Messy Wands and Ugly Tubes: Notes on Mascara

I've just now come to terms with my sizable collection of mascaras. While I definitely don't have the biggest mascara drawer out there, I've gathered quite a few tubes of the stuff despite my self-professed eye makeup apathy. Really, brow pencil and mascara are the only eye makeup I wear on a regular basis...but I couldn't finish my makeup without them. I've come to realize that I have a "lips-lashes-skin" philosophy, a la Poppy King: if my skin looks nice, my lashes are done up, and I've got a great lipstick on, I don't need much else.

I decided I should gather these mascaras together and share my notes.

Here's my current line up, from left to right: Maybelline Full n' Soft, L'oreal Voluminous Miss Manga, L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black, Urban Decay Perversion, CoverGirl Lash Blast Clump Crusher, Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam, and Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes. The CoverGirl is water-resistant and Perversion is a sample that's most likely not waterproof. Beyond that, I buy waterproof formulas in the blackest formula available with few exceptions.

For the purposes of this post, the mascaras are referred to as follows:

Maybelline Full n' Soft = Full n' Soft
L'oreal Voluminous Miss Manga = Miss Manga
L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black = Voluminous
Urban Decay Perversion = Perversion
CoverGirl Lash Blast Clump Crusher = Clump Crusher
Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam = Retro Glam
Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes = MGLLL


TUBES: Is there some reason why so many mascaras have to have these ridiculously shaped tubes? Do they do something special for the formula that I'm just not catching? Because Miss Manga, Clump Crusher, and Retro Glam are all a giant pain in my ass to hold. See the big, round middles and the teeny bottoms? They're not ergonomic in the hands, and they can't stand up on their own. If the problem is that you don't want mascara rolling away (admittedly annoying), why not make the tubes square, like MGLLL? All of this aside, I like sleek simplicity with  most of my packaging, so the Urban Decay and Voluminous tubes are the most visually appealing to me. MGLLL is cute, although I'm biased because it's a classic design.

WET OR DRY?: Perversion and Miss Manga have the wettest formulas of the bunch. They take quite a while to dry, especially Perversion, which almost always leads to messiness and clumping. MGLLL is also on the wet side, but it's slightly thicker, more of a cream than a gel formula. I find that it dries faster than Miss Manga and Perversion as well. Full n' Soft is a drier, almost powdery formula, but it doesn't flake or clump, as compared to Voluminous and Retro Glam, which are so dry they actually kind of scrape my lashes. Clump Crusher represents the middle ground, having a gel-like consistency.

SHADE: The advertisements for Perversion are no lie: that is some black, black stuff! It's a shame it's so messy. Really, all of these are quite dark. If I had to pick which was the least black, though, I'd have to go with Maybelline Full n' Soft and Retro Glam, which look softer compared to the rest of this bunch.

BRUSHES: Clump Crusher and MGLLL have rubberized brushes; the rest are of the traditional fiber variety. In terms of shape, we have a small variety here. Voluminous, Full n' Soft, and Perversion all have relatively traditional brush shapes. Of those three, Full n' Soft has the longest brush hairs and Perversion is the most dense. Miss Manga and MGLLL both come to a pointed "spade" shape, but the difference in brush hair lengths is more pronounced with MGLLL. Retro Glam has a wavy shape. Clump Crusher is shaped sort of like a spoon: one side is flat and the other is curved.

BEST FOR A NATURAL LOOK: This award definitely goes to Full n' Soft. You get decent length and volume with this mascara, but no matter how many layers you pile on, it never looks spidery or dry. I've never had any problems with flaking, either, and it's easy to remove. This is my go-to work mascara.

BEST FOR A DRAMATIC LOOK: I don't often go for the super-clumpy, "I'm totally wearing mascara!" look, but if I do, I'll reach for something like Miss Manga or MGLLL. Both of these pitch-black mascaras distribute a ton of product and give me plenty of volume with some length. Clumping is there, but it's minimal.

BEST ALL-AROUND: While Clump Crusher has been temporarily usurped by these other mascaras, it will forever hold a special place in my heart. This product really does give you length and volume without the clumps. At the time of this writing, it only comes in regular and water-resistant formulas, but believe me, that's enough: my only gripe with this mascara is that it's tough to remove. I love that I can get a lengthier, more fluttery look by using mostly the flat side of the brush, or I can get thicker lashes with the round side.

