Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara

My Bobbi Brown-themed July Topbox has introduced me to several new products including Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss and the subject of today's post, the brand's Smokey Eye Mascara.

Pigmented with kolh, this "perfect complement to a smokey eye look" supposedly, "delivers high drama by creating extremely black, stretched-out lashes in an instant." Bobbi Brown claims that this mascara achieves all of this thanks to its "thicker brush base (that)evenly combs through eyelashes from roots to ends, while a tapered tip grabs those small, hard-to-reach lashes."

I must say that I didn't notice anything special about the brush. However, this mascara did do a great job at darkening and lengthening my lashes with minimal clumping and no spider lashes. And while this mascara did add a bit of drama to my eyes, it did it without drying out or weighing down my lashes.

Even more impressive was this mascara's staying powers. Bobbie Brown claims that it "holds its own against flaking, smudging, sweat and humidity" and I completely agree. While this might be called Smokey Eye Mascara, the formula never smeared or smudged, even when I teared up. It also never flaked.

But despite its stay-put powers, this mascara wasn't a nightmare to wash off. Generally mascaras like this one require an proper eye makeup remover to get them off but I was able to wash this product off with just a cleanser and water.

So yes, this is a good mascara, one that's above average even. However, despite this, I had one major issue with it: The price. In Canada, this mascara retails for about $34. That's a lot, even if the product is above average product. Now, maybe if the packaging was really special or it was longer lasting than a typical mascara or something like that, it would be worth $34 but that's not the case. And this a great mascara that does deliver on its claims, it's not the only great mascara out there.

For $34, I want mascara that takes my lashes to a whole other level of length and volume, while being clump-free, long-lasting, etc., etc., etc. While this product did provide length and did enhance my lashes, it didn't make me go, "Damn, this is the mascara of my dreams." And that's what needs to happen if I'm going to have to spend over $30 on a mascara.

Would I buy this product: No, it's too pricey for me.

Should you buy this product: It's a good mascara, it's just not $34 good. Still, if you have money to burn and are looking for a solid mascara, this item will do nicely.