Mascara Madness-Aaron Ellerbrock, Richmond VA makeup artist

Where do you begin when you are looking for a mscara? Do you want to lengthen, define, darken, curl, thicken; do you want waterproof or non-waterproof; do you want a liquid, cake, or cream; do you want a black, brown, or another color? We could go on for days asking mascara questions!!

Mascara is one of the oldest beauty products ever invented. OK, well not exactly but as early as 4000 BC ancient Egypstians used a substance called kohl to darken their lashes, eyes, and brows. It wasn't until the 19th century that a chemist named Eugene Rimmel developed a modern day mascara using the newly invented petroleum jelly. And interestingly enough, not long after an American man named T. L. Williams developed a similar product for his sister Maybel. He then started a mail order business that grew into what we know as Maybelline!

Only you can decide which mascara is right for you, but you should definitely keep your eyes out for reviews and posts as they can help you in your search for the perfect mascara!

I thought I would give a quick review on some that I have tried. And FYI, all of these are the waterproof versions. First, my current favorite is L'Oreal Voluminious Million Lashes. It did a great job of defining the lashes. The lashes looked longer and fuller and had more curl to them after using this one. I will caution that it feels a little thicker on the eyes, but that is the price you pay for the "falsie" look. You certainly don't notice the feel after it dries down. Because it is a thicker mascara it does take a little more work to get it off, but again, that is not a bad thing. Also be careful to comb through so the lashes do not stick together; however I just recently read an article that Ginnifer Goodwin's makeup artist actually pinches a few of her lashes together to give a more false and spikey look when she is going "high fashion".

Next I tried Maybelline Colossal Volume mascara. My lashed did not look as long as they did with the L'Oreal. It did curl my lashes but again not as much as the L'Oreal. Of course, this formula is for volume and once again, they were not quite as full as they were with the L'Oreal. There was no smudging and this product did feel a little lighter; a little more natural. It was easy to get off and there was absolutely no clumping with this one. So maybe this is a little more daytime and the L'Oreal is more for night.

Probably should have gone with the iconic Cover Girl next, but I ended up trying the new Maybelline Rocket Volum'eExpress. Bottom line was it was very nice but still not as good as the L'Oreal in my opinion. I would rank it above the Colossal Volume in terms of fullness and lenght. It was a little thick for my taste but the brush was good at keeping the lashes separated as you apply. No clumping either.

The Rocket and the L'Oreal were both VERY waterproof. They were not going anywhere, so you definitely want to have a waterproof makeup remover to get these off! And you can usually get a buy one, get one 50% off at Walgreens and CVS so not a bad deal at all.

Let me know what your favorite is and we will do some more comparisons soon!

The Mascara Diaries, by Rachel

mascaras by nannobanan on polyvore.com

Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Mascara Black
$22 - sephora.com

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara - Best Price
$6.09 - soap.com

