L'Oreal Voluminous False Lashes Mascara - Review

I've never, in my make-up loving life, used a L'Oreal mascara before. They seem to fall into that "love it or hate it" realm, and I've been too busy trying other things. I'm not sure what prompted me to pick up False Lashes several weeks ago, but I did, and here's what I thought.

Packaged in a shiny, oddly shaped gold tube, this mascara retails from $7.99 - $9.99 or so in my area. The tube is triangular at the ends, and has flat, facet-type sides (which means it doesn't roll around - nice touch). The L'Oreal website states:

"[This mascara] features a unique blend of long and short nylon and rayon fibers... to deliver lashes that look fuller, longer, curled and sculpted..."

The brush is a traditional fiber brush, which I prefer. This mascara was my first time using a fiber mascara, which means fibers are mixed into the formula, to make it more lengthening and volumizing. The brush tapers at the point and the fibers are not cut in a conical fashion. Rather, one side of the brush has the bristles cut in a slightly curved fashion.

The tube does not do a great job of removing excess product from the trip of the wand, as you can see above. A minor annoyance, but you end up pushing dried out product back into the tube, if you scrape this extra mascara back on the opening of the tube.

So, does it deliver? Well, yes and no. My lashes looked longer, and slightly fuller. I could even say they seemed a bit more curled than usual, but sculpted? I don't think so. Also, this mascara did not do well over my lash primer from Clinique at all. Way too much volume (and coming from a volume fan, that's saying something). I appreciate that this mascara seemed to start off being dry, and didn't seem to get drier as time went on until about the last week (week # 6 of use), when it started getting dry and causing a spider-lash affect.  I purchased this mascara in the black shade, and it's nicely pigmented, and matches most other "Blackest Black" type mascaras.

I didn't experience any smudging, flaking or migrating with this mascara. It dried on my lashes pretty quickly, which I like. If my eyes watered, the mascara didn't move from my lashes. It wasn't a pain to remove, but it didn't come off super easy, either. I found using a dual-phase eye makeup remover in addition to my oil cleanser was a good idea.

Overall, it was a nice mascara, and worth a look. Because I couldn't deal with the dryness after about 6 weeks. I don't know if this tube had been on the shelf for a while, or if it's a dry formula, but it wouldn't have lasted the full 3 months. I'm also a mascara ho, so I have wa-ay to many more to try. In a pinch, I'd buy this, but only to tide me over until I was able to get a different mascara.

MAC Pro Longlash - Review

I'll freely admit to loving MAC mascaras. Plushlash is the closest thing I have to a holy grail mascara. I loves it. Deeply. Dazzlelash comes in a close second. I can say, however, I've been on a mascara low-ish buy, because I had been hoarding mascara sample tubes. I could swap for mascaras only (other than cheap thrills), and felt like I was lucky when I arranged a swap for Pro Longlash mascara in black on MUA.

Apparently only available from MAC Pro stores, this mascara retails at $13, which is par for the course for MAC. I like that their mascaras aren't $30, unlike their department store neighbors. Of course, they are more expensive than their drugstore counterparts, however, has anyone else noticed the price creeping for drugstore lines?  Anyway, MAC says:

Goes the distance. Makes lashes luxuriously long and silky: no spikes! Luxury and longitude in a pro-proven formula. Accelerates lashes into length, smooth and fast. Smooth silky finish. Wears long (all day!) Go the distance: bat-a-lash!

So... was it love? While I found this mascara to be nice, it's nothing to seek out. It's a run of the mill mascara, with a sort of wonky wand. The brush is tapered at both ends. The tip collects a lot of product, so you have to wipe it off as you remove it from the tube. It distributes the product fairly well on my lashes. 

My lashes, after one coat, look slightly longer. Two coats gives a little more length, and a tiny bit of volume. Additional coats don't improve things, and can easily lead to clumped lashes. I don't experience smudging or flaking, and this mascara is fairly easy to remove at the end of the day. The formula dries pretty quickly, which is nice.

Overall, I wasn't impressed. I won't seek this mascara out in the future.

Lancome Cils Booster XL Mascara Primer - Review

For some reason, I have been pining away to use a mascara primer. Nothing really spurred this desire, but it was becoming all-consuming - all I could think of was mascara primers. During Sephora's Friends and Family sale, I found a kit from Lancome that included a trial size of one of their primers, Cils Booster XL. Because the kit also had a mascara I wanted to try (Hypnose Doll Lashes), I finally could try a primer without spending too much money.

