Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol, Disodium Edta, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panthenol, Polyquaternium-10, Phenoxyethanol, [+/- May Contain / Peut Contenir, Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 / Iron Oxides, Ci 77891 / Titanium Dioxide.

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Mascara Junkies Continue to Rejoice! Lash Stash 2013 Review

Sephora has come out with this year's Lash Stash (2013). There are 11 pieces in the set with 10 of them being mascaras and two of which are full sized tubes. The 11th piece is a pair of Sephora brand false lashes called Sephora Collection False Eye Lashes in Celebrity. About half of the mascaras were featured in last year's Lash Stash and you see last year's set here but I've also put the review links below for your convenience.

Read through the post to see how the mascaras compare to each other in this year's set.

[Update 12/06/2013]: Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara review added.

This set contains:
- 0.10 oz Benefit They're Real Mascara - REVIEW HERE

- 0.141 oz Blinc Mascara

- 0.2 oz BUXOM Lash Mascara - REVIEW HERE

- 0.14 oz Clinique High Impact Mascara - REVIEW HERE

- 0.135 oz Lancôme Hypnôse Drama - REVIEW HERE

- 0.13 oz Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant

- 1 x Sephora Collection False Eye Lashes in Celebrity - Just getting into false lashes or need some extra pointers? Learn all about them here!

- 0.5 oz Sephora Collection Outrageous Mascara  (full sized tube)   - REVIEW HERE
 
- 0.31 oz Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes™ Statement Mascara (full sized tube) - REVIEW HERE

- 0.17 oz Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara - REVIEW HERE

- 0.06 oz Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils Baby Doll

Favorites

Of the reviewed mascaras, here are my favorites so far. I will add more to this list once I get to try the others. In the meantime, I hope you'll find the notes below to be helpful in your journey to your very own holy grail mascara. 

1.  BUXOM Lash Mascara - I found the Bare Escentuals BUXOM Lash Mascara to be a solid lengthening and defining mascara. The product formula coupled with a flexible brush head allows for impressive volume building with very little clumping. I love how well this mascara works on me. The only downside (when you're in a hurry) is that it takes some patience to apply because several layers of the product is needed for maximum results. 

 2. Lancôme Hypnôse Drama -  Hypnôse is great for defined volume. I emphasized the word defined because my biggest issue with mascaras that claim to be primarily volumizing, clump my lashes. This is an exceptional volumizing mascara for me and to roundoff its overall awesomeness, it also  lengthens.

 3. Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara - Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara as I conclude is not comparable to the deed cause mascara to nuts? The math just doesn't add up. har har Regardless, the mascara is awesome. It volumizes, lengthens and defines without you needing to bat a lash.

 Despite appearances, its hourglass-shaped brush is also easy to use. Plus, I got my sample from Too Faced's Blogger Darling set that included their bronzer, eye and face primers which was a lot of fun to review.

 4. Clinique High Impact Mascara - I absolutely love the wand applicator for Clinque's High Impact. It's so untimidating and easy to use. The wand applicator is a straight forward cone-shaped brush head with bristles that are evenly distributed. I find that sometimes fancy twist or hour glass-shaped brushes takes longer to get used to. You may think with this classic cone-shaped brushes you're limited to how much shaping and building you can do but the product delivers nonetheless. The mascara brings very nicely defined lengths and with some additional layers, you get good volume too. Not as manipulatable as BUXOM but also takes less time to apply for best results. 

 5. Sephora Collection Outrageous Mascara - Who knew Sephora had such a great mascara?! Maybe I'm one of the few who didn't. I have this perception that retailer-branded products are inferior to the manufacture brands because they haven't spent as much time and money on the development and research which may be true in some instances but Sephora's Outrageous Mascara holds up to other  mascaras of its class. The formula and brush applicator gives defined volume and impressive lengths.

Sephora Favorites: Lash Stash (2013) is another nice value set. All the mascaras I liked from last year's Lash Stash are back and Sephora's very own Outrageous mascara comes in full size. If you're just getting into mascaras and don't mind shelling out the extra $20-$25, I'd say go for it. You are paying for sample-sized goods which you could get your hands on from various flagship stores and counters for free but you're also getting the nice packaging and convenience of everything in one box. The whole set should last you for at least a year. In addition, it comes with a pair of Sephora false lashes with eyelash glue and that's enough goodies to get any beginner started!


