Elizabeth Arden Lasting Impression Mascara Review

I have found my new favourite mascara. Elizabeth Arden's Lasting Impression Mascara arrived in my life last month via my November Topbox and for the past few weeks, it has been my go-to mascara for both day and night.

According to Elizabeth Arden, "this high impact mascara captures every last lash to separate and define for a never ending lash look." Using a "unique brush with five iconic spheres," it claims to deliver lashes that are, "Clump proof. Smudge proof. Flake free." It also features a formula that contains, "ceramides for strong, healthier lashes" as well as vitamin C and avocado and olive oils that supposedly, "condition lashes and help seal moisture for a defined, silky lash look."

Urban Decay Troublemaker Mascara Review

Troublemaker is the latest mascara from Urban Decay. It gets that name because, "This mascara is so good it should be illegal." With just a couple of coats, this mascara claims to deliver, "...thicker, impossibly long, perfectly fanned-out lashes" and are also ""sexy, fluttery, intensely black."

That all sounds perfect to me so when I had a chance to snap a free sample of this product, I went for it. Since receiving this mascara a couple of weeks ago, I've been testing out Urban Decay's promise of "13.7x the lash volume" and "an intensity that’s blacker than your darkest thoughts" thanks to "two different types of black pigments."

Pupa Vamp! Mascara Review

If you're familiar with this blog, you'll know that there are certain beauty looks that I hate on myself: dewy skin, tight curls and spider lashes. But while I don't like those looks, other people do (well, maybe not tight curls).

Italian brand Pupa's Vamp! Mascara is intended for women who want dramatic spider lashes. Okay, that's not exactly how Pupa puts it. According to the brand, this product "...makes your eyelashes look just as spectacular as fake lashes..." as "Stroke after stroke, volume gets exaggeratedly oversize, for thick, full and ultra dense lashes."

But the result this product delivers is spider lashes. I found that three-four coats of this mascara did transform my lashes, adding length and fullness while shaping them into pointy arachnid legs. They were big, even oversized, and while the clumps (which grew with each coat) kept them from looking truly fake, my lashes did look "exaggerated."

Almay One Coat Multi-Benefit Mascara Review

Last month Husband and I purchased new contacts from Clearly.com and to my pleasant surprise, each contact package came with a free sample of Almay's One Coat Multi-Benefit mascara. While I'm not a big fan of Almay, I'm always up for trying out a new mascara, especially one that promises almost everything.

According to Almay, the "multi benefit formula delivers..." "massive volume, length, definition" and nourishment thanks to the inclusion of keratin as an ingredient. Often a mascara makes you choose between volume or length so I was pleased to see that this product offered both of those qualities.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Review

While it's tempting to make this a one-word review, I will elaborate on why, contrary to its name, Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara isn't better than sex.

Made with collagen and "Acacia Senegal tree extract to nourish, thicken and lock curl in place," this mascara also comes with a very curvy brush to apply the product. According to Too Faced, one coat will creates lashes that are "full, defined and stretched to unbelievable lengths" while a second coat (which I recommend applying) will result in lashes "reaching unbelievable heights of drama."

But don't just take Too Faced word for those claims. According to a consumer survey that the company conducted, 100 per cent of participants "saw longer lashes" and "dramatic volume" while "93 per cent saw base-to-tip curl." Also, "8 out of 10 say it’s the best mascara they’ve ever used" while "3.1 out of 10 agree that this mascara is so good, it’s better than sex." I kind of feel sorry for those 3.1 survey participants because if they think that this mascara is better than sex... Anyway, back to reviewing makeup.

Joe Fresh Lash Define Mascara Review

The world of mascaras is a competitive one where consumers have their pick of some pretty great products. Joe Fresh's Lash Define Mascara is not one of them.

According to Joe Fresh, this product has a "multi-length brush" that "is designed to separate even the shortest lashes," resulting in "beautifully defined lashes." While the brush is multi-length, I didn't find my lashes to be particularly well defined. In fact, I found that this mascara had a tendency to be clumpy on its first application, resulting in stuck-together lashes.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Benefit's latest mascara, which I believe debuted last month, is called Roller Lash after its patent-pending "Hook ‘n’ Roll™ brush." Featuring short, firm teeth separated somewhat far apart, this brush supposedly "grabs, separates, lifts and curls…while the instant curve-setting formula holds for 12 hours."

I agree with all of this. Even my lashes, which naturally have a nice curl to them, noticeably perked up while using this product. Benefit says that in consumer testing it did, the vast majority of participants found that this product: "visibly lifts lashes," "gives long-lasting curl" and gives "eyes look more wide open." I also experienced all of those results while trying out this mascara.

Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara

Benefit already has a perfectly good mascara, its They're Real product, so I was curious if this mascara could top that one, which, except for a clumping issue, is pretty much the whole package.

According to Benefit, BADgal Lash Mascara, "...is like a set of sexy black false eyelashes...without the glue!" Thanks to its, "...famously big brush and volumizing formula, this matte-black mascara builds beautiful, bodacious lashes."

Cover Girl Clump Crusher Mascara by LashBlast

I have no idea where or how I received my full-sized Cover Girl Clump Crusher Mascara by LashBlast. Its mystery origins are likely why its been sitting in a box for months, while I used and tested other mascaras (that and it is a Cover Girl product).

Finally though it was time to try out this freebie and I'm now wishing that I had opened this product a lot sooner because it's not bad. According to Cover Girl, this product is, "A breakthrough in no-clump mascara" that generates "200% more volume and zero clumps." The end results are "super-volumized, beautifully separated lashes." I don't agree with the bulk of those claims but despite that, I still like this mascara and can see a time and a place for it.

Eyeko Black Magic Mascara

Often times, I start using a product before I read the claims on its web page. This is the course I took with eyeko’s Black Magic mascara and, until I looked this item up online, I had a pretty positive opinion of it. Then I read claims such as, “Designed for after-hours seduction, our ultimate mascara creates drama, volume and curl…” and “Transform your lashes with the power of Black Magic!” I had to check, was I reading about the same product I was using?

Because I found that while this mascara was good, it didn’t bring any kind of wow factor and it certainly didn’t “…create a faux lash effect in just 2 coats.” Instead, I found that while this mascara did indeed provide “…clump-free, thicker, longer lashes with long-lasting curl and hold,” it did so on the pretty-and-daytime-appropriate level. And that’s completely fine, we need mascaras like that.

Almay Intense I-color Volumizing Mascara

This mascara was one of the many free items I received from the Almay Picnic event I attended back in July. And like most of those other items this one doesn’t wow but, at the same time, isn’t a bad product.

I like my lashes to be long, lush and clearly defined. What I hate are spider lashes, when the hairs clump together to create pointy sections of lashes. However, the internet tells me that for some people, spider lashes are desirable. Those people should buy this mascara.

According to Almay, this product is all about two qualities: providing volume and taking “your unique eye color to new limits.” The four supposedly “expertly coordinated shades with eye-brightening crystals create multi-dimensional amplification.” I believe this means that this product is suppose to make my irises pop but I didn’t notice a difference.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara

Why can’t all makeup categories be like mascara: packed with a range of effective, quality products? Make Up For Ever’s Smoky Extravagant Mascara, which I received as a freebie from mascara, is yet amazing lash product that bring

According to MUFE, this mascara, “intensifies eyes with dramatic impact that attracts attention from afar and shows precise and defined lashes up close.” I completely agree with all of this. This mascara visibly improved the look of my lashes, adding a bit of length and a lot of volume. While I don’t have any evidence that this product attracted any attention from afar, I was happy with how my lashes looked, both from a distance and up close.

This product has a “ergo-conic” brush that’s  “Generously coated with just the right amount” and “allows for ultra-precise, intuitive application.” Personally, I’ve found all mascara brushes to be fairly intuitive but precision is another matter. For me, an “ultra-precise” mascara is one that cleanly separates my lashes while depositing just the right amount of product on them.

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara

I received my Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara as part of my Full Exposure eyeshadow palette. While it wasn’t a full-sized product, it was a great bonus and certainly gave me more than a taste of what this product is like.

According to Smashbox, this new mascara, “exposes your longest, fullest lashes,” resulting in “maximum-impact, scene-stealing lashes.” The company then lists off several numbers: 104% increase in lash volume, 32% increase in lash length and a  34-degree increase in lash curl.

I have no idea where these numbers come from, nor can I say either way if they apply to my lashes or not. However, I do know that this mascara isn’t giving me my “longest, fullest lashes.” Guerlain’s Cils D’Enfer Maxi Lash still easily holds the record for adding in the most length and while I’m drawing a blank when it comes to volume (maybe Lancome’s Hypnose Drama), it’s not this mascara.

Guerlain Cils D’Enfer Maxi Lash

Lots of mascaras promise false lashes-like lashes. Guerlain’s Cils D’Enfer Maxi Lash, which I recently tested by using a free sample that I received from somewhere (Sephora maybe?), is not one of them. But it should because of the dozens and dozens of different mascaras I’ve tried, this product is the closest I’ve found to producing lashes that you might think are fake.