LEAST FAVORITE: Retro Glam is pure trash to me; it does next to nothing for my lashes. Voluminous was a favorite of mine in graduate school, but I'm having a hard time figuring out why; it's a pain in the arse to remove, it flakes everywhere, and it dries out my lashes. Perversion is much-loved in the blogosphere, but I found that it stayed wet for so long that spidery lashes were unavoidable, even with tons of combing. It's also insanely messy.

BOGL's Current No/Low Makeup Routine

 

"No Makeup Makeup" is a popular breed: makeup so sheer, so seamlessly blended, and so perfectly close to your skintone, nobody realizes you're even wearing makeup. They just think you're practically perfect in every way. After years of testing and trying, I've finally figured out how to achieve this look on my face.

However, I don't really care to look like I'm not wearing ANYTHING if I've taken the time to paint my face. And anybody with decent eye sight and some knowledge of cosmetics is going to look at the above picture and say, "Yeah, she penciled her eyebrows, and there's something on her mouth." That's fine by me...as long as my skin looks completely bare to the naked eye. ;)

I prefer to call this routine "Low Makeup Makeup." Again, I like to pencil my brows, and I like to put something (either a very rich balm or a bright lipstick) on my lips with this routine, and people are going to notice that. But the average person has a hard time spotting any other products on my face, and I kinda dig that. Here's my current routine:

1. Dot NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly where needed, and in very small amounts. Today, that meant a few dots under my eyes, on some forehead and chin blemishes, over my lip scar, and on the tip of my nose. Pat in with fingers.

2. Gently blend a dime-sized amount of Paula's Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint in Shade 1 all over face, ears, and neck, skipping only my eyebrows and lips. Doing foundation after concealer is usually a no-no because you may overdo it and apply too much product, and you can rub off your concealer; I find that the NARS concealer stays pretty well put, however, and applying this tinted moisturizer second seems to blend it all together.

3. Pat some MAC Strobe Cream on to the high points of the face. For me, that means under my brows and on the tops of my cheekbones.

4. Apply a very small amount of Becca Beach Tint in Watermelon to the apples of the cheeks. Add more as is necessary; for example, I usually like to blend tiny amounts backwards from my cheekbone towards my temples.

6. Apply a coat of mascara to the top lashes. I usually go for CoverGirl Clump Crusher, and I just use the lightest pressure possible to avoid "overdoing" it.

7. Pencil in brows with Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil in Seal Brown. Soften and smooth the pencil with a brow spoolie or fingers. If my brows are being uber-wonky and won't stay in place, I'll glue them down with Anastasia Clear Brow Gel.

8. Dust a small amount of Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Matte powder foundation through the t-zone. I skip this step when my skin is at its driest.

9. For a super-lazy look, I apply a glossy balm like Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream or pure lanolin. If I want to look like I put in a bit more effort--or if I'm just in the mood for a bolder look--I slap on a bright, matte lipstick.

A Mini-Review and the April Lemmings Board

I tested out the revamped CoverGirl TruBlend foundation almost 2 months ago, but I never posted the results. This is probably because I was neither thrilled nor displeased by the foundation: it came in more shades than most drugstore foundations (already a win), but the lightest shade (Ivory L-1) still didn't match me, and the formula was just "ok." Hence, I forgot about the pictures I'd taken for this here blog and moved on to more promising products.

But this wasn't exactly a TERRIBLE product, especially for $7. Let's give it some air time, eh?

The CoverGirl website claims that this foundation provides "light to medium adaptable coverage," and I'd say that's pretty accurate. Look closely at the above photos and you'll see a fading red mark on my forehead where my sister's moose of a puppy bonked me. Said mark is diminished after a layer of foundation has been applied, but it hasn't COMPLETELY disappeared.

It also appears to be a decent match. But my past experience with CoverGirl products rang true here: the foundation oxidized, just like every other CoverGirl foundation I've tried. The product also a distinctly "makeup-y" look that doesn't flatter my skin.

I will say, though, that it applied well and lasted for a good 4-5 hours before it needed a blot. I think if you had a shade match (which isn't hard with the range) and a slightly oilier skintype, this foundation could work for you.

And now for the lemmings! Be forewarned: lots of my-sister-is-having-a-May-beach-wedding prep here.

1. Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gele, $22 at Sephora.com -- I'm not sure why I still lust for these. I swatched them at Sephora and, while I found the texture really beautiful, wasn't bowled over by the overall look of them. Then I realized that the end result reminded me of a true-blue stain...definitely beach appropriate. I can't deny that I'm intrigued!

