At sometime I may have mentioned that I am a product junkie, particularly when it comes to makeup. I can’t help it, it’s like I need 25 different shades of lipstick, multiple types of eyeliner…all in black, pallet after pallet of eye shadow. I could go on but I’ll spare you. I am also a total sucker for mascara. There is nothing quite like the application that you get when you open up a brand spankin’ new tube of mascara and put that first coat on you lashes, perfection. I also know how necessary it is to have a wide variety of mascaras at your disposal…you need some for lengthening, some for volume, some for curling, some in ‘blackest black’, some in brown, some to condition and strengthen your lashes; really it just depends on the day!
Recently there has been a CoverGirl campaign featuring Drew Barrymore (whom I adore), but there is one particular ad for their LashBlast Length mascara that bothers me. It features Drew in a yellow dress, with mesh gloves and these insane looking lashes. What bothers me about the ad isn’t the mesh gloves like you’d think, it’s the disclaimer at the bottom that states that lash inserts have been used to create fullness not length. I’m pretty sure that I’ve bought enough mascara in my lifetime to know that when you purchase these revolutionary new mascaras, your lashes never look exactly like the model or celebrity’s lashes do in their advertisement; I’ve even gotten to a point where I can accept that. I mean really, you get what you pay for, but for some reason although I respect the fact that CoverGirl is making it clear that there is a little bit of makeup trickery going on here, I’m still not totally convinced that using their mascara is going to make my lashes look as insanely long as Drew’s look.
So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and thought that it would be fun to do a little experimenting. I went to the drug store and purchased three different brands – L’Oreal Paris Telescopic Explosion mascara, Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara and CoverGirl LashBlast Length mascara.
Here is what I found…
L’Oreal Paris Telescopic Explosion
I’m sure that you’ve seen the advertisements for this mascara; it’s the one with the funny little spiky ball shaped applicator. Because of the applicator, this mascara claims to be able to reach every lash adding length and volume. Right away it was apparent that this mascara has a thick formula, and instantly my lashes looked really full. The brush certainly does get a lot of your lashes, but it’s a little odd to work with at first. I let it dry and put on a second coat, but like I said, it’s thick mascara, so my lashes looked super dark (which I like) but in terms of length, there wasn’t much going on.
Overall, the wand does what it claims to do, it gets your lashes, but I would use this as more of a volumizing mascara as oppose to a lengthening one. You could use it to build volume and fullness at the base of your lashes, but you would have to use something else at the tips.
Maybelline Lash Stiletto
This mascara is supposed to do what stiletto heels do for your legs, except for your eyelashes! The brush is made to grip from all angles and the patented B-5 formula conditions and makes your lashes shine. After one coat my lashes did look longer. I let it dry and went to put another coat on but right away I noticed how difficult it was to pull the applicator through my lashes and that little bits were flaking off onto my cheek. I took it off with eye makeup remover and decided to try it again. This time instead of waiting for it to dry, I applied a coat and immediately another one right after and then a third after that. This seemed to be the best technique. My lashes were definitely longer and they looked quite dark and dramatic.
My verdict with this one is mixed – my lashes were longer which I like, but towards the end of the day when I looked in the mirror, I noticed that it had flaked off a little bit…and they definitely were not shiny!
CoverGirl LashBlast Length
Okay so now for the reason why I took on this project in first place. LashBlast claims to make your lashes appear up to 80% longer. The Elasta-Nylon formula combined with the Super-Length brush allows for both expert precision with no clumping or flaking.
I didn’t notice much of a difference in length after one coat. After a second coat, my lashes did look a bit longer but although the mascara itself did not clump, my lashes sort of stuck together in clusters, so once it dried, I had to comb through it. I like my eyes to look dramatic, so I added a third and final coat which again required me to comb through once the mascara was dry, but still my lashes looked nothing like Drew’s do in the advertisement.
So here’s my verdict – the product is true in the sense that it does not clump or flake. It does make your lashes appear longer, but if anyone actually achieves that 80% increase in length, I would love to hear from them! I would say that if you’re looking for a more natural look, then this is a great option for you.
Well, that was fun! All of these mascaras worked well, but I didn’t fall in love with any of them. Each one brought something good to the table, but none of them actually did what they claimed they would, at least for me. Sigh…my search for the all encompassing perfect mascara continues!