Retails for $45 (USD)
Where to buy: Sephora online or locally

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Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Review

It's all about Too Faced reviews this weekend. I've been curious about Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara since last year and my interest was again pique when I saw it in this year's Lash Stash. Now that I finally got my hands on it, I couldn't wait to bring you the full scope. So is it really better than sex? Let's find out!

Production Description From Official Website

What It Is:

The Better Than Sex Mascara Hourglass-Shaped Brush was designed after discovering the bust-waist-hip ratio of an iconic silver screen Blonde Bombshell held the secret to the perfect brush silhouette that separates, coats and curls each lash to voluptuous perfection. One coat of the carbon black, collagen-fueled mascara formula and lashes are full, defined and stretched to unbelievable lengths. Two coats and lashes are even more luscious, curled and dramatic. Three coats and achieve the most intense black, oversized, multidimensional lashes possible! A mascara so amazing…it’s Better Than Sex!

More To Love:

Better Than Sex mascara includes:

• Film-forming Polymer for smudge-proof, all day wear
• Acacia Senegal Tree Extract to nourish, thicken and lock curl in place
• Unique Peptides for the deepest, intense black possible

• 1,944% more volume*
• 100% saw longer lashes**
• 100% saw dramatic volume**
• 93% saw base-to-tip curl**
• 8 out of 10 say it’s the best mascara they’ve ever used**

*results observed in a clinical study.
**results observed in a consumer study.

I was surprised by how well defined my lashes were with this volumizing formula. There weren't much expectations going in, because with mascaras, you quickly learn that product names and descriptions mean nothing until you try it on yourself or come here for the reviews! ;)  Really stoked that clumping was fairly minimal. As I worked through to build volume onto my lashes, the product was easy to work through - didn't dry too fast and the brush helped comb out and seperate lashes.

The brush is hourglass shape which reminded me of Bare Escentuals' BUXOM Lashes' brush - also hourglass-shaped. The difference would be where Better Than Sex's bristles are soft, long and have varying lengths, BUXOM's are short, stiff and bristle lengths are the same no matter where they are on the brush. In case of the bristles, Better Than Sex's resembles Lancome's Hypnose Drama Mascara more.

The mascara itself is pretty resilient to smudging and inversely, takes more than just warm water and soap to remove. You will most definitely need makeup remover.

Interestingly at $23 a tube, the price point is right inbetween BUXOM Lashes and Hypnose Drama which are $19 and $27 respectively and the results you get are also between the two. It lengthens and defines well like BUXOM (BUXOM does both better however) and gives defined volume at the same time similar to Hypnose (Hypnose gives a bit more volume).

Better Than Sex's forumla and brush defines, lenghtens and adds volume but it isn't a champion at any of these. If you want lots of volume, there are better mascaras and if you want great lenghts, there are other options. I would however recommend the product if you need all three of these factors fairly equally. As for the question of is it really better than sex. I couldn't tell ya. It's not possible to compare apple to nuts (ya I went there) but it was a lot of fun to write this review. You can also try the mascara at a budget by grabbing the Too Faced Blogger Darling set at $20USD that comes with a deluxe sized tube. Darlings set reviwed here.

Retails for $23 USD
Where to Buy: Two Faced online or locally. 

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Primer Review

Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Primer Reivew

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer and Blogger Darlings Review

Ingredients:

Net Weight:
0.27 Fl. Oz.

Ingredients:
Water/aqua/eau, Synthetic Beeswax, Paraffin, Glyceryl Stearate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Butylene Glycol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Polybutene, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Cera Carnauba/Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/Cire de carnauba, Aminomethyl Propanol, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Polyester-11, PVP, Cellulose, Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Propylene Glycol, Acacia Senegal Gum Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Dextran, Acetyl Hexapeptide-1. May Contain/Peut Contenir/(+/-): Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Black 2 (CI 77266), Ultramarines (CI 77007).

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Benefit BADgal Lashes Mascara Review

I got my hands on Benefit's Bad Gal Lashes when I redeemed a Benefit 500 Point Perk gift set, which you can see here. I've wore the mascara a few times but never got around to writing a post so finally, here it is.

Production Description From Benefit's Site

Why we love it!

Sexy, dramatic, pure unadulterated black mascara for full, voluminous lashes. Famously big brush coats lashes with our thick black formula. It's as BAD as you want to be! .

Who else loves it!

2011 Temptalia The Readers' Choice Award, best mascara
2010 Elle Top 5 Awards, best mascara

How to apply

Wiggle the wand at the base of lashes then sweep upward from root to tip. Layer for added drama.

Beauty tip

Apply they're real! mascara to the tips of lashes for a glossy finish.


I've heard good things about this mascara so I had high hopes for it but like, Benefit They're Real mascara, it didn't quite work out. How so? Results below.

BADgal Lash is a lash volumizing mascara and while I did get some decent volume out of it, the whole experience was undermined by lashes clumping.

 

It doesn't look too bad from the side and the formula lengthens a bit. BADgal did fare considerably better than They're Real. I can't quite figure out why Benefit's best selling mascaras are so mediocore for me. Maybe it's a combination of the formula and brush applicator.

The applicator wand has a large coned shaped brush. The bristles are bunched together and distributed symmetrically on the wand. I was pretty excited to try the mascara cause the brush head looks uncomplicated unlike Lancome's Hypnose Drama Mascara in "Excessive Black". Too bad, it didn't work out though.

I will give it that the product is easy to wash off with some warm water and didn't notice product migrating to my lower lid. You could probably even clean off most of it without using eye makeup remover - something I can't say so certainly about the other mascaras I've tried.The shape of the brush also really reminded me of Clinque's High Impact Mascara. Their results on me are somewhat similar with the difference of High Impact giving more definition and less clumping.

Overall, I can't personally recommend the mascara but I have heard good things about it as well. I say give it a whirl at the store and see how well the formula works for you before buying.


Retails for $19USD
Where to buy: Benefit's online or local retail store and most major cosmetics stores. 

Check here for more mascara reviews!

Ingredients

Water (Aqua), Beeswax (Cera Alba), Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Polybutene, C18-36 Acid Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Panthenol, Silica, Ceteth-10 Phosphate, Dicetyl Phosphate, Peg-100 Stearate, Pvp, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Methylparaben, Chlorphenesin, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Sericin, Gossypium (Cotton) Seed Oil, Cetraria Islandica Extract, Sorbic Acid, Bht, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate. May Contain +/- : Iron Oxides (Ci 77491- Ci77492- Ci 77499), Mica, Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Carmine (Ci 75470), Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77289), Chromium Oxide Greens (Ci 77288). N° 02521/N.

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Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara Review

I got a sample of Laura Mercier's Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara sometime ago and had completely forgotten to try it.

Looking for more mascara reviews? Find them all here!

Product Description from Official Website Reads

Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara

Dramatically thickens, lengthens, curls and sculpts lashes with each stroke. The lightweight, nutrient-infused formula leaves lashes super-shiny, soft and clump-free all day long.

Ingredients

(Black): Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Synthetic Beeswax, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, PVP, Paraffin, Aminomethyl Propanediol, C18-36 Acid Triglyceride, Lecithin, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Laureth-12 Sulfate, Potassium Sorbate, Edta, Benzyl Alcohol, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Powder, Olea Europaea (olive) Fruit Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Panthenol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil. (+/-) Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide (CI 77499), Ferric Ferrocyanide, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide, Carmine, Ultramarines, Bismuth Oxylchloride, Chromium Oxide Greens, Chromium Hydroxide Green.

The mascara went on smoothly and noticed right a way the forumla has a sheen to it. When applied to lashes, you'll notice some shine added to them. The mascara was more lengthening than volumizing for me. The volumizing part of the formula fell flat as I couldn't comb out my lashes and they began to clump where several of my lashes clumped to form a single thicker lash.

In the photo to the left, you'll see what I mean about the clumping with several lashes. This happens to some extent on all the mascaras but my favorites are, of course to a lesser extent. The clumping isn't terrible and from the side my lashes still looked lush and full.

Inpsite of some clumping, the mascara is very smooth making it easy to apply on and comb through the lashes. My lashes did curl up a bit more so I found their claim in this to be valid.

The bristles and placement are medium length ones seperated into dense bunches variety. It is easy to comb through your lashes with the product but the build up and subsequently combing-out of the lashes is not very effective.

I will continue to use this mascara until it dries out because while it's not one of my favorites, it does provide acceptable length and volume for me. I cannot tell if the clumping is a result of the forumla or a poorly paired brush wand, because while the product glides on smoothly, is not easily manipulatable with the wand applicator. It's all very contradicting you see as this is advertised as a "Volume Lash Building Mascara". The product as expected should be very easy to work through but I found the sculpting (comb-out) part to fall flat.

As always, try to grab a sample or at least try a mascara at the store before buying a tube. I could see this formula working for others even if it doesn't totally work for me.

More Mascara Review Here


Retails for $24
Available at Laura Mercier online and locally in-store as well as many major cosmetics store

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