2. Clinique Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Moisturizer for Dry Combination skin, $45 at Sephora.com -- I've been eyeballing this moisturizer for quite some time, but I can't bring myself to ask for a sample (counters and stores can make me nervous) or to plonk down the money (my $8 Avon Nurtura cream does a decent job of keeping my face smooth). But as I age and my skin gets even drier, a plush moisturizer with antioxidants that isn't in a jar is looking more and more enticing.

3. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics OCC Tint, $29.50 at Sephora.com -- I haven't had much luck with OCC Cosmetics. Their lip tars were a disaster on me, and none of their eye pigments or cream shadows really grabbed my attention. Then an MUAer mentioned that this tinted moisturizer was similar to MAC Face & Body, but less tacky and pale enough right out of the bottle. Color me intrigued (and properly shade-matched!).

4. Jordana Twist and Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains, $2.99 at Jordana.com -- Is there some reason why I can't find these things anywhere?! I hear worshipful odes sung to their longevity, pigmentation, and color selection, but I've been searching for months and have yet to see them in my Walgreens.

5. Mustela After Sun Spray, $15.00 at Sephora.com -- I've heard that these mid-end baby products work great for moms, too, and this light moisturizing spray sounds like the perfect addition to my beach wedding kit! Seriously, guys, I am bound to get fried and dried if I'm not careful. That's not attractive in photographs.

6. Dior DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum, $28.50 at Nordstrom.com -- I bought this product back when it was $25 a tube, loved it, and swore I'd never buy it again. Then I grabbed a $26 tube at the duty free store in the airport, loved it, and swore I'd never buy it again. Now I'm lusting after this lash primer again, even as the price climbs higher and higher. I have decent lashes to begin with, but the thick, lush look I get with a coat of this under an already-volumizing mascara is incomparable.

Mini Mascara Reviews!

Mascara is one of my favorite makeup products. I know it sounds odd, me being such a lips-and-cheeks girl who rarely wears a lot of eye makeup. But it's because I wear so little eye makeup that mascara is so important to me: big, flirty lashes and well-groomed brows can make an otherwise bare eye look so polished and clean. So from time to time, I try four or five new mascaras at once to see if any of them can replace my Holy Grail: Prestige My Biggest Lashes.

Let me explain why I love Prestige MBL so much. One layer volumizes and lengthens without getting clumpy or spidery, and it still looks natural. But I can do two or three layers or pile it on top of a primer, like DiorShow Maximizer, for a super-dramatic, flattering look. It doesn't flake or smear. It just...works on my lashes.

And that's the important thing to remember: everyone's lashes are different, just like everyone's skin. You may love a mascara I hate. But just like with skin tones and types, it's easy to find a "lash twin." If one or two or my hits works for you, it's a decent bet that my misses would be misses for you as well. Not to mention, all mascaras make claims about what they do. We certainly want to see if they match up to those claims!

Eyeko Skinny Brush mascara retails for $19 at Sephora. It's advertised as a "conditioning mascara that adds length." The brush is, indeed, long and skinny, and the short, coarse bristles wine around the wand. The tube is certainly cool; it's a squeeze tube that you're supposed to be able to roll up to get every last bit of product. That's the only positive thing I can say. This brush DOES lengthen, but it bends my lashes and looks clumpy, spidery, and dry. The clumps are HORRENDOUS, even after I've scraped the brush off on the rim of the mascara tube and a piece of tissue. And conditioning? I wore this mascara for about 4 days straight, and it dried my lashes out. Not my thang, boo.

CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara is a new addition to the popular Lash Blast line, and I got it for about $7.50 at Target. I bought it after seeing it on one of JoshCollierMUA's YouTube videos. It sounded like my kind of mascara, and sure enough, it was. I have seriously fallen in love with this stuff! The thick, slightly-curved rubber bristle brush applies plenty of product, but combs it through to prevent clumps, as per advertisements. The length is decent, the volume is WOW. The formula was slightly sticky for the first few days, but when it dried up, it was smooth and creamy. My only complaints: the water resistant formula is very difficult to remove, so just imagine trying to remove a waterproof version, and the clunky CoverGirl Lash Blast packaging is always a pain in the ass to get a good grip on.

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume lifting mascara costs $22 at Estee Lauder counters. It claims to be ultra-light, lifting, and volumizing for even the finest, straightest lashes. And I can believe that: the formula is slightly thin, but not wet, and it applies to the lashes without any clumping or sticking. The cone-shaped bristle brush keeps lashes separated and makes it easy to apply mascara to your bottom lashes and the inner corner of your eyes. And it held a curl on my sister's babydoll, stick-straight lashes! I absolutely love this mascara, but not for a "bold" look; I think it makes my lashes look beautiful, but it's still very natural, not super-dramatic. The one issue is that it's a bit difficult to layer--it can start looking clumpy if you try and force it to look thick and dramatic. I have travel-sized versions of this mascara, and I always keep one in my purse!

