Pat McGrath’s FetishEyes mascara; it’s really nice for lengthening, thickening, and being pretty inky black. Over time, it does dry out a bit and I find it is a little more prone to clumping but not consistently (so sometimes I’m like… is it me??).
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Chanel Le Volum mascara. Super black. Defines and adds volume. Easy to remove. Very good mascara. Hate loving such an expensive mascara!
Today is the last day I’ll be using the trial-sized Lancome Definicils, which has lasted a surprisingly long time. I have short, skimpy lashes, and Definicils helps make them show up better without clumping or looking too unnatural. For lashes as sparse as mine, the slightest clumping can make it look like all I have are five thick lashes (lol), so I prefer a formula like Definicils, which is now my favorite mascara. I have a backup of Tarte Lights Camera Lashes that I bought earlier in the year, so I’ll probably go to that next, just to use it up.
I also had Definicils as a sample and I really liked it, but as long as I can get free sample mascaras either from Sephora (offer or perk points) or Clinique (with reward points), I’m not splurging on mascaras. 😆
I love sample size mascaras. I think they’re easier to use than a long wand. But I haven’t liked most of the ones I’ve gotten recently, except the Lancôme, which I think I got with reward points. I wait till there’s a sale before I buy higher end mascara…I never pay full price!
Maybelline total temptation mascara in very black waterproof, I just bought it about two weeks ago after a two month hiatus from wearing mascara. I can say that I really enjoy it, the brush is fine but not as short as lash discovery. It separates my lashes fairly well and has a natural finish. But never the way YSL babydoll mascara separates and lengthens.
I like to add two to three coats on the base of my lashes and gently sweep up not adding too much product at the tip of the lashes. Otherwise the get too heavy for my type of hair.
It’s dark enough, I like it and it also doesn’t make my bottom lash look clumpy. I don’t usually apply mascara on my bottom lashes. The Chanel Le volume mascara in burgundy (washable) works well for my bottom lashes on days when I want extra definition without the risk of bleeding.
I have straight Asian hair that will never curl with washable mascara, waterproof works. Sometimes I layer it with a washable mascara, when I want more layers.
I have lash extensions on my top lashes and use an extension friendly tube mascara on the tips only for special occasions.
My lower lashes I vary depending on how dramatic I want them to be. My go-to is MAC Extended Play Gigablack. I love this mascara because it is very good at detail lengthening and separating, and as Its name implies, an intense black mascara. It’s a cheaper darker version of Definicils imo. I like the softness of definicils better (quality shows in texture in mascara), but I do get better longevity with the harsher MAC product.
I wear a cocktail of L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara and waterproof Lash Paradise. The Voluminous Carbon Black is beautiful, it’s REALLY black, makes my lashes long and voluminous (both traits I need desperately for my short thin little lashes) and the waterproof Lash Paradise prevents the Voluminous Carbon Black from smudging or flaking off. I really love both of them and it’s been my go-to combo for a while now.
Buxom Waterproof mascara. I am usually a multi-mascara user. I layer on different mascara’s to take full advantage of their strengths. Usually I use 2-3 mascara’s. My preferences in mascara have changed over the past year and I have gone from preferring “spidery” lashes to preferring a much more flared and feathery lash. The most important performance issue for me is to have no flaking or smudging and since I have hooded eyes, most mascara’s do give me raccoon eyes, weather waterproof or not. For the majority of my makeup wearing life, 43 years, I used Cover Girl mascara exclusively, specifically Super Sizer. I have mentioned in the past that Cover Girl frequently discontinued the particular formula and would bring it back under a different name. This mascara did not smudge or smear and gave me the “spider” lashes I wanted. When I moved away from spider lashes I spent about a year trying multiple mascara’s. I was surprised at how little mascara has changed and how little progress has been made. I really hate mascara ads that tout length, volume, curl, etc and then they show a model with false lashes on! Most companies are guilty of this. I can’t remember what spurred me to try the Buxom but it is the best formula I have tried, to date. I don’t have any flaking or smearing. I get the flared lash that I love. My only criticism would be that it doesn’t give me the amount of length that I would like, although that could be related to my having slacked off in using a lash growth serum. I am still trying to decide which one to try next! Now, I use one mascara and that is the Buxom Waterproof.
