As some of you may know, I had muscle corrective eye surgery a little over a moth ago, after which I wasn't allowed to wear eye makeup for two weeks. While I could handle not wearing eyeshadow (maybe I cheated occasionally with a touch of highlighter on my browbone), I really began to miss mascara.
In the interest of keeping my eyes clean even after I could wear it again, I decided to toss my almost empty tube of Maybelline Full'n'Soft waterproof mascara and thought it would be fun to experiment a little with a few of the small tube samples I've received over the past year. Generally it's a bad idea to base your opinion of a mascara based off of a tiny sample- generally the full size is probably going to be better. But I was reasonably impressed with Stila's Major Lash and Lorac Lashes, both of which gave me pretty, long, defined lashes that could easily be built up to a little more drama. Generally I'm not willing to buy high-end mascara, I think the drugstore has plenty of awesome options and I'm not going to feel good about throwing away an expensive mascara when it starts to go funny as mascaras often do. But both of these seem like they have potential and they're not too expensive if you prefer a step above drugstore.
When I went to the drugstore to pick up a full-sized tube, Cover Girl's Lash Exact was on sale so I thought I'd give it a try. It's been years since I've strayed from Full'n'Soft and I've never bought anything other than Maybelline as I've always been impressed (aside from the generally hated Great Lash), but I've been curious about the new trend of soft rubber bristled mascara brushes so on a whim I decided to try it. I have to say, I'm less than impressed with the formula- it really tends to flake and smudge throughout the day. And while my lashes were nicely separated and defined, it didn't do a very good job of coating the tips of my lashes which made them look a lot shorter than they usually do with mascara. Overall it was really difficult to build any volume and thickness without my lashes beginning to clump. The brush, however, is pretty useful- it does a nice job of reaching the lashes on the outer corner of the eye although again building volume is problematic. It's also great for doing lower lashes, where you mostly want some tint and definition and not thickness or lenght. If you're looking for really subtle tint and definition, this is a pretty good formula although I would suggest getting the waterproof formula, or if you strive to sculpt perfect lashes you might get this on sale and use it for the brush. Otherwise I'd pass.
I probably won't be straying from my beloved Maybelline Full'n'Soft waterproof again. It really does a great job of giving me volume and lenght while keeping my lashes defined. The waterproof formula never smudges or flakes, and the soft wax formula keeps my lashes from getting brittle and it's really not that hard to remove with just soap and water. I do however use
Lush's Ultra Bland cleanser- a rich oily makeup remover- to take off eye makeup a couple times a week to condition my lashes and keep them from breaking. Maybelline Full'n'Soft varies in price and is widely available at drugstores, Lush Ultra Bland is $13.50 for 1.5 oz.