Maybelline One-by-One was a surprisingly cheap mascara, costing me just $5.50 at Target. The brush is a HUGE, rubber oval with long, porcupine-like bristles. It claims to be "bold without the bulk," a mascara that adds plenty of volume without clumping up your lashes and maintaining a lot of separation. It definitely separates, and the length is very impressive. But the volume is just "okay." The formula is also quite wet and the brush is a tad difficult to handle. I always made a bit of a mess out of my eyelid with this one. I did get a smidge of flaking with this one, but nothing too extreme, just one or two flakes on my cheeks at the end of the day. Overall, it's a good mascara, but I won't repurchase; I greatly prefer CoverGirl Clump Crusher.

Urban Decay Big Fatty mascara retails for $20 at Sephora, but I got mine as a sample. Straight off the bat, the packaging for the sample is HORRIBLE: it's a plastic tube that you don't unscrew, you just yank out, and it makes a huge mess. The formula is quite thick and slightly dry; the brush is super-long and covered with very short bristles. It kinda reminds me of my mom's favorite round hair brush. I was hoping I'd love this mascara because the brush is so neat, but oh my GOD, it was AWFUL! It clumped my lashes, made them look spidery and dry, and flaked all over my face within a few hours. It claims to lengthen, hold a curl, and volumize like woah, but I found that it gave me very little volume and actually pulled out of some of my curl. As someone with naturally curly lashes, I have to say that I'm stunned. I tossed this right after photographing it.

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide mascara is a $20 "treatment mascara" that's supposed to lengthen, define, and stay in place. The brush is what I would consider a "classic brush," very simple and basic. I got my sample in an Elizabeth Arden gift with purchase...THANK GOD. I am so glad I didn't spend money on this trash! The formula seemed promising--creamy and smooth, usually my favorite texture--but it was a pain to get it to comb through my lashes. It clumped like CRAZY, but didn't add much volume or length. It just...clumped. I wore this mascara three times, and I had to force myself to wear it the second and third time, because it flakes like CRAZY! Seriously, I've never used such a flaky mascara before! Again, this baby went straight to the trash.

Winter Favorites

I've been dealing with some freak breakouts and plenty of dryness this past winter, not to mention odd shifts at a very dirty workplace that necessitates endless hand washing. Hence, most of my makeup looks have revolved around getting my glow back without using particularly obtrusive cosmetics. I've also rediscovered some old loves and stumbled across some fantastic new products!

One of those new products is CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara ($7, drugstores). I continue to be stunned by how much volume and separation this mascara provides; it's definitely one of my new favorite mascaras! I also fell in love with the MAC Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel ($19.50, MAC, limited edition). I thought these would be too dark and too bronze for my uber-pale skin, but they actually make a fantastic highlight over my neutral and warm blushes. I can mix a drop in to more matte foundations to soften up the finish.

A lovely MakeupAlley user was kind enough to send me a Lipstick Queen Jean Queen lipstick ($18, Nordstrom), and it almost immediately became my Holy Grail "everyday pink" color. Other pieces of MUA swap perfection: the Shu Uemura Hard 9 Formula brow pencil in Seal Brown ($23, ShuUemura.com), which I just wrote a straight-out rave for, and the L'occitane Hand Cream ($10, Nordstrom), which saves my constantly-washed hands from cracking at work.

I've rediscovered great products like the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Primer ($42, Nordstrom), which really does make all of my foundations look far more natural and glide on like a dream. Another fantastic primer is my Elizabeth Arden Lip Fix ($21.50, ElizabethArden.com), which helps hold my bold lipsticks in place. Makeup Forever Uplights ($29, Sephora) are some of the most underrated highlighters out there! A little of this soft, super-blendable gel formula goes a very long way. (The shade shown here is #11, a very natural and dewy highlight with hints of pink.) And last, but most certainly not least, I've rediscovered my love for Cargo Catalina powder blush ($30, DermStore.com). Talk about a product that doesn't get the love it deserves! I don't care for most powder blushes on my skin, but Cargo's formula is GLORIOUS: soft, but not powdery; pigmented, but blendable; comfortable, but long-lasting. Catalina in particular is a bright, pastel pink that's perfect for fair skin tones.