I agree with you Christine….I’m also wearing Pat Mcgrath Fetish as my mascara of choice now. I like the way it thickens and lengthens with out any major clumping and gives good separation. I also recently tried Damn Girl by Too Faced and hated it! Maybe good for some, but just was too thick and just made my lashes stick together and looked goopy! With Fetish I get much more separation of lashes. I used to love Lancome Definicils as it is great for lengthening, but not for volume…I am always a sucker for a new mascara and always fall for the advertising hype and try most of them out, but Pat Mcgrath has been my go to for a year of so…..Stila makes a good one too and would be my second choice.
Pat McGrath’s FetishEyes is my favorite mascara. I’m still working with the tube I got for a free trial. But I’m on the fence about buying the full sized. As much as I love it, that’s a lot of money to spend on a mascara. But I do really love it.
Clinique High Impact Waterproof is my most-used and the one I often come back to because it holds a curl, gives me a natural/non-clumpy look, doesn’t flake, and it removes nicely with an oil cleanser. And it comes in Black/Brown, way too many mascaras only come in black or shades of black which is too harsh. Every so often I give a black mascara a try and end up coming right back.
Maybelline Full & Soft waterproof mascara. Been using this gem for years already. It holds a curl, lasts all day without flaking, it’s very black, gives me some length and a lot of volume, and even though it’s waterproof, it doesn’t damage my lashes. I love how it never gives me hard, crunchy lashes either! Now, as for removal at night, it is not the worst offender, but being waterproof, it’s still a job for oil to remove. Yep, I do still use good old baby oil w/aloe vera for removing waterproof eye makeup. Anyway, I am a lifer with this particular mascara, I believe!
Too Faced Damn Girl! And I think it’s the last time… I’ll toss it and open a new one tomorrow. It’s just too dry and clumpy. Although it has the most awful big packaging and wand (even the mini I have from a Sepora offer), the formula was nice the first 2-3 weeks. I liked how lengthening and volumizing it was, without being too much. But it dried out too fast… I actually know tons of people who love a mascara once it dries a little, but I prefer more liquid formulas.
Just finishing up Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill my new fave volumnizing mascara and also a deluxe sample size of Pat McGrath Fetisheyez and I too find my sample dried out a little fast or the formula seemed prone to clumping. the wand easily made a mess when using on my small eyes and short lashes so I won’t be repurchasing
I’m finishing up Revlon Ultimate All-In-One Waterproof. While I do like it, and it is pretty much the only waterproof mascara I’ve ever used more than 3 times, I definitely won’t repurchase… Not that it’s a “bad” mascara, I just find there are brands I like better. For the price, I may as well spend a few more bucks for the L’Oreal Voluminous I always go back to. Also, there is a bit of a “learning curve” for the wand on the Revlon mascara, and I don’t always feel like dealing with it.
While I’ve been working on the Revlon for the past several months, I did recently try (after all these years) the Too Faced Better Than Sex, and I just wasn’t impressed… Again, a perfectly fine product, and I am working through a Deluxe Sample, but I wouldn’t pay full-price. It’s comfortable, and adds length & volume, but for the price, I prefer Lancome Definicils.
Maybelline Snapscara – I’ve used tubing mascaras for years; the ease of removal is more than enough to make up for lack of volume imho. Snapscara is really affordable and surprisingly one of the best tubing mascaras I’ve used, hands down, but it won’t give you dramatic lashes – if you like a more natural look though I’d definitely recommend it.
