January 9, 2011

A couple of months ago, I gave up my long-time favorite mascara – Loreal Voluminous – because it was animal-tested.  I went on a search for a new awesome product and reviewed four mascaras that disappointed me: Smashbox Hyper Lash, Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, Revlon 3D Extreme and MAC Zoom Lash.

Since then, the mascara search has continued with these three prospects:

Physicians Formula Organic Mascara ($9.95 retail)

• This mascara is said to be 100% free of harsh chemicals, synthetic preservatives, parabens, clumping, smudging, flaking, fibers and dyes.  It is also supposed to provide 5x Lash Boosting for lash length, volume and definition naturally, with a 100% recyclable “Eco-Brush” that claims to define each lash with ultra-soft plastic bristles.

• Did it deliver on all those claims?  Ehhh.  It was ok.  I didn't take it back to the store, and actually used it several times.  I did get a little flaking, but not a terrible amount, and it removed very easily at night.

• My main beef with this mascara is that the look it provides is too natural for me.  As I mentioned in my previous review, I'm looking for volume and curl-retention.  I didn't get deal-killing clumping with this mascara, but I didn't get the volume I crave either.  I also wasn't a big fan of the plastic brush.

Josie Maran GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara ($22 retail)

• I really wanted to love this mascara since Jose Maran Cosmetics donates one mascara to a City of Hope cancer patient for each GOGO (Get One Give One) mascara purchased.

• It claims to deliver full, longwearing, clump-free, water-resistant definition and to evenly build thickness and smoothness, delivering a full fringe of blacker-than-black lashes with dewy shine. It also includes Argan Oil which is supposed to condition and support hair growth for lush, supple, healthy lashes.

• So did this mascara walk the walk?  Sadly, no.  I tried it twice, and had to take it back to the store.  It clumped horribly, no matter how thoroughly I tried to wipe off the excess on the neck of the tube.  Besides that, the brush was enormous to the extent that it was unwieldy, and I found it nearly impossible to apply the product to my lower lashes without also applying it under my eyes.

• For the price, I had high expectations for Jose Maran's mascara, especially when it came highly recommended by the Sephora sales rep.  The only thing I liked about this mascara is the GOGO program, so back it went.

Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara ($20 retail) (QVC 2/pk $28)

• I happened to randomly catch Mally Beauty on QVC, and liked her energy and was sold on a kit that included her Volumizing Mascara.  Mally claims that this mascara helps create the look of gorgeous, full, luxurious lashes with a combination of natural waxes and carefully chosen powders. It comes with a plush brush that is said to work with the powders in the formula to help thicken lashes without clumping and give you gorgeous volume that lasts.

• Was I disappointed yet again?  NO! You read that right…I wasn't disappointed with Mally's Volumizing Mascara! I actually tried a mascara that I like!

• Mally Volumizing Mascara gives me volume, curl and definition.  It doesn't smudge, flakes only a teensy bit (which mascara doesn't, frankly), and is easy to remove at the end of the day.  I will absolutely reorder this mascara in the QVC 2-pack.

• For now, my mascara search is over.  I can't say that I won't try another hyped-up mascara that crosses my path, but for now, I'm thrilled to have found one that I'm happy to use every morning. 😀

Next up, I have some fun new vegan products lined up on my bathroom counter, waiting to be tried out.  I have Lip Tar from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics and three loose Sugarpill eyeshadows.  Can a 40-plus woman pull off these vibrant young colors?  We're about to find out!  😀

photo credit: kitty nancy

~BigSis

November 11, 2010

Because of Loreal's animal testing, my favorite Loreal Voluminous mascara has been banished from my bathroom.  I used it for years and years, and loved it.  But it's gone now.  Permanently.  Adios, animal tester!

If I don't like a product, I usually don't review it on BigSisLilSis.  We all get enough negativity in our day without me being Negative Nellie and adding to it, right?

It turns out however that it's UBER hard to find a good mascara that isn't animal tested, so I'm making an exception to my rule.  I'll share my thoughts about what I've tried lately, and you can take my comments with a grain of salt.

I'm sorry to say that of the last four mascaras I've tried, I don't like any of them.  Not one ding dang one!  Boo!

Here's what I've tried and tossed:

• Smashbox Hyper Lash ($21) – I had really high expectations for Hyper Lash after hearing rave reviews on the radio from a local DJ, so I bit the bullet and spent more than I ever do on mascara.  First off, the brush on Hyper Lash is really different.  It has bristles on one side to apply the product and a comb on the other side to separate the lashes.  The first coat went on truly clump-free.  Hurray!   The only problem is that one coat was very thin and skimpy, so I needed two additional coats and that caused a lot of clumping.  I didn't get any volume or lengthening, and I felt that my lashes just didn't show up.  I got some fine flakes under my eyes by the end of the day, and my lashes looked dry.  Hyper Lash isn't waterproof, but was hard to remove.  This mascara was pricey and it went back to the store.

• Tarte Lights Camera Lashes ($19) – I like Tarte's nice big normal brush, but the product was fairly thin so I didn't get any volume, similar to the result I got with Hyper Lash.  I didn't get much clumping, which was great, but this mascara provides an extremely natural look and I just need more from a mascara.  If your naked eyelashes look like Bambi's, this mascara may be enough for you, but it's not for me.  It removed fairly easily, but I did have some flaking during the day.  It isn't a bad product, but for the price, I expected better results.