Although this is a trial size, it looks like the full size, just smaller. The cap/brush are black, with silver lettering saying what the product is. The bottom/tube is white, most likely to make it easy to determine what's inside - no Lancome mascaras (or anyone else's, for that matter), have white tubes.

The primer it's self is white, as well. One coat will start to dry clear, but if you layer (which is a must), it stays white-ish. One coat doesn't seem to do much, but with 2 - 3 coats helps define my lashes, which seems weird because that means I'm putting more and more stuff on my lashes, but it's true. It also adds length, but no real volume. Sephora says:

Give your lashes an XL boost. This innovative mascara base maximizes the result of any Lancôme mascara. Features micro-fibers for enhanced effect; triangular brush helps separate lashes.

I haven't noticed any fibers, and I didn't get a chance to use this under a Lancome mascara (I had other things to use up), but I tried this primer with They're Real! and Lashblast 24Hr, and it seemed to add soemthing to them. Neither mascara flaked without the primer, and there wasn't a difference in wear time or smudging, either.

To sum things up, this mascara added length for me, but little else.  For $23, I would hope it'd do something really measurable, but I don't know if the cost is worth it. I probably wouldn't purchase this on it's own, but I'd happily use a sample.

Cover Girl LashBlast 24 Hour Mascara - Review

I am not a fan of any of the LashBlast mascaras. They just don't do much for me. I've tried the original (meh), and the LashBlast Fusion formula (double meh), but I had to try a mascara that claimed to last 24 hours. Had to.

LashBlast 24 Hour comes in a fat black tube with metallic orange lettering and graphics. It comes in  a few shades of black, and I picked up Very Black (as opposed to "Black"). I almost exclusively wear black or the darkest black mascara available. Brown mascaras always look weird to me, and it's super easy for me to tell if the mascara has pigmentation issues, because my lashes are red/blonde.

Like the original LashBlast, 24 Hour has one of those massive rubber/silicone spikey wands. I hate them. I knew I hated them when I bought this mascara, and I should've known nothing would change my mind. This surely didn't. It's hard to get the inner and outer corner lashes with these things, because the cone-shaped bristles are microscopically small at the tip, making them more pointless than an icemaker on Antarctica. The pigmentation is somewhat poor, as well. I wore this over a while mascara primer (Lancome's Cils Booster XL), and it usually required 3+ coats to fully cover the primer. This subsequently caused some clumping, but it was easily brushed out with a metal lash comb. Without primer, I still needed multiple coats to fully cover my lashes.

That said, it lasted all day without flaking or smudging. Did I get "a blast of lush, volumized lashes," as Cover Girl claims? No. I got slightly volumized lashes, with a touch of extra length. Oh, and a bit of aggravation when it came time to remove this stuff. I've been using Clinique's Take of the Day Balm, and 24 Hour lasts through that, plus normal face washing. I have to use an eye makeup remover, then the balm, and then wash my face. That's a lot of steps. I don't really like to spend that much time and energy on my lashes, because I really don't want to pull them out during the process of getting them clean.

If you need a mascara that lasts forever, 24 Hour is for you. If you want a mascara that lasts all day and is easily removed, however, don't bother with this one.

Benefit They're REAL Mascara - Review

I think a lot of us are always looking for the next best mascara, never minding the umpteen mascaras we've already tried, and the countless good, great, and perfect mascaras we've already tried. So many of us don't have the time or talent to apply false lashes everyday, so we are seeking the one mascara that looks like falsies without the required time. I believe that's why any new mascara that promises false-lash effects are so popular and instantly wanted - and makeup companies know and feed upon this (because, you know, they want us to buy their products and whatnot).

Benefit's They're REAL mascara makes bold claims, and uses a nifty, if not obvious double entendre, in the marketing campaign supporting it's release. My husband is a big fan of the promotional image, a woman with low cut dress and Christina Hendricks-sized breasts that look like they would be painful to the woman they're attached to, yet he doesn't wear makeup, and is likely not the demographic Benefit hopes to attract (I think). The packaging is rather spiffy, though - a gun metal tube in a curvy shape.