Thanks for posting this. I’ve been thinking of trying these, since I’m both a color and a tubing ho. Used Blinc in all colors for years, then they started to freefall. Idk why they got lousy; maybe since they were no longer new or popular, you received old stock. I’ve retried them from various resellers, and no, just no. The L’Oreal tubing was raccoony. Others had other issues. Since massive concealing is mandatory, I usually use Isehan Heroine Make on the lowers no matter what is on the uppers. I’m trying the snapscara. Thanks.
I am wearing the deluxe sample I got of the Lancôme Hypnôse Drama. I love it. Since mascara needs to be replaced so often, I think i’ll probably buy another mini size of it for $13. That’s comparable to some full-size drugstore mascaras and I know I’m unlikely to go through a full tube within the expiry date anyways.
When I wear mascara, I wear Laura Geller Lash Boss Mascara. It gives me curl, length and volume. However, Ulta dropped carrying it and so did Nordstrom. And just looking now, it appears even LG has quit selling it (replaced it with a funky-brush one). I’ve still got a backup so am good for a while but hate when this happens.
That said, lately I’ve skipped wearing mascara at all, even with fully made up eyes (eyeshadow, no liner). I’m able to pull it off because I’ve got lots of black lashes (still) and wear eyeglasses anyway (which obscures the eyes a bit, as far as I’m concerned, which makes me go bolder with my shadows). The reason I’ve quit wearing mascara so much is that I found with removals, even careful removal with gentle products, I was losing at least one or more eyelashes–sometimes as many as half a dozen. Just not worth losing eyelashes, so I don’t wear it as much anymore.
Urban Decay Troublemaker. I know a lot of people don’t care for it, but I love it. It makes my lashes look fuller and longer. The formula is neither too wet nor too dry. It doesn’t bother my sensitive eyes. It doesn’t flake. I know some people who thought it smelled funny, but I don’t notice that at all. It’s pretty easy to remove, as well.
MAC Waterproof Haute & Naughty. Good formula but I really like the brush – I can take my time building in such sparse amounts and I like the way it still looks natural; my eyelashes don’t look like a spiderweb after 2 coats.. I was all fired up about Pat McGrath’s being lengthening, volumizing and holding a curl but what a disappointment. I’ve gone back to my old faithful with MAC. I’d just as happily use drugstore mascara but I stock up whenever Nordstrom has their Mascara Madness sale. I don’t put much stock into mid, high end or luxe mascara anymore. I loved L’Oreal Volumizing or Maybelline Great Lash but their waterproof versions were more difficult for me to remove than the MAC.
After a recommendation here, I have decided to try the Designer Brands Lash mascara. I am not a big mascara person, in that it really doesn’t matter to me that much because I wear glasses.
This one is pretty good – doesn’t clump my lashes and dries down quickly.
I like a more dramatic mascara, so I used to love Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye mascara b/c it thickens and lengthens, doesn’t clump, and doesn’t flake or smudge on me. But it really irks me that the tube contains the same amount as most trial size mascaras but they charge $31! So I have moved on to Hourglass Caution Extreme, which has the same fab attributes and I don’t feel like I’m getting raked over the coals. I can also get it on the Nordstrom mascara sale, which is great!
No Christine it’s not you! Sometimes this mascara does clump and other times not so much. I’ve been enjoying using this over my Dior eye lash primer. When I finish this up I’ll go back to my Chanel De Volume mascara. Already got a backup of the Pat McGraft mascara though.
The last one I used is the It cosmetics Superhero mascara. I like my high end mascara, but don’t like to splurge on them.. So I mostly gather mascara samples and use them. The Superhero one is really nice.. jet black, lengthens and separates the lashes ( without looking spidery eyes). Really enjoyed using it.
I have been using Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions mascara. I love the fact that this company gives back to the community by way of their sales. They donate to domestic violence victims, animal welfare, women in the workplace and more.
Their mascara is the only one I’ve found that does not flake or smudge. It’s a tubing mascara that lifts my lashes (such as they are) and retains my curl. It lengthens beautifully as well.
