March 10, 2009

Thanks for the scoop on your favorite mascara, LilSis! I love mascara, and don't leave the house without it. No mascara means skimpy lashes that don't show up, but the right mascara means long, thick lashes. It may be the most important part of my morning face, so I'm not willing to compromise on it.

A long time ago, I used Lancome Definicils regularly, but it's just too darn expensive for me ($24), especially when it seems to dry up fairly quickly. I've also used lots of the drugstore brands, and didn't like any of the Cover Girl, Maybelline, Max Factor or Almay mascaras. The cult favorite in the pink and green tube smears and flakes like crazy on me.  At some point, I heard that the same company owns both Lancome and Loreal, and that many of their products are very similar; they're just marketed differently under different company names to target a different consumer at a different price point.

I have two favorite mascaras now, both Loreal, and I use both of them every day. This may sound like overkill but let me splain; I'm not a high-maintenance girl but this method has worked for me for many years now. First I use two thin coats of Loreal Voluminous in black or carbon black.  It gives thickness and volume (hence the name) to the lashes. Next, I add a light coat of Loreal Lash Out. Lash Out is a thinner formula that won't give me the volume I want, but it lengthens (without fibers) and helps preserve the curl I've gotten from my Shu Eumura eyelash curler. Without the Lash Out, the Voluminous would let the curl straighten out during the day.  I like both of these mascaras with the straight brush rather than the curved brush.

Loreal Voluminous Mascara

I love both of these formulas. I have oily skin, and neither of these smears, smudges or flakes AT ALL. They make waterproof formulas of both of these, but I only use them if I'm going to be in the water since the regular formulas wear so well. They whisk away cleanly with my favorite makeup remover; Lancome BiFacil.  As I've said before, BiFacil is definitely a product worth the higher price point!

If I need to spend extra money for a quality product, I will, but there is no need with mascara, which is great since you replace it so frequently. The Loreal mascaras run around $6 to $8 depending on where you buy them, and there are frequently $1 or $2 coupons in the Sunday paper for them. Unless there's a new miracle mascara to hit the shelves, I'm pretty happy with my Loreal mascara duo!

~BigSis