Mascara is my love. I absolutely love how it makes my eyes look. Sometimes I'm not sure about eye shadows or a whole look but when I add the mascara it *magically* transforms my face. Maybe I'm being a little dramatic......nah. You know when someone asks you which makeup product you wouldn't leave home without? Can you tell what my answer is?
So, here are a few reviews of mascaras I've received or purchased and my opinions.
Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash .1oz
Benefit Cosmetics hyped up this product well in advance of it being available for sale. I actually received my sample in my last Birchbox a couple weeks before it could be purchased in the shop. This mascara is use it's "hook 'n' roll" technology to curl your lashes and last for up to 12 hours. I never totally give in to hype like that just because I'd rather see reviews and/or try it for myself. I'll be completely honest, I've had to play with this one a little bit. I'm not even totally sure why. I noticed a definite increase in length on the first use but not as much volume as I wanted. If I tried to get much more volume it would clump. I've now got it down, I think. I'm able to do a couple coats and I really like how it turns out. The more I use the more I'm liking it. Not sure how great that is since the full size price for this is $24, available at Birchbox, Sephora, Ulta, online. By the way, the packaging is super cute. The main complaint (besides price) would be that it seems to smudge if I use it on my lower lashes.

Ultraflesh - The Gold Standard Mascara in Blackout .08oz
I received this sample in my Beauty Box 5. I was pretty excited as it was the first mascara for me to receive in a subscription box. Needless to say I wasn't overly impressed, and for a few reasons. First of all when you go to pull out the brush the packaging is really tight, meaning most of the product is wiped off the brush. Second, it was pretty dry which come to find out this product is discontinued and no longer being sold except on sites like eBay. Scary. You can buy one the same size I got on All Cosmetics Wholesale for $2.99. Third, the brush was pretty big as far as length goes which made it awkward to apply. Yes, I did use this. It was okay, except for the reasons stated, but nothing I would probably repurchase anyway. I hope this is not a habit with BB5 to send discontinued items.
Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express .25oz
I purchased this at CVS while trying to find a mascara I saw on YouTube. (I found out later I was totally in the wrong brand) I saw this one and decided to try it. I'm sure I had coupons and got ECB's for it as well. The brush for this is kind of flat, if that makes sense. It's wider on one side and more narrow on the other. The packaging is kind of chubby but you get use to that. I really like this mascara. It gives quite a bit of volume for me and that is mostly what I'm looking for. It comes off pretty easy with makeup remover. It retails for around $6 at Wal-Mart which is definitely reasonable.
Maybelline Lash Discovery .16oz
This mascara is my go-to mascara. Before I started getting subscription boxes and watching reviews this was the mascara I would fall back on. I would try something else but always come back to the Lash Discovery. The main thing that I love about this is the brush is tiny. It allows you to get into the corners and lower lashes so easily. I love it. I feel like it holds up, lengthens and volumizes just as well as any others. I'm pretty sure this one will stay a favorite for quite a while. You can purchase this at Wal-Mart for just over $6.
I know most of these are drugstore, I just have trouble spending quite a bit on one product. I would like to try the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara though. I've heard good things about it. What are some of your favorite mascaras? Any you recommend?
Labels: beauty, beauty box 5, benefit cosmetics, birchbox, makeup, mascara, maybelline, subscription boxes