Instead of mentioning fake lashes, Guerlain is all about how this product, which it describes as “a charming trump card and an irresistible weapon of seduction,” adds volume and curl. According to Guerlain, this mascara’s “extraordinary formula ensures breathtaking volume, curl and hold.” That formula features “The combined action of three polymers” that are  “layered on lightly for tailor-made volume: immediate, stylised and long-lasting.”

I tried this mascara multiple times before I read everything about and when I finally did, I was surprised to see such emphasis on curl and volume. Yes, this mascara did visibility provide both of those qualities but what it really brought was length. I don’t think I’ve ever had a mascara add so much length to my lashes.

Pixi Lash Booster Mascara

If you were to hear a mascara described as “giving (lashes) a push-up effect that lasts all day,” what would you picture? Big, beautiful lashes that border on false-lashes territory? Because that’s what I picture.

Unfortunately, that’s not what Pixi’s Lash Booster Mascara delivers. While the company describes it as  “do-it-all mascara that curls, defines, lengthens and thickens with a glossy, water-resistant finish,” I found that this mascara didn’t do much of anything besides making my lashes look a touch, and I mean a touch, thicker and glossier.

New York Color Big Bold Mascara & Big Bold Plumping Lip Gloss

Influenster has been emailing me, asking me to write about the #MapleVoxBox sample box it sent me at the start of December so I’ve decided to make 2014’s first reviews about two of the items found in my #MapleVoxBox.

Just like with the two Skinny Cow products that I received in the box, the two New York Color makeup items I got can be classified as good and not-so-good. Let’s start with the latter product.

New York Color Big Bold Mascara retails for under $5 but I wouldn’t spend one dollar on it.  To put it coarsely, I found this to be a crap mascara that left my lashes clumpy, spider-y and just yucky looking.

Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils

I received my sample tube of *deep breath* Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils in my October Topbox. It was the highlight in an overall disappointing box. Now, after using this mascara regularly for the past three weeks, I can’t say that this one product alone redeems the box, but I do understand why some people love this mascara.

When it comes to product claims, YSL is all about this mascara’s brush and “…the innovative structure of dual-length bristles.” This mascara’s brush is visibly different, with bristles that are shorter, firmer than on your typical brush. YSL explains that, “…thick, widely spaced bristles to coat and magnify your lashes, while finer, more closely spaced bristles define even the shortest lashes, one by one, from the root to the tip.” Besides separating, coating and multiplying lashes, this product is also supposed to “create defined volume.”

Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara

I feel like there is no excuse for dull hair or thin lashes; there are just too many great products out there that address those problems. Last week I reviewed L’Oreal’s Mythic Oil, a fabulous, and affordable, hair oil. At $26 US, Estée Lauder’s Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara isn’t exactly cheap but it is an A+ lash that mostly delivers on its claims.

And what are those claims? The primary one is that when using this mascara, “Lashes seem to multiply, magnify, grow to extremes.” While I don’t agree with the “extreme” part, I do agree that my “eyes look brighter, wider, more seductive” when wearing this product.

Estée Lauder explains that this mascara works so wonderfully in part because of its formula, which it described as, “a blend of three high-volume fibers in a mousse-light base." These three different fibers then work together to add in volume and length, which I could clearly notice along with a nice little curl, without weighing down lashes or leaving them stiff or icky feeling.

Avon Mega Effects Mascara

“Maybe I’m applying it incorrectly,” I thought as I swept this mascara on and once again ended up with
messy, clumpy spider lashes.

That sounds like an odd thing to say about a mascara but then this just isn’t any mascara. It’s Avon’s Mega Effects Mascara, a “breakthrough” product that uses a special “Wonderbrush” to provide “lash transformation.” Instead of being your usual round-brush-in-a-tube, the Wonderbrush is more like a row of bristles that fit into a rectangular-shaped container that's filled wit the actual mascara formula. In order to get the brush out of this container, you have to wiggle it from side-to-side.

It’s this wiggling motion that I think I’m doing wrong. According to Avon, this mascara is supposed to be giving me lashes that are “darker, denser and more dramatic” but I’m not quite getting that. While this mascara certainly does make my lashes visibly bigger, its messy nature doesn’t make them prettier.

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Fairy Lashes Mascara

While beauty box subscriptions can have their issues (duplicate or unsuitable products, delivery and customer service problems), I still love the idea because they introduce me to products like Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics’ Fairy Lashes Mascara.

I received this item in my June 2013 Topbox. Prior to this box, I’d never heard of this item or even the Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics line. After a bit of investigation, I know now that Jelly Pong Pong is UK-based, that its products are formulated in Italy and that its founder wants to bring us, “…an irresistible line of cosmetics, extraordinary yet beautiful, for you to discover and delight in.”