I hope that you enjoy it. Happy Holidays to you all!
PMG is my number one mascara, it just works for me. My runner up is Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes Volume 2. I will buy many mascaras if they review well, I used to have extensions so I’m always looking for beautiful long eyelashes. I just bought a package of Kiss magnetic false eyelashes and I am impressed. I will be using these for special occassions. I will be more impressed when someone comes out with clear magnetic eyeliner!
I have very long but fine lashes that struggle to hold a curl and tend to clump. My absolute fave “one & done” mascara is Cle de Peau’s Perfect Lash. Since I visited the US last month I decided to try some American drugstore mascaras I’d heard about:
NYX The Skinny Mascara – I’d heard this was a cheaper dupe for my fave lash primer, IT Cosmetics Tightline. It is pretty close and does give lift & definition like Tightline but I do see a few flakes under my eye at the end of the day.
Maybelline Lash Sensational waterproof- Recommended to me by a friend with gorgeous long, thick lashes – I am impressed! The curved wand with bristles on one side and grooves on the other really gives a fanned effect and I’m able to get lift from the base of my lashes with it. Great definition and a little volume too! No flaking or smudging for 14 hours. I’m impressed. It is a pain to take off though – I use Innisfree’s brush on mascara remover- works a treat and does not break my lashes.
The last mascara I wore is Benefit BadGal Bang. Picked it up for half price at Macy’s last year during Black Friday and only got around to using it now. It’s an ok mascara; I like the brush with its pointed tip and the formula is not bad if you have decent lashes. Not my HG or anything (those would be IT Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch and Hourglass Caution). I can’t wear it on my bottom lashes unfortunately because it eventually runs and gives me raccoon eyes. Seems to stay on all day and it’s pretty easy to take off. I would not pay full price for this mascara, it’s nothing special.
I am on the last of my WanderBeauty Unleashed. It is my favorite for long feathery lashes but it doesn’t excel at volumizing. Sometimes I will add a coat of HG Caution, the other tube I have open now, it is a deluxe size version and I’ve been impressed so far but have been disappointed before by the full size mascara after loving the smaller size.
I’m not sure how much of it’s the formula and how much is the brush shape, but YSL The Shock takes my lashes from pretty good to pretty damn near red-carpet ready. Also, due to my distaste for black mascaras, I use the Rough Burgundy shade and it really makes my gray eyes stand out.
Now Pat McGrath Fetish Eyes or Guerlain Maxilash. I was die hard Subversion primer followed by Perversion, but I find PML’s mascara does the same thing without the additional expense of the Primer. I personally like it more after I’ve used for a 2 weeks. I find towards the end of the life of it it starts to get clumpy. Perversion did the same. I also really like Guerlain Maxilash. It doesn’t add the volume like above but it adds enough with more definition.
I am lucky in that I don’t have to use a curler and I do have long lashes. But they are blond. What I like about this mascara is it highlights my length and gives volume. I’ll get comments on my lashes but in no way are they as thick, dark and fluttery as my brothers. That guys get blessed by these lash qualities is a total waste.
I started my love for these types of mascaras with first Voluminous, then Dior Show. Over the past couple of years I’ve tried Lancome Hypnose (okay), Definicils (didn’t do anything for me), a Revlon I cannot remember but it was discontinued (would STILL use this if available) layered with CG LashBlast, and the Chanel Volume (just okay) one.
I LOVE the wand from CG Lash Blast for separation. The old one I had broke and luckily, my neighbor uses it so I bought a new one and gave her the mascara. She actually just got another tube and gave me her old want to clean. I really believe I would be experiencing more of the clumping you are talking about without this.
I love the Pat McGrath mascara. It lengthens, thickens; just perfect. I was a Chanel Le Volume devotee, but it just doesn’t compare to the McGrath one. Another excellent mascara is Scott Barnes.