Regardless, here are the claims, per Sephora:

This mascara features an exclusive brush specially designed to maximize the performance of the long-wearing, glossy formula revealing lashes you never knew you had! Staggered bristles grab close to the root, boosting length and volume beyond belief. The precision bristles on the custom-domed tip lift, define, and curl even your tiniest lashes. The end result is luxurious, silky lashes that won't smudge, clump, or dry out.
Research results:-94% saw dramatic length and volume*
-90% saw base-to-tip curl*
-94% saw visible lift*
-100% saw long-wearing results*

I think the formula isn't really the star of the show in terms of lengthening and definition, the brush is. It's a hybrid of the rubberized-bristle brush I dislike, and the Givenchy Phemonen'eyes medieval-mace style wand. The tip of the brush has bristles that fan over it's crown, that you're supposed to use to apply and "fan" out your lashes. This is how you're supposed to apply the Phenomen'eyes mascara, as well, and why I loved that particular product - the definition you get from this application technique is simply astounding. The rest of Benefit's brush is pretty good, too, for the type of brush that it is. 


The formula it's self isn't bad, though. It's not water resistant at all (I managed to cry it off my lower lashes relatively quickly, due to some crappiness at work [note: surprisingly, it's not really easy to get off - and I use a eye makeup remover prior to washing my face!]). It's build-able, to an extent, which is why the brush and application technique works - a super thick formula would clump like no one's business before you had chance to apply it properly. It can over-volumize, however, which leads to clumping. It doesn't flake or smudge, and seems to set within a reasonable amount of time. My lashes still feel soft, not crunchy, once the mascara has set.


What I'd be remiss to not discuss, however, is how long it takes to apply. Because you're essentially doing multiple coats (which is probably normal for most people), you wouldn't expect this mascara to be any different than whatever you're currently using. What I failed to consider was how long it would take to use the tip of the wand to apply mascara, comb my lashes, and fan them out a bit. That takes a while. I usually don't do all of my lashes, just the outer third or so, but I if I were to attempt to do all of my lashes, I might drive myself crazy. I don't bother using the tip to go over my bottom lashes, since, you know... who wears falsies on their lower lashline?


Over all, I like this mascara. It's $22, though, which is spendy. I'll be very curious to see how this formula works as it dries out, over time. I have a feeling it may get clumpy as more air is introduced in the tube. Due to this one nagging fact, I can't say I'd repurchase today. I may need to wait until I've used the mascara for more than a month to be sure it'll work out for me.

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara - Review

I think I love testing mascaras because it's pretty hard to have a bad reaction to them. A mascara is not likely to cause a break out (not like I break out often, though), I don't have to worry about the color not really "going with" whatever else I'm wearing, so I can wear it every day for weeks, and I don't have to worry about the color not working with my skin tone. I've tried samples of Smashbox mascaras before, and they tend to be middle-of-the-road in terms of performance. With my last order from Smashbox.com, I selected a deluxe sample of their newest mascara, Full Exposure.

According to Smashbox:

Inspired by the on-set technique of layering a lengthening fiber mascara over a volumizing formula, our new studio-tested mascara exposes your longest, fullest lashes. No clumps, no flakes. Just maximum-impact, scene-stealing lashes. • 104% increase in lash volume • 32% increase in lash length • 34-degree increase in lash curl Go on set at Smashbox the day Full Exposure came to life.

For $19, you get a shiny black tube that has the name of the product in white, with a red "x" on it, as an accent. The packaging is fairly standard, nothing terribly excited or depressing about it. Since I only have a sample tube, however, mine is small. The brush is a fiber-type, which I greatly prefer, and seems huge in my sample tube. I'm certain the brush head is full size. Because it's so big, it's hard to maneuver - I usually need to remove the excess mascara that manages to make its way onto my eye lid or under eye area. Not a huge deal, but it's an annoyance, and requires an extra step.

I don't curl my lashes, and I don't particularly notice this mascara making my lashes appear more curled. I can say this mascara seems to add length, and a bit of volume. I find the percentages given by Smashbox to be a bit laughable, though. I don't see 104% increased volume in my lashes. And 32% length? How's that measured, exactly? My lashes certainly appeared longer, but I don't know if they really are a third longer with the mascara than without.

This mascara doesn't wear particularly well on me. I have oily lids, and have found this mascara can begin to melt off a bit, and irritate my eyes. This only occurs during super warm days, where I've been wearing makeup for 12 or more hours though.

This mascara removes very easily, which I really like. Sounds silly, but I'd rather not have to use a ton of eye makeup remover, or have to really scrub my eyes to remove mascara. My eye makeup remover removes this very easily.

Overall, this is a mediocre mascara. It's not amazing, but it's not trash, either. It's merely a decent, average, mascara. If it didn't migrate or flake into my eyes, I'd like it more. As it is, though, it's not bad.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara - Review

I swear I'm not a crazed Tarte fan. I promise! I've just been getting a lot of their stuff recently, and most of it has been pretty good. Originally, I was just going to swap this mascara, however, though my recent acquisitions, I ended up with 3 tubes. I've sold one, used one, and still have one available.