CoverGirl Lashblast Mascara - Best Price
$5.19 - soap.com

Diorshow Iconic Extreme Black Mascara
$28 - bloomingdales.com

Let's face it, we all spend a ton of money on mascara. It's probably the number one makeup commercial you'll see on TV on a daily basis. It's like a small little treat you can buy yourself on a whim without breaking your bank, and the makeup companies know this and inundate us with ads constantly. (Drew Barrymore in orange foundation for Cover Girl Lash Blast anyone?) But in all reality, these ads always feature models wearing false lashes. Sometimes over the top, sometimes more natural looking. As a makeup artist, this really makes me mad. It's false advertisement, and I always wonder if Jane Q. Public knows that they're wearing falsies. I myself had recently stopped wearing lash extensions, and was feeling a little inferior in that department after having such long dramatic ones every day when I rolled out of bed. So I decided to go on a mission to find the best mascaras out there. It was expensive. it was messy, and sometimes not pretty. I put down my Cover Girl Lash Blast that I have been using since it came out and went out of my comfort zone, and tried several new ones. The following are my notes and thoughts, totally unbiased.
For a really great basic everyday natural mascara, you still can't beat Maybelline Great Lash in the pink and green tube. It has been around for over 40 years, and is still a staple in many households, as well as pro makeup artist kits everywhere. It won't really lengthen or thicken, but you'll get great dark lashes with no clumping or stiffness. The formula has been tweaked here and there over the years, but it's still a great product that always delivers, and is very affordable at drugstores everywhere. If you just want to swipe on a little bit of color before running errands, this is your girl.
Speaking of drugstore mascara, let's go back to my old standby, Cover Girl Lash Blast in the fat orange tube. This stuff is pretty darn good, especially for the price- I often find that Target has a package of 2 for around $10. STEAL! I keep this in my kit and use it on all of my clients. It really makes your lashes look nice and thick, especially after 2 coats. I love the rubber brush in it...makes for very sleek non-clumping lashes. Not a whole lot of lengthening ,though, and who doesn't want that? But I knew I could do better, and I wanted to experiment a little.
So I went high-dollar. I got the cult fave, Dior Show ($24.50 at Nordstrom). I was so not impressed. It didn't do anything my Lash Blast didn't do. In fact, it wasn't even as good as the drugstore one I had been using. It made them nice and dark, but barely thickened, didn't do much for the length, and definitely didn't curl them. It claim to do all three. Also, it's REALLY hard to get off...not just your lashes, but your skin as well.I felt like I was sloughing off skin I had had from the Clinton Administration trying to remove it. Fail.
Onto the one I was REALLY excited to try...the new mascara from Benefit, called "They're Real!". ($22 at sephora.com) After the first coat, I thought it was so-so. But holy moley, I put that second coat on, and I'm a believer! My lashes looked so stinking LONG! And it's so black, it actually almost does double duty as an eyeliner when you get it all the way down to the base of your lashes. I love this stuff. The only thing that' a bit of a downer is that it does make your lashes feel stiff, but I shouldn't rub them anyway and just shut up. The brush is great,too. It's rubber, so no clumping, but it also has this little spiky ball at the end for getting those unruly lashes on the outer corner of your eyes to behave and join the party. If you're a friend of mine, you just might be getting this for Christmas.
So even though I was loving my Benefit mascara, I saw one more I wanted to try, so I gave the Dior 'Iconic' mascara a day in court ($28, Nordstrom). Simply because it promised to curl my lashes, which is important to me. Curling your lashes actually makes them look twice as long. My lashes are indeed decent, but very straight, so that makes them almost unnoticeable. And as I'm the laziest makeup artist when it comes to doing my own makeup, I never want to curl them manually. I'm always afraid they'll break. Probably not true, but hey, we all have our fears in life. So when I read the reviews on the Iconic, I knew I had to try it. I was not disappointed! This medium rubber wand actually has the bristles on the bias, so it really does lift your lashes sky-high! And they stay! No real thickening or lengthening to get excited about, but hey, those bad boys were curly! So impressed, which I was happy about after my disappointment with the Dior Show. So I am now using one coat of the Dior Iconic, followed by two coats of Benefit's "They're Real!" mascara. They are long, thick,dark as John Mayer's heart, and uber curled. And $92 later I love my lashes.
Keep in mind, this is some work, and if you're just running around during the day or just want a natural look, stick with the Maybelline or Cover Girl. But if you want some awesomely glam lashes, go for it. Layer different mascaras. Mix and match. Makeup artists have been doing it forever, plus it's fun to have a mascara 'wardrobe' to suit your mood. Whatever mascara you use, just be sure to use a pretty heavy duty eye makeup remover...even if you're stumbling in from a long day at work or a night out with the girls. Take it off, sister! I find the ones that are the dual-layered that you have to shake work the best, getting all the makeup off with minimal pulling on your eye area. I personally am a big fan of MAC's Gently Off Eye and Lip Remover ($19, and MAC store or Nordstrom). It get's the gunk off without tearing your eyes apart.
Here's looking at you, kid!

L'oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara

I probably blog more about mascara than nearly any other product because I have found that most women, myself included. It is one of the only mass market items I am willing to keep in my kit, so it is relatively painless to try different formulas. I try just about every new formula I can get my hands on, and in most cases the gimmicky ones fall flat. The vibrating one is just pretty silly, but fun. It is supposed to mimic the wiggle that you do in your lash root to create volume and lift.

When I saw L'oreal's knockoff of the infamous Givenchy Phenomeyes, I just had to give it a go.

Complete with urchinesque wand, it promises ultimate volume and seperation. At $11.50, I found it awfully pricey for a drugstore mascara. And I was sorely disappointed. The shape of the prickly ball makes it impossible to achieve any "lift" and it leaves a very spiky, unattractive lash, not full and fluffy like L'oreal Voluminous.(Carbon Black is divine) I still adore Maybelline Collossal and Cover Girl Lash Blast as well.

Skip this, if you can resist that cute little brush. Overall score: meh.

Voluminous Carbon Black-now in waterproof!

It's the little things. Long one of my very favorite budget mascaras, now the good peeps at L'oreal have made it waterproof so I can use it for weddings. Can't wait until tomorrow to put it on my brides-!

Mascara Raves

I have long been a fan of Loreal mascaras, particularly Voluminous and their original Double Extend, which has a primer on one end and a mascara with an itsy comb on the other. I know beauty execs for prestige lines who (secretly) adore that one.

They have just launched a newer version that knocks off the "Kiss Me" brand (they must have lost their patent on that because I see a lot of lines coming out with the "tube" mascaras) Loreal is the first mass market brand to have this; Clinique came out with one last year.

I have issues with a lot of waterproof formulas because

a. they tend me clumpy and unnaturally spiky and hard

b. they are difficult to get off and require too much tugging and rubbing

I have been testing this one on myself for a couple weeks and it is my new favorite. The primer beefs up your lashes, and the top coat seperates and gives a very lush, full look and they also look noticably longer.. And it comes off only with warm water-even my beloved Almay pads didn't take this stuff off. So it is very waterproof! (I test marketed it at my wedding, where I cried much more than I would have expected. I am normally a bit of a robot)

Also-a fantastic gift idea at Sephora-they are selling a set of their best selling mascaras "the Lash Stash". what a great way to try out expensive mascaras. I bought two of these as gifts and I guess I will have to get a third for myself. A personal favorite in that collection is the Tarte-when you buy the full size, it comes dressed in a purple pleather jacket-who could resist that?