Mascara Reviews – The Good, The Bad & The Between

Rimmel Glam’ Eyes (Regular)

By a wide margin the Rimmel Glam’ Eyes (Regular) has to be my least favorite mascara of all time. That's despite all of the great things I hear women some saying about it. Rimmel claims that with their, VolumFlex Brush® you’ll get volume and separation, leading to up to seven times more intensity. The mascara formula isn’t bad at all and you do get a decent amount of separation and length but as for volume, it’s just regular mascara. It doesn’t smudge nor run and it’s quite easy to take off. That sounds like I'm being so neutral so you’re probably wondering why did I say it was my least favorite mascara. Well, it’s mostly because of the brush. This so called innovation doesn’t effect the final result and if you’re not super careful when closing the tube and doing so slowly, I can guarantee that you’ll end up with mascara all over your mirror, face, clothes, bathroom counter, you name it.
What’s more, I read reviews where people complained that after exactly one week of opening the mascara it started to flake. It happen to me too and I fixed it with a little bit of castor oil but, honestly, nobody buys a mascara to have to fix it after one week, right? I rate this mascara a very sad 4 out of 10.


Maybelline Lash Stiletto


I don’t think I’m particularly picky with mascaras (though I may seem like it after all this review) but I have to say Maybelline’s Lash Stiletto was a disappointment for me. The brand claims that this mascara will give you impressive length and patent leather shine. I already have long lashes and the fact that I didn’t see a remarkable increase in length could be due to that, however my expectations were pretty high on the patent leather shine claim. Once again I was left disappointed. I feel I can achieve the shine it gave me with most mascaras out there and though I don't usually mind mascara smells, I have to say this one wasn't a very pleasant smell. I prefer drugstore mascaras over the high end ones in general so it hurts my soul not to have many good things to say about this mascara. It doesn’t clump, which is good, but towards the end of the tube it flakes like crazy. In the end the only two things I like about this mascara is the packaging and the fact that the wand is wire based, rather than rubber. I’m going to be fairly neutral on this one and give it a 5 out of a possible 10. Despite of all the hype, I didn’t think it was special at all.

Make Up For Ever’s Mascara Volume 1

You’re better off with most drugstore mascaras. This mascara is really pigmented and it does give you nice volume, but that’s all you'll get. For the price it retails for, it should be so much better. I really like the brush and my guess is that all the volume you get from this mascara is due to the wand and applicator. It’s a medium sized, fully packed wire spoolie and to me that’s the perfect mascara applicator. It doesn’t flake but it smudges just a little bit, especially if you wear contacts. My problem with this mascara it’s that it’s “just mascara”. It’s not bad but it’s not outstanding. I’ll rate it an almost neutral 6.5 out of 10.

The Body Shop’s Divide & Multiply Mascara (Regular)

Meant to separate and amplify your lashes The Body Shop’s Divide & Multiply Mascara (Regular) does that and it does it well. I got a sample of this mascara and I’m really happy with it. Separation is awesome, lengthening is brilliant and it gives you decent volume. The wand is a long cone made of rubber with short spikes but it’s so sturdy that it won’t give you any problems on closing the tube. It doesn’t smudge or flake, but can be a little tricky to take off. I’d suggest waterproof makeup remover to ensure that you take every little bit out of your lashes. I tried it on my mom, who has short blonde lashes and they looked almost fake (in a good way) with this mascara. I’m giving this mascara a 9 out of 10 and that’s also because of the price and the smell.

Rimmel’s Volume Flash (Regular and Waterproof)

This was my go to mascara for quite some time and I really like it. It will give insane volume, but be careful not to over do it or you’ll get the worse clumps ever. Both the Regular and the Waterproof versions are super pigmented and don’t smudge, even when they’re almost finished but they do clump more towards the end of their shelf life. The waterproof version is really waterproof and very hard to take off. It won’t move, whether you want it to or not so be prepared with good oil based makeup remover. It resistant to Swimming pools and seawater (yes, I’m one of those women that goes to the pool and beach with makeup on). The smell reminds me of roses and the wand is long, wire based and packed with lots of short spikes. It’s a very, very good mascara is you ask me. I’m giving it an 8.5 out of 10, which means it’s very good but not outstanding.

L'Oreal Volume Shocking Mascara

Two-step mascaras are usually not what I turn to, but the L'Oreal Volume Shocking Mascara might very well be the exception. It promises to give you up to 12x the volume, but while I don’t really think it gives 12x more volume, it does give a decent amount of volume. The first step is a white primer full of fibres, which is what will end up giving you the volume. It’s easy to apply, but because it’s white if you’re not very careful covering it with the actual mascara, you’ll end up with white lashes, which isn’t a very flattering look. The second step is regular mascara. Not much to say about it because the formula doesn’t seem that special. However the applicator is what makes the difference. It’s a comb like rubber applicator that will most definitely comb your lashes and separate them. I’d rate this mascara 8 out of a possible 10. It’s a fairly good mascara but it’s not exceptional.

Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara (Regular)

You might have seen me wearing this mascara in my last tutorial and all I have to say about it is that I cannot wait to get my hands on the waterproof version. It smells like roses, it’s super pigmented, won’t clump, won’t smear and it is the most buildable mascara I have ever seen. That said, If you’re not careful with it, it will leave your eyelashes somewhat heavy and doll like but that’s not the worst thing. If you curl your lashes on a regular basis, try this mascara out. It does justice to its branding, "So Sexy Curves" is exactly what you’ll get. Plus, have you noticed the gorgeous purple tube? Seriously, you it couldn’t get any prettier. The only tiny downfall for this mascara (at least for me) is that the applicator is made out of rubber. However, it’s so sturdy you can barely tell the difference. For now, this is my Holy Grail as far as mascaras go. That’s why I’m giving it a perfect score. 10 out of 10 and let me just say I can barely wait to get my hands on the waterproof version.

I hope I helped out whoever is on the market for a new mascara. I love hearing from you and I'd really like to know what's your favorite mascara.

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"

Micky