• MAC Zoom Lash ($14) – I wanted a thicker formula than what Tarte and Smashbox offered, so I guess I should be careful about what I wish for.  I went into a MAC store and asked for their best mascara for volume without clumping, and Zoom Lash was their recommendation.  Zoom Lash is radically thick to the point of being gloppy, and the small short-bristled brush made it impossible for me to apply it without a huge goopy mess.  It also straightened out my just-curled lashes. Rats!   This may be my least favorite MAC product ever, I'm sad to say!  I should have taken it back; I hate it that much.  Why didn't I?

• Revlon 3D Extreme ($7.50) – 3D Extreme is super thick too, and has another weird brush.  What happened to plain old big brushes that reach every lash?   This one is flat with short bristles on each side with a rounded bulb kind of a thing at the end of the wand.  I don't get it.  What am I supposed to do with this contraption?  What I did get was clumping galore, and straightened lashes like Zoom Lash gave me.  Fail!

I'm disappointed at what I've found so far, and I haven't even restricted my search to vegan mascaras.  Sheesh!  The search for a good mascara will continue though.  I'm not encouraged, but I'm also not giving up and resorting to wearing false eyelashes every day!

Hey, volume-building, clump-free, perfectly-thick, cruelty-free mascara!  Come out, come out, wherever you are!

photo credit: Susan NYC

~BigSis

September 13, 2010

Score! I think I've found a new mascara to replace the Maybelline Great Lash that I've been using for years (up until I recently learned that Maybelline tests their products on animals)!

I happened to be in Macy's last week and decided to stop and take a peek at the Clinique counter to check out their mascara. After looking over six or seven different choices, I bought the Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara for $14.00 and just kept my fingers crossed that I would like it.

Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara

I can't say that this mascara magnifies your lashes to twice their size, as Clinique claims, but so far, I like the Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara in Black even more than I liked the Great Lash.

It glides on easily because it's thinner than some mascaras, which is one reason that I liked the Great Lash. This mascara didn't clump, flake off, or smudge, even after a workout.

I also love the size and the shape of the tapered brush because it separates the lashes nicely and reaches each and every little lash.

(After several uses, you may find that you need to dab off a little product from the point of the brush, but it's not near as bad as some thick mascaras.)

The best thing about this product, and the reason for me switching mascaras, is that Clinique is on the list of companies that DO NOT test their products on animals.

A couple of months ago, after BigSis revealed the story about the beagles being rescued from a testing lab, she and I both committed to not purchasing any more products from companies that animal test. Unfortunately that list is longer than you may realize. It's really easy to go to www.caringconsumer.com to check out the list of companies that DO test on animals and those that DO NOT test on animals.

I've still got a lot of work to do to get my household purged of all products made by companies who animal test, but little by little, as I run out of something, I make sure that I replace it with a product made by a cruelty-free company. 🙂

~LilSis

April 12, 2010

Have you been seeing all the ads and hearing all the buzz about L'Oreal's Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara?  I have, including a pretty glowing positive recommendation from More Magazine, which I really like.  I'm always on the lookout for a new great mascara, just as I am for miraculous new eye creams and anti-aging skin cream.

This mascara claims that their “instant-impact brush builds breathtaking volume fast.” I was intrigued and picked up a tube recently.  This shot of Eva Longoria-Parker's lashes from L'Oreal's ad sets a pretty high expectation for the Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara, don't you think?

We usually don't do reviews unless we have something good to say, so let me think.  This mascara is a nice black color, it comes off easily at the end of the day with Lancome BiFacil, it doesn't smudge at all, and it doesn't flake much; no more than the L'Oreal mascaras I like.

Did it give me breathtaking volume like Eva?  No.  I had a really hard time maneuvering the ginormous brush without getting it all over my eyelid, and what I ended up with is stubby lashes.  No volume, no length, no curl.  Just stubs.  And “stubs” is not what I'm aiming for when I apply mascara!  I also got some spiky clumps, again not what I was going for.

So it's back to my usual cocktail of L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara followed by a dash of L'Oreal Lash Out Mascara.  I should have kept my sales receipt and returned L'Oreal's Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara, but I didn't so I guess I'll try to use it up on the weekends.  If you run into me at SuperTarget on a Saturday afternoon, please don't stare at my clumpy, spiky stubs!  😀

~BigSis

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

March 9, 2009

Let's talk about mascara, shall we? Aside from moisturizer, it's probably the most important beauty product that I use.  Since I have blond eyelashes, I absolutely have to wear mascara.  I'm lucky enough to not have to curl my lashes, but without mascara, you can't even tell that I have eyelashes.

I've definitely tried many different brands of mascara, from the cheapest to the priciest. I've never really found that the more expensive brands performed any better for me. I've been pretty happy with the Cover Girl LashExact for quite a while now. It doesn't glob, it doesn't smear, and it stays on all day without smudging. Recently, though, I've noticed that it dries up faster and doesn't last very long at all. (And honestly, it's starting to piss me off.)

Before I go back to my ole' faithful Maybelline Great Lash, I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations? Do you have a mascara that you absolutely love and couldn't live without? If so, please leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

BigSis, show me your latest favorite mascara!

~LilSis