This mascara retails for $19.00, and is only available in the shade black. It's available at Sephora, Ulta, and Tarte's own website, as well as in kits, like those available on QVC. Tarte's website says:

This is what we call a push-up bra for your lashes™ a 4-in-1 (lengthening, curling, volumizing and conditioning) dermatologist tested mascara that gives dramatic, thick, sexy lashes and is clinically proven to increase lash volume by 424%. 

I like super volumizing mascaras that also give some definition. I guess I love drama, and I don't have enough in my own life, so I need to add some to my lashes. I'm happy with the length of my lashes, however.


Lights, Camera, Lashes! claims to do so much, but it sort of fails at at least one of the claims everyday. It's rather inconsistent, though. One day it seems to clump like mad, the next it defines my lashes perfectly, but they don't appear volumized in the least. Some times my lashes appear longer, and other days they don't appear longer at all. I don't believe I'm changing how I apply the mascara in any way, so I'm a little confused.

The brush is okay. It reminds me of the Lashblast brush, only it had fiber-type bristles rather than rubber ones. I really don't like the spikey rubber bristles - they never seen to work well for my lashes (with one notable exception, Phenomen'Eyes). It's a wide brush that slightly tapers to a rather blunt end. It's nothing magical. Like most mascara wands, it tends to suffer from a massive build up of mascara at the tip.


The tube it's self leaves me confused, because you can find this packaged in two ways, one has a faux-croc-ish looking sheath over what I can only assume is plastic tube. The other way is in a plan, rather expected purple tube with some information on it about the product, a much more normal way to package mascara. I don't believe there's any difference between the two, other than the packaging. I've received the mascara both ways in kits, so I don't know. I think it's to match the way the mascara performs - sometimes great, sometimes not-so-much.


I can't really recommend this mascara, since it doesn't provide consistent results. For less money, you can get a mascara, like many of MAC's, or The Falsies Flared, that provide consistently good results.

Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies Flared Mascara - Review

Whew! What a long name! I was pleased with the One-by-One mascara, and was extremely excited to try the The Falsies Flared mascara, since Maybelline appears to be on a roll with their last several mascara releases. I picked this up at the same time I got the Master Drama liner, and have had a chance to use this for a while.

According to Ulta.com (since Maybelline doesn't have this mascara mentioned on their site):

False lash glam goes flared! Up, out & over the top, instantly! Maybelline's exclusive spoon brush loads lashes with massive volume and presses them into a flared arch while the flexible-hold formula with pro-ker fiber provides a lasting curve.

I have to hand it to the copywriter here. This description makes me think of leaving my husband and kid to run away with The Falsies Flared, since it will do everything my little heart desires. Common sense, however, demands that I stay where I am... how can a mascara make my lashes do something they don't already do?

In all honesty, to get your lashes to "flare" out, you may wish to take your favorite mascara, and apply it in such a way as to direct your lash in the direction you want them to be. I seriously doubt you have to buy a drugstore mascara to have this happen. Regardless, I like this mascara.It give me volume, and length (in that order). I chose "Blackest Black," since my lashes are light in color naturally, and I love drama. It covers my lashes fairly well. The only issue really I have with The Falsies Flared is, well, it's TOO volumizing. I mean, with one coat, my lashes are near perfect. With 2 or more coats, however, my lashes end up clumpy, and beginning to clump together, which is not a look I like. I have to use a spoolie, or a lash brush to fix things.

The "exclusive spoon brush" is really a curved wand (which I think we've all see before), with a little flexible bit connecting it to the handle. It does move fairly easily, but I don't think it's cause for celebration. Even though the brush is huge, I don't seem to have the issues I normally have with over-sized brushes. I don't end up with mascara on my lids or under my eyes, which I'm grateful for.

Overall, I like this mascara, except for the clumping. I could do without that. Do I look like I have flared false lashes on with this mascara? No. I look like I have thick black mascara on. But, that's okay with me (oddly). If you're looking for a false-lash look, you may be better off layering this mascara, using a completely different product, or wearing falsies. Just a thought. ;)

Maybelline Volum' ExpressOne by One Mascara - Review

Despite being on a mascara no-buy for the last 18 months as I used all of the sample tubes I'd accumulated, I had been having so much luck with Maybelline products over the last 3 months or so, that I was excited to try their newest mascara, One by One. I picked up a tube in "Blackest Black."

From the Maybelline website:

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT
Finally, bold volume without any of the bulk.
• Patented Lash Catcher™ brush has 3 bristles per lash to make every lash count
• Catches, coats and de-clumps each lash to make them all fatter and flirtier
• Instant clump-free volume
• Contact lens safe and ophthalmologist-tested
• Washable, also available in Waterproof formula
FOR BEST RESULTS
Sweep brush upwards from root to tip to add volume to each lash. Continue building lashes until you reach your desired look. Do not let dry between coats. Removes easily with soap and water or Expert Eyes® 100% Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover.

The brush, like many brushes, seems massive, and has those rubbery bristles which I tend to dislike. I've been using this mascara for 3 weeks now, and have finally figured out how to best apply this to get the application down in a way to make the formula do what I like. I don't follow the well-meaning "For Best Results" information above, rather, I have found if I "roll" the mascara on to my lashes, I get great results. I prefer volumizing mascaras, that offer a little boost to definition and length. I recall liking MAC Plushlash and Dazzlelash (but, it's been almost 2 years since I last used either of these mascaras), as a reference point. If I don't roll the mascara wand, this mascara looks and acts like any other "regular" mascara, ie, "my lashes but black." This sort of defeats the purpose of a volumizing mascara, no?


I liked that the bristles at the tip of the wand taper, so I don't end up with mascara in the inner corner of my eye after getting those lashes. In all honesty, I found this mascara pretty easy to apply cleanly, meaning, I didn't have to clean up after applying it.


I don't curl my lashes, and I can't speak to how well this mascara holds a curl. I can say it doesn't melt or flake off my lashes, and it coats very well. It also removes very easily with a makeup remover, like Lancome's Bifacil or Clinique's Take off the Day, which I greatly appreciate. 


Overall, I've been very pleased with this purchase. Drugstore mascaras have really stepped up their game over the last several years. I always had a bad taste in my mouth regarding Maybelline's mascaras since using Great Lash in high school, but this formula is pretty good, provided I apply it using my rolling method. 

Smashbox HyperLash Mascara - Review

For the last year or so, I haven't bought any new mascaras. The reason for this absurdity became clear at the end of last year (err, 2009), when I was looking for extras for a swap and I realized I had almost 15 unopened, untested sample-sized mascaras, and I WAS CONTINUING TO BUY MASCARAS. WHY?! So, rather than buy any new mascaras, I thought I'd use one sample per month to work my way through them, and to see what I had been missing from all of these other brands. Some I have reveiwed over at MUA. This one, however, will be reviewed here. Behold! I give you - Smashbox HyperLash!!

Alright. Now that that is out of my system, let's continue. My lashes have darker roots and light, nearly blonde, tips. I wear black mascara almost exclusively, because I love a bit of drama (I always wear eye makeup, and don't care how heavy it looks at times - if I like it, I'll wear it, thankyouverymuch). I dislike rubber-bristle wands, as I feel they don't coat my lashes. I don't curl my lashes (*gasp*), mostly because I don't think I have to (or I'm in denial, take your pick), and I'm lazy. HyperLash is the second mascara from Smashbox I've tried, and like the first, LashDNA, I like it. It doesn't wow me, but I'd consider buying it, maybe.

From Smashbox.com: "Rev up your lashes with this high intensity all-in-one mascara that lifts, lengthens, volumizes (sic?), and defines. The unique dual applicator has a brush on one side, and a comb on the other for beautifully full, amazingly long, clump-free lashes in seconds..." Holy adjectives, Batman!

First, the wand:

This does have rubberized bristles, however they're small, fine, and seem to work way better than LashBlast from Cover Girl. My lashes actually get coated with mascara! There are two different "sides" to this wand. One side of the brush features bristles that are all the same length. The other has bristles that get shorter towards the tip, which is awesome for getting the inner corner, unless you like applying mascara to your eye lid.

I like lengthing and definition from a mascara - oh, and I LOVE volume. This mascara seems to do a little bit of everything. It doesn't excell in one area, nor does it fail in any area. It's just a basic mascara. Does it deserve all of the superlatives Smashbox gives? Not really, for my lashes. It is a nice, black mascara, though. It looks truly black, and I don't find my naturally light tips peaking through.

With an MSRP of $21.00, I don't plan on purchasing this mascara on it's own. I'd rather go with MAC's PlushLash or DazzleLash, since they're around $13.00.

**This review is based on a sample sized tube that came from smashbox.com. There is a belief that sample size mascaras are a different formula than the full size tubes